Opinion ID: 669656
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: The Jury Verdicts and the Findings of the District Court

Text: 42 At the close of Cornwell's case, the trial court dismissed her retaliation claim, finding that there was insufficient proof that any of the acts of which she complained had occurred in response to her filing charges with DFY's Affirmative Action Office, DHR, or EEOC. The court also dismissed the Title VII claims against Felton, Brewington, and Fields on the ground that they were not Cornwell's supervisors. 43 The court denied defendants' renewed motion for dismissal of the remaining claims on statute-of-limitations grounds. It found that the amended complaint related back to the June 18, 1986 filing of the original complaint, and thus was deemed filed on that date. It also found that the events that occurred in 1986 were part of a continuing violation that began with those that occurred in 1981-1983: 44 In this case, the evidence seems to be that the only reason that the acts of sexual and racial harassment and discrimination did not continue specifically between 1983 and 1986 was because the Plaintiff was no longer employed or working at the facility, and that when she returned within a month, she was left again with the same supervisors involved, many of the same fellow workers involved. 45 (Tr. 1391.) 46 The jury was given a special verdict form and asked to render a verdict with respect to the Sec. 1983 and Sec. 1985 claims and an advisory verdict with respect to the Title VII claims. With respect to the Sec. 1983 and Sec. 1985 claims, the jury found that Cornwell had established by a preponderance of the evidence that she had been the victim of intentional discrimination on the basis of her gender, though not on the basis of her race, in the terms and conditions of her employment at MacCormick; that she had been the victim of harassment based on both gender and race in connection with that employment; and that the gender discrimination and the harassment proximately caused her damages. Focusing on individual responsibility, the jury found that Albrecht, Yeres, Maffia, Centeno, Felton, Brewington, and Fields had caused or permitted the sexual discrimination and the harassment of Cornwell, that those defendants had engaged in a conspiracy to deprive Cornwell of her civil rights, and that they had acted maliciously or wantonly in their actions against Cornwell so as to be liable for punitive damages. It found that as a remedy for her resulting disability, mental anguish, and loss of enjoyment of life, Cornwell was entitled to compensatory damages from those defendants in the amount of $55,000. The jury found that Cornwell had not established that her rights were violated by Eldridge. 47 With regard to Cornwell's Title VII claims, the jury's advisory verdict was that DFY had a policy of treating women differently from men in the conditions of their employment at MacCormick and that DFY or its supervisory officials allowed a pattern of gender and/or racial harassment to persist, which created a hostile work environment and adversely affected Cornwell's working conditions. It advised that DFY's discriminatory policies and pattern of harassment proximately caused Cornwell lost earnings in the amount of $175,000. 48 Noting the jury's advisory verdict, the trial court made the following findings of fact pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 52(a). The court found that it was the policy of DFY and its supervisors Albrecht, Yeres, Maffia, and Centeno to treat women differently than men by having only one woman in each unit and by excluding women from the 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. shift and the midnight to 8 a.m. shift; that these defendants treated Cornwell differently from the male YDAs; and that their reasons for doing so were pretextual and not legitimate. The court found that, because of her race and gender, these defendants had permitted Cornwell to suffer 49 continuing profane language and obscene gestures from fellow workers directed at her ...; isolation ...; unfair treatment in shift and unit assignments ...; attitudes of men being unwilling to work with women; target of meetings ...; and other adverse acts directed against her.... As a result, [Cornwell] lost earnings in the sum of one seventy-five thousand dollars [sic ] which includes prejudgment interest to date. 50 Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law dated March 22, 1993, at 4-5. After a further trial on issues relating to punitive damages in connection with the claims under Secs. 1983 and 1985, the jury awarded Cornwell such damages against the individual defendants in the aggregate amount of $17,750. 51 In accordance with the verdicts and its own findings, the court entered judgment in favor of Cornwell for $175,000 in compensatory damages against DFY, Albrecht, Yeres, Maffia, and Centeno, jointly and severally, on the Title VII claims; and for $55,000 in compensatory damages against Albrecht, Yeres, Maffia, Centeno, Felton, Brewington, and Fields, jointly and severally, on the Sec. 1983 and Sec. 1985 claims, for a total of $230,000 in compensatory damages. In addition, the judgment awarded a total of $17,750 in punitive damages against individual defendants as follows: Albrecht, $5,000; Yeres, $4,500; Maffia, $2,000; Centeno, $3,500; Felton, $500; Brewington, $750; and Fields, $1,500. 52 Defendants' motions for judgment as a matter of law or for a new trial were summarily denied. A notice of appeal was filed stating that defendants New York State Division for Youth, Warren Albrecht, Susan Yeres, Joseph Maffia, Al Fields, Frederick Brewington and Frederick Felton, hereby appeal from the district court's judgment. Cornwell's cross-appeal followed.