Opinion ID: 741844
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Hostile Environment Claims

Text: 24 To hold an employer directly liable 4 under either Title VII or § 1981 for a hostile environment created by a harassing supervisor, an employee must prove that the employer knew or should have known of the harassment and failed to take prompt remedial action. See Faragher v. City of Boca Raton, 111 F.3d 1530, 1538 (11th Cir.1997) (en banc) (Title VII); Vance v. Southern Bell Tel. & Tel. Co., 863 F.2d 1503, 1509 (11th Cir.1989) (§ 1981); see also Dennis v. County of Fairfax, 55 F.3d 151, 155 (4th Cir.1995) (holding that, similar to a hostile environment sexual harassment action under Title VII, an employer cannot be liable under § 1981 for hostile environment racial harassment unless the employer knew or should have known of the harassment and failed to take prompt remedial measures). The employee can show that the employer knew of or should have known of harassment by proving either that she complained to higher management of the problem or that the harassment was so pervasive as to infer constructive knowledge on the part of higher management. Faragher, 111 F.3d at 1538. 25 CSXT essentially concedes that it knew of harassment in the medical records room once Jackson reported Reynolds's complaint, but argues that Reynolds failed to present legally sufficient evidence to prove that it did not take prompt remedial action after receiving that report. Reynolds argues that she presented sufficient evidence to show that harassment at CSXT was so pervasive that CSXT should have known of harassment well before her arrival, and, therefore, it did not act promptly even though it acted immediately after she complained and within five weeks of her arrival. The only evidence that Reynolds points to for support of this argument is Widney's testimony that during his roughly 35-year tenure at CSXT, he had seen male supervisors massaging the shoulders of their female subordinates. 5 We conclude that a reasonable juror could not find that such random and unidentified instances of shoulder massaging over a large expanse of time constitute harassment so pervasive that CSXT should have known of harassment prior to Reynolds's arrival. 6 26 Reynolds argues alternatively that even if she did not present sufficient evidence that CSXT should have known of a hostile environment prior to her arrival, she did present sufficient evidence to show that CSXT actually knew of a hostile environment at that time. She points to Elson's testimony that Elson heard a third-person remark that Widney made an inappropriate comment to Turner about Turner's pregnancy. We reject this argument since Reynolds presented no evidence to show that Elson was considered higher management within CSXT, or that Elson had a duty to report to higher management an off-hand third-person remark. See Kilgore v. Thompson & Brock Management, Inc., 93 F.3d 752, 754 (11th Cir.1996) (holding that hostile environment complaint to a manager not considered higher management does not suffice as direct notice to company). 27 CSXT, then, can only be directly liable for creating a hostile environment if Reynolds presented sufficient evidence to show that after CSXT received Jackson's report, it failed to take prompt remedial action; 7 that is, action  'reasonably likely to prevent the misconduct from recurring.'  Id. (quoting Guess v. Bethlehem Steel Corp., 913 F.2d 463, 465 (7th Cir.1990)).  'What is appropriate remedial action will necessarily depend on the particular facts of the case--the severity and persistence of the harassment, and the effectiveness of any initial steps.'  Garcia v. Elf Atochem North America, 28 F.3d 446, 451 (5th Cir.1994) (quoting Waltman v. Int'l Paper Co., 875 F.2d 468, 479 (5th Cir.1989)). 28 In support of her contention that she presented sufficient evidence to show that CSXT failed to take remedial action, Reynolds points to the evidence showing that even though CSXT conducted an investigation within days of her complaint, gave Widney a verbal warning, ordered him to attend sensitivity training, took away his supervisory powers, and transferred him to a file room where he would work alone, Widney still had access to the medical records room and used that access to stare at Reynolds and bump into her in the narrow aisles without excusing himself. She also points to the evidence showing that a previous same-floor transfer failed to remedy a different employee's feeling of discomfort upon seeing her alleged harasser. 8 29 We conclude that this evidence, even viewed in the light most favorable to Reynolds, is legally insufficient to find that CSXT failed to take prompt remedial action. Reynolds herself testified that after CSXT took action against Widney, he never again said anything to her or touched her inappropriately. A reasonable juror could not find, as required by the hostile environment interrogatory, that the acts taken by CSXT, including immediate demotion, warning, transfer, and order to attend sensitivity training, did not constitute prompt action reasonably likely to prevent the misconduct from recurring. Therefore, we conclude that the district court erred in denying CSXT's judgment as a matter of law as to the hostile environment claims. 9