Opinion ID: 77182
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: 4 Because summary judgment was entered against Underwood, we view the evidence in the light most favorable to Underwood whenever there is a dispute of fact. See Swint v. City of Wadley, 51 F.3d 988, 992 (11th Cir.1995). We address one aspect of the record that was determinative in the district court, but is not determinative in this appeal: Underwood's prior convictions for speeding. We also address the aspect of the record that is determinative in this appeal: whether a male was hired by the County to fill the vacancy for which Underwood applied.
5 When a job opening occurs in Perry County, the vacancy is advertised in the local newspaper. Prospective employees submit an application for the advertised job through the state unemployment office. The unemployment office then forwards the application to the clerk of the Perry County Commission who submits the application to the superintendent of the appropriate department. 6 Applications for job openings with the Perry County Highway Department are submitted to Albert Paige, Superintendent of the Perry County Shed Office. Paige reviews and screens the applicants and conducts interviews. After this process, Paige recommends a candidate to the Commission for approval. The Commission then decides by a majority vote whether to accept or reject the recommendation. In the fourteen years that Paige has been superintendent, the Commission has never rejected a recommendation that he has made to the Commission. 7 When he considers an applicant for a truck driver position, Paige ensures that the applicant has the required commercial driver's license and relevant driving experience. Paige testified that skill, experience, lack of substance abuse, seniority, over-the-road experience, good driving record, and common-sense judgment were qualities of a good truck driver. He explained that a good driving record is accident-free, with no citations for speeding or driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Paige later testified, in a declaration executed after his deposition and the close of discovery, that one of the most important qualifications for such a position is a good driving record. In fact, a good driving record, including no convictions for driving under the influence or serious moving violations[,] is a qualification for a job as a truck driver with Perry County. 8 As part of its process for hiring truck drivers, Perry County determines from records of the Alabama Department of Motor Vehicles whether prospective employees have any automobile accidents or citations for moving violations. Paige testified that this background check is completed before hiring a driver. There is no evidence that Paige checked Underwood's driving records at the Department of Motor Vehicles when Paige considered her application.
9 Sometime in 1998, while she was working at Wal-Mart, Underwood had a conversation with Paige about being hired as a truck driver for the county. Underwood asked Paige if the county hired females as truck drivers. Paige replied affirmatively and told [her] how to get a job, and that if [she] got the experience he would hire a woman. Paige stated that Underwood needed to obtain the required training and that she would need to go up under the hood and get familiar with the parts and everything. 10 In November 2000, Underwood began her training as a truck driver at a truck driving program in Selma, Alabama, and she completed this training in January 2001. On February 5, 2001, Underwood obtained a Class A commercial driver's license, which enabled her to drive large trucks, including 18-wheel tractor-trailers. With her Class A license, Underwood also had a hazardous materials endorsement and a passenger endorsement. In her deposition, Underwood testified that she had two months of driving experience as part of a training program with Wiley Sanders where she drove 18-wheel, 13-speed vehicles over long distances with a trainer. 11 In January 2001, Underwood visited the Perry County Shed and spoke with Paige about possible employment opportunities as a truck driver with the county. Underwood testified that Paige told her that there was one Class A driver position open and two Class B driver positions were going to be . . . open[]. Underwood's testimony is unclear about when the Class B positions were going to become vacant. Although counsel for the Commission and Paige asked Underwood to clarify her going to be . . . open[] statement, the record does not contain the next page of the deposition transcript in which Underwood presumably answered that question. 12 In Alabama, a Class B driver is licensed to drive a straight truck with either a single, dual, or triple axle, and weight rating of 26,000 pounds or more. An example of a Class B truck is a small dump truck. A Class A driver is licensed to drive anything a Class B driver can drive, as well as tractor-trailer[s] with the combination, two part vehicle. 13 Paige said that he was going to hire David Dallas for the Class A position because of Dallas's extensive experience. Paige said he would hire Underwood for one of the Class B positions if she applied. Underwood told Paige that she would take any position as a truck driver, including the Class B position, even though she had a Class A license. 14 The record shows that Underwood submitted an application for each position as it became open. After Underwood's conversation with Paige in January 2001, Underwood twice applied for employment as a truck driver. Underwood filed applications three times — in January 2001, March 2001, and May 2001, but Underwood testified that she submitted the third application form after the County lost her second one. Although the record does not contain either of her other two applications, the record contains a copy of the May 2001 application. 15 The May 2001 application stated that Underwood was applying for a truck driver position with the county, but the application did not specify whether Underwood sought a Class A or Class B position. The application did not request and Underwood did not supply any information regarding her driving record or license status. Underwood testified that she never interviewed for and was not offered any job with Perry County. 16 It is undisputed that Underwood had two convictions for speeding in Perry County District Court in the five years before her application. Certified records from Perry County reflect that on February 11, 1998, Underwood was found guilty of driving 71 mph in a 45 mph zone, and on March 23, 1999, she was found guilty of driving 73 mph in a 55 mph zone. Neither Paige nor the Commission knew about these convictions when they decided not to hire Underwood. 17 The Commission and Paige contend that Underwood's convictions for speeding in excess of 15 miles an hour above the posted speed limit are serious traffic violations. Understood does not dispute that contention. Both federal regulations for commercial drivers and Alabama law provide that speeding in excess of 15 miles an hour above the speed limit is a serious traffic violation, and convictions for a serious traffic violation temporarily suspend the license of a commercial driver. 49 C.F.R. § 383.51(c); Ala.Code § 32-9A-2.
18 David Dallas was hired for the position as a Class A truck driver, but Underwood conceded that he was better qualified. Underwood never identified the individual who received the other job for which she applied. The record contains the names and sexes of individuals hired as Class B truck drivers during 2001 and 2002. Some of the drivers offered jobs by the County were males, but others were females. 19 According to Paige's testimony, three males were hired as Class B drivers during 2001 and 2002. Drake Wright was hired as a truck driver around 2000 or 2001. Although he had a Class A license, he drove a Class B truck for the county. Wright also had a commercial driver's license and had been trained at a truck driving school. Wright also had been employed as a driver for a local wood company before his employment with Perry County. Stanley Stewart was hired as a truck driver [p]robably somewhere mid 2001, early 2002. Stewart had a commercial driver's license and a Class A license, but was hired for a Class B position. Stewart had experience with a tandem truck, which is a ten-wheeled truck with a dual axle on the rear. Paige did not think that Stewart had received training at a driving school. Kwame McKinney was hired as a truck driver in 2001. Like Wright and Stewart, McKinney had a commercial driver's license and a Class A license, but he drove a Class B truck for the county. McKinney did not have any previous driving experience, but he had been to truck driving school. 20 According to Paige's testimony, two females were hired as Class B drivers during 2001 and 2002. Michelle Lee was hired as a truck driver in 2000 or 2001. Although Lee initially accepted the position, she later called and declined employment. Johnnie Shepperd was employed by the county as a Class B truck driver for approximately seven months. Paige testified that Shepperd was employed after Lee declined employment with the county, between 2001 and 2002.