Opinion ID: 1454051
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Sweeney's investigation

Text: At some point on January 20, 2004, Sweeney began investigating both Michael's and Henry's separate complaints regarding the confrontational meeting, as well as Gooden's earlier complaint concerning Michael's management style. Among those interviewed by Sweeney was a Caterpillar employee named John Jubert, who sat two cubicles away from Henry's office. Jubert told Sweeney that Michael was standing and screaming during the meeting, and that, at one point, he thought Michael might physically strike Henry. He also reported to Sweeney that Henry calmly asked Michael to leave her office on several occasions, but that Michael refused and continued to scream at Henry. Michael disputes this account as reported by Sweeney, and objects to it as hearsay. None of the other employees seated near Henry's office professed any knowledge of the meeting. Sweeney's investigation of Gooden's complaint about Michael included interviews with all of Michael's subordinates. McGhee, one such subordinate, informed Sweeney that Michael was very demanding and would call her throughout the day, which made it difficult for McGhee to complete her tasks. She said that she had heard of Michael asking others to perform personal tasks, but that she had never been so asked. Holland, another of Michael's subordinates, reported to Sweeney that she had never been managed in the way that Michael managed her, and that she was ready to quit because of the pressure Michael placed on her. Michael objects to both of these statements as hearsay evidence. In addition to interviewing Michael's subordinates, Sweeney spoke with other Caterpillar employees regarding their interactions with Michael. Steve Elsesser, the controller for the Nashville office, informed Sweeney that Michael had been a challenge to work with because she was frequently late to meetings, sometimes interrupted others during meetings, and had difficulty completing tasks on time. Sweeney also spoke with Roland Moseley, a business and asset manager in the accounting department, who noted that Michael failed to attend several scheduled training sessions and that, when she did attend, she often arrived late. The next day, January 21, 2004, Michael met separately with both Rezaii and Elsesser. She expressed to both her belief that Henry had mistreated her, but according to Rezaii and Elsesser, Michael did not specifically assert that she had been discriminated against. Michael claims in response only that she tried to tell both about Henry's discriminatory type of behavior, but was unable to do so. On or about January 22, 2004, Michael also spoke with Human Resources Specialist Carla Alexander and specifically alleged that Henry's conduct was racially motivated.