Opinion ID: 2570445
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: fmla claim

Text: As to Schall's FMLA claim, we believe the reasoning in Thomson v. Ohio State University Hosp., 5 F. Supp.2d 574 (S.D. Ohio 1998), to be sound. It states in pertinent part: In enacting the FMLA, Congress, in addition to pursuing the general goal of promoting family cohesion, was attempting to prevent discrimination on the basis of gender. Congress noted that our society traditionally places the responsibility for familial care-giving on women and that this responsibility affects the working lives of women more than men. 29 U.S.C. § 2601(a)(5). Further, `employment standards that apply to one gender only have serious potential for encouraging employers to discriminate against employees and applicants for employment who are of that gender.' 29 U.S.C. § 2601(a)(6). Congress, by enacting the FMLA, sought to prevent employers from discriminating against women because of the responsibility for familial care imposed on them by society. Indeed, the stated effort to `promote the goal of equal employment opportunity for women and men,' 29 U.S.C. § 2601(b)(5), evinces an intent to prevent retaliation or discrimination against an employee, who Congress has found to be female more often than not, who requests time off work to perform care-giving functions. 5 F. Supp.2d at 579. Pursuant to the FMLA, employees are entitled to a total of 12 weeks per calendar year of leave: (A) Because of the birth of a son or daughter of the employee and in order to care for such son or daughter. (B) Because of the placement of a son or daughter with the employee for adoption or foster care. (C) In order to care for the spouse, or a son, daughter, or parent, of the employee, if such spouse, son, daughter, or parent has a serious health condition. (D) Because of a serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform the functions of the position of such employee. 29 U.S.C. § 2612(a)(1) (1994). The FMLA provides these entitlements to an employee, which distinguish it from other acts, such as the ADA. The FMLA, therefore, fails the second prong of the Katzenbach test as it goes beyond the scope allowed by the Constitution. The court in Thomson held that the FMLA failed the second prong of Katzenbach, thereby preventing abrogation, and stated: In effect, Congress, inasfar as it purports to rely on the Fourteenth Amendment as the basis of the FMLA, is attempting to dictate that the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment requires that employees be furnished twelve weeks of leave per year for the reasons set forth in the act. This is patently the sort of substantive legislation that exceeds the proper scope of Congress' authority under § 5 [of the Fourteenth Amendment]. As earlier noted, there must be a `congruence and proportionality' between the injury to be prevented and the means adopted to that end. City of Boerne, 521 U.S. at 520, 117 S. Ct. at 2164. The means employed in the FMLA are not congruous or proportional to the goal of achieving equal treatment, regardless of gender, in the workplace. Of course, the Equal Protection Clause demands this of state employers. However, the FMLA does not merely make it illegal for employers to treat requests for leave differently on the basis of gender, but instead mandates that employers provide employees with a new and valuable benefit. 5 F. Supp.2d at 579-80. We agree with the court in Thomson and hold that the second prong of Katzenbach has not been met as the provisions of the FMLA are not congruent or proportionate to the discrimination to be remedied. See also Kilvitis v. County of Luzerne, 52 F. Supp. 2d 403, 410 (D. Pa. 1999) (finding that Congress did more than attempt to enforce the Equal Protection Clause but that it created a statutory entitlement to 12 weeks of leave for eligible employees). The Thomson court also noted that the FMLA raises some concerns when analyzing the third Katzenbach prong and stated: Similarly, the FMLA creates an entitlement to leave, the cost of which is to be borne by employers. If applicable to the states, the FMLA would impose a significant financial burden. It would be the state employer which would either have to absorb the cost of decreased productivity or expend its resources in an attempt to replace absent employees while they enjoy their leave benefits under the FMLA. Moreover, the FMLA would mandate that state employers provide a valuable benefit to their employees that is entirely foreign to the employment agreement reached between the individual and the state. This would be an inappropriate interference into a traditional area of state sovereignty which runs afoul of the spirit of the Constitution and the concepts of federalism which it contains. 5 F. Supp.2d at 580-81. Although the United States Supreme Court has not addressed this issue, the clear majority of courts have held that Congress failed to abrogate the states' Eleventh Amendment immunity when it enacted the FMLA, thereby preventing plaintiffs from bringing actions under the FMLA against the state in federal court. See Garrett v. University of Alabama, 193 F.3d 1214, 1220 (11th Cir. 1999) (affirming the district court and holding that the FMLA did not satisfy the second prong of Katzenbach as there is no connection between the remedy and the discrimination which was sought to be remedied); Philbrick v. University of Connecticut, 90 F. Supp.2d 195, 199 (D. Conn. 2000) (noting that the majority of courts that have considered this issue have found that states have immunity from FMLA claims and holding that the FMLA does not satisfy the second prong of Katzenbach); Cohen v. Nebraska Dept. Administrative Services, 83 F. Supp.2d 1042, 1046 (D. Neb. 2000) (holding that Congress did not act pursuant to a valid grant of power in enacting the FMLA, thereby allowing the state to assert immunity pursuant to the Eleventh Amendment); Darby v. Hinds County Dept. of Human Services, 83 F. Supp.2d 754, 760 (S.D. Miss. 1999) (holding that the FMLA establishes an entitlement and that Congress has no power to give substantive meaning to the Equal Protection Clause in this manner, thereby allowing the state to claim immunity pursuant to the Eleventh Amendment); Kilvitis, 52 F. Supp.2d at 411 (agreeing with the majority of courts that have addressed this issue and holding that the Eleventh Amendment bars an action brought pursuant to the FMLA when the defendant is the state); Sims v. University of Cincinnati, 46 F. Supp.2d 736, 740 (S.D. Ohio 1999) (holding that the FMLA failed the second and third prong of the Katzenbach test); Driesse v. Florida Bd. of Regents, 26 F. Supp.2d 1328, 1334 (M.D. Fla. 1998) (holding that the FMLA did not abrogate Florida's immunity as it fails the second and third prong of the Katzenbach test); McGregor v. Goord, 18 F. Supp.2d 204, 209 (N.D. N.Y. 1998) (holding that the FMLA was not plainly adapted to remedy sex discrimination, therefore allowing New York to assert Eleventh Amendment immunity as a defense to actions brought in federal court); Thomson, 5 F. Supp.2d at 580 (holding that the states could use Eleventh Amendment immunity to defend FMLA cases as the FMLA did not pass the second prong of the Katzenbach test as there is no congruence and proportionality between the injury to be prevented and the means adapted to that end); and Post v. State of Kansas, 1998 WL 928677,  (D. Kan. 1998) (noting that the majority of courts and all of the more recent cases have concluded that the Eleventh Amendment bars FMLA claims against the states and holding the same). Pursuant to Alden, the same reasoning applies to FMLA actions brought in state courts. Only three courts have held that Congress effectively abrogated the states' immunity when it enacted the FMLA. See Jolliffe v. Mitchell, 986 F. Supp. 339, 342-33 (W.D. Va. 1997) (holding that the language of the FMLA could not be more clear and that Congress abrogated the Eleventh Amendment immunity when it passed the act); Biddlecome v. University of Texas, 1997 WL 124220,  (S.D. Tx. 1997) (holding that the plaintiff's FMLA claim should not be dismissed as Congress had abrogated the State's immunity when it enacted the FMLA); and Knussman v. State of Md., 935 F. Supp. 659, 663 (D. Md. 1996) (holding that Congress intended to abrogate the state's rights under the Eleventh Amendment when it enacted the FMLA). All three decisions have been criticized for failing to apply a thorough analysis of the issue. See Philbrick, 90 F. Supp.2d at 200 (criticizing Knussman, Biddlecome, and Jolliffe for failing to address the second and third prongs of Katzenbach); Cohen, 83 F. Supp.2d at 1045 n. 2 (noting that Jolliffe failed to apply the congruence and proportionality test from City of Boerne v. Flores, 521 U.S. 507, and that Knussman only addressed the first prong of Seminole Tribe); Darby, 83 F. Supp.2d at 759 n. 8 (noting that none of the decisions conformed to the analysis dictated by Flores); Kilvitis, 52 F. Supp.2d at 410 (noting that Biddlecome and Jolliffe both failed to address whether Congress acted within the scope of its constitutional authority); Driesse, 26 F. Supp.2d at 1334 (noting that the three decisions contain very little analysis and that both Jolliffe and Biddlecome failed to apply the Katzenbach test in reaching their decision); and Thomson, 5 F. Supp.2d at 581 (refusing to recognize any of the three cases for their inexplicable failure to apply the Katzenbach test and noting that none of the cases apply the analysis required by the United States Supreme Court). We hold that Schall's FMLA claims are barred by sovereign immunity and that Congress failed to abrogate that immunity when it enacted the FMLA as the Act does not satisfy the second and third prongs of the Katzenbach test. In any event, Schall was given oral notice of his right to 12 weeks' paid leave and received that sum. Under the circumstances, he is not entitled to 12 more weeks even though WSU failed to follow the statute and give him written notice.