Opinion ID: 2977134
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Severe and Pervasive Conduct

Text: The Court now looks to whether Calderon has provided evidence of events occurring within the limitations period that are sufficiently severe or pervasive to create a hostile work environment. -9- No. 07-2215 Calderon v. Ford Motor Credit Co. Although the district court did not address this issue, we conclude that the incidents occurring within the statute of limitations period (June 15, 2002 to June 15, 2005) create a genuine issue of material fact as to the existence of a hostile work environment. The ELCRA provides that an employer shall not “[d]iscriminate against an individual with respect to employment, compensation, or a term, condition, or privilege of employment, because of religion, race, color, national origin, age, sex, height, weight, or marital status.” Mich. Comp. Laws Ann. § 37.2202(1)(a). Harassment in the workplace based on race or national origin is an actionable offense. See Malan v. Gen. Dynamics Land Sys., Inc., 538 N.W.2d 76, 77 (Mich. Ct. App. 1995) (holding “[h]arassment based on any one of the enumerated classifications [in the ELCRA] is an actionable offense.”). To establish a prima facie claim under the ELCRA on a theory of a hostile work environment, a plaintiff must establish that: “(1) the employee belonged to a protected group; (2) the employee was subjected to communication or conduct on the basis of her protected status; (3) the employee was subjected to unwelcome . . . conduct or communication involving her protected status; (4) the unwelcome . . . conduct was intended to or in fact did substantially interfere with the employee’s employment or created an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment; and (5) respondeat superior.” In re Rodriguez, 487 F.3d 1001, 1010 (6th Cir. 2007) (internal brackets omitted) (quoting Quinto v. Cross & Peters Co., 547 N.W.2d 314, 319-20 (Mich. 1996)). The first three elements are not disputed. Hence, the focus of our review is on whether the unwelcome conduct created a hostile environment and whether Calderon established respondeat superior. “To survive summary disposition, a plaintiff must present documentary evidence to the trial court that a genuine issue exists regarding whether a reasonable person would find that, in the totality of the - 10 - No. 07-2215 Calderon v. Ford Motor Credit Co. circumstances, the unwelcome conduct was sufficiently severe or pervasive to create a hostile work environment.” In re Rodriguez, 487 F.3d at 1010 (internal quotation marks and brackets omitted) (quoting Quinto, 547 N.W.2d at 320). A hostile work environment exists “when the work-place is permeated with discriminatory intimidation, ridicule, and insult, that is sufficiently severe or pervasive to alter the conditions of the victim’s employment and create an abusive working environment.” Harris v. Forklift Sys., Inc., 510 U.S. 17, 21 (1993) (internal quotation marks and citations omitted). Courts must consider the totality of the circumstances to determine whether the environment is both objectively hostile, such that a reasonable person would find it hostile, and subjectively hostile, such that the victim regarded it as hostile. Radtke v. Everett, 501 N.W.2d 155, 167 (Mich. 1993). Factors used to determine if the claimed misconduct is sufficiently severe or pervasive to constitute a hostile work environment “include the frequency of the discriminatory conduct; its severity; whether it is physically threatening or humiliating, or a mere offensive utterance; and whether it unreasonably interferes with an employee’s work performance.” Harris, 510 U.S. at 23. However, “simple teasing, offhand comments, and isolated incidents (unless extremely serious) will not amount to discriminatory changes in the terms and conditions of employment.” Faragher v. City of Boca Raton, 524 U.S. 775, 788 (1998) (internal quotation marks and citation omitted). Calderon does not contend that any one incident was so traumatic, that it, in itself, created a hostile work environment; rather, she argues that in the aggregate, all of the racial slurs, comments, and conduct created a hostile work environment. We conclude that under the totality of the circumstances, there is a genuine issue of material fact as to whether a reasonable person would have - 11 - No. 07-2215 Calderon v. Ford Motor Credit Co. perceived the conduct at issue as creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment. Calderon contends that the four following incidents occurring within the statute of limitations period (June 15, 2002 to June 15, 2005) created a hostile work environment: (1) Polterdyke’s December 2002 reference to Calderon as a “fucking spic”; (2) Smith’s December 2002 or January 2003 statement that Calderon could not attend a department lunch because “they [didn’t] want [] Mexicans”; (3) Sweda’s early 2003 remark that “[Calderon’s] people” make straw hats well and asking her “where’s my little Mexican bean”; (4) Polterdyke’s May 16, 2003 admonition “[not] look at [her] that way, you’re not white enough, you look down when I speak to you.” Although the parties do not address other evidence of alleged race and/or national origin discrimination in the record, this additional evidence is relevant to our analysis of whether a hostile work environment existed at Ford Credit. In addition to the alleged four incidents above, Ricks testified during her deposition that co-workers teased Calderon because of her accent every time she spoke. Most importantly, evidence that may not have been explicitly accompanied by a racial or national origin slur may still contribute to a hostile work environment. See Jackson v. Quanex Corp., 191 F.3d 647, 662 (6th Cir. 1999) (“[E]ven though a certain action may not have been specifically racial in nature, it may contribute to the plaintiff’s proof of a hostile work environment if it would not have occurred but for the fact [of the plaintiff’s protected status].”). For example, as the second incident above notes, Calderon was told on at least one occasion that she could not attend a work luncheon specifically because her supervisors did not want Mexicans to be present. A factfinder could easily infer that Calderon was excluded from other luncheons because of her race and national origin. See id. at 662 (“[A] showing of use of racial epithets in a work environment - 12 - No. 07-2215 Calderon v. Ford Motor Credit Co. may create an inference that racial animus motivated other conduct as well.”). Thus, Calderon’s testimony that only she was not allowed to attend any departmental luncheons or participate in Christmas lunches is probative of whether a hostile work environment existed at Ford Credit. Likewise, evidence that Carr was instructed to “ride” Calderon is probative of whether a hostile work environment existed. Polterdyke allegedly told Carr to “ride” Calderon, and Carr explained to Calderon that his almost daily meetings with her were the result of Polterdyke’s order. Moreover, Polterdyke’s September 2001 and December 2002 derogatory statements about Calderon’s race and national origin were made during meetings to discuss work assignments and the statements were occasioned by what Polterdyke considered to be Calderon’s inability or unwillingness to perform her job duties. Although Carr did not specifically refer to Calderon’s race or national origin during these meetings, the surrounding context of Polterdyke’s harassment based explicitly on race and national origin could allow a factfinder to infer that Carr’s actions were taken on account of Calderon’s race and national origin. See Oncale v. Sundowner Offshore Servs. Inc., 523 U.S. 75, 81-82 (1998) (“The real social impact of workplace behavior often depends on a constellation of surrounding circumstances, expectations, and relationships which are not fully captured by a simple recitation of the words used or the physical acts performed.”). The record indicates that Calderon was singled out for other discriminatory treatment because of her race and national origin. Although various employees submitted affidavits stating that Polterdyke treated everyone poorly, there is no evidence that everyone was subjected to daily meetings with supervisors, excluded from departmental lunches, or otherwise excluded. This evidence raises a genuine issue of material fact as to the existence of a hostile work environment. - 13 - No. 07-2215 Calderon v. Ford Motor Credit Co. Although it may be that no one incident of harassment in this case is sufficient to establish severe or pervasive harassment, when considered together and viewed in the light most favorable to Calderon, the evidence shows a pattern of ridicule and treatment sufficient for a jury to conclude that there existed a severe and hostile work environment. Thus, a reasonable jury could find that under the totality of the circumstances, Calderon was subjected to conduct that was sufficiently severe and pervasive to create a hostile work environment.