Opinion ID: 170506
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Claims falling outside the limitations period

Text: Drawing all reasonable inferences in his favor, we conclude that one of the incidents alleged by Mr. Tademythe 1995 confrontation with Mr. Marvincannot be reasonably viewed as part of the same hostile work environment as the hanging of the noose in the south shanty on July 4, 2003. That confrontation was qualitatively different than the other incidents: it did not involve racial epithets at all and there is no indication that Mr. Marvin's conduct contributed in any way to the subsequent acts alleged by Mr. Tademy. Cf. Duncan, 397 F.3d at 1309 (concluding that acts of threatening physical and psychological harassment outside the limitations period were not part of the same hostile work environment as conduct within the limitations period involving off-color comments and rumor-spreading perpetuated by a completely different set of actors). However, drawing all reasonable inferences in favor of Mr. Tademy, we further conclude that there is genuine issue of fact as to whether the racist graffiti, Mr. Cagle's use of the term boy, the slaves e-mail, and Mr. Bleckert's reference to F  ing Kunta Kinte were part of the same hostile work environment as the hanging of the noose. In our view, a reasonable jury could find that each was calculated to demean or intimidate African-American employees. The Cagle boy incident, for example, underscores why summary judgment was inappropriate. As typically used in everyday English, there is nothing inherently offensive about the word boy. Nevertheless, it is a term that has been used to demean African-American men, among others, throughout American history. In conversation, a slight difference in emphasis on a particular word or syllable in a sentence can alter its meaning. Here, we are confronted with conflicting testimony about whether the term was used in an offensive way in this particular instance. Union Pacific's decision to send Mr. Cagle to sensitivity training indicates that the company recognized the racial implications of his comment. Given all of the facts of this case, whether Mr. Cagle's comment was racially motivated and what effect it had on Mr. Tademy are judgments of the sort we are not equipped to make as an appellate court reviewing a cold record. Nor were they appropriate for the district court in ruling on a summary judgment motion. See Stinnett, 337 F.3d at 1216. And we believe this assessment applies equally to the slaves e-mail and the racist graffiti. We also believe that the number of incidents in the given timespan is sufficient to constitute a hostile environment. Our precedent reveals no talismanic number of incidents needed to give rise to a hostile discrimination claim. As we will discuss in greater detail below, whether a hostile environment claim is actionable depends not only on the number of incidents, but also on the severity of the incidents. Here, the incidents include highly offensive graffiti and a noose hanging in the south shanty. As we outline below, we think that a jury could find that although Mr. Tademy may not have been subjected to racism on a daily basis, he has presented evidence sufficient to support his hostile environment claim. Considering all of the circumstances, we are persuaded that a reasonable jury could conclude that these incidents constituted the same employment practice. Union Pacific maintains that our court employs a strict type, frequency, and perpetrator test to determine whether there is a sufficient nexus between hostile acts. See Aple's Br. at 34-36. It contends that Mr. Tademy may only survive summary judgment if he is able to demonstrate that the same perpetrator committed any two of the incidents. We disagree with Union Pacific's characterization of our precedent. While it is true that the acts in Duncan and Morgan were related by type, frequency, and perpetrator, neither of these cases held that a plaintiff must always produce evidence of such a relationship in order to survive summary judgment. Indeed, it is telling that Union Pacific is unable to cite language from Morgan for this proposition and references only the words type, frequency, and perpetrator from Duncan. Aples' Br. at 34. The entire sentence in Duncan reads, These acts are related by type, frequency, and perpetrator, thus all these acts, including those before the beginning of the filing period, are within the scope of Ms. Duncan's hostile work environment claim. 397 F.3d at 1309. Notwithstanding Union Pacific's considerable efforts, the Duncan court's observation about the relationship between the acts in that particular case may not be contorted into a per se requirement. Indeed, the rule Union Pacific champions would have troubling implications. Under Union Pacific's theory, an employer could escape liability for a racially hostile work environment by employing a legion of bigots, each of whom committed but a solitary act of racism. Such a workplace would hardly operate to achieve equality of employment opportunities. Griggs, 401 U.S. at 430, 91 S.Ct. 849. Furthermore, requiring proof of repeat perpetrators would also provide employers with a reason to avoid conducting thorough investigations aimed at rooting out the culpable party. Here, for example, Mr. Erickson, Mr. Cagle, Mr. Bleckert, Mr. White, or some other employee could have been responsible for any number of the incidents of racist graffiti. However it is impossible to know because Union Pacific failed to investigate the incidents of graffiti or the etchings on Mr. Tademy's locker. By contrast, when the company did conduct an investigation, the perpetrator was discovered. Yet if only repeat offenders could render the company liable for a hostile work environment, the company's failure to investigate the incidents and identify the perpetrator might devolve to its benefit. In addition, the fact that all of these incidents occurred in the same service unit persuades us that they are sufficiently related at this stage of the case. In Duncan, the incidents of alleged harassment occurred over the course of twenty years while Ms. Duncan was working in various capacities with no fewer than seven departments of the Denver Police. 397 F.3d at 1304. Here, by contrast, all of the acts took place within an eight-year span while Mr. Tademy was working in the same place, the Salt Lake service unit. This fact is significant because it suggests that the same, undiscovered perpetrator could have been responsible for several or even multiple incidents. Moreover, as we will discuss in greater detail below, Union Pacific was, or should have been, on notice of recurrent conduct in the same area.