Opinion ID: 2049012
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: James K. Sillers

Text: James K. Sillers, a Caucasian male, was employed by WSSC from 1975 until 2007. Sillers rose through the ranks of the Commission staff, starting as a general laborer and ultimately becoming Group Leader for Wastewater Collections Systems. According to Sillers, on or around 27 March 2006, he was demoted from his position as Group Leader for Wastewater Collections Systems to a new position as a Program Administrator. In response, Sillers filed a complaint with the EEOC alleging that his demotion was the result of enormous pressure ... to have white employees removed from management positions and replaced with minorities. Sillers elaborated that WSSC has altered its racial demographics and intentionally forced or encouraged numerous white employees to retire or resign, replacing them with minority employees. On 13 March 2007, the EEOC determined that there was reasonable cause to believe that WSSC had engaged in race-based discrimination against Sillers and, on 20 August 2007, issued Sillers a right to sue letter. Subsequent to the EEOC's issuance of the right to sue letter, Sillers retired from the WSSC because, according to him, his working conditions and work environment had become intolerable. Following his retirement from WSSC, Sillers filed suit against the Commission in the Circuit Court for Prince George's County, basing his claim upon violations of § 42(a) and PGCC §§ 2-186 and 2-222. In response, WSSC moved to dismiss Sillers's complaint, asserting the same grounds for dismissal as in Phillips, namely, that the term person as it is used in § 42(a) does not include State agencies, such as WSSC. In addition, WSSC contended that PGCC §§ 2-186 and 2-222, if applied to the Commission through § 42(a), constitute unconstitutional public general laws with improper extra-territorial effect because, if a judgment in Prince George's County were to be rendered against it, WSSC has the statutory authority to satisfy the judgment by levying taxes upon citizens of Montgomery County. Agreeing with WSSC, the Circuit Court dismissed Sillers's complaint. Sillers noted timely an appeal to the Court of Special Appeals. On 19 December 2008, while the appeal was pending in that court, we issued a writ of certiorari, on our initiative, 406 Md. 744, 962 A.2d 371 (2008), to consider the issue framed by Sillers, namely, [w]hether or not the Circuit Court erred in holding that the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, which is a State agency, is not subject to civil action under Md.Code, Art. 49B, § 42. Subsequent to oral argument on 5 June 2009, we ordered the parties to rebrief and reargue the case based on the three issues which we ordered the parties in Phillips to address, noted supra.