Court Opinion

ID: 9478258
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 06:44:14.156098+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:46:19.468455
License: Public Domain

BOYCE F. MARTIN, Jr., Circuit Judge.
Defendants Dr. D.T. Stafford and the University of Tennessee appeal the district court’s judgment for Sallee R. Bruhwiler in this sexual discrimination case.
In April 1973, Bruhwiler, a white female, was hired as a research toxicologist at the University of Tennessee’s Toxicology Laboratory in Memphis. At this time, she was working on a master’s degree in experimental pathology at the University. Her evaluations indicated that she was a satisfactory employee. In June 1977, Stafford, director of the laboratory, asked Bruhwiler to assume the responsibilities of chief toxicologist, the person in charge of running the entire laboratory. Nevertheless, she was not officially promoted and she was not offered a salary increase. At this time, *420the laboratory was significantly understaffed. In September 1977, Bruhwiler informed Stafford that she was unable to perform the duties of chief toxicologist. Stafford responded, “Couldn’t handle it, huh?”
After Bruhwiler resigned from her “unofficial promotion” to chief toxicologist, two white males, Albert Phillips and Harold Nichols, were hired as research toxicologists and trained by Bruhwiler. In 1979, at the urging of Stafford, Bruhwiler took a one-year leave of absence to do research for her master’s degree. Shortly after Bruhwiler took her leave, Stafford promoted Phillips and Nichols to supervisory positions. In 1979, Scott Fernandez, another white male, was hired as a research toxicologist and trained by Bruhwiler. In 1981, Fernandez, the laboratory employee with the least seniority and experience, was promoted to a supervisory position. At this time, the laboratory was allegedly organized into four sections, each with a supervisor. The supervisors were three white males and Ann Fowler. This organizational scheme notwithstanding, Fowler, who had a much longer tenure in the laboratory than any of her male peers, was not officially classified as a supervisor and received a much lower salary than the male supervisors.
On April 16 and June 3, 1982, Bruhwiler filed administrative grievances protesting the promotion of the less experienced male supervisors. The University’s administrative dean rejected her grievances without holding a hearing. On May 4, 1982, Stafford called Bruhwiler into his office and gave her the names and phone numbers of places to contact about getting a job, even though Bruhwiler had never asked Stafford for help in obtaining employment elsewhere. On June 21, 1982, Bruhwiler received her first “less than satisfactory” evaluation from Stafford. Bruhwiler resigned effective September 6, 1982.
Pursuant to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq., Bruhwiler brought a civil suit against Stafford and the University alleging discriminatory non-promotion and constructive discharge. Bruhwiler requested back pay and attorneys’ fees, but not reinstatement. Following a bench trial, the district court found in favor of Bruhwiler on both counts.
On the issue of non-promotion, the district court found that Bruhwiler set out a prima facie case of sex discrimination as required by McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, 411 U.S. 792, 93 S.Ct. 1817, 36 L.Ed.2d 668 (1973). As a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason for Bruhwiler’s non-promotion, the defendants stated that Bruhwiler was not promoted because she was unable to get along well with her fellow employees. The district court found that this proffered reason was pretextual and that Bruhwiler had demonstrated by a preponderance of the evidence that she was a victim of sex discrimination. In support of this finding, the district court specifically noted Bruhwiler was “extremely qualified” to be a supervisor, that she had in fact trained each of the male supervisors, and that several former laboratory employees testified Bruhwiler was not difficult to work with. Moreover, the district court found that Stafford’s testimony to the contrary was not credible.
The district court also found in favor of Bruhwiler on the constructive discharge claim because Bruhwiler established that a reasonable person in her shoes would have felt compelled to resign. Here, the district court noted a pattern of sexual harassment by Stafford, Bruhwiler’s inability to obtain administrative relief, and Stafford’s May 1982 suggestion that Bruhwiler look for work elsewhere. The district court awarded Bruhwiler $29,000 in back pay, $9,480 in attorneys’ fees, and $810 in costs and expenses.
The defendants now argue that the district court’s findings that Bruhwiler was denied promotion on account of her sex and that she was constructively discharged were clearly erroneous.
The applicable standard of review has been fully set out by the Supreme Court.
Because a finding of intentional discrimination is a finding of fact, the standard governing appellate review of a district court’s finding of discrimination is that *421set forth in Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 52(a): “Findings of fact shall not be set aside unless clearly erroneous, and due regard shall be given to the opportunity of the trial court to judge the credibility of the witnesses.” ... This standard plainly does not entitle a reviewing court to reverse the finding of the trier of fact simply because it is convinced that it would have decided the case differently. The reviewing court oversteps the bounds of its duty under Rule 52(a) if it undertakes to duplicate the role of the lower court. “In applying the clearly erroneous standard to the findings of a district court sitting without a jury, appellate courts must constantly have in mind that their function is not to decide factual issues de novo.” Zenith Radio Corp. v. Hazeltine Research, Inc., 395 U.S. 100, 123, 89 S.Ct. 1562, 1576, 23 L.Ed.2d 129 (1969). If the district court's account of the evidence is plausible in light of the record viewed in its entirety, the court of appeals may not reverse it even though convinced that had it been sitting as the trier of fact, it would have weighed the evidence differently....
When findings are based on determinations regarding the credibility of witnesses, Rule 52(a) demands even greater deference to the trial court’s findings; for only the trial judge can be aware of the variations in demeanor and tone of voice that bear so heavily on the listener’s understanding of and belief in what is said.... [Wjhen a trial judge’s finding is based on his decision to credit the testimony of one of two or more witnesses, each of whom has told a coherent and facially plausible story that is not contradicted by extrinsic evidence, that finding, if not internally inconsistent, can virtually never be clear error.
Anderson v. Bessemer City, 470 U.S. 564, 573-575, 105 S.Ct. 1504, 1511-1512, 84 L.Ed.2d 518 (1985).
Under this extremely narrow standard of review, we are unable to say that either of the challenged findings are clear error. As for the discriminatory non-promotion claim, the district court applied appropriately strict scrutiny to the defendants proffered reason for Bruhwiler’s non-promotion. As we have noted previously, “the legitimacy of the articulated reason for the employment decision is subject to particularly close scrutiny where the evaluation is subjective and the evaluators themselves are not members of the protected minority.” Grano v. Dept. of Development of City of Columbus, 699 F.2d 836, 837 (6th Cir.1983). The district court plausibly found that Bruhwiler was fully qualified and that the defendant’s proffered reason for non-promotion was pretext for discriminatory action. Consequently, the district court’s finding of discriminatory non-promotion cannot be set aside.
The law in this circuit is clear that a constructive discharge exists if working conditions are such that a reasonable person in the plaintiff’s shoes would feel compelled to resign. Henry v. Lennox Industries, Inc., 768 F.2d 746, 752 (6th Cir.1985). Again, the district court plausibly found that, in addition to being subjected to continuing discrimination, Bruhwiler was “required to train the person who would supervise her,” Id. at 751, was given a poor evaluation because of her complaints and, ultimately, was effectively told to find another job. Accordingly, the district court’s finding of a constructive discharge was not clearly erroneous.
The judgment of the district court is affirmed.