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Employers Anxiously Await Supreme Court’s Mach Mining Decision

As we previously blogged, most recently here, the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to grant certiorari in Mach Mining, LLC v. EEOC could be a game changer in EEOC-related litigation. In Mach Mining, the Seventh Circuit ruled that an alleged failure to conciliate is not an affirmative defense to the merits of an employment discrimination suit and that it will not scrutinize the EEOC’s pre-suit obligations, so long as the EEOC’s complaint pleads it has complied with all procedures required under Title VII, and the relevant documents are facially sufficient. By granting certiorari, the Supreme Court is set to weigh in during its next term relative to conflicting rulings amongst the circuit courts about judicial authority and standards for reviewing the EEOC’s pre-suit conduct.

In the meantime, however, the show must go on! To that end, a recent decision out of the U.

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S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri highlights why the Supreme Court’s eventual ruling in Mach Mining is important. In EEOC v. New Prime, Inc., Judge Douglas Harpool granted, in part, the EEOC’s motion for summary judgment, finding that it satisfied its pre-suit investigation and conciliation obligation despite noting that the court was “underwhelmed by the EEOC’s attempt at conciliation.”

Background

In EEOC v. New Prime, a trucking company maintained a company-wide “same-sex training policy” which required all applicants who did not meet Prime’s experience requirements to receive over-the-road training by an instructor and/or trainer who is the same gender as the applicant unless there is some pre-existing relationship between the female applicant and male instructor/trainer. The effect of this policy was that when a female applicant was ready to be assigned to a trainer or instructor in order to receive the necessary “over the road” training, a female driver had to be available.

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However, based on the number of female drivers available to train, Prime would place female applicants on a “female waiting list” when drivers were not available.

Prime implemented this policy after it was involved in a sexual harassment case brought by three female truck driver trainees.

A female job applicant brought a charge with the Missouri Commission on Human Rights (MCHR) and alleged that Prime told her that her application had been accepted, but she could not be hired because she was female and that no female trainers were available then or in the near future.

After the MCHR issued a Probable Cause finding, it transferred the case to the EEOC for further investigation. On April 1, 2010, the EEOC sent Prime a letter stating “the EEOC’s investigation of this charge is nation-wide in scope.” One year later the EEOC issued its Letter of Determination, which stated “[b]ased on the foregoing, there is reasonable cause to believe that Respondent has subjected Charging Party and a class of female trainees to unlawful discrimination by adopting a policy that denies female trainees training and employment opportunities that are not denied to similarly-situated male trainees.” On this same date, the EEOC sent its letter regarding conciliation that focused on relief not only for the party who brought the charge, but also “all identified and still-to-be identified victims.”

On June 7, 2011, Prime submitted its response to the conciliation proposal, which indicated that it was “not interested” in engaging in class-wide conciliation and would only negotiate concerning the individual who filed the EEOC charge. One week later the EEOC informed Prime that conciliation failed and subsequently brought suit in federal court.

The Decision

Both the EEOC and Prime argued that they were entitled to summary judgment on the merits as well as on several evidentiary (e.g. spoliation) and damage (punitive damages) issues. However, especially relevant with Mach Mining on the horizon is the fact that the EEOC decided to move for summary judgment on whether all conditions precedent to the filing of the lawsuit were met. Prime filed its own motion on this point, arguing that the EEOC failed to adequately investigate and conciliation the matter before filing suit.

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The court acknowledged that the EEOC is obligated to conciliate in good faith, and that in order to satisfy the statutory requirement of good faith conciliation, the EEOC must “(1) outline to the employer the reasonable cause for its belief that the law has been violated; (2) offer an opportunity for voluntary compliance; and (3) respond in a reasonable and flexible manner to the reasonable attitudes of the employer.” Furthermore, the court held that whether the EEOC adequately fulfilled its obligation to conciliate is dependent upon the “reasonableness and responsiveness of the [EEOC’s] conduct under all the circumstances.”

With respect to its investigatory function, the court held that the EEOC’s initial letters put Prime on notice that it was investigating on behalf of “similarly situated individuals with regard to the same-sex training policy.” Furthermore, Prime was put on notice through the initial charge and the subsequent investigation that any females who were subject to the policy, or more specifically put on the waiting list, were part of the EEOC’s investigation. Since it held that “the EEOC’s scope of the investigation in this matter was clear – it pertained to the same-sex training policy implemented by Prime, including the female waiting list for potential applicants, trainees and potential employees,” the court held that the EEOC adequately investigated the matter with respect to its class-wide claims prior to filing suit.

With respect to conciliation, the court found that the EEOC met the “low hurdle of attempting a reasonable and responsive conciliation process” despite shutting down conciliation one week after Prime submitted its initial response to the EEOC. The court was “not persuaded that this is enough to prevent the case from meeting the requirements for the filing of the instant lawsuit” given that Prime expressed no interest in considering compensation for any women affected by the policy – which is something the EEOC informed Prime it sought as a result of the company-wide alleged discriminatory policy. Accordingly, the court granted the EEOC’s motion for summary judgment, finding that it satisfied all conditions precedent to filing this lawsuit.

Implication for Employers

As this case demonstrates, the eventual ruling by the Supreme Court in Mach Mining has the potential to be a game changer for any employer dealing with the EEOC. If federal courts cannot review its pre-lawsuit conciliation efforts, the EEOC, in effect, will have free reign to pay mere lip service to its conciliation obligations and approach any negotiations in a “take-it-or-leave-it” manner. We will continue to follow developments as the parties and amicus groups file their briefs, and keep our readers informed.

This blog previously appeared on the Seyfarth Shaw website on the EEOC Countdown blog here.

Sanction Award Issued Against EEOC for Spoliation

In a case we previously blogged about, EEOC v. Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, LLP, (E.D.N.C. Mar. 24, 2014), Magistrate Judge L. Patrick Auld held the EEOC liable for spoliation sanctions based on the “negligence, if not gross negligence” exhibited by the charging party it brought suit on behalf of – one Ms. Charlesetta Jennings (Ms. Jennings).  When served with the bill of costs by Womble Carlyle, the EEOC objected to the amount as unreasonable.  In his decision, Judge Auld rejected the EEOC’s argument and ordered the EEOC responsible for $22,900 as the reasonable costs incurred by Womble Carlyle.

Background

The EEOC filed suit on behalf of Ms. Jennings in 2013 alleging that Womble Carlyle failed to accommodate her disability and subsequently terminated her employment because of the disability in violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA).  As the EEOC sought back pay on behalf of Ms. Jennings, Womble Carlyle served document demands and interrogatories designed to determine whether she properly mitigated her damages by seeking alternative employment. While being deposed in September 2013, Ms. Jennings testified that she had previously maintained a detailed log chronicling her efforts to obtain alternative employment while she was receiving unemployment insurance benefits; however, once these benefits ended in February 2013, she shredded the log. Further, she testified that she discarded additional material regarding her efforts to obtain employment in June of 2013 – which was after the EEOC had already filed its lawsuit on behalf of Ms. Jennings in January 2013.

Based on Ms. Jennings’ destruction of these documents, Womble Carlyle sought sanctions for spoliation of evidence, which the Court granted and ordered the EEOC to reimburse Womble Carlyle its costs and fees associated with having to bring the spoliation motion.  As a result, Womble Carlyle submitted a Statement of Expenses totaling $29,651.  The EEOC contested the $29,651 amount as unreasonable on several grounds, including its position that Womble Carlyle attorneys “duplicated their efforts” during discovery and that it should not have to pay for the time spent by one attorney reviewing the work of another, where both attorneys are experienced litigators.

The Court’s Decision

As the EEOC objected to the number of hours spent by Womble Carlyle attorneys in relation to the spoliation motion, Judge Auld held it was up to Womble Carlyle to “document the need to have devoted the amount of time for which it seeks compensation” through the submission of “reliable billing records, and…exercise of billing judgment” to deduct time “not properly shown to have been incurred in pursuit of the matter at issue or that is otherwise not reasonable in amount of necessarily incurred.”

Judge Auld rejected the EEOC’s contention that Womble Carlyle attorneys unnecessarily duplicated their efforts in drafting discovery and that it should not be forced to pay for the time spent by one attorney reviewing the work of another attorney “where both attorneys are experienced litigators.”  In doing so, Judge Auld held that after his review, the billing records of Womble Carlyle’s attorneys were reasonable given the nature of the sanction motion and were not duplicative.

Additionally, Judge Auld rejected the EEOC’s request that the Court should reduce by two-thirds the amount of costs since the Court only awarded monetary sanctions and did not grant the other two forms of relief requested by Womble Carlyle: dismissal of the back pay claim, and an adverse inference jury instruction (which the court reserved judgment on until trial).  Judge Auld held that “the fact that the undersigned Magistrate Judge declined to recommend one form of sanction…should not reduce the amount of the recommended sanction of reasonable expenses.”

Judge Auld, however, did reduce Womble Carlyle’s cost application by $6,600 because it failed to demonstrate why it spent 12 more hours on an 11 page reply brief with six exhibits than it spent on an 18-page opening brief with 16 exhibits.  Additionally, Judge Auld reduced the cost award by $151 based on certain block billing entries which were insufficient to meet Womble Carlyle’s burden to support its fee request.  As a result, Judge Auld held the EEOC liable for a total of $22,900 of Womble Carlyle’s costs and fees associated with the spoliation motion.

Implications for Employers

As this case demonstrates, decisions made regarding the preservation of evidence issues at the beginning of, and even leading up to, litigation can have very serious implications, whether in the form of sanctions, an adverse inference at trial or even outright dismissal.  This decision (and Judge Auld’s prior decision) should be added to employers’ defense toolkits, as the preservation of documents and information is a two-way street that employees (and the EEOC) must also follow once litigation is reasonably foreseeable – or proceed at their own peril.

This blog was previously published by Seyfarth Shaw LLP.

NY Agrees to Pay $98M to Settle FDNY Class Action

On March 18, 2014 the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) announced that New York City agreed to pay $98 million to settle a workplace class action originally brought by the DOJ in 2007 alleging that certain civil service tests administered by the FDNY were discriminatory against African-American and Hispanic applicants. In addition to this large monetary sum, the settlement also provides for systemic relief meant to transform the way in which the FDNY recruits firefighters going forward.

The settlement is the largest employment discrimination class action settlement for 2014 thus far.

Background Of The Case

As we previously blogged here and here, the United States originally filed this lawsuit against the City in 2007, alleging that the City’s entry-level firefighter exams and applicant ranking had an unlawful disparate impact on African-American and Hispanic applicants. The Vulcan Society and several individuals intervened in the lawsuit alleging similar claims of disparate impact and also alleging disparate treatment on behalf of a putative class of African-American, entry firefighter candidates. The Court agreed with Plaintiffs, finding that the City’s procedures for screening and selecting entry-level firefighters violated Title VII, the Equal Protection Clause, and the Civil Rights Act of 1866, along with New York state and local law. Consequently, the Court issued an order requiring the City to develop a non-discriminatory test for entry-level firefighter applicants. In 2013 the Second Circuit vacated the grant of summary judgment for disparate treatment liability, but upheld the injunctive relief order.

Settlement Terms

As set forth in the DOJ press release, New York City will pay a total of approximately $98 million to resolve allegations that the FDNY engaged in a pattern or practice of employment discrimination against African-American and Hispanic applicants for the entry-level firefighter position by using two discriminatory written tests in 1999 and 2002. The parties have yet to agree on the method in which the settlement fund will be distributed among class members; however, according to the DOJ “the parties have committed to streamline the claims process and to expedite the distribution of monetary relief to eligible claimants.”

In addition to the money that the City has agreed to pay, the Court has already ordered several changes to remedy the city’s discriminatory hiring practices included among them the use of an entry-level firefighter exam jointly developed by the parties as well as the appointment of a court monitor to oversee the FDNY’s hiring reforms.

Implications For Employers

Although it appears that the approval of the consent decree (which is still subject to a fairness hearing) is a formality, anything is possible given the number of twists and turns this case has taken over the years. Either way, cases such as this serve as a reminder that multi-million dollar settlements in class action cases such as this are not unusual and that whether it is the Department of Justice or the EEOC, the government is focused on forcing employers to make systemic changes to the way in which they do business as well as seeking monetary relief for class members.

This blog was previously published by Seyfarth Shaw LLP.