Alex v. Gen. Elec. Co.

149 F. Supp. 3d 253, 2016 WL 1057042, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 32051
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. New York
DecidedMarch 14, 2016
Docket1:12-CV-1021 (GTS/CFH)
StatusPublished

This text of 149 F. Supp. 3d 253 (Alex v. Gen. Elec. Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Alex v. Gen. Elec. Co., 149 F. Supp. 3d 253, 2016 WL 1057042, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 32051 (N.D.N.Y. 2016).

Opinion

DECISION and ORDER

GLENN TV SUDDÁBY, Chief United States District Judge

Currently before the Court, in this employment discrimination action filed by Yvonne W. Alex (“Plaintiff’) against General Electric Company and three of its employees, are the following two motions: (1) a motion for summary judgment pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 56 filed by Defendant Michele Lanoue; and (2) a motion for summary .judgment pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 56 filed by General Electric Company, Gale O’Gorman and Diane Vavrasek (the “Management Defendants”). (Dkt. Nos. 79, 81.) For the reasons set forth below, both motions are granted.

I. RELEVANT BACKGROUND

A. Plaintiff’s Amended Complaint

Generally, in her Amended Complaint, Plaintiff, an African-American woman who began working at Defendant General Electric in November 1981, alleges that, starting at some, point in 2008 and continuing until her termination on September 20, 2011, she was repeatedly discriminated against based.on her race by Defendant Lanoue and other co-workers at General Electric (“GE”), whose management either did not believe Plaintiffs complaints or simply refused to fully investigate those complaints, instead reassigning her and then terminating her. (Dkt. No. 4.) Because this Decision and Order is intended primarily for the review of the parties, the Court will not recite in detail the remaining factual allegations of Plaintiffs Amended Complaint. Rather, the Court will refer the reader to the Amended Complaint m its entirety. (Id.) ,

Following the Court’s Decision and Orders of March 31, 2014, and June 4, 2014, four claims remain in this action: (1) Plaintiffs hostile-work-environment claim against Defendant Lanoue under 42 U.S.C. § 1981; (2) the portion of Plaintiffs retaliation claim against Defendant General Electric under Title VII that arises from Plaintiffs termination; (3) the portion of Plaintiff’s retaliation claim against Defen[256]*256dants General Electric, Vavrasek and O’Gorman under 42 U.S.C. § 1981 that arises from Plaintiffs termination; and (4) the'portion of Plaintiffs retaliation claim against Defendants General Electric, Vav-rasek and O’Gorman under N.Y; Exec. Law § 296 that arises from Plaintiffs termination. (Dkt. Nos. 48, 62.) ■

B. Parties’ Briefing of Defendant La-noue’s Motion for Summary Judgment

Generally, in her memorandum of law in chief, Defendant Lanoue asserts the following five arguments: (1) Plaintiff has failed to adduce' admissible record evidence establishing that Lanoue’s' alleged conduct was related to Plaintiffs race as opposed to “political differences” over President Obama; (2) even if motivated by race, the five alleged incidents of enmity relied on by Plaintiff over a two-year period (i.e., Lanoue’s' posting of a depiction of a handgun on the top of her toolbox, La-noue’s operation of pass buckets knowing that Plaintiff was inspecting a turbine, La-noue’s unexplained presence in a locker room while Plaintiff was there, Lanoue’s statement “the woman of color, I just want to grab her heck and slam her against the wall,” and 'Lanoue’s cutting in front of Plaintiff and forcing her to the side óf a public roa'd in an automobile) were sporadic and infrequent; (3) similarly, the afore'mentioned incidents of enmity were not sufficient severe or pervasive to alter the conditions of Plaintiffs employment, especially given that the racial epithet allegedly used by Lanoue (i.e., “N — ”) was not used in Plaintiffs presence; (4)- Lanoue’s alleged conduct, which was unaccompanied by a single spoken word to Plaintiff, was not- sufficiently physically threatening or humiliating; and (5) finally, Lanoue’s alleged conduct did not unreasonably interfere with Plaintiffs work performance. (Dkt. No. 79, Attach. 1 [Def. Lanoue’s Memo, of Law].)

Generally, in her opposition memorandum of law, Plaintiff asserts the following seven arguments; (1) Plaintiffs allegation that Defendant Lanoue attempted to intimidate her by posting depictions of firearms in the workplace and holding up pictures of shooting' magazines as Plaintiff walked by are supported by Paragraphs 33 and 34 of the affidavit of Carol-Adams; (2) Plaintiffs allegation that the picture of a handgun on the top of Defendant Lanoue’s toolbox was related to Plaintiffs race is supported by Paragraph 28 of the affidavit of Ms. Adams, because that paragraph states that Ms. Adams personally observed Lanoue- post depictions of “Miss Piggy,” which Ms. Adams interpreted as a reference to both Plaintiff and “fat Black woman stereotyping such as Aunt Jemima”; (3) Plaintiffs allegation, that Defendant La-noue intentionally pushed the. button that caused the turbine to roll is supported by Plaintiffs deposition testimony Lanoue saw Plaintiff arrive at the turbine to perform an inspection; (4) Plaintiffs allegation that Defendant Lanoue’s presence in the locker room was harassment is supported by the asserted point of law that “harassment is based on the victim’s experience!,] not the intent of the harasser”; (5) Plaintiffs allegation that Defendant Lanoue’s. use of the term “woman of color” was derogatory is supported by Lanoue’s “other related conduct,” her 'decisión not to simply use Plaintiffs name, and the fact that the assertedly analogous term “boy” is derogatory; (6) contrary to Defendant' Lanoue’s argument that there is no evidence that the automobile incident ever occurred, there is such evidence — Plaintiffs deposition testimony; and (7) contrary to Defendant Lanoue’s argument conduct does not have to be accompanied by spoken words to be threatening of humiliating. (Dkt. No. '88, Attach, 23 [Plf.’s Opp’n Memo, of Law].)

[257]*257Generally, in her reply memorandum of law, Defendant Lanoue asserts the following four arguments: (1) Plaintiff has failed to show that there is a genuine issue of any material fact through her affidavit because it contains only (a) naked denials of her opponents’ deposition testimony and (b) assertions that conflict with her own prior deposition testimony; (2) Plaintiff has failed to show that there is a genuine issue of any material fact through the late-blossoming affidavit of Carol Adams because, the assertions in that affidavit (a) are con-clusory and speculative and contain conjecture, (b) lack the requisite specificity, (c) are inadmissible hearsay, (d) are not related to race, (e) contradict Plaintiffs prior deposition testimony and/or (f) are barred by the law-of-the-case doctrine (which effectively prohibits consideration of evidence regarding “Miss Piggy” as immaterial to Plaintiffs surviving claim against Defendant Lanoue); (3) in any event, Plaintiff has failed.to show that there is a genuine issue of any material fact through the evidence she proffers because it does not demonstrate that she witnessed the events that Adams , references, and therefore the events could not have affected Plaintiffs work environment; and (4) Defendant Lanoue’s statement of material facts must be deemed admitted pursuant to Local Rule 7.1(a)(3), because (a) Plaintiff s responses are not supported by specific

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Bluebook (online)
149 F. Supp. 3d 253, 2016 WL 1057042, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 32051, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/alex-v-gen-elec-co-nynd-2016.