Armstrong v. Tennessee Education Lottery Corp.

219 F. Supp. 3d 708, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 146178, 2016 WL 6138649
District Court, M.D. Tennessee·Decided October 21, 2016·No. NO. 3:14-cv-1270·Published·Cited by 3 cases

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

WAVERLY D. CRENSHAW, JR. UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

Denise Armstrong brings claims against the Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation (the “Lottery Corporation”), alleging multiple federal and state law causes of action arising from termination of her employment. Before the Court is the Lottery Corporation’s motion for. summary judgment, (Doc. No. 23.) For the following reasons, the motion is GRANTED on Armstrong’s hostile work environment and retaliation claims and DENIED on her gender discrimination claim.

I. Factual Background

The Lottery Corporation is a public corporation and state instrumentality responsible for operating lottery games and generating funds for education scholarships. (Doc. No. 28 at 1.) During the time period at issue in this case, Sidney Chambers was the Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing. (Id.) Joe Hills was the Vice President of Sales and reported to Chambers. (Doc. No. 1 at 2.) In December 2003, Chambers hired Armstrong as a District Sales Manager. (Doc. No. 28 at 1.) In April 2004, Chambers promoted her to Corporate Accounts Manager. (Id.) Hills was Armstrong’s immediate supervisor. (Id.)

The Tennessee Education Implementation Law, Tennessee Code Annotated § 4-61-101 et seq., prohibits former employees of the Lottery Corporation from representing a vendor or lottery retailer before the Lottery Corporation for a period of two years following termination of his or her employment. Tenn. Code Ann. § 4-51-110(d). The Lottery Corporation represents that through an internal policy current employees may not assist former employees to violate Tenn. Code Ann § 4-51-110(d). (Doc. No. 28 at 5.) The Lottery Corporation provides no documentation of the internal policy. In any event, Armstrong disputes that the Corporation has any such practice or policy. (Id.)

In the fall of 2011, Lauren Lovell terminated her employment with the Lottery Corporation and became an employee of Mapco, a Lottery Corporation corporate vendor. (Doc. Nos. 23-2 at 33; 28 at 2.) Chambers instructed Armstrong not to conduct Lottery Corporation business with Lovell during her two-year prohibited period. (Doc. No. 28 at 2-4.) In the spring of 2012, Chambers again reminded Armstrong of Tenn. Code Ann § 4-51-110(d), prohibiting former employees from representing any vendor or lottery retailer be[713] fore the Lottery Corporation for two years. (Id. at 3.) He specifically orally instructed her not to have work related conversations with Lovell during this two-year period so that she would not assist Lovell in breaking the law. (Id. at 3-4.) Armstrong understood Chambers’ instructions. (Id. at 3-4.)

On June 4, 2012, Armstrong and a female coworker, Amy Drooker, made an internal complaint to Chambers about two comments Hills made at a work convention. (Doc. No. 28 at 6-7.) First, they claimed that Hills said in their presence that he wanted to send them to a fundraiser golf tournament in their bathing suits. (Id. at 7.) Second, Hills told a woman at the convention whose husband had previously worked with Hills that he remembered seeing her husband naked in an elevator. (Id. at 7.) Chambers and the Vice-President of Human Resources, Craig Miller, conducted an investigation that resulted in Hills being verbally counseled, with a note placed in his employment file, and being required to attend training on interpersonal business relationships. (Id.) Hills verbally apologized to Armstrong, and Chambers followed up with her to confirm that Hills had apologized. (Id. at 8.) Miller then sent a letter to Armstrong documenting that Hills had apologized and inviting her to contact him directly if she wanted to discuss the incidents further. (Id.) Armstrong does not identify any further complaints about Hills after this incident. (Id. at 9.) Subsequently, Drooker lodged a second complaint, alleging Hills retaliated against her because of her earlier internal complaint. Armstrong was interviewed during the retaliation investigation. (Id. at 8-9.) The Lottery Corporation concluded that Hills had not retaliated against Drooker. (Id. at 9.)

In May 2013, Armstrong admits that she paid for Lovell’s lunch during a business meeting, and submitted the amount on her expense report. (Id. at 5.) Chambers investigated and confirmed that Armstrong had several business meetings with Lovell, notwithstanding his prior directives to her that such meetings would violate the Lottery Corporation’s internal policy. (Doc. Nos. 23-1 at 3; 28 at 5-6.) Armstrong does not dispute that she met with Lovell to conduct business, but believes that she had Hills’ approval to meet and conduct business with Lovell based on Hills’ actions and statements. (Doc. No. 28 at 6.)

On June 12, 2013, the Lottery Corporation terminated Armstrong for insubordination—failing to abide by Chamber’s directive not to assist Lovell in violating Tenn. Code Ann § 4-51-110(d). (Doc. No. 23-1 at 3.) Armstrong filed a grievance that upheld the termination. (Doc. No. 28 at 6.)

II. Legal Standard

In reviewing a motion for summaiy judgment, this Court will only consider the narrow question of whether there are “genuine issues as to any material fact and [whether] the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c). The Court reviews ‘the facts and reasonable inferences in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party.... ‘Ferrari v. Ford Motor Co., 826 F.3d 885, 891 (6th Cir. 2016) (citing Cass v. City of Dayton, 770 F.3d 368, 373 (6th Cir. 2014).

III. Analysis

Armstrong brings three claims to challenge her termination: (1) gender discrimination in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 2000 et seq. and the Tennessee Human Rights Act (“THRA”), Tenn. Code Ann § 4-21-101, et seq.; (2) hostile work environment in violation of Title VII and the THRA; and (3) [714] retaliation under Title VII, the THRA, and Tennessee common law.

A. Title VII and THRA

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Armstrong v. Tennessee Education Lottery Corp., 219 F. Supp. 3d 708, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 146178, 2016 WL 6138649 (M.D. Tenn. 2016).

219 F. Supp. 3d 708 (Armstrong v. Tennessee Education Lottery Corp.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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