Beall v. Edwards Lifesciences LLC

310 F. Supp. 3d 97
CourtCourt of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
DecidedApril 26, 2018
DocketCivil Action No. 17–822 (EGS)
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 310 F. Supp. 3d 97 (Beall v. Edwards Lifesciences LLC) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Beall v. Edwards Lifesciences LLC, 310 F. Supp. 3d 97 (D.C. Cir. 2018).

Opinion

Emmet G. Sullivan, United States District Judge

I. Introduction

Plaintiff Judith Beall ("Ms. Beall") brings this action against her employer, defendant Edwards Lifesciences LLC ("Edwards"). She alleges that Edwards discriminated against her on the basis of gender and age by utilizing discriminatory pay practices in violation of the District of Columbia Human Rights Act ("DCHRA"), D.C. Code § 2-1401, et seq. , and the Federal Equal Pay Act, 29 U.S.C. § 206. Ms. Beall also alleges that Edwards retaliated against her for protesting the company's pay policy in violation of the DCHRA. Finally, Ms. Beall alleges that Edwards failed to pay her wages for disability and vacation leave in violation of the District of Columbia ("D.C.") Wage Payment Act, D.C. Code § 32-1302.

Pending before the Court is Edwards' motion to transfer the case to the United States District Court for the Central District of California ("Central District of California"), where its headquarters is located. Upon consideration of the motion to transfer, the response and reply thereto, the applicable law, and the record, the motion shall be GRANTED and this proceeding shall be TRANSFERRED to the Central District of California.

II. Background

Edwards is a corporation formed under Delaware law and headquartered in Irvine, California. Compl., ECF No. 1 ¶ 8. It delivers medical products for structural heart disease, critical care, and surgical monitoring. Id. ¶ 12. It conducts this business through medical sales representatives, who are assigned to specific specialty teams and geographic sales areas. Id. Ms. Beall, a D.C. resident, has been employed with Edwards as a "vascular sales" representative since 1999. Id. ¶¶ 7, 14-16.

In 2002, she signed an employment agreement with Edwards. Employment Agreement ("EA"), ECF No. 8-2. The employment agreement governs certain aspects of Ms. Beall's "employment relationship" with the company. Id. ¶ 1. Specifically, it states that Ms. Beall is an "at-will" employee and that Edwards "may change [her] hours, wages, benefits, position, working conditions, and other terms of employment ...." Id. ¶ 1.12. The employment agreement also mandates that "any action to enforce the terms of this Agreement shall be brought within the courts of the State of California." Id. ¶ 9.

In 2016, Ms. Beall was the vascular sales representative assigned to the East region, which is comprised of thirty-five Eastern states. Compl., ECF No. 1 ¶ 21. Another sales representative, Mr. Shawn Asuncion, was assigned to the West region, which is comprised of fifteen Western states. Id. That year, allegedly in an effort to "equalize" Mr. Asuncion's pay, Edwards issued a compensation plan for *100the vascular sales team. Id. ¶¶ 21, 23. The plan included a "Commissions Payout Matrix," which detailed Ms. Beall's and Mr. Asuncion's respective commission scales. Id. ¶ 21. According to Ms. Beall, Mr. Asuncion receives 2.5 to 8.6 times more commission for every sales dollar than she does under this Matrix. Id. Accordingly, Ms. Beall objected to the new compensation plan and refused to sign it. Id. ¶¶ 23, 25. Shortly thereafter, Ms. Beall "engaged counsel to represent her with respect to the pay discrimination issue."Id. ¶ 26. In May 2016, her counsel sent her supervisor, Mr. D. Casey Newhouse, a letter detailing her complaints; the dispute was "never resolved." Id.

Ms. Beall's relationship with Edwards began deteriorating after her counsel sent the letter. Id. ¶¶ 27-30. Mr. Newhouse purportedly "routine[ly] ... harangue[d]" Ms. Beall and overly scrutinized her work. Id. ¶ 30. The company also allegedly retaliated against her as a result of her objections. For example, in October 2016, Ms. Beall injured her foot and Edwards allegedly placed her on medical leave. Ms.

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310 F. Supp. 3d 97, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/beall-v-edwards-lifesciences-llc-cadc-2018.