Bean v. The Wyoming Seminary of the Susquehanna Annual Conference

CourtDistrict Court, M.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedMarch 20, 2024
Docket3:23-cv-01702
StatusUnknown

This text of Bean v. The Wyoming Seminary of the Susquehanna Annual Conference (Bean v. The Wyoming Seminary of the Susquehanna Annual Conference) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bean v. The Wyoming Seminary of the Susquehanna Annual Conference, (M.D. Pa. 2024).

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE MIDDLE DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA JULIE BEAN, : No. 3:23cv1702 Plaintiff : : (Judge Munley) Vv. : THE WYOMING SEMINARY OF THE: SUSQUEHANNA ANNUAL : CONFERENCE, : Defendant :

MEMORANDUM Plaintiff Julie Bean asserts claims in this matter against Defendant Wyoming Seminary of the Susquehanna Annual Conference (“Wyoming Seminary”) under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (“ADEA”), 29 U.S.C § 621, ef seq., Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (“Title VII"), 42 U.S.C § 2000e—2, and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act (“PHRA”), 43 PA. STAT. § 951, ef seq Plaintiff alleges she was terminated as the school’s dean of admissions and financial aid after she complained of discriminatory conduct by Wyoming Seminary’s recently installed interim president. After plaintiffs internal □□□□□□□□□ Wyoming Seminary engaged outside counsel to investigate the allegations and that investigation ultimately led to plaintiff's firing. Before the court is Wyoming Seminary’s claim of attorney-client privilege and the attorney work product doctrine regarding documents generated by

outside counsel's investigation. Plaintiff argues that defendant waived any privilege or protection by the nature of its answer to plaintiff's complaint and its affirmative defenses. The court previously conducted a discovery conference, issued a prior order, and performed an in camera review of documents related to outside counsel’s investigation. This matter is thus ripe for disposition. Background Plaintiff alleges unlawful discrimination and retaliation based on age and

sex. (Doc. 1, Complaint). Per her complaint in this matter, plaintiff was hired as the director of admissions at Wyoming Seminary’s Lower School in 2013. (Id. Tf 10-11). Plaintiff received promotions over the next several years and served ultimately as Wyoming Seminary’s dean of admissions and financial aid. (id. J 11). Plaintiff alleges that Wyoming Seminary added marketing and communications, pandemic crisis response, and summer programs responsibilities to her job purview. (Id.) According to plaintiff's allegations, Wyoming Seminary’s board of trustees terminated its president in June 2021 and appointed plaintiff and four other female administrators acting as a senior leadership team to perform the school’s executive functions and resume school operations. (Id. J 12). Wyoming Seminary then hired a male interim president in August 2021 and the interim president became plaintiffs immediate supervisor. (Id. J 13). Per the

complaint, the interim president subjected plaintiff to baseless criticism during a meeting on October 7, 2021, and accused her of improper recruitment tactics and financial aid allocations with respect to Wyoming Seminary’s wrestling program. (Id. 9] 15). Four days later, plaintiff complained to the interim president about his malignment of her during the meeting. (Id. J 16). Allegedly the interim president responded by stating, “you are all intimidated by me. . .all of you are,” in reference to the five women on Wyoming Seminary’s senior leadership team. (Id.) The interim president also allegedly stated, “in what world is it a good idea to put five women in charge of a school?” which plaintiff contends establishes hostile treatment towards her based on sex. (Id.) Plaintiff avers that the interim president expressed animosity about Wyoming Seminary’s female senior leadership team through comments made during a meeting on October 15, 2021 (id. {| 18). The interim president allegedly stated to plaintiff, “before | came here

my buddy looked up the school and said, ‘the jeadership team is five women, do

you Know what you're getting yourself into?’ ” (Id.) Plaintiff also alleges that the interim president reorganized school departments in October 2021 after the above meetings and confrontations. (ld. □□ 17). Furthermore, she alleges that the interim president took this action to undermine plaintiff's role at Wyoming Seminary and diminish her responsibilities. Per plaintiff, the interim president removed marketing and communications

responsibilities from her purview and reassigned supervision of this department to the vice president of development. (Id.) Plaintiff alleges that, although this vice president is also female, this school administrator previously oversaw marketing and communications at a postsecondary institution that failed and closed, and further, is significantly younger and less qualified. (Id.) Per plaintiff, the interim president then changed plaintiffs job title to directo of admissions in November 2021. (Id. ] 19). She alleges that the title change amounted to a demotion. (id.) On November 29, 2021, plaintiff complained abou her title demotion in a meeting with the interim president. (Id. 20). Per plaintiff, the interim president dismissed her complaint, pejoratively called her ambitious, and made a generaily negative comment about women with ambition. (Id.) Later, in February 2022, plaintiff alleges that the interim president excluded her from a finance committee meeting. (Id. 21). Per plaintiff, she participated ir previous meetings of this nature during her tenure at Wyoming Seminary. At tha finance committee meeting, the interim president allegedly increased the revenue budget for admissions and decreased funding for the financial aid department, which plaintiff contends sabotaged her departments’ operations. (Id.) Plaintiff alleges that she subsequently registered a written complaint of age and sex discrimination with Wyoming Seminary’s officers and trustees on February 6, 2022 due to the conduct of the interim president. (Id. ] 22). Per

plaintiff, she detailed the above events and remarks by the interim president in her internal complaint. (Id.) Additionally, plaintiff alleges that the chair of the board of trustees at Wyoming Seminary excluded other senior school leaders and the vice chair of the board from handling plaintiff's internal discrimination complaint. (!d.} It can be inferred from plaintiff's allegations that Wyoming Seminary engaged outside counsel to investigate plaintiff's discrimination complaints and the conduct of the interim president. (See id. f[]] 22-23, 26). Outside counsel then interviewed plaintiff on February 8, 2022 regarding her allegations. (Id. J] 23). According to plaintiff, additional discrimination and retaliation occurred during the time of the investigation. (Id. J 24). On March 4, 2022, outside counsei rendered a finding that defendant’s interim president had not violated Wyoming Seminary’s anti-discrimination policies. (Id. 25). Per plaintiff, outside counsel also played a part in her termination on March 8, 2022 along with Wyoming Seminary’s chair of the board of trustees.' (Id. ] 26). The chair of the board of trustees and outside counsel are male. (See id. Jf] 22-23).

1 Wyoming Seminary’s present counsel also indicated that outside counsel's investigation played a role in plaintiffs termination during a telephone discovery conference.

Plaintiff also alleges that Wyoming Seminary falsely characterized her termination as a voluntary resignation. (Id. {] 26). Plaintiff avers that she was replaced in her senior leadership role by a significantly younger, less qualified, and less experienced man. (Id.) Wyoming Seminary responded to the above allegations in its answer. (Doc 9). Relevant to the instant discovery dispute, defendant admits that plaintiff registered a written complaint of discrimination concerning the interim president. (Id. 22). Defendant agrees that outside counsel interviewed plaintiff on February 8, 2022. (ld. {| 23).

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Bean v. The Wyoming Seminary of the Susquehanna Annual Conference, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bean-v-the-wyoming-seminary-of-the-susquehanna-annual-conference-pamd-2024.