Billiter v. SP Plus Corp.

329 F. Supp. 3d 459
CourtDistrict Court, M.D. Tennessee
DecidedAugust 31, 2018
DocketNO. 3:16-CV-1426
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 329 F. Supp. 3d 459 (Billiter v. SP Plus Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.D. Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Billiter v. SP Plus Corp., 329 F. Supp. 3d 459 (M.D. Tenn. 2018).

Opinion

WAVERLY D. CRENSHAW, JR., CHIEF UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

Pending before the Court are Plaintiff's Motion for Summary Judgment (Doc. No. 43), Defendant Vessels' Motion for Summary Judgment (Doc. No. 48), and Defendant SP Plus Corporation's Motion for Summary Judgment (Doc. No. 51).

BACKGROUND

Krista Billiter is a former employee of SP Plus Corporation ("SP Plus"). Michael R. Vessels is also a former employee of SP Plus and was a co-worker of Billiter's.

*464Billiter alleges that, while she was employed with SP Plus, SP Plus provided her with a company laptop computer. She claims that she used the company laptop not only for work, but also on occasion for access to her personal email and accounts. She complains that Vessels downloaded and removed her personal files from her private electronic devices without her knowledge and consent.

The Amended Complaint (Doc. No. 21) asserts that Billiter left SP Plus on or about October 15, 2015, but she admitted in response to SP Plus' Statement of Undisputed Facts that her employment ended on August 27, 2015 (Doc. No. 59 at ¶ 2). In the Amended Complaint, Billiter claims that she was required to return her laptop to SP Plus, but she was not allowed to remove personal files and information from it. In response to Defendant Vessels' Statement of Undisputed Facts, however, Billiter admitted that, prior to returning her laptop to SP Plus, she erased her "side of the account," "returning it to its original form before turning it back in." (Doc. No. 60 at ¶ 38; Doc. No. 48-1 at 19 (Dep. at 70) ).

Billiter avers that Defendant Vessels knowingly, intentionally, inappropriately, and without authorization accessed her private electronic accounts, including private information, photographs and videos. She further alleges that Vessels accessed this information in the course and scope of his employment with SP Plus, with SP Plus resources, through SP Plus access, and with SP Plus' knowledge. She believes that Vessels knowingly, inappropriately, and without authorization shared this private information, including her nude photos and videos, with other employees of SP Plus.

The Amended Complaint alleges that Defendants are responsible for negligent infliction of emotional distress, intentional infliction of emotional distress, violation of Tennessee's Wire Tapping and Electronic Surveillance Act, violation of the Federal Stored Communications Act, and invasion of her privacy, and that SP Plus was negligent in its hiring, supervision and retention of Vessels and is vicariously liable for Vessels' actions. All parties have filed Motions for Summary Judgment. Plaintiff has conceded that her negligent infliction of emotional distress claim should be dismissed, and both Defendants' Motions for Summary Judgment on that issue will be granted.

SUMMARY JUDGMENT

Summary judgment is appropriate where there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c) ; Pennington v. State Farm Mut. Automobile Ins. Co., 553 F.3d 447, 450 (6th Cir. 2009). The party bringing the summary judgment motion has the initial burden of informing the Court of the basis for its motion and identifying portions of the record that demonstrate the absence of a genuine dispute over material facts. Rodgers v. Banks, 344 F.3d 587, 595 (6th Cir. 2003). The moving party may satisfy this burden by presenting affirmative evidence that negates an element of the non-moving party's claim or by demonstrating an absence of evidence to support the nonmoving party's case. Id.

In deciding a motion for summary judgment, the Court must review all the evidence, facts and inferences in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party. Van Gorder v. Grand Trunk Western Railroad, Inc., 509 F.3d 265, 268 (6th Cir. 2007). The Court does not, however, weigh the evidence, judge the credibility of witnesses, or determine the truth of the matter. Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 249, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). The Court determines whether *465sufficient evidence has been presented to make the issue of fact a proper jury question. Id. The mere existence of a scintilla of evidence in support of the nonmoving party's position will be insufficient to survive summary judgment; rather, there must be evidence on which the jury could reasonably find for the nonmoving party. Rodgers, 344 F.3d at 595.

SPOLIATION OF EVIDENCE

Preliminarily, the Court must determine whether to sanction Defendants for the spoliation of relevant evidence.1 Billiter asserts, and Vessels does not dispute, that when her work laptop was returned to SP Plus, it was given to Vessels to work on and thereafter destroyed (Doc. No. 64, ¶¶ 33 and 38). Billiter contends that Vessels took out the SP Plus hard drive in his own laptop and replaced it with a personal hard drive; erased or tried to erase information on his laptop before returning it to SP Plus; and lost or hid the original SP Plus hard drive from his computer. Billiter further alleges that SP Plus, after receiving a letter from Billiter's counsel that requested that all information and data be preserved and that Billiter's allegations immediately be investigated, did not investigate and did not preserve relevant evidence. She contends that SP Plus did not lock Vessels' access to his laptop when he was placed on administrative leave, did not send someone with Vessels to be sure he did not erase or destroy information when retrieving his laptop, and did not attempt to find the original SP Plus hard drive from Vessels' laptop.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
329 F. Supp. 3d 459, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/billiter-v-sp-plus-corp-tnmd-2018.