BILLMAN v. EASTON AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedAugust 5, 2022
Docket5:20-cv-02730
StatusUnknown

This text of BILLMAN v. EASTON AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT (BILLMAN v. EASTON AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
BILLMAN v. EASTON AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT, (E.D. Pa. 2022).

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA

JAMARR BILLMAN, : Plaintiff : CIVIL ACTION : v. : : EASTON AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT, : No. 20-2730 Defendant :

MEMORANDUM PRATTER, J. AUGUST 5, 2022 JaMarr Billman brought this action against his former employer, Easton Area School District, alleging racial discrimination, a hostile work environment, and retaliation in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act, and 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Easton Area School District asserted an affirmative defense that Mr. Billman failed to mitigate his damages,1 on which the Court instructed the jury. After a trial, the jury found that Mr. Billman had proved each of his claims for racial discrimination, a hostile work environment, and retaliation by the District and awarded Mr. Billman compensatory damages. The Court instructed the jury not to include back pay or front pay in its award of compensatory damages and did not seek an advisory verdict on these issues. Mr. Billman now asks the Court to award back pay with prejudgment interest.2 Based on the following findings of fact and conclusions of law, the Court awards Mr. Billman $20,490 in back pay and $858.11 in prejudgment interest.

1 The Court granted the District leave to amend its answer to include this affirmative defense on the last day of trial pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 15(b)(1). 2 Mr. Billman does not seek reinstatement or front pay. FINDINGS OF FACT3 Mr. Billman’s employment as Easton Area School District’s head varsity wrestling coach began in 2016. June 21, 2022 Tr. at 35:13, Doc. No. 91; Ex. P-25 at EASD002432. The wrestling position was a part-time job for Mr. Billman, who has worked at the Northampton Juvenile Justice

Center in Easton, Pennsylvania for approximately 16 years. June 21, 2022 Tr. at 31:17–25, Doc. No. 91. His varsity wrestling coach salary for the 2016–17 season was $10,047. Ex. P-25 at EASD002432. His salary increased to $10,245 by the 2019–20 season. Ex. P-25 at EASD002429. Each year that the District renewed his annual contract, he continued as the varsity wrestling coach without reapplying for his position. June 21, 2022 Tr. at 38:23–39:1, Doc. No. 91. Although a nonrenewed coach could theoretically reapply for his or her position, a nonrenewal is typically viewed as a termination. June 22, 2022 Tr. at 188:24–189:1. On March 14, 2018, Athletic Director James Pokrivsak informed Mr. Billman that his contract would not be renewed. June 21, 2022 Tr. at 72:14–73:24, Doc. No. 91; June 27, 2022 Tr. at 15:17–19, Doc. No. 95; Ex. P-78 at EASD003618. However, the District then reversed this

decision, and Mr. Billman returned as the varsity wrestling coach for the 2018–19 season. June 21, 2022 Tr. at 76:7–78:7, Doc. No. 91. Mr. Billman filed an EEOC charge on August 28, 2019 and received a right to sue letter on March 12, 2020. Am. Answer ¶¶ 6–7, Doc. No. 85; Am. Compl. ¶¶ 6–7, Doc. No. 10. In late May 2020,4 the District again informed Mr. Billman that his employment would not be renewed for the following season. June 22, 2022 Tr. at 69:21–70:13, Doc. No. 92; June 24,

3 The Court notes that neither party complied with the Court’s order to include “specific reference to testimonial or documentary evidence that has been admitted” in their proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law. Order at 1 n.1, Doc. No. 83 (emphasis added). 4 Mr. Billman asserts that the exact date of his nonrenewal was May 29, 2020. The District does not contest this date, and it is consistent with the timing of surrounding events, so the Court accepts this proposed 2022 Tr. at 18:16–18, Doc. No. 94; June 27, 2022 Tr. at 19:16–25, Doc. No. 95. The District opened his position shortly thereafter and completed the hiring process for a new coach by June 30, 2020. June 22, 2022 Tr. at 70:9–10, Doc. No. 92; June 24 Tr. at 18:19–21, Doc. No. 94. After his nonrenewal in May 2020, Mr. Billman did not reapply for his position. June 28,

2022 Tr. at 20:6–8, Doc. No. 96. Mr. Billman was not told that he could reapply, and he did not wish to continue to experience the treatment for which he brought this lawsuit. June 28, 2022 Tr. at 20:9–17, Doc. No. 96. Back in 2018, Mr. Billman applied for the head wrestling coach position at Bethlehem Catholic while still employed at Easton Area School District. June 28, 2022 Tr. at 18:22–19:6, Doc. No. 96. He did not receive an interview. June 28, 2022 Tr. at 19:2–3, Doc. No. 96. After Mr. Billman’s nonrenewal in 2020, he was aware of open head wrestling coach positions in Northampton School District, Wilson School District, and Pen Argyl School District. June 28, 2022 Tr. at 17:5–18:4, Doc. No. 96. He was unaware of head coaching positions at Emmaus and Pleasant Valley that may have been open. June 28, 2022 Tr. at 17:14–17, 18:5–8, Doc. No. 96.

Following the nonrenewal of his contract, Mr. Billman did not apply for other head coaching positions because he “was not ready to go back to coaching” after his experience at Easton Area School District. June 28, 2022 Tr. at 19:12–20:5, Doc. No. 96. He felt “mentally beat down” and skeptical about his future at other districts given his experience at his own alma mater. Id. For example, he experienced ongoing anxiety and did not feel safe in the wrestling gym after a 2018 incident in which a family member of a wrestling student choked Mr. Billman and called him a racial epithet at the state tournament. June 21, 2022 Tr. at 66:21–68:15, Doc. No. 91; June 22, 2022 Tr. at 14:13–15:1, 20:23–21:1, Doc. No. 92. Although the District discounted

finding of fact. Pl.’s Proposed Findings of Fact ¶ 8, Doc. No. 88; Def.’s Proposed Findings of Fact ¶ 8, Doc. No. 90. this assertion as lacking additional support, it did not introduce contrary evidence. See June 28, 2022 Tr. at 143:11–16, Doc. No. 96 (“[W]e didn’t really find out what the evidence was on that, whether it was a throttling or what, but Mr. Billman’s here so he wasn’t choked. (Indicating) He’s here with us and he looks fine.”). Mr. Billman began attending therapy after his contract

nonrenewal. June 28, 2022 Tr. at 19:23–20:2, Doc. No. 96. After a jury verdict in his favor, Mr. Billman requests a backpay award of $20,490 (for two years’ salary) plus interest of $698.17. LEGAL STANDARD “[T]he purpose of Title VII [is] to make persons whole for injuries suffered on account of unlawful employment discrimination.” Albemarle Paper Co. v. Moody, 422 U.S. 405, 418 (1975). When a jury finds that racial discrimination has taken place, “the district court has not merely the power but the duty to render a decree which will so far as possible eliminate the discriminatory effects of the past as well as bar like discrimination in the future.” Id. (internal quotation marks omitted). To this end, Title VII provides for back pay if the defendant is found to have intentionally

discriminated against the plaintiff. 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(g)(1); Bereda v. Pickering Creek Indus. Park, Inc., 865 F.2d 49, 54 (3d Cir. 1989). “[B]ack-pay should be denied only for reasons which, if applied generally, would not frustrate the central statutory purposes of Title VII.” Caufield v. Ctr. Area Sch. Dist., 133 F. App’x 4, 13 (3d Cir. 2005). “Despite a presumption in favor of a back pay award, successful Title VII claimants have a statutory duty to mitigate damages.” Booker v.

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BILLMAN v. EASTON AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/billman-v-easton-area-school-district-paed-2022.