Brown v. Eckerd Drugs, Inc.

564 F. Supp. 1440, 36 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1543, 36 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 1341, 1983 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16532, 38 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 35,603
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. North Carolina
DecidedJune 2, 1983
DocketC-C-76-146-M
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 564 F. Supp. 1440 (Brown v. Eckerd Drugs, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. North Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Brown v. Eckerd Drugs, Inc., 564 F. Supp. 1440, 36 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1543, 36 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 1341, 1983 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16532, 38 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 35,603 (W.D.N.C. 1983).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

McMILLAN, District Judge.

BACKGROUND

On May 5,1976, Shirley Brown and Dorothy Black filed suit against Eckerd Drugs, Inc., and its successors (“Eckerd”) for race discrimination in its Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, facilities, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq., and 42 U.S.C. § 1981. Brown alleged harassment and discharge, and Black alleged discharge, on the basis of race.

On May 24, 1977, a class was certified of (a) all blacks currently employed, (b) all blacks employed since January 18,1975, but no longer employed, and (c) all black applicants for employment who were discriminated against by Eckerd through the company’s employment practices in the area of hiring, promotion, termination, job assignment, and geographical assignment.

A five-day non-jury trial was conducted in April, 1978. On July 26, 1979, Almetta Ivey, a class member and a witness at trial, was allowed to intervene and was certified as a class representative on the basis of her claim of discriminatory demotion. Also on July 26, 1979, pursuant to Hill v. Western Electric Co., Inc., 596 F.2d 99 (4th Cir.), cert. denied, 444 U.S. 929, 100 S.Ct. 271, 62 L.Ed.2d 186 (1979), the court modified the class to exclude all rejected black applicants for employment.

On October 30, 1979, the court entered findings of fact, conclusions of law, and a judgment. The court found that Brown and Ivey prevailed on their individual claims of discrimination and should be granted reinstatement and back pay. The court found that Black and six other class members who testified at trial did not prove their claims of discrimination by a preponderance of the evidence.

Also on October 30, 1979, the court further modified the class to cover all black employees, currently working for Eckerd or employed at some time since January 18, 1975, who have been discriminated against on the basis of race in promotion and transfer into management and supervisory positions. After hearing the evidence at trial, the court found discrimination against the class, as modified, but found no discrimination against the class in the company’s practices relating to discharge, layoff, demotion, pay, or working conditions.

Defendants appealed. Defendants’ request for a stay of the class proceedings was denied by the district court on February 6, 1980. On March 6, 1980, the court referred the claims of the class members to a special master. On April 14, 1980, the Fourth Circuit denied defendants’ request for a stay of the class proceedings.

Defendants’ appeal asserted several grounds, including (1) plaintiffs’ lack of standing to bring the class claims; (2) insufficient proof of the individual claims of Brown and Ivey; and (3) improper intervention of Ivey.

On November 11,1980, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral argument and, on October 21, 1981, the Court of Appeals upheld the district court’s decision in all respects. Brown v. Eckerd Drugs, Inc., 663 F.2d 1268 (4th Cir.1981). Request for rehearing and rehearing en banc were denied on December 16, 1981. 669 F.2d 913.

*1443 While the case was on appeal to the Fourth Circuit, notice was mailed to class members, claims were filed, and discovery of the class claims was completed. On August 31 and September 1-3, 1981, the special master, Jeffrey J. Davis, conducted hearings on the class claims. Of the twenty-two claims filed, the master recommended that Mary Smith, Gene Harris, Curtis Parker, and Charles Roseborough recover damages because they had been discriminated against by Eckerd on the basis of race in promotion or transfer to management or supervisory positions. The master recommended against the claims of eighteen other applicants.

On February 25,1982, the court returned the class findings to the master to be reconsidered and redrafted in light of new authorities, including Texas Department of Community Affairs v. Burdine, 450 U.S. 248, 101 S.Ct. 1089, 67 L.Ed.2d 207 (1981). On May 12, 1982, the court remanded the claim of Bobby Waiters to the master for reconsideration of the issue of discrimination. On reconsideration, the master found that the preponderance of the evidence supported a finding of discrimination against Bobby Waiters.

At no point did defendants object to the findings of the master that Eckerd discriminated against five of the claimants in promotion or transfer to management and supervisory positions.

On June 21,1982, in Eckerd Drugs, Inc. v. Brown, 457 U.S. 1128, 102 S.Ct. 2952, 73 L.Ed.2d 1345 (1982), the Supreme Court vacated the Fourth Circuit decision in this case and remanded for reconsideration in light of General Telephone Co. of the Southwest v. Falcon, 457 U.S. 147,102 S.Ct. 2364, 72 L.Ed.2d 740 (1982). The Fourth Circuit then vacated this court’s judgment and remanded for such reconsideration. Brown v. Eckerd Drugs, Inc., 712 F.2d 60 (4th Cir. 1982).

On September 20, 1982, the five class members who succeeded on their claims before the special master filed a motion asking the court for leave to intervene and requesting to be certified as class representatives. On the same date, the plaintiffs filed a motion requesting that the court recertify the class and reinstate the previous rulings of the court.

A hearing was held on October 12, 1982) on the questions presented by the remand in light of Falcon. After consideration of the briefs filed by both parties, and arguments of counsel, the court decides as follows:

INDIVIDUAL CLAIMS OF BROWN AND IVEY

On October 30, 1979, this court found that plaintiff Brown and intervenor Ivey proved by a preponderance of the evi-1 dence that they had been discriminated against by Eckerd on the basis of race and that they were entitled to back pay and reinstatement. Defendants appealed those findings to the Fourth Circuit, which affirmed the result, and to the Supreme Court, which vacated and remanded the entire decision for reconsideration in light of Falcon. In Falcon, the Supreme Court was presented with an issue about the adequacy of a class representative; it was not presented and did not address any issue relating to sufficiency of evidence or allocation of burden of proof.

After reviewing the record, its memorandum of decision, the findings of fact, conclusions of law, and judgment, this court reaffirms its previous findings that plaintiff Brown and intervenor Ivey proved by a preponderance of the evidence that they were discriminated against by Eckerd on the basis of race. They are entitled to back pay and reinstatement.

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564 F. Supp. 1440, 36 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1543, 36 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 1341, 1983 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16532, 38 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 35,603, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/brown-v-eckerd-drugs-inc-ncwd-1983.