Burnett v. Ocean Props., Ltd.

327 F. Supp. 3d 198
CourtDistrict Court, D. Maine
DecidedJune 11, 2018
Docket2:16–cv–00359–JAW
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 327 F. Supp. 3d 198 (Burnett v. Ocean Props., Ltd.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Maine primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Burnett v. Ocean Props., Ltd., 327 F. Supp. 3d 198 (D. Me. 2018).

Opinion

JOHN A. WOODCOCK, JR., UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

A disabled employee brings suit against his employer alleging violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), 42 U.S.C. §§ 12101 et seq. , the Maine Whistleblower Protection Act, 26 M.R.S. §§ 831 et seq. , and the Maine Human Rights Act, 5 M.R.S. §§ 4571 et seq. The Defendants move for summary judgment on all claims. The employee has not established a prima facie case of retaliation or discrimination by disparate treatment because he did not *204suffer an adverse employment action as a result of his disability. The employer is entitled to summary judgment on those claims. The employer, however, is not entitled to summary judgment on one subset of the employee's claim that it failed to reasonably accommodate his disability.

I. PROCEDURAL HISTORY

On July 1, 2016, Ryan D. Burnett filed a complaint against Ocean Properties Ltd. (Ocean Properties) and AmeriPort LLC (AmeriPort) (collectively Defendants, AmeriPort),1 and he filed an amended complaint on September 26, 2016. Compl. (ECF No. 1); First. Am. Compl. (ECF No. 7) (Am. Compl. ). On November 25, 2016, the Defendants filed a partial motion to dismiss and a motion to strike certain allegations in the Amended Complaint. Defs.' Partial Mot. to Dismiss Pl.'s Am. Compl. and Mot. to Strike Impertinent Allegations (ECF No. 19). On April 11, 2017, the Court denied the motion to dismiss and the motion to strike. Order on Mot. to Dismiss (ECF No. 37).

On November 13, 2017, AmeriPort filed a motion for summary judgment and a statement of facts. Defs.' Mem. of Law in Support of Mot. for Summ. J. (ECF No. 68); Defs.' Statement of Material Facts (ECF No. 69) (DSMF). They amended their motion on November 21, 2017. Defs.' Am. Mem. of Law in Support of Mot. for Summ. J. (ECF No. 71) (Defs.' Mot. ).

On December 29, 2017, Mr. Burnett filed responses to AmeriPort's motion and the Defendants' statement of facts. Pl.'s Opp'n to Summ. J. (ECF No. 75) (Pl.'s Opp'n ); Pl.'s Opposing and Additional Statement of Material Facts at 1-22 (ECF No. 76)

*205(PRDSMF). Mr. Burnett also filed additional statements of fact. Pl.'s Additional Statement of Material Facts at 22-33 (ECF No. 76) (PSAMF).

On January 23, 2018, AmeriPort replied to Mr. Burnett's response and Mr. Burnett's additional statements of fact. Defs.' Reply in Support of Mot. for Summ. J. (ECF No. 79) (Defs.' Reply ); Defs.' Reply to Pl.'s Additional Statement of Facts in Opp'n to Defs.' Mot. for Summ. J. (ECF No. 80) (DRPSAMF).

II. STATEMENT OF FACTS2

A. The Parties

Ocean Properties is a duly authorized Maine business corporation that operates numerous hotels nationwide, including the Sable Oaks Marriott3 in South Portland. Am. Compl. ¶ 4.4 Ocean Properties has employed more than 500 employees nationwide in each of twenty or more calendar weeks in the current and preceding calendar years. Am. Compl. ¶ 16. Ocean Properties is one of the largest and most dynamic privately held hotel management and development companies in North America, with an award-winning portfolio of over 100 hotels and 17,000 guestrooms. PSAMF ¶ 47; DRPSAMF ¶ 47.

Ocean Properties calls the Sable Oaks Marriott "AmeriPort". Am. Compl. ¶ 5. AmeriPort is a former New Hampshire Limited Liability Company no longer authorized to do business in either Maine or New Hampshire. Am. Compl. ¶ 11. AmeriPort, LLC has been administratively dissolved and has not filed an annual report since 2011. Am. Compl. ¶ 12.

Ryan D. Burnett resides in the town of Eliot, Maine. Am. Compl. ¶ 3. Mr. Burnett worked in Ocean Properties' Portland reservation center, located at various times in several locations in the Sable Oaks properties in South Portland.5 Am. Compl. ¶¶ 6-7. Mr. Burnett is paralyzed from the T-9 level of his spine and below. DSMF ¶ 5; PRDSMF ¶ 5. Mr. Burnett has used a wheelchair for his entire adult life and uses a truck with a specially designed chair lift for transportation. DSMF ¶ 5; PRDSMF ¶ 5. Mr. Burnett cannot park in a regular spot because his truck has a wheelchair lift on the driver's side that assists him with loading and unloading his chair. PSAMF ¶ 6; DRPSAMF ¶ 6. This takes up nearly another whole parking spot on his driver's *206side, and if a car parked beside him unaware of this issue, Mr. Burnett would not be able to get back into his vehicle. PSAMF ¶ 6; DRPSAMF ¶ 6. Due to his paralysis, Mr. Burnett has no control over his bowel movements. DSMF ¶ 6; PRDSMF ¶ 6.

On May 16, 2009, Ocean Properties hired Mr. Burnett to work as a Reservations Agent at a call center. DSMF ¶ 1; PRDSMF ¶ 1. The call center was initially located in the basement of the Holiday Inn & Suites near the Sable Oaks Marriot.6 DSMF ¶ 1; PRDSMF ¶ 1; PSAMF ¶ 1; DRPSAMF ¶ 1. As a Reservations Agent, Mr. Burnett was responsible for taking calls for reservations at various hotels across the country. DSMF ¶ 3; PRDSMF ¶ 3. Mr. Burnett's disability was apparent at the time AmeriPort hired him. DSMF ¶ 6; PRDSMF ¶ 6.

Mr. Burnett reported directly to several supervisors during his time as a Reservations Agent. DSMF ¶ 3; PRDSMF ¶ 3. Until the last eight months of his employment, Mr. Burnett's supervisor was Lori Darsaoui.7 DSMF ¶ 3; PRDSMF ¶ 3. Ms. Darsaoui is the payroll administrator for AmeriPort, Sable Golf, LLC, and GHM Portland Holiday Inn, LLC. PSAMF ¶ 8; DRPSAMF ¶ 8.

Ms. Darsaoui's supervisor was Vice President of Revenue Management, Joyce Dawson.8 DSMF ¶ 4; PRDSMF ¶ 4. Ms. Dawson is the person at the top of the organizational chart for the entity referred to as AmeriPort. PSAMF ¶ 7; DRPSAMF ¶ 7. Ms. Dawson also works for another entity called "PCFSI" with the title Vice President of Revenue Management. PSAMF ¶ 7; DRPSAMF ¶ 7. Ms. Dawson's supervisor is Tom Varley, who works for one of Defendants' affiliates. PSAMF ¶ 9; DRPSAMF ¶ 9.9

*207B. The Locked Rear Entrance at the Holiday Inn

Since Mr. Burnett's place of employment in 2009 was inside a hotel, he expected that it would be wheelchair accessible at all times, without the need for him to request an accommodation.10 PSAMF ¶ 2; DRPSAMF ¶ 2. The first day Mr. Burnett went to work in the reservation call center, the door near the handicapped accessible ramp in the back of the building was locked.11 PSAMF ¶ 3; DRPSAMF ¶ 3. Mr. Burnett had to wheel his chair across the lawn, approximately fifty feet, over uneven ground, not an easy task for someone in a wheelchair.

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327 F. Supp. 3d 198, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/burnett-v-ocean-props-ltd-med-2018.