Celestine v. Citgo Petroleum Corp.

165 F.R.D. 463, 1995 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20596, 70 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 80, 1995 WL 811969
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Louisiana
DecidedSeptember 11, 1995
DocketNo. 93-0864
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 165 F.R.D. 463 (Celestine v. Citgo Petroleum Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Celestine v. Citgo Petroleum Corp., 165 F.R.D. 463, 1995 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20596, 70 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 80, 1995 WL 811969 (W.D. La. 1995).

Opinion

JUDGMENT

TRIMBLE, District Judge.

IT IS ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that after a de novo review of the issues and consideration of the objections filed herein, this court has determined that the findings contained in the Magistrate Judge’s Report and Recommendation [filed on August 7, 1995] are correct under the applicable law. Therefore, it is

ORDERED that the “Motion to Determine Propriety of and Define Class” [Doc. 38] be and it is hereby DENIED.

IT IS ALSO ORDERED, ADJUDGED, AND DECREED that the Magistrate Judge’s finding that Mr. Earl Lemell did not file suit within 90 days of receipt of his right to sue letter which was issued on September 21,1988, is affirmed. Therefore, it is

ORDERED that the plaintiffs cannot rely on Earl Lemell’s EEOC charge to support their Title VII claims.

THUS DONE AND SIGNED.

REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION

WILSON, United States Magistrate Judge.

Currently before the court is a “Motion to Determine Propriety of and Define Class” [Doc. 38] filed by all plaintiffs in the above-captioned civil rights matter. This matter was referred to the undersigned Magistrate Judge for hearing, report, and recommendation in accordance with 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1)(B). A hearing on the issue of class certification was held on May 30, 1995.

By this motion, the plaintiffs seek to have this court certify this matter as a class action. Plaintiffs claim that the putative class consists of more than 1000 potential plaintiffs which includes

All African-American employees and applicants of Citgo Petroleum Corporation (Cit-go) from April 11, 1979 until the present.

By this proposed class action, the plaintiffs seek to challenge the promotions/pay, hiring/pay, testing, and training policies and procedures of Citgo which they claim are racially discriminatory on a elasswide basis. [466]*466They also allege that there is a racially hostile work environment at Citgo.

The defendants oppose this motion, contending that no class should be certified. However, they argue that if the court finds that a class should, in fact, be certified, the class should be limited as follows:

All black employees, who since May 1, 1992, have worked in a position represented by a collective bargaining agreement, excluding all other positions.

The defendants propose to limit any class that may be certified to the following issues: alleged racial discrimination in promotions, training, testing, and possibly hostile work environment which arose on or after May 1, 1992. The defendants further contend that any claims on behalf of black applicants should be limited to black persons who submitted applications for hourly, bargaining unit positions, on or after March 9, 1994 for purposes of claims brought pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1981 and La.R.S. 23:1006 and on or after September 8, 1994 for claims brought pursuant to Title VII.1

CLASS CERTIFICATION

The plaintiffs argue that the class they seek to represent should be certified under Rule 23(b)(2) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. They contend that a class action will be the most effective and efficient way to handle the claims of the various class members. The defendants oppose the motion to certify the class. The defendants claim that the “class claims” are truly individual claims for damages.

In order for class certification to be appropriate, the plaintiffs must establish that their putative class satisfies all of the requirements of Rule 23(a) and at least one of the subsections of Rule 23(b). Rule 23(a) has four requirements, numerosity, commonality, typicality, and adequacy of representation.

Rule 23(a) Requirements

Numerosity

To meet the numerosity requirement of Rule 23(a)(1), it is not necessary for the plaintiffs to establish the exact number of potential class members or to individually identify these persons. However, the number of potential class members must be so numerous as to make joinder of all of these persons impractical. Plaintiff alleges that the putative class consists of more than 1000 persons. Although the defendants disagree with the number of putative class members suggested by the plaintiffs, they do not seriously contest the satisfaction of the numerosity requirement. Accordingly, this court finds that the plaintiffs have satisfied the numerosity requirement.

Commonality

The commonality requirement in Rule 23(a)(2) is satisfied if there are “common questions of law or fact among the class members.” There is no need for the claims to be identical rather the class members must be linked by a common complaint. The Fifth Circuit has stated that the threshold requirement for commonality is not high as “the commonality requirement is met when there is ‘at least one issue whose resolution will affect all or a significant number of the putative class members.’ ” Forbush v. J.C. Penney Co., Inc., 994 F.2d 1101, 1106 (5th Cir.1993) quoting Stewart v. Winter, 669 F.2d 328, 335 (5th Cir.1982); Shipes v. Trinity Industries, 987 F.2d 311 (5th Cir.1993).

The plaintiffs claim that their claims are common to all class members as they primarily involve a challenge to the hiring, training, promotion, and testing policies and procedures of Citgo to which all of Citgo employees and applicants have been subjected at least in part. The plaintiffs seek both injunctive relief and monetary damages.

[467]*467The defendants challenge the plaintiffs’ characterization of their claims as common. They argue that the plaintiffs’ claims are individualized complaints which require a particularized evaluation of the facts surrounding each plaintiffs specific situation. The defendants point out that the putative class which the plaintiffs seek to certify includes applicants as well as employees who were employed at two separate plant facilities and belonged to six different unions with different requirements for admission and advancement. Thus, the defendants argue that the claims of the plaintiffs are not common but individual and fact specific. The defendants also contend that the claim for individual monetary damages causes there to be a lack of commonality. However, the Fifth Circuit has indicated that the necessity for an individual calculation of damages is not a basis for defeating commonality. Forbush, 994 F.2d at 1106.

Although there may be differences in the opportunities available to the employees, the plaintiffs complain about general hiring, training, and promotional policies which allegedly affect all persons seeking employment and those seeking advancement once employed.

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165 F.R.D. 463, 1995 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20596, 70 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 80, 1995 WL 811969, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/celestine-v-citgo-petroleum-corp-lawd-1995.