Chambliss v. City of Philadelphia

45 Pa. D. & C.3d 212, 1986 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 117
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia County
DecidedNovember 20, 1986
Docketno. 5901
StatusPublished

This text of 45 Pa. D. & C.3d 212 (Chambliss v. City of Philadelphia) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Chambliss v. City of Philadelphia, 45 Pa. D. & C.3d 212, 1986 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 117 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1986).

Opinion

FORER, J.,

The city has appealed this court’s decision of October 23, 1986, ordering enforcement of the award of the arbitrator dated July 28, 1983, subject to compliance with City Regulations D-10 §9.141.

This appeal is the latest move in the protracted (five-year) struggle of Lloyd V. Chambliss to be [213]*213reinstated to his job as Area Youth Worker I and the city’s adamant refusal to do so.

Plaintiff has also sued American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, District Council 47 AFL-CIO and the law firm of Kirschner, Waltin, Willig, Weinberg & Dempsey which represented plaintiff and the union at earlier stages of plaintiff’s dispute. These claims were not before this court.

Only plaintiff’s motion for a preliminary injunction and writ of mandamus against the city was at issue. Plaintiff requested reinstatement without “any conditions.” The motion was opposed in its en-. tirety by the city.

After a three-day hearing this court entered the following order:

“And now, this October 22, 1986, it is ordered and decreed that plaintiff shall be reinstated in his position as Area Youth Worker I upon successful completion of a medical examination which shall be conducted forthwith. The medical examination shall consist of the usual physical examination and may, in the discretion of the medical examiner, include a psychiatric examination subject to the following limitations:
“(1) The city may not obtain the medical file of Dr. Clancy McKenzie, plaintiff’s former treating psychiatrist.
“(2) The city may compel Dr. McKenzie to provide the following information:
“(a) his diagnoses of plaintiff,
“(b) his prognosis,
“(c) the dates plaintiff was treated,
“(d) any drugs that were prescribed,
“(e) a statement as to whether or not plaintiff was discharged from treatment and if so, the reason for the discharge. [214]*214“(3) The city may also require plaintiff to undergo a psychiatric evaluation, by a neutral psychiatrist, i.e. board certified psychiatrist who is not employed by the city or in the Hahnemann City Mental Health Clinic. The purpose of this examination is limited to whether plaintiff would constitute any • physical danger to the individuals with whom he will be assigned to work and whether he is fit to carry out the functions of an area youth worker.
“The court directs that the city complete this examination and, if it is satisfactory, to reinstate plaintiff within two weeks.”

The facts are not in dispute. The sole legal question is whether as a condition of reinstatement the city is entitled to the notes of plaintiff’s treating psychiatrist, Dr. Clancy McKenzie. This raises in stark relief plaintiff’s constitutional right to privacy.

The city admits that the order of the arbitrator was. binding and that plaintiff was entitled to be reinstated as of-July 28, 1983. The city further admits that it did not appeal the order of the arbitrator.

Plaintiff contends that he is entitled to reinstatement without further examinations. Plaintiff, however, has not appealed this court’s order and has expressed his willingness to abide by. the conditions of the order.

All questions as to the circumstances under which plaintiff left his job — whether he abandoned it, was attacked or harrassed by his supervisor and other charges and countercharges — are irrelevant.

The city claims plaintiff waived his right to protest disclosure of the records. It is true that Chambliss signed a release form on September 26, 1983. Shortly thereafter, however, he revoked it. If he has a constitutional right of privacy, he cannot be [215]*215deemed to have waived it permanently by signing the release form. Plaintiff argued that the city unlawfully retaliated against him because plaintiff exercised his constitutional rights and that such activity was a substantial or motivating factor. This court did not reach that issue because it was evident that the city’s demand violated plaintiff’s rights under the Pennsylvania Constitution. Plaintiff brings his claim against the city under (1) the Federal Civil Rights Act, 42 U.S.C. 1983, and (2) the contract of employment.

Because this court has jurisdiction of claims arising out of an alleged breach of contract between a Philadelphia resident and the city, executed in Philadelphia and to be performed in the city, there is no need to predicate jurisdiction on the Civil Rights •Act.1

For the purposes of this order, the court does not decide whether the letter agreement of plaintiff’s then counsel purportedly limiting the duties of plaintiff was or was not accepted by the city. The .only grounds for denying plaintiff reinstatement as ordered by the arbitrator was the refusal of plaintiff to permit the city to examine the notes of the treating psychiatrist.

This court has found that (1) the notes were not reasonably necessary to determine plaintiff’s fitness to resume his employment, (2) the city had adequate and less intrusive means of ascertaining plaintiff’s mental and emotional fitness, (3) compulsory disclosure of the psychiatrist’s notes violated plaintiff’s right to privacy under the Pennsyl[216]*216vania Constitution,2 Article 1, section 1, and (4) employment in the absence of extraordinary circumstances3 cannot be conditioned upon a waiver of constitutional rights.

The city and the young people with whom plaintiff would come in contact in the course of his employment are adequately protected by a competent psychiatric evaluation of plaintiff before he resumes his duty. This is the most that can be required of any applicant for city employment. Because plaintiff has had the wisdom voluntarily to seek psychiatric treatment does not permit the city to impose unusual or excessive conditions to his reinstatement. Such conditions would obviously contravene both the equal protection and due process clauses of the Fifth Amendment as applicable through the 14th Amendment.

Plaintiff is entitled to a preliminary injunction if there is a reasonable probability of eventual success in the litigation and he will suffer irreparable injury if relief is not granted. Oburn v. Shapp, 521 F.2d 142 (3rd Cir., 1975). In the view of this court, there can be no doubt that plaintiff will prevail against the city. The issues with respect to the other defendants are more complicated. The resolution of those claims will, in all likelihood, entail a protracted trial and possibly appeals. Unless an injunction is entered, plaintiff will be denied reinstatement for an indefinite period of time. Although he would be entitled to monetary damages to compensate him for lost wages, plaintiff also seeks the satisfactions of [217]*217employment. He has been out of work some two and a half years since the award of the arbitrator. No award of lost wages can provide this plaintiff with the therapeutic and psychic benefits of his return to work.

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Related

Snepp v. United States
444 U.S. 507 (Supreme Court, 1980)
Denoncourt v. Commonwealth, State Ethics Commission
470 A.2d 945 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1983)
In Re B.
394 A.2d 419 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1978)
Fischer v. Department of Public Welfare
502 A.2d 114 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1985)
Fischer v. Commonwealth
482 A.2d 1148 (Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, 1984)
Oburn v. Shapp
521 F.2d 142 (Third Circuit, 1975)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
45 Pa. D. & C.3d 212, 1986 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 117, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/chambliss-v-city-of-philadelphia-pactcomplphilad-1986.