Ciafrei v. Bentsen

877 F. Supp. 788, 1995 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2749, 76 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1815, 1995 WL 91360
CourtDistrict Court, D. Rhode Island
DecidedJanuary 3, 1995
DocketCiv. A. 93-0387ML
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 877 F. Supp. 788 (Ciafrei v. Bentsen) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Rhode Island primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ciafrei v. Bentsen, 877 F. Supp. 788, 1995 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2749, 76 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1815, 1995 WL 91360 (D.R.I. 1995).

Opinion

ORDER

LISI, District Judge.

The Findings and Recommendation of United States Magistrate Judge Robert W. Lovegreen filed on December 7, 1994 in the above-captioned matter is accepted pursuant to Title 28 United States Code § 636(b)(1).

REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION

LOVEGREEN, United States Magistrate Judge.

Presently before the court is the defendant’s motion to dismiss or, in the alternative, for summary judgment. The plaintiffs complaint alleges that while she was employed by the Department of the Treasury, her superiors sexually discriminated against her and sexually harassed her in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq., and the Rhode Island State Fair Employment Practices Act, R.I.Gen.Laws § 28-5-1 et seq. Because the parties presented matters outside the pleadings that were considered by the Court, pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b), this motion shall be treated as one for summary judgment and disposed of as provided in Fed.R.Civ.P. 56.

The present matter has been referred to me for preliminary review, findings and recommended disposition. 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1)(B); Local Rule of Court 32(c)(2). For the following reasons, I recommend that the defendant’s motion for summary judgment be denied as to Counts I through V and granted as to Counts VI through IX of the plaintiffs complaint.

Facts

Plaintiff, Paula J. Ciafrei (“Ciafrei”), was employed by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”), Providence District, Criminal Investigation Division (“CID”), as a secretary at pay grade GS-5. The IRS is an agency within the Department of the Treasury. In March, 1990, plaintiff felt her workload had increased dramatically as a result of a reconfiguration of the Providence Office, and from that date until August, 1992, she repeatedly requested a “desk audit.” A desk audit is a procedure used by the IRS whereby an employee’s work is reviewed to determine if he or she is performing responsibilities above those required for that individual’s current grade, making the employee eligible for a promotion and/or a higher pay grade.

Plaintiff alleges that her superiors, Michael Dreiblatt (“Dreiblatt”), Chief of the Hartford CID, and Paul Varville (“Varville”), Branch Chief of the Hartford CID, had the supervisory power and control to award all promotions and pay raises within her office. Apparently, the Providence office of the CID was under the direction of the Hartford CID. Despite her numerous requests, plaintiff was repeatedly refused a desk audit for a variety of professed reasons not relevant here.

In March, 1992, plaintiff was informed by a co-worker that Dreiblatt and Varville had made disparaging remarks about plaintiff. Specifically, both men had referred to plaintiff as a “Big Harley Mama with tattoos all over her body.” (Pl.’s Mem. in Supp. of Opp. to Mot. to Dismiss/Summ. J. (“Pl.’s Mem.”), Ex. 11-13.) Dreiblatt also made comments to others stressing the importance of a job applicant’s physical beauty and that the image he wanted in his office was of “young pretty girls.” (Pl.’s Mem., Ex. 3 and 13.) These comments were never made in plain *791 tiff’s presence. In separate letters to plaintiff, dated August 19, 1992, both Dreiblatt and Varville “apologized for any remarks that [they] made which may have caused [plaintiff] embarrassment, ridicule, or demonstrated any intended or implied practice of harassment or discrimination on [their] part.” (Pl.’s Mem., Ex. 14.)

Plaintiff asserts that in March, 1992, she did not connect her failure to get a desk audit with the offensive comments. She states that two events occurred in June, 1992 that triggered her awareness of the connection between her failure to receive a desk audit and the animus shared by Dreiblatt and Varville that was demonstrated by their comments.

On June 18, 1992, plaintiff received a written warning regarding her use of sick leave which was placed in her personnel file. Two other employees in plaintiffs office received only verbal counselling concerning the same issue. No written warning was issued to or placed in the personnel files of the other two.

On or about June 21, 1992, plaintiff was informed that Kerry Fortin and Diane Wotjusik were promoted from being Clerks at grade GS-4 to Branch Chief Secretary and Management Analyst, respectively, within the Hartford CID. Plaintiff stated at oral argument that she was attempting to get upgraded to both of these positions. Ms. Fortin and Ms. Wotjusik had worked at CID for less than six months when they were promoted, as compared to plaintiffs four years, but both were “slim and attractive, embodying traditional ‘female’ attributes.” (Pl.’s Mem. at 6.)

On July 8, 1992, plaintiff contacted an Equal Employment Opportunity (“EEO”) Counselor regarding her allegations of sexual harassment and discrimination. (Def.’s Mem. in Supp. of Mot. to Dismiss/Summ.J. (“Def.’s Mem.”), Ex. B.) On or about August 7, 1992, plaintiff received a Notice of Final Interview with EEO Counselor, giving her the right to file a complaint with the Equal Opportunity Program of the Department of the Treasury. (Def.’s Mem., Ex. B.) On or about August 8, 1992, plaintiff left the Providence office of the IRS to take a position at grade GS-6 with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (“ATF”) in Providence. As a result of her contact with the EEO Counselor, on or about August 17, 1992, the leave counselling memorandum was removed from plaintiffs personnel file at the IRS, and on August 19, 1992, Dreiblatt and Varville sent the aforementioned letters of apology. Thereafter, on August 21, 1992, plaintiff filed a formal complaint of discrimination with the Regional Complaints Center of the IRS, alleging sexual harassment and discrimination and unsuccessfully pursued the complaint through the agency appellate level.

The plaintiff now brings this often redundant nine count Complaint, alleging sexual harassment and discrimination. Counts I through V allege sexual discrimination and harassment in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq., regarding the remarks made by Dreiblatt and Varville and plaintiffs failure to obtain a desk audit. Count VI alleges that the “Defendant Agency ... did conspire to deny Plaintiff Ciafrei her civil rights as defined in Title VII____” (Complaint, Count VI ¶ 3.) Count VII alleges that defendant’s inclusion of the leave counselling memorandum in plaintiffs personnel file amounted to retaliation and disparate treatment in violation of Title VII. Count VIII declares that the defendant, through its EEO Counselor, violated Title VII by intimidating and attempting to intimidate plaintiffs witness, Diane Wotjusik, by referring to plaintiffs administrative complaint in the presence of Dreiblatt and Varville.

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877 F. Supp. 788, 1995 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2749, 76 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1815, 1995 WL 91360, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ciafrei-v-bentsen-rid-1995.