Cort v. Kum & Go, L.C.

923 F. Supp. 2d 1173, 2013 WL 542813, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 29041
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Missouri
DecidedFebruary 11, 2013
DocketCase No. 11-3448-CV-S-RED
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 923 F. Supp. 2d 1173 (Cort v. Kum & Go, L.C.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cort v. Kum & Go, L.C., 923 F. Supp. 2d 1173, 2013 WL 542813, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 29041 (W.D. Mo. 2013).

Opinion

ORDER

RICHARD E. DORR, District Judge.

Before the Court are the parties’ motions for summary judgment (Docs. 21 and 23). After careful consideration of the parties’ submissions and for the following reasons, the Court GRANTS Kum & Go, L.C.’s Motion for Summary Judgment (Doc. 23) and DENIES David Cort’s Motion for Summary Judgment (Doc. 21).

BACKGROUND

On August 29, 2011, Plaintiff David Cort (“Plaintiff’) filed a petition for damages in the Circuit Court of Green County, Missouri. Plaintiffs Petition contained five counts against Defendant Kum & Go, L.C. (“Defendant”). Plaintiffs Petition alleged: Violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (Count I); Violations of Missouri’s Wage and Hour Laws (Count II); Breach of Contract (Count III); Quantum Meruit (Count IV); and Unjust Enrichment (Count V). On November 16, 2011, Defendant removed this action to Federal Court. Subsequently, on October 4, 2012, the parties filed their motions for summary judgment (Docs. 21 and 23).

Plaintiffs cause of action arises from Defendant’s employment practices. Plaintiff was employed by Defendant as a General Managér of various Kum and & Go convenience stores in Springfield, Missouri from April 2004 to August 31, 2010. During the time he was employed by Defendant, Plaintiff was expected to work 54 hours a week. Plaintiff was paid a biweekly salary of $1,616.57 or $808.28 per week. - Plaintiff was not paid for overtime and his pay was not reduced if he did not work 54 hours in any' given week. In addition to his salary, Plaintiff had the ability to earn up to an additional $1,000.00 a month in bonus pay based upon his managerial performance. Plaintiff now claims that Defendant violated the FLSA and Missouri’s Wage and Hour Laws (“MWHL”) by failing to compensate him with overtime pay.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

Summary judgment is proper if, viewing the record in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party, there is no genuine issue of material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(a); Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322-23, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). “Where there is no dispute of material fact’ and reasonable fact finders could not find in favor of the nonmoving party, summary judgment is appropriate.” Quinn v. St. Louis County, 653 F.3d 745, 750 (8th Cir.2011). Initially, the moving party bears the burden of demonstrating the absence of a genuine issue of material fact. Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 323, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). If the movant meets the initial step, the burden shifts to the nonmoving party to “set forth specific facts showing that there is a genuine issue for trial.” Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). To do so,, the moving party must “do more than simply show there is some metaphysical doubt as to the [1176]*1176material facts.” Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 586, 106 S.Ct. 1348, 89 L.Ed.2d 538 (1986).

DISCUSSION

Plaintiff and • Defendant have both filed motions seeking summary judgment. Plaintiffs motion seeks summary judgment on his Fair Labor Standards Act claim and Missouri’s Wage and Hour Laws claim only. Conversely, Defendant seeks summary judgment on all of Plaintiffs claims.

I. KUM & GO L.C.’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

Defendant filed its motion for summary judgment asserting that the issue is ripe for summary judgment because the question of whether an employee is properly classified as an exempt employee under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) and Missouri’s Wage and Hour Laws (“MWHL”) is an issue of law and that Plaintiff cannot generate a genuine issue of material fact as to whether he was an exempt executive employee.1 Citing Icicle Seafoods, Inc. v. Worthington, 475 U.S. 709, 714, 106 S.Ct. 1527, 89 L.Ed.2d 739 (1986). In addition, Defendant asserts that summary judgment is proper on Plaintiffs state law claims for breach of contract, unjust enrichment, and quantum meruit .because the state law claims are preempted by the FLSA.

While Plaintiff responded to Defendant’s argument and asserts that Defendant is not entitled to-summary judgment, Plaintiffs response did not properly contest Defendant’s statement of facts as set forth in Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(e) and L.R. 56.1(a). In the event a party fails to properly address the other party’s assertion by “citing to particular parts of materials in the record” or “showing the materials cited do not establish the absence or presence of a genuine dispute,” the court may consider the fact undisputed for purposes of the motion. Quoting Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c); see also Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(e), L.R. 56.1(a). Since Plaintiff states that he disputes several of Defendant’s facts but does not offer a citation as required by the rules, the Court will consider those facts as undisputed for purposes of this motion.

A. Defendant is entitled to summary judgment on Plaintiffs FLSA and MWHL claims.

The FLSA requires an employer to pay its employees a rate of at least one and one-half their regular rate of pay for hours worked in excess of forty hours in a week. 29 U.S.C. § 207(a)(1) and (a)(2); Specht v. City of Sioux Falls, 639 F.3d 814, 819 (8th Cir.2011). However, if an employee falls within one of the exemptions identified in the act, the employer is not required to comply with the wage requirements of section 207. See 29 U.S.C. § 213; Guerrero v. J.W. Hutton, Inc., 458 F.3d 830, 834 (8th Cir.2006). The employer bears the burden of proving such an exception applies. Hertz v. Woodbury Cnty., Iowa, 566 F.3d 775, 783 (8th Cir. 2009). “The question whether [employees] particular activities excluded them from the overtime benefits of the FLSA is a question of law....” Icicle Seafoods, Inc. v. Worthington, 475 U.S. 709, 714, 106 S.Ct.

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923 F. Supp. 2d 1173, 2013 WL 542813, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 29041, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cort-v-kum-go-lc-mowd-2013.