STATE OF MAINE SUPERIOR COURT ANDROSCOGGIN, ss. CIVIL ACTION DOCKET NO. CV-19-10
AUG 30 '21 PH2: lll HELEN CRABTREE, ANDRO SUPERIOR COUR Plaintiff
V. ORDER ON OUTSTANDING MOTIONS CENTRAL MAINE MEDICAL CENTER,
Defendant
There are two pending motions before the court. One is Defendant Central Maine
Medical Center's ("CMMC") dual motion to enforce a settlement agreement and motion for
summary judgment. The other is Plaintiff Helen Crabtree's motion for partial summary
judgment. For the following reasons, both motions will be denied.
Factual Background
Ms. Crabtree is a Seventh Day Adventist. (Pl.'s Add. S.M.F. ,r 1.) On August 19, 2015,
Ms. Crabtree applied for a Certified Nursing Assistant ("CNA'') trainee position with CMMC in
connection with Central Maine Healthcare Corporation's ("CMH") "Earn While You Learn"
("EWYL") program. (Def. 's Supp.'g S.M.F. if 1; PL 's Add. S.M.F. if 25.) The EWYL program
is an arrangement whereby CMH would pay tuition and fees for the Maine College of Health
Professionals ("MCHP") CNA training course and would compensate CNA trainees $10.20 per
hour while they worked part-time at CMMC. (Id ,r 6.) Successful applicants to MCHP could
apply to participate in the EWYL program. (Id ,r 18.)
Ms. Crabtree had two interviews with CMMC after applying to the EWYL program. (Id
,r 26.) At some point during these interviews, Ms. Crabtree informed CMMC that, as a Seventh
1 Day Adventist, she observes the Sabbath from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday and would
not be available to work during that period. (Def.'s Supp.'g S.M.F. ~ 9.) CMMC has a weekend
schedule protocol that requires CNAs to work a Saturday and Sunday shift every third weekend.
(Id.~ 10.)
One of Ms. Crabtree's points of contact with CMMC during the interview process was
Tricia Raymond, nurse manager of CMMC' s Med/Surg Tl unit. (Id. ~ 7.) Once Ms. Raymond
became aware of Ms. Crabtree's religious conflict with Saturday shifts, she spoke with one of
her unit's coordinators to determine whether they could avoid scheduling Ms. Crabtree for
Saturday shifts. (Id. ~ 11.) Ms. Raymond proposed the following accommodation: Ms. Crabtree
would not be scheduled for any shifts that conflicted with the Sabbath until the following Spring,
at which point, due to a higher need for CNAs, Ms. Crabtree would have to use the hospital's
voluntary shift swap procedure to avoid working any Saturday shifts she was assigned. (Id. ~ 12.)
Ms. Raymond was under the impression that Ms. Crabtree wished to proceed with a CNA trainee
position after their conversation, and recommended that human resources make Ms. Crabtree an
offer. (Id. ~ 14; Pl. 's Add. S.M.F. ~ 31.)
On September 15, 2015, Ms. Dingley, as a representative of CMMC's Human Resources
Department, contacted Ms. Crabtree via telephone to make her an offer. (Def.'s Supp.'g S.M.F. ~
15.) The parties dispute what was said during this call, but they agree that the issue of weekend
scheduling came up. (Id. ~~ 15-17; Pl. 's Add. S.M.F. ~~ 33-41.) Ms. Crabtree avers that Ms.
Dingley informed her, for the first time, that she would be responsible to find someone to work
her shift if she was scheduled to work on a Saturday. (Id. ~~ 35-36.) Ms. Crabtree also avers that
she told Ms. Dingley that she could not ask another person to work on Saturday because she was
unqualified to take on that responsibility and because doing so would violate her religious
2 convictions. (Id. '\l 38.) CMMC denies that Ms. Crabtree stated that she had a religious objection
to asking a coworker to cover her Saturday shifts during her call with Ms. Dingley. (Def. 's Opp.
to Pl.'s Add. S.M.F. '\l 38.)
Ms. Dingley suggested that Ms. Crabtree discuss the shift swapping issue with Ms.
Raymond to address her concerns. (Def.'s Supp.'g S.M.F. '\l 17.) Ms. Crabtree declined to do so.
(Id. '\l 18.) Ms. Crabtree avers that she declined to have a second conversation with Ms. Raymond
because she believed that nothing she could say to Ms. Raymond would change matters. (Pl.' s
Add. S.M.F. '\l 41.) Ms. Dingley called Ms. Crabtree back after conferring with a nurse manager
and advised Ms. Crabtree that CMMC would be rescinding the offer of employment. (Pl.'s Add.
S.M.F. '\l 46.; Def.'s Opp. to Pl.'s Add. S.M.F. '\l 46.) Ms. Crabtree asked Ms. Dingley to rescind
the offer in writing, whereupon Ms. Dingley sent Ms. Crabtree an email stating that the offer was
rescinded because Ms. Crabtree was not able to commit to the scheduling requirements of the
position. (Pl.'s Add. S.M.F. '\l 47.)
Ms. Crabtree filed a complaint with the Maine Human Rights Commission ("MHRC")
alleging religious discrimination against CMMC. This complaint ended in a conciliation
agreement signed by Ms. Crabtree, CMMC and the MHRC. (Def.'s Ex. 14.) The conciliation
agreement states that Ms. Crabtree and CMMC have reached a private settlement agreement. 1
Ms. Crabtree and CMMC also signed a handwritten "Conciliation Term Sheet," which
enumerated certain obligations of the parties:
1 CMMC's statement of material facts includes the following statement:
"The Conciliation Agreement states that the parties had reached a private settlement agreement and that the agreement becomes effective upon signing by all parties." (Def. 's Supp. 'g S.M.F. 'if 77.)
This statement is supported insofar as it means that the conciliation agreement itself becomes effective upon signing by all parties. (Def.'s Ex. 14, at *4.) The conciliation agreement does not contain any express tenns which state that the private settlement agreement between Ms. Crabtree and CMMC becomes effective upon signing of the Conciliation Agreement. (Def.'s Ex. 14.)
3 1. [CMMCJ agrees to pay [Ms. Crabtree] [redacted]. [Ms. Crabtree J's attorney to communicate allocation to [CMMC]'s attorney.
2. [CMMCJ agrees to issue letter of apology, drafted by Atty. Messerschmidt and Atty. McFarland, as agreed upon.
3. Both payment and letter are part of a confidential private agreement.
4. Agreements will be listed on [MHRCJ agenda of 10/22/18 and check(s) will be mailed to [Ms. Crabtree] following [MHRC]'s approval
(Def.'s Ex. 15.) No other agreements between Ms. Crabtree and CMMC are part of the record on
this summary judgment motion.
Procedural Background
Ms. Crabtree filed a complaint alleging employment discrimination in Superior Court on
January 18, 2019. Following some discovery, CMMC filed a dual motion to enforce the
settlement agreement and motion for summary judgment on November 16, 2020. Ms. Crabtree
filed an objection to CMMC's motion on December 21, 2020. CMMC replied to this objection
on January 19, 2021.
Ms. Crabtree also filed a motion for partial summary judgment on November 16, 2020.
C:MMC filed an opposition to the motion on December 21, 2020. Ms. Crabtree filed her reply on
January 19, 2021. 2
2 CMMC filed responses to Ms. Crabtree's denials and qualifications of CMMC's statements of material fact on both motions. CMMC cites M.R. Civ. P. 56(h)(3) as the basis for responding to Ms. Crabtree's denials and qualifications ofCMMC's statements of material fact on its own summary judgment motion and cites M.R. Civ. P. 56(i)(2) as the basis for its filing similar responses to Ms. Crabtree's denials and qualifications of CMMC's additional statements of material fact in opposition to Ms. Crabtree's motion for partial summary judgment. Rule 56(h)(3) allows a party moving for summary judgment to respond to the opposing party's additional statements of material fact with admissions, denials or qualifications. Rule 56(i)(2) grants parties the right to file responses to any objection an opposing party makes with respect to factual assertions. Neither filing is supported by the rules, so the court will disregard them.
4 Standard
Summary judgment is granted to a moving party where "there is no genuine issue as to
any material fact" and the moving party "is entitled to judgment as a matter oflaw." M.R. Civ. P.
56( c). "A material fact is one that can affect the outcome of the case, and there is a genuine issue
when there is sufficient evidence for a fact-finder to choose between competing versions of the
fact." Lougee Conservancy v. City Mortgage, Inc., 2012 ME 103, ,r 11, 48 A.3d 774 (quotation
omitted).
"Facts contained in a supporting or opposing statement of material facts, if supported by
record citations as required by this rule, shall be deemed admitted unless properly controverted."
M.R. Civ. P. 56(h)(4). In order to controvert an opposing party's factual statement, a party must
"support each denial or qualification by a record citation." M.R. Civ. P. 56(h)(2). "Assertion of
material facts must be supported by record references to evidence that is of a quality that would
be admissible at trial." HSBC Mortg. Servs. v. Murphy, 2011 ME 59, ,r 9, 19 A.3d 815.
Decisions by the federal co mis construing provisions of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
of 1964, 42 U.S.C. §§ 2000e et seq., provide significant guidance to Maine Courts in the
construction of the Maine Human Rights Act ("Maine Act"), 5 M.R.S. §§ 4551 et. seq. Maine
Human Rights Comm 'n v. United Paperworkers Int'/ Union, 383 A.2d 369,375 (Me. 1978).
MHRC interpretations of the Maine Act are entitled to great deference. Id. at 378.
Discussion
The court must address the following issues:
1.) is there an enforceable settlement agreement discharging Ms. Crabtree's claims against CMMC?
2.) is there a question of material fact as to whether CMMC offered Ms. Crabtree a reasonable accommodation?
5 3.) is there a question of material fact as to whether reasonable accommodation is possible without undue hardship?
4.) is there a question of material fact as to whether punitive damages are available?
5.) is there a question of material fact as to whether substantially equivalent alternative positions were available to Ms. Crabtree?
Settlement Agreement
CMMC argues that the conciliation agreement and terms sheet Ms. Crabtree signed
effected a binding release of all claims related to Ms. Crabtree's religious discrimination
allegations. Ms. Crabtree argues that the issue is not properly raised because CMMC failed to
file a counterclaim seeking to enforce the settlement. Ms. Crabtree also argues that CMMC has
failed to establish the existence of a settlement agreement.
"Settlement agreements are analyzed as contracts, and the existence of a binding
settlement agreement is a question of fact." Brochu v. McLeod, 2016 ME 146,136, 148 A.3d
1220. If a contract is unambiguous its interpretation is a matter of law and the court interprets it
according to plain meaning of the language used. Camden Nat'/ Bank v. S.S. Navigation Co.,
2010 ME 29, 1 16, 991 A.2d 800. A contract is ambiguous if it is reasonably susceptible to
different interpretations. Id
Neither the term sheet nor the conciliation agreement state that Ms. Crabtree has agreed
to release her claims against CMMC. Neither document contains an express term stating that Ms.
Crabtree agreed to release her claims in exchange for consideration. The term sheet states that
the payment and letter referred to therein are "part of a confidential private agreement," but it
does not state that this agreement would contain a promise from Ms. Crabtree to release all of her
claims against CMMC. (Def.'s Ex. 15.) The conciliation agreement also refers to a private
settlement agreement between Ms. Crabtree and CMMC, but that agreement, if it exists, is not in
6 the record. (Def. 's Ex. 14, at* 2.) To the extent that CMMC is inviting the court to read an
implied release of all claims into the provisions of the terms sheet and conciliation agreement
themselves, the court declines.
It is irrelevant whether the purported settlement agreement is enforceable or properly
raised. There is nothing in the record to suggest that Ms. Crabtree agreed to release her claims
against CMMC, so the motion to enforce the settlement agreement must be denied.
Reasonable Accommodation
To establish a prima facie case on a claim for religious discrimination, Ms. Crabtree must
show:
(1) a bona fide religious practice conflicts with an employment requirement;
(2) she brought the practice to CMMC's attention; and
(3) that the religious practice was the basis for an adverse employment action.
Sanchez-Rodriguez v. AT&T Mobility Puerto Rico, Inc., 673 F.3d 1, 8 (1st Cir. 2012). If Ms.
Crabtree establishes a prima facie case of religious discrimination, CMMC must show that it
offered a reasonable accommodation or that a reasonable accommodation would be an undue
burden. Id. CMMC concedes for the purposes of its summary judgment motion that there is an
issue of material fact as to whether Ms. Crabtree can establish a prima facie case of religious
discrimination. (Def.'s Mot. Summ. J. 8, n.3.)
A reasonable accommodation means simply that the employer makes an exception to
allow the plaintiff to engage in her religious practice despite the employer's normal rules to the
contrary. EEOC v. Abercrombie & Fitch Stores, Inc., 135 S. Ct. 2028, 2032 n.2 (2015). "[A]ny
reasonable accommodation by the employer is sufficient to meet its accommodation obligation."3
3 11HRC regulations provide that "when there is more than one m·eans of accommodation which would not cause undue hardship, the employer must offer the alternative which least disadvantages the individual with respect to his
7 Ansonia Bd ofEduc. v. Philbrook, 479 U.S. 60, 68 (1986). "[C]ases involving reasonable
accommodation tum heavily upon their facts and an appraisal of the reasonableness of the
parties' behavior." Rocafort v. IBM Corp., 334 F.3d 115, 120 (1st Cir. 2003). When analyzing
whether an employer offered a reasonable accommodation, a court should take the totality of the
circumstances into account and consider whether the combination of accommodations offered by
the employer was reasonable. Sanchez-Rodriguez, 673 F.3d at 12.
The accommodation offered in this case is not in dispute. CMMC offered to avoid
scheduling Ms. Crabtree for Saturday shifts until the following Spring, at which point she would
have to use CMMC's shift swap procedure to find a co-worker willing to substitute for her on
Saturdays she was scheduled to work. Ms. Crabtree avers that she told CMMC that she has a
religious objection to soliciting a co-worker to replace her. CMMC does not dispute the
authenticity of this religious belief for the purpose of this summary judgment motion, but denies
that Ms. Crabtree told CMMC that she had this belief during the hiring process. (Def.' s Opp. to
Pl.'s Add. S.M.F. ,r 38.) As such, there is an issue of material fact as to whether CMMC's
proposed accommodation was reasonable in light of Ms. Crabtree' s stated religious objection to
soliciting others to work on Saturdays.
CMMC argues that even if Ms. Crabtree had informed CMMC of a religious objection to
finding her own replacement, the accommodation it offered was still reasonable. CMMC argues
that Ms. Crabtree would have had sufficient time to get to know her co-workers and figure out
how to arrange coverage of her prospective Saturday shifts without violating her religious
beliefs. It is unclear how additional time would help Ms. Crabtree to arrange coverage for herself
in a manner that did not constitute soliciting others to work on the Sabbath, and therefore violate
or her employment orunion opportunities." 94-348 C.M.R. ch. 3, § 14(2)(B)(2)(b) (2014). This issue has not been raised, as Ms. Crabtree is arguing that no reasonable accommodation was offered.
8 her religious beliefs. However, even assuming Ms. Crabtree could hypothetically avail herself of
CMMC's shift-swapping procedure without violating her religious beliefs, this hypothetical
possibility still leaves an issue of material fact as to whether she could have done so in this case.
There is an issue of material fact as to whether CMMC offered an accommodation that
would allow Ms. Crabtree to continue "to engage in her religious practice despite the employer's
normal rules to the contrary." Abercrombie & Fitch, 135 S. Ct. at 2032 n.2. The fact that Ms.
Crabtree had time before she would need to avail herself of CMMC's shift-swapping procedure
does not entitle CMMC to judgment as a matter of law. See Tabura v. Kellogg USA, 880 F .3d
544, 550 (10th Cir. 2018) (an accommodation is not reasonable if it only provides an opportunity
to delay termination). The court's analysis of reasonable accommodation could, in theory, stop
here. However, the court will briefly discuss the reasonableness of CMMC's shift-swapping
procedure as an accommodation for Ms. Crabtree's religious conflict with working Saturday
shifts.
The MHRC has promulgated regulations interpreting whether a voluntary swap is a
reasonable accommodation for an employee's religious conflict with their work schedule.
According to the MHRC:
Reasonable accommodation without undue hardship is generally possible where a voluntary substitute with substantially similar qualifications is available. One means of substitution is the voluntary swap. In a number of cases, the securing of a substitute has been left entirely up to the individual seeking the accommodation. The Commission believes that the obligation to accommodate requires that employers facilitate the securing of a voluntary substitute with substantially similar qualifications. Some means of doing this that employers should consider are: to publicize policies regarding accommodation and voluntary substitution; to promote an atmosphere in which such substitutions are favorably regarded; to provide a central file, bulletin board or other means for matching voluntary substitutes with positions for which substitutes are needed.
9 94-348 C.M.R. ch. 3, § 14(2)(C)(l)(a) (2014). CMMC avers that it promoted and encouraged use
of its existing shift-swapping procedure. (Def.'s S.M.F. 132.) Ms. Crabtree avers that CMMC
placed all responsibility for finding a replacement for any Saturday shifts with her. (Pl.'s Add.
S.M.F. 145.)
The court cannot conclude on this record that CMMC offered Ms. Crabtree a reasonable
accommodation as a matter of law. The degree to which CMMC facilitated shift-swapping, and
whether that procedure would have been sufficient to allow Ms. Crabtree to work without
violating her religious convictions, are determinations properly left to the factfinder. See Tabura,
880 F.3d at 554 ("[U]ltimately the question of whether an accommodation is reasonable must be
made on a case-by-case basis, grounded on the specific facts presented by a particular
situation.") There remain issues of material fact as to whether CMMC offered Ms. Crabtree a
reasonable accommodation.
Undue Hardship
An employer is only obligated to make reasonable accommodations for its employees'
religious practices if doing so would not constitute an undue hardship. United Paperworkers Int'/
Union, 383 A.2d at 376; see also 94-348 C.M.R. ch. 3, § 14(2)(A). "An accommodation
constitutes an undue hardship if it would impose more than a de minimis cost on the employer."
Cloutier v. Costco Wholesale Corp., 390 F.3d 126, 134 (1st Cir. 2004) (quotations omitted).
These costs can be economic, "such as lost business or having to hire additional employees to
accommodate a Sabbath observer," or non-economic, "such as compromising the integrity of a
seniority system." Id. The MHRC, for its part, interprets undue hardship in the following
manner:
The Commission will determine what constitutes "more than a de minimis cost" with due regard given to the identifiable cost in relation to the size and operating
10 cost of the employer, and the number of individuals who will in fact need a particular accommodation. In general, the Commission interprets this phrase ... to mean that costs similar to the regular payment of premium wages of substitutes ... would constitute undue hardship. However, the Commission will presume that the infrequent payment of premium wages for a substitute or the payment of premium wages while a more permanent accommodation is being sought are costs which an employer can be required to bear as a means of providing a reasonable accommodation. Further, the Commission will presume that generally, the payment of administrative costs necessary for providing the accommodation will not constitute more than a de minimis cost.
94-348 C.M.R. ch. 3, § 14(2)(D)(l). The MHRC will also find undue hardship when
accommodating an employee's religious practices would require the employer to deny another
employee his or her job or shift preference guaranteed by a bona fide seniority system. 94-348
C.M.R. ch. 3, § 14(2)(D)(2); see also TWA v. Hardison, 432 U.S. 63, 80 (1977).
CMMC points to Sanchez-Rodriguez v. AT&T Wireless, 728 F.Supp. 2d 31 (D.P.R.
2010), in which the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico applied the case law
stemming from Supreme Court's decision in Hardison to scheduling systems more generally.
The District Court held that the cases suggested that "compromising a scheduling system that is
meant to accommodate the shift preferences of employees would clear the de minimis threshold
and constitute an undue hardship."4 Id. at 43. In another case from the District of Puerto Rico,
the District Court held that an employer "would suffer undue hardship if it were required to
change its scheduling system because of the difficulty of finding a replacement employee of
comparable skill, experience, and qualifications; because other employees would be required to
work more often during the weekend; and because [the employerJ would incur substantial
payroll expenses to give [the employee] all Sundays off." Rojas v. GMD Airlines Services, 254
F. Supp. 3d 281, 297-98 (D.P.R. 2015).
4 CMMC erroneously cites this case as a First Circuit case. (See Def 's Mot. Summ. J. 14.) The First Circuit did not reach the issue of undue hardship on appeal. See Sanchez-Rodriguez, 673 F.3d at 12-13.
11 CMMC argues that any accommodation that would have allowed Ms. Crabtree to avoid
working Saturday shifts would have compromised its scheduling system. CMMC argues that it
could not avoid scheduling Ms. Crabtree for Saturday shifts because "other employees may be
required to work two Saturday shifts in a three-week period as opposed to completing the
weekend shift requirement over one weekend." (Def.'s Mot. Summ. J. 17.) CMMC argues that
this would not be a popular option for CNAs who prefer to have their weekends off and would be
equally unpopular with CNAs that prefer weekend shifts because they might be removed from
weekend shifts to accommodate Ms. Crabtree. CMMC argues that this would impact morale
among Ms. Crabtree's co-workers.
There is no evidence in the record that CMMC's scheduling system is meant to
accommodate the shift preferences of employees. See Sanchez-Rodriguez, 728 F.Supp. 2d at 43.
CNA is an entry level position; there is no indication from the record that it would be difficult to
find an employee to replace Ms. Crabtree for Saturday shifts. See Rojas, 254 F. Supp. 3d at 298.
CMMC has not demonstrated that it would incur significant payroll expenses by scheduling Ms.
Crabtree for two S1mday shifts on different weeks as opposed to consecutive Saturday and
Sunday shifts on a single weekend. See Id. CMMC's primary argument is that accommodating
Ms. Crabtree would be unpopular with other employees and would therefore damage morale. It
is questionable that a decrease in employee morale resulting from an accommodation made to
allow an employee to practice her religion qualifies as a hardship at all. However, the court need
not reach that issue because any effect on employee morale is speculative. See Cloutier, 390 F.3d
at 135 ("Courts are somewhat skeptical of hypothetical hardships that an employer thinks might
be caused by an accommodation that never has been put into practice."). There are still issues of
12 material fact as to whether a disruption to CMMC's scheduling rules qualifies as an undue
hardship.
CM:MC fmiher argues that its nurse leaders cannot facilitate shift-swapping for Ms.
Crabtree. Put simply, CMMC argues that its nurse leaders are too busy to facilitate the process.
In CMMC's words:
Facilitating shift swaps for Ms. Crabtree would involve more than a simple email blast~nurse leaders would need to examine each schedule, identify which CNAs were not scheduled for that shift, and select someone with comparable experience and skill to meet the unit's needs. There would then be a dialogue with that person to determine whether they willing and available to swap, and if so, a follow up conversation with Ms. Crabtree to ensure that she was available to work that employee's original shift. The nurse leader is fmiher constrained by budget concerns and must avoid scheduling employees who would be pushed into overtime by taking an additional shift.
(Def.'s Mot. Summ. J. 18.)
CM:MC seems to think that facilitating a voluntary shift swap is a far more involved
process than the MHRC has defined it. According to the MHRC, even a simple bulletin board
and a favorable attitude towards shift-swapping can be enough to facilitate voluntary swaps. See
94-348 C.M.R. ch. 3, § 14(2)(C)(l)(a). Even if these more limited efforts would be insufficient
to accommodate Ms. Crabtree in light of her religious belief that precludes her from soliciting
her replacement, there are still issues of fact as to whether greater nurse leader involvement in
the shift-swapping process for Ms. Crabtree would constitute an undue hardship. 5 The MHRC
assumes that the administrative costs necessary for accommodating an employee's religious
practice generally do not constitute more than a de minimis cost to an employer. 94-348 C.M.R.
ch. 3, § 14(2)(D)(l). CMMC asserts that its nurse leaders do not have the time to facilitate shift
swapping, but CMMC does not explain how much time it would take a nurse leader to secure a
5 CMMC also argues that greater nurse leader involvement could hurt employee morale. This argument fails for the reasons stated previously.
13 voluntary swap for one CNA, nor does it account for the possibility of securing a long-term
swapping arrangement between Ms. Crabtree and another employee.
Despite claiming that facilitating shift-swapping would be an undue hardship, CMMC
acknowledges that it already facilitates shift-swapping for at least one other Seventh-day
Adventist employee who is uncomfortable soliciting others to swap shifts with him. (Def.' s
S.M.F. 48.) The court cannot grant sumrnaiy judgment on this record, which amounts to each of
the parties advancing their version of the facts they likely plan to present at trial. Undue hardship
in this context is a question properly left to the factfinder. There are still issues of material fact as
to whether accommodating Ms. Crabtree would be an undue hardship.
Punitive Damages
Under the Maine Act, punitive damages are available if Ms. Crabtree "demonstrates that
[CMMC] engaged in a discriminatory practice or discriminatory practices with malice or with
reckless indifference to the rights of an aggrieved individual protected by this Act." 5 M.R.S. §
4613(2)(B)(8)(c) (2021). The standard of proof applicable to Ms. Crabtree's punitive damages
claim is "clear and convincing evidence." Batchelder v. Realty Res. Hospitality, LLC, 2007 ME
17, ,r 22, 914 A.2d 1116.
CMMC argues that even if Ms. Crabtree succeeds on her religious discrimination claim,
there is no evidence in the record of malice or reckless indifference. Ms. Crabtree avers that she
informed CMMC that she had a religious belief that precluded her from soliciting someone else
to work on Saturday. Ms. Crabtree avers that CMMC told her that she would be responsible for
finding her own replacement for Saturday shifts regardless. A jury could reasonably conclude
that this reflects at least a reckless indifference towards Ms. Crabtree's rights.
There are still issues of material fact as to punitive damages.
14 Substantially Equivalent Employment
Ms. Crabtree has moved for partial summary judgment against CMMC as well. Ms.
Crabtree contends that she is entitled to summary judgment on CMMC's affirmative defense of
failure to mitigate damages.
Back pay rewarded as relief for an employment discrimination claim is reduced by
"actual earnings on another job during the pertinent period or by whatever amount the victim
could with reasonable diligence have earned during that time." Walsh v. Town ofMillinocket,
2011 ME 99, 1 34, 28 A.3d 610. The employer has the burden to prove that the employee could
have mitigated damages by finding other employment. LeBlond v. Sentinel Serv., 635 A.2d 943,
945 (Me. 1993). "As long as the claimant has made some effort to secure other employment, the
burden to prove failure to mitigate normally resides with the defendant-employer, which then
must show that (i) though substantially equivalent jobs were available in the relevant geographic
area, (ii) the claimant failed to use reasonable diligence to secure suitable employment." Quint v.
A.E. Staley Mfg. Co., 172 F.3d 1, 16 (1st Cir. 1999).
Ms. Crabtree's motion is based on one argument: that CMMC has failed to produce any
evidence that substantially equivalent jobs were available to Ms. Crabtree. A recent Federal
Court for the District of Maine decision provides a helpful discussion for what employment
qualifies as "substantially equivalent:"
The comparability of other jobs turns on numerous factors-e.g.[,] stature, amount of compensation, job responsibilities, and working conditions. A wrongfully discharged employee need not go into another line of work, accept a demotion, or take a demeaning position, and it is well-established that he need not accept employment that is located an unreasonable distance from his home.
Mullen v. New Balance Athletics, Inc., No. l:l 7-cv-194-NT, 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 30967, at
*19 (D. Me. Feb. 27, 2019) (citations and quotations omitted).
15 Here, the parties do not dispute that Ms. Crabtree made some effort to find employment,
at least prior to 2019. Therefore, it is CMMC's burden to show that there were substantially
equivalent jobs in the relevant geographical area. CMMC contends that Ms. Dingley informed
Ms. Crabtree that there were alternative positions at CMMC that Ms. Crabtree could apply for,
and encouraged her to do so. (Def.'s Add. S.M.F., 35.) Ms. Crabtree testified that she explored
other CNA training opportunities at nearby healthcare facilities. (Id. ,, 14-15.) Finally, CMMC
proffers Maine Department of Labor reports indicating that the demand for workers in healthcare
and social assistance was "above-average" in Central and Western Maine as of 2016, and that
there were 687 vacant healthcare support positions in those regions at the same time. (Id. ,, 25
26.)
CMMC has produced enough evidence to generate an issue of material fact as to the
availability of substantially equivalent employment. Ms. Crabtree argues that none of this
evidence speaks to the availability of substantially equivalent employment because CMMC has
not produced evidence of a position that offered paid, tuition-free training to become a CNA like
CMMC's EWYL program did. CNA is an entry level healthcare position. While an employee
need not accept a demotion or go into another line of work to mitigate their damages, this does
not mean that substantially equivalent employment is limited to alternative positions with
identical benefits. CMMC's EWYL program is part of its compensation package, and would
certainly be a factor for the jury to consider in determining whether substantially equivalent
positions were available. However, it would not be irrational for a jury to conclude that
substantially equivalent jobs were available when a CNA position is, at bottom, an entry level
healthcare support position and other entry level healthcare support positions were seemingly
available.
16 There remain issues of material fact as to whether Ms. Crabtree mitigated her damages.
Plaintiffs motion will be denied.
The entry is
Defendant Central Maine Medical Center's Motion to Enforce a Settlement Agreement aud Motion for Summary Judgment is DENIED.
Plaintiff Helen Crabtree's Motion for Partial Summary Judgment is DENIED.
The Clerk is directed to enter this order into the docket by reference pursuant to M.R.Civ.P. 79(a).
Date: '6 / 3() '2021 '( Harold Stewart, II Justice, Superior Court
17 HELEN CRABTREE - PLAINTIFF SUPERIOR COURT 272 MAIN STREET ANDROSCOGGIN, ss. AUBURN ME 04210 Docket No AUBSC-CV-2019-00010 Attorney for: HELEN CRABTREE JOHN P GAUSE - RETAINED I 1/01/2019 EASTERN MAINE LAW, LLC, PA DOCKET RECORD 23 WATER STREET, SUITE202 BANGORME04401
v. CENTRAL MAINE MEDICAL CENTER - DEFENDANT
Attorney for: CENTRAL MAINE MEDICAL CENTER MICHAEL MESSERSCHMIDT - REfAINED 04/11/2019 PRETI FLAHERTY BELIVEAU PACHIOS LLP ONE CITY CENTER PO BOX9546 PORTLAND ME 04112-9546
Attorney for: CENTRAL MAINE MEDICAL CENTER LAURA RIDEOUT - RETAINED 09/18/2019 PRETI FLAHERTY BELIVEAU PACHIOS LLP ONE CITY CENTER PO BOX9546 PORTLAND ME 04112-9546
Filing Document: COMPLAINT Minor Case Type: CONST!TUTIONAUCIVIL RIGHTS Filing Date: 01/18/2019
Docket Events: 01/18/2019 FILING DOCUMENT- COMPLAINT FILED ON 01/18/2019
01/18/2019 Party(s): HELEN CRABTREE ATTORNEY - RETAINED ENTERED ON 01/18/2018
01/18/2019 Party(s): HELEN CRABTREE MOTION - MOTION PROCEED W/0 FEE FILED WITH AFFIDAVIT ON 01/18/2019
01/23/2019 Party(s): HELEN CRABTREE MOTION - MOTION PROCEED W/0 FEE GRANTED ONOI/23/2019 MARY GAY KENNEDY , JUSTICE COPIES TO PARTIES/COUNSEL
03/13/2019 Party(s): CENTRAL MAINE MEDICAL CENTER SUMMONS/SERVICE -ACK OF RECEIPT OF SUMM/COMP SERVED ON03/12/2019 THROUGH LOIS DOWNS
03/13/2019 Party(s): CENTRAL MAINE MEDICAL CENTER SUMMONS/SERVICE - ACK OF RECEIPT OF SUMM/COMP FILED ON 03/12/2019
04/02/2019 Party(s): HELEN CRABTREE MOTION - MOTION FOR WITHDRAWAL OF CNSL FILED ON 03/28/2019 WITH MEMORANDUM OF LAW AND PROPOSED ORDER
Party(s): CENTRAL MAINE MEDICAL CENTER