Duncan v. Northwest Airlines, Inc.

203 F.R.D. 601, 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18276, 2001 WL 1388050
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Washington
DecidedNovember 5, 2001
DocketNo. C98-130Z
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 203 F.R.D. 601 (Duncan v. Northwest Airlines, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Duncan v. Northwest Airlines, Inc., 203 F.R.D. 601, 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18276, 2001 WL 1388050 (W.D. Wash. 2001).

Opinion

ORDER

ZILLY, District Judge.

This matter comes before the Court on defendant’s motion for summary judgment, docket no. 136, plaintiffs motion for class certification, docket no. 53, and plaintiffs motion to certify issues to the Washington Supreme Court, docket no. 140. The Court heard oral argument and took the motions under advisement. The Court, having reviewed all of the pleadings filed in connection with the underlying motions and having considered the arguments of counsel, now enters this order. The Court hereby GRANTS the defendant’s motion for summary judgment on the medical monitoring cause of action, docket no. 136, DENIES plaintiffs motion for class certification, docket no. 53, and DENIES plaintiffs motion to certify issues to the Washington Supreme Court, docket no. 140.

Background

Plaintiff Julie Duncan filed this lawsuit against her employer, defendant Northwest Airlines, Inc., claiming damages in negligence for injuries caused as a result of defendant’s policy that exposed its employees to second-hand smoke on certain international flights. The plaintiff worked as a flight attendant on “smoking” flights between Seattle and Asia. She alleges that the defendant continued to allow smoking on international flights although it knew that second-hand smoke posed a health risk to the flight attendants and it had banned smoking on all domestic flights. Thousands of flight attendants allegedly were exposed to second-hand smoke on these flights. Some were nonsmokers, while others may have smoked or may have lived with family members who smoked. The flight attendants in the proposed class worked in this environment for varying times before the defendant discontinued smoking on the flights in 1998.

Plaintiff alleges that she currently suffers injuries from exposure to the second-hand smoke, including irritated eyes, sinus problems, breathing problems, sore throats, and other present complaints. Complaint, docket no. 1, at ¶ 50. She also contends that she has a significantly increased risk of contracting a serious disease such as lung cancer, heart disease or respiratory disease as a result of her work as a flight attendant on the smoking flights. Declaration of James L. Repace, docket no. 54, at Conclusions, ¶¶ 4-8.

Based on her alleged injuries, plaintiff asserts a claim for negligence and asserts a separate cause of action for “medical moni[604]*604toring.” James Repace, plaintiffs expert, has established 587 hours of airplane exposure as a threshold level to increase risk of disease. Id. at ¶ 84. Plaintiff claims the exposure to smoke warrants continued medical observation and testing to determine whether illnesses develop in the future. Plaintiff clarified at oral argument that she also seeks to certify a class for the independent tort of medical monitoring or, in the alternative, to certify a class for the negligence claim with medical monitoring as a remedy.

The focus of this litigation relates to plaintiffs claim for medical monitoring. Plaintiff contends that the medical monitoring program would serve the following purposes:

(i) notifying flight attendants of existing information concerning the effects of prolonged inhalation of second-hand tobacco smoke; (ii) to the extent necessary, funding a further unbiased study of those effects; (iii) gathering and forwarding to treating physicians information relating to the diagnosis and treatment of injuries which may result from Class members’ prolonged inhalation of second-hand tobacco smoke; (iv) aiding the early diagnosis and treatment of resulting injuries and illnesses; and (v) providing funding for diagnosis and treatment of resulting injuries and illnesses.

Complaint, docket no. 1, at ¶ 60. Plaintiff requests that this Court oversee a monitoring program, which would be ran by court-appointed trustees. Plaintiffs Reply, docket no. 127, at 34. Plaintiff also seeks compensatory damages for her existing personal injuries.

Plaintiff proposes to certify her complaint as a class action on behalf of flight attendants similarly situated. The class would encompass the following persons:

All present and former Northwest Airlines flight attendants who (1) during the period January 1, 1988 to the present served as flight attendants aboard Northwest Airlines Trans-Pacific international flights where smoking was permitted; (2) whose working time on board exceeded 587 hours; and (3) who at the time of their employment resided in the states of: California, Illinois, Washington, Michigan, Minnesota, Hawaii and New York.

Motion, docket no. 53. Plaintiff seeks to bifurcate the trial and address liability in the first phase. Plaintiffs Reply, docket no. 127, at 31. The second phase would address individual issues, including causation for physical injury claims and damages for those claims. Id. The Court has not ruled on the request for bifurcation.

Preliminary Discussion

A. Workers’ Compensation Preemption

Plaintiff seeks to sue her employer, ■Northwest Airlines, under Washington law and to represent a class of plaintiffs who reside in six other states. As an initial matter, plaintiff may sue her employer in Washington under Birklid v. Boeing Co., 127 Wash.2d 853, 904 P.2d 278 (1995), because she alleges that the defendant “had actual knowledge that injury was certain to occur, and actual knowledge that injury did in fact occur.” Complaint, docket no. 1, at ¶ 53; Minute Order, docket no. 172. The Washing ton Supreme Court has permitted employees to sue their employer for intentional torts under very limited circumstances where an employee alleges “deliberate intention.” Birklid, 127 Wash.2d at 865, 904 P.2d 278. Since the decision in Birklid, the Washington Legislature has codified this remedy against an employer in Washington. RCW 51.24.020 (2000). All other claims by employees in Washington are limited to the remedies provided by the Workers’ Compensation laws of this state. Id.

Because plaintiff seeks to represent a class of flight attendants from six other states, the Court has reviewed the law of those states to determine whether employees may sue then-employers and, if so, under what circumstances.1 The Court concludes, and the plaintiff conceded at oral argument, that Hawaii’s Workers’ Compensation Law is the [605]*605exclusive remedy for employees in Hawaii and does not contain an intentional tort exception. Haw.Rev.Stat. § 386-5 (2000). Therefore, flight attendants who reside in Hawaii cannot bring a claim against their employer, Northwest Airlines, and they cannot become members of any proposed class. The Court also concludes that the Workers’ Compensation system is the exclusive remedy in California unless the employer is accused of intentional misconduct going beyond “failure to assure that the tools or substances used by the employee or the physical environment of a workplace are safe.” Cole v. Fair Oaks Fire Prot. Dist., 43 Cal.3d 148, 233 Cal.Rptr. 308, 729 P.2d 743, 749 (1987). Because plaintiffs allegations do not satisfy that standard, flight attendants residing in California also are precluded from suing their employer in this litigation.

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Bluebook (online)
203 F.R.D. 601, 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18276, 2001 WL 1388050, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/duncan-v-northwest-airlines-inc-wawd-2001.