East v. Pryor

89 F.R.D. 75, 1981 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10407
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Arkansas
DecidedJanuary 20, 1981
DocketNo. LR-C-77-346
StatusPublished

This text of 89 F.R.D. 75 (East v. Pryor) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
East v. Pryor, 89 F.R.D. 75, 1981 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10407 (E.D. Ark. 1981).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

WOODS, District Judge.

STATEMENT

Plaintiff Ruth East brought this action on December 2, 1977 based on alleged violations of 42 U.S.C. §§ 1981, 1983 and 1988 and the due process and equal protection provisions of the United States Constitution. The complaint requested a declaratory judgment pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 2201, 2202, 1361 and Fed.R.Civ.P. 57. Although plaintiff filed the lawsuit on behalf of herself and a “Class of Citizens Seeking Unemployment Compensation”, such class has never been certified. Indeed, the plaintiff Ruth East has not moved for class certification as provided by the general orders of this court or by the specific order issued in the instant litigation (see Letter/Order dated March 26, 1980).

[76]*76Plaintiff Ruth East was initially denied unemployment compensation after a determination that she had been discharged from the Pulaski County Health Department for willful misconduct on March 20, 1977. Her alleged willful misconduct consisted of her refusal to type a letter as directed by her employer, Dr. Gordon Oates, the Pulaski County Health Officer. Plaintiff sought and obtained a hearing before the Chief Appeals Referee on September 22, 1977, at which time he upheld the Agency determination. Plaintiff appealed the Referee’s decision to the Board of Review. While the appeal was pending, she filed the above-mentioned Federal complaint. On January 31, 1978 the Board of Review reversed the Referee’s decision that plaintiff had been guilty of willful misconduct and awarded her benefits. The decision of the Board of Review is attached hereto as Exhibit “A”.

THE APPLICABLE STATUTES

To be eligible for benefits, a claimant must file a claim with a local office of the Employment Security Division as prescribed in Ark.Stat.Ann. § 81-1105 (Repl.Vol.1976). If dissatisfied with the determination of the local office, claimant has a right within fifteen days to appeal to the Appeals Tribunal and obtain a full evidentiary hearing before a referee. Ark.Stat.Ann. § 81-1107(d)(2) (Repl.Vol.1976).

If dissatisfied with the decision of the Appeals Tribunal, the claimant may then appeal to the Board of Review. Ark.Stat. Ann. § 81-1107(d)(3) (Repl.Vol.1976). The Board of Review is composed of three members, one of whom represents employees (in Arkansas this member has historically been closely affiliated with organized labor), and one represents employers. The third member is the Chairman and pursuant to Statute is “a person who, because of his vocation, occupation or affiliation may be deemed not to be representative of employers or employees.” Ark.Stat.Ann. § 81-1107(d)(1) (Repl.Vol.1976). (This individual has generally been a lawyer). At the time period relevant herein, claimant had a right of appeal to Circuit Court from the Board of Review. Ark.Stat.Ann. § 81-1107(d)(7) (Repl.Vol.1976). In the event of an adverse decision, claimant could appeal directly from Circuit Court to the Supreme Court of Arkansas. Ark.Stat.Ann. § 81-1107(d)(7) (Repl.Vol.1976). Now an appeal in an unemployment case goes directly from the Board of Review to the Arkansas Court of Appeals, an intermediate appellate court established by Arkansas in the 1978 general election. Ark.Stat.Ann. § 81-1107(d)(7) (Repl.Vol.1976 as amended in 1979). One of the principal reasons for this change was to permit unemployment compensation claimants and worker’s compensation claimants to obtain a quick review of their cases. A claimant can obtain review by certiorari to the Supreme Court of Arkansas and thence by certiorari even to the Supreme Court of the United States.

At the time unemployment benefits for Mrs. East were denied by the Agency, she had five separate appellate steps available. The initial stages of this elaborate procedure are required by 42 U.S.C.A. § 503(a)(3), which provides: “The Secretary of Labor shall make no certification for payment (of Federal funds) to any State unless he finds that the law of such state ... includes provisions for . . . (3) opportunity for a fair hearing, before an impartial tribunal, for all individuals whose claims for unemployment compensation are denied.” The original Federal legislation was enacted in 1935, and the original Arkansas enabling legislation was passed in 1937. This legislation was passed to ameliorate the tragic unemployment of the Great Depression. The appeals procedures provided in these statutes has been repeatedly utilized by claimants for more than forty years. Claimants have been quite successful at various stages of the appellate procedure. For instance, in this case the plaintiff and five of the eight putative intervenors won benefits. There are a number of occasions where claimants have successfully appealed to the Appeals Tribunal, and the latter’s decision has been sustained all the way to the Supreme Court of Arkansas—in other words, the agency made an administrative decision adverse to claimants but the Ap[77]*77peals Tribunal reversed and was sustained through the Board of Review, Circuit Court and Supreme Court. See, e. g. Terry Dairy Products Co. v. Cash, 224 Ark. 576, 275 S.W.2d 12 (1955) and Little Rock Furniture Mfg. Co. v. Thornbrough, 227 Ark. 288, 298 S.W.2d 56 (1957). There have also been cases where claimants were not successful until they reached the Board of Review and the latter’s decision was sustained by the Circuit Court and Supreme Court. See, e. g. Arkansas Valley Industries, Inc. v. Laney, 242 Ark. 261, 412 S.W.2d 817 (1967); Thornbrough v. Schlenker, 228 Ark. 1012, 311 S.W.2d 753 (1958); Southern Lumber Co. v. Cash, 226 Ark. 406, 290 S.W.2d 11 (1956); Rainfair, Inc. v. Cobb, 229 Ark. 37, 312 S.W.2d 906 (1958); Harding Glass Co. v. Crutcher, 244 Ark. 618, 426 S.W.2d 403 (1968); Ladish Co. v. Breashears, 263 Ark. 48, 563 S.W.2d 419 (1978). In other cases the claimant did not secure a favorable decision until the appeal reached Circuit Court. See, e. g. Commissioner of Labor v. Renfroe, 253 Ark. 380, 486 S.W.2d 73 (1972) and Stover v. Deere, 249 Ark. 334, 461 S.W.2d 393 (1971). In many other cases claimants lost at all stages of the appellate procedure until they reached the Supreme Court of Arkansas. See, e. g. Harmon v. Laney, 239 Ark. 603, 393 S.W.2d 273 (1965); Wade v. Thornbrough, 231 Ark. 454, 330 S.W.2d 100 (1959);

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Related

Indiana Employment Security Division v. Burney
409 U.S. 540 (Supreme Court, 1973)
Ward v. Arkansas State Police
493 F. Supp. 1315 (E.D. Arkansas, 1980)
Little Rock Furniture Manufacturing Co. v. Commr. of Labor
298 S.W.2d 56 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1957)
Thornbrough v. Schlenker
311 S.W.2d 753 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1958)
Parker v. Ramada Inn
572 S.W.2d 409 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1978)
Reddick v. Scott
228 S.W.2d 1008 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1950)
Harmon v. Laney
393 S.W.2d 273 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1965)
Terry Dairy Products Company v. Cash
275 S.W.2d 12 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1955)
Southern Lumber Co. v. Cash
290 S.W.2d 11 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1956)
Rainfair, Inc. v. Cobb
312 S.W.2d 906 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1958)
Wade v. Thornbrough
330 S.W.2d 100 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1959)
Arkansas Valley Industries, Inc. v. Laney
412 S.W.2d 817 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1967)
Harding Glass Co. v. Crutcher
426 S.W.2d 403 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1968)
Stover v. Deere
461 S.W.2d 393 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1970)
Hays v. Batesville Mfg. Co.
473 S.W.2d 926 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1971)

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Bluebook (online)
89 F.R.D. 75, 1981 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10407, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/east-v-pryor-ared-1981.