Edwards v. Publix Supermarkets, Inc.

CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Georgia
DecidedSeptember 15, 2020
Docket1:19-cv-00339
StatusUnknown

This text of Edwards v. Publix Supermarkets, Inc. (Edwards v. Publix Supermarkets, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Edwards v. Publix Supermarkets, Inc., (N.D. Ga. 2020).

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF GEORGIA ATLANTA DIVISION

Leroy Edwards,

Plaintiff, Case No. 1:19-cv-00339

v. Michael L. Brown United States District Judge Publix Supermarkets, Inc.,

Defendant.

________________________________/

OPINION & ORDER Plaintiff Leroy Edwards claims Defendant Publix Supermarkets, Inc. fired him because of his race. The Magistrate Judge recommends granting Defendant’s motion for summary judgment. (Dkt. 82.) Plaintiff objects to the Magistrate Judge’s Report and Recommendation (“R&R”). (Dkt. 86.) The Court overrules Plaintiff’s objections and adopts the Magistrate Judge’s R&R. I. Background Defendant employs drivers to deliver groceries to its stores. Drivers often make more than one delivery in a day. At the start of the day, drivers go to Defendant’s dispatch office for their first delivery. (Dkt. 55 at 37:1–23.) Drivers may be able to select their first run from a list of possible runs that dispatch provides, with selection by seniority. (Id.)

After completing their first deliveries, drivers return to the dispatch office for additional deliveries, also called “second runs” or “return trips.” Defendant has a policy — referred to as the “next-most-likely, on-time

delivery policy” — that controls the assignment of these deliveries. (Id. at 43:8–44:11.) As part of this policy, the dispatcher assigns a delivery

to a returning driver after considering the number of remaining deliveries for that day and the remaining hours that driver may work pursuant to Department of Transportation requirements. (Id.) The

parties dispute whether drivers had any say in this process for second deliveries. Plaintiff says drivers could choose them. (Dkt. 64 at 54:6–9.) Defendant says dispatchers always made the decision. (Dkt. 55 at 43:8–

44:11.) Defendant, however, acknowledges its policy was loosely enforced for some period of time. (Id.) In early 2018, Defendant attempted to enforce its assignment policy

more thoroughly. (Id.) As part of this, it placed a flier in its dispatch office to outline the requirements of the run-assignment policy. (Dkts. 55 at 43:8–44:11; 122.) Plaintiff claimed at summary judgment that he never heard of this policy and never saw the flier in the dispatch office. (Dkt. 57-1 ¶¶ 14–18.) But, as discussed below, the Magistrate Judge also

properly found that Plaintiff had already admitted these facts by refusing to respond to Defendant’s Request for Admissions. (Dkt. 82 at 8 n.5.) Plaintiff insists that drivers were always allowed a choice on their second

runs. (Id.) Plaintiff worked for Defendant for nearly thirty years. (See Dkt. 64

at 16:3–12.) He was well-liked. (Dkt. 57-2 ¶ 3.) In 2015, he had an accident while making a delivery. (Dkt. 64 at 18:5–8.) While driving near the interchange of Highway 285 and Georgia State Highway 400, a

car clipped the wheel of the truck he was driving causing him to lose control. (Id. at 18:16–22.) His truck went over the highway divider and hit a tow truck. (Id. at 19:2–4.) He was injured and continues to suffer

hip pain and symptoms of acute stress disorder. (Dkt. 57-2 ¶ 4.) Plaintiff eventually returned to work as a driver. In April 2018, he went to the dispatch office for a second run. A dispatcher assigned him

a delivery that required him to drive near the site of his previous accident. (Dkt. 64 at 44:13–48:1.) Plaintiff told the dispatcher he felt uncomfortable driving in that area, and the dispatcher gave him a different delivery. (Dkt. 54 at 55:20–56:10, 61:8–10.) The dispatcher then emailed a supervisor to ask whether he should do this again if

Plaintiff made a similar request. (Id.) The supervisor told the dispatcher not to do so, as Defendant needed to enforce its run-assignment policy. (Id.) Defendant claims this was the first time Plaintiff’s supervisors

learned Plaintiff did not want to drive near the scene of his prior accident. (See Dkts. 55 at 27:2–16; 50 at 22:13–22; 54 at 59:3–60:8.) Defendant

says they were previously aware. (Dkt. 57-1 ¶ 23.) Plaintiff later spoke with Shannon Horne, one of his supervisors. Defendant says Mr. Horne reminded Plaintiff of the need to follow the

next-most-likely, on-time delivery policy. (See Dkt. 50 at 25:3–25.) Plaintiff claims Mr. Horne asked him why he refused a run, and he told her he had not done so. (Dkt. 64 at 48:2–24.)

In May 2018, Plaintiff came to the dispatch office to seek a second run. (Dkt. 57-1 ¶ 25.) The dispatcher assigned him a run near the 285/400 interchange. (Id.) Plaintiff claims it was the same route he had

been allowed to avoid before. (Dkt. 57-1 ¶ 25.) Plaintiff told David Bullard, a lead person in dispatch, that he felt uncomfortable taking that run. (Dkt. 53 at 36:4–37:6.) Mr. Bullard called Charles Williams, the head of the dispatch department. (Id.) Mr. Williams, Mr. Bullard, and Plaintiff spoke on the phone for half an hour. (Dkt. 55 at 58:19–60:19.)

They talked about Plaintiff taking a different route to get to the store. (Id.) Plaintiff suggested taking a run that did not go near the 285/400 interchange. (Id.) Mr. Williams rejected that idea. Based on the

conversation, Mr. Williams determined that Plaintiff refused to complete his assigned run: “Even when presented with multiple options, [Plaintiff]

refused all options that were given to him to complete that trip.” (Id. at 79:10–20.) Defendant fired Plaintiff the next day for insubordination. (Dkt. 57-1 ¶ 31.)

Plaintiff filed a claim with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, alleging he was fired because of his race. (Dkt. 45-3 at 130.) After that claim was denied, Plaintiff sued. (Dkt. 1.) Though he

originally brought multiple claims, the only claim currently before the Court is his Title VII unlawful termination claim. See 42 U.S.C. § 2000e- 2. The Magistrate Judge found that, although Plaintiff made a prima

facie showing of unlawful termination, Defendant presented legitimate, nondiscriminatory reasons for firing Plaintiff (specifically, insubordination), and Plaintiff failed to show that reason was pretextual. The Magistrate Judge recommends granting Defendant’s motion for summary judgment.

II. Standard of Review When a party objects to an R&R, the district court must review de novo any part of the Magistrate Judge’s disposition that is the subject of

a proper objection. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 72(b); 28 U.S.C. § 636(b). “Parties filing objections to a magistrate’s report and recommendation must

specifically identify those findings objected to.” Marsden v. Moore, 847 F.2d 1536, 1548 (11th Cir. 1988). If an objection fails to identify the specific findings or a specific basis for the objection, a court need not

consider it. See id. Rule 56 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure provides that a court “shall grant summary judgment if the movant shows that there is no

genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a). A factual dispute is genuine if the evidence would allow a

reasonable jury to find for the nonmoving party. Anderson v.

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