Equal Emp't Opportunity Comm'n v. W. Distrib. Co.

322 F. Supp. 3d 1100
CourtDistrict Court, D. Colorado
DecidedJuly 27, 2018
DocketCivil Case No. 1:16-cv-01727-LTB-STV
StatusPublished

This text of 322 F. Supp. 3d 1100 (Equal Emp't Opportunity Comm'n v. W. Distrib. Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Colorado primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Equal Emp't Opportunity Comm'n v. W. Distrib. Co., 322 F. Supp. 3d 1100 (D. Colo. 2018).

Opinion

Babcock, District Judge.

This matter is before me on Plaintiff Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's ("EEOC" or "Plaintiff") Motion for Bifurcation. ECF No. 136. The parties agree that bifurcation should occur, but disagree as to the scope. After considering the parties' arguments through briefing and a hearing that occurred on July 24, 2018, for the reasons below, I GRANT the Motion in part.

I. BACKGROUND

Plaintiff initiated this case as a civil enforcement action under the Americans with Disabilities Act ("ADA"), 42 U.S.C. § 12101. Compl., ECF No. 1. The case mainly regards two of Defendant's policies surrounding medical leave, along with other aspects of the ADA. Id. Plaintiff alleges Defendant's: (1) failure to accommodate disabilities; (2) disparate treatment based on disability or the need to provide accommodation; (3) use of discriminatory standards, criteria, or methods of administration; and (4) retaliation. Id. At the time of Plaintiff's Reply, it has identified 58 potentially aggrieved individuals. Reply, ECF No. 150 at 7.

The parties agree that this lawsuit concerns an alleged pattern or practice of discrimination. ECF No. 136 at 2; Resp., ECF No. 145 at 1. They also agree that this case should be bifurcated, but disagree on when certain issues should be presented in the case and on the scope of discovery pursuant to bifurcation. ECF No. 145 at 1; ECF No. 150 at 1.

Concerning substantive issues in trial, the parties mainly disagree on whether the claim for punitive damages should be presented in the first or second phase of the trial. ECF No. 145 at 8; ECF No. 150 at 8. The issues on discovery include: (1) whether discovery for the first phase of the trial should be limited only to discovery that is already completed; (2) whether expert discovery should be limited to only that regarding the aggrieved individuals testifying in the first phase of the trial; and (3) whether Plaintiff must abide by the current deadline for expert witness disclosures. ECF No. 145 at 5-6; ECF No. 150 at 3-7. Related to this last discovery issue, after filing the current Motion, Plaintiff filed a motion to amend the scheduling order to extend the deadline for expert disclosures. ECF No. 143.

*1103II. LAW

A. Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 42(b)

Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 42(b), a court may order separate trials for "convenience, to avoid prejudice, or to expedite and economize" if separate issues exist in the same case. "District courts have 'broad discretion in deciding whether to sever issues for trial and the exercise of that discretion will be set aside only if clearly abused.' " Anaeme v. Diagnostek, Inc. , 164 F.3d 1275, 1285 (10th Cir. 1999) (quoting Easton v. City of Boulder, Colo. , 776 F.2d 1441, 1447 (10th Cir. 1985) ).

B. Pattern-or-practice discrimination

Pattern-or-practice discrimination cases differ in focus than the more common cases of individualized discrimination. Thiessen v. Gen. Elec. Capital Corp. , 267 F.3d 1095, 1105 (10th Cir. 2001). "[T]he initial focus in a pattern-or-practice case is not on individual employment decisions, 'but on a pattern of discriminatory decisionmaking.' " Id. (quoting Cooper v. Fed. Reserve Bank of Richmond , 467 U.S. 867, 876, 104 S.Ct. 2794, 81 L.Ed.2d 718 (1984) ). Pattern-or-practice cases are typically analyzed under the structure of International Brotherhood of Teamsters v. United States , 431 U.S. 324, 97 S.Ct. 1843, 52 L.Ed.2d 396 (1977). Id.

Under Teamsters , these cases are tried in separate phases. 431 U.S. at 360, 97 S.Ct. 1843. The plaintiff has the burden in the first phase of trial ("Phase I") "to demonstrate that unlawful discrimination has been a regular procedure or policy followed by an employer or group of employers." Id. During Phase I, the plaintiff is not required to produce evidence proving that each aggrieved individual was indeed a victim of the employer's policy. Thiessen , 267 F.3d at 1106 (quoting Teamsters , 431 U.S. at 360, 97 S.Ct. 1843 ). The plaintiff must merely prove that the discriminatory policy existed. Id. The burden then shifts to the employer, who must demonstrate that the plaintiff's prima facie case is "inaccurate or insignificant." Id.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
322 F. Supp. 3d 1100, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/equal-empt-opportunity-commn-v-w-distrib-co-cod-2018.