Frizzell v. Southwest Motor Freight, Inc.

906 F. Supp. 441, 1995 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18582, 68 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 44,080, 71 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1824, 1995 WL 713459
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Tennessee
DecidedNovember 20, 1995
Docket1:95-cv-00275
StatusPublished
Cited by27 cases

This text of 906 F. Supp. 441 (Frizzell v. Southwest Motor Freight, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Frizzell v. Southwest Motor Freight, Inc., 906 F. Supp. 441, 1995 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18582, 68 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 44,080, 71 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1824, 1995 WL 713459 (E.D. Tenn. 1995).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM

COLLIER, District Judge.

This is a civil action brought by plaintiff, Carla D. Frizzell (hereinafter Frizzell) against defendants Southwest Motor Freight, Inc. and Matthew Cacace (hereinafter Ca-cace), alleging her civil rights were violated.

Before the Court is defendant Cacace’s Motion to Dismiss the complaint (Court File No. 2). Plaintiff opposes the motion (Court File No. 6).

*443 For the following reasons, the Motion to Dismiss will be GRANTED.

I.FACTS

On July 25, 1995, plaintiff filed the instant action in the Chancery Court of Hamilton County, Tennessee. The complaint filed in state court alleged violations of the Family and Medical Leave Act, 29 U.S.C. § 2601, et seq., and the Tennessee Human Rights Act (hereinafter referred to as THRA), Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 4-21-101, et seq. On August 11, 1995, defendants removed the case to federal court. On August 20, 1995, defendant Cacace filed a Motion to Dismiss the complaint as to him pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6).

Plaintiff filed a response to the motion to dismiss. In her response, plaintiff argues the recently issued decision in Arnold v. Welch, No. 1:92-CV-562, 1995 WL 785572 (E.D.Tenn., July 5, 1995) (Edgar, J.), was incorrect. Plaintiff asks this Court to reject the decision in Arnold and hold that individual liability exists under the THRA.

II.MOTION TO DISMISS

A. A Motion to Dismiss under Fed. R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6)

A motion to dismiss under Fed. R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6) requires the Court to construe the complaint in the light most favorable to the plaintiff, accept all the complaint’s factual allegations as true, and determine whether the plaintiff undoubtedly can prove no set of facts in support of the claims that would entitle relief. Meador v. Cabinet for Human Resources, 902 F.2d 474, 475 (6th Cir.), cert. denied, 498 U.S. 867, 111 S.Ct. 182, 112 L.Ed.2d 145 (1990); see also Cameron v. Seitz, 38 F.3d 264, 270 (6th Cir.1994). The Court may not grant such a motion to dismiss based upon a disbelief of a complaint’s factual allegations. Lawler v. Marshall, 898 F.2d 1196, 1199 (6th Cir.1990); Miller v. Currie, 50 F.3d 373, 377 (6th Cir. 1995) (noting that courts should not weigh evidence or evaluate the credibility of witnesses). The Court must liberally construe the complaint in favor of the party opposing the motion. Miller, 50 F.3d at 377. However, the complaint must articulate more than a bare assertion of legal conclusions. Scheid v. Fanny Farmer Candy Shops, Inc., 859 F.2d 434, 436 (6th Cir.1988). “[The] complaint must contain either direct or inferential allegations respecting all the material elements to sustain a recovery under some viable legal theory.” Id. (citations omitted).

III.DISCUSSION

A. Tennessee Human Rights Act Claim

Cacace argues that the complaint must be dismissed as to him, because it does not state a claim upon which relief can be granted. His argument rests on the recent decision of this Court in Arnold v. Welch. In Arnold, the Court held individuals who are not otherwise employers are not liable under the THRA.

In response to this motion plaintiff challenges the correctness of Arnold. Plaintiffs argument contains four components. First, plaintiff argues that the clear weight of Tennessee authority is contrary to the decision in Arnold; second, she argues that decisions from the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit allow individual liability under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. §§ 2000e through 2000e-7 (Title VII); third, she argues that cases from other circuit courts of appeal support her position; and last, she points to distinctions between the THRA and Title VII which she contends support the notion of allowing individual liability.

In deciding this motion the Court will examine the decision in Arnold, the precise language of the THRA and Title VII, the purpose of the THRA, and the applicable case law construing Title VII.

1. Arnold v. Welch

Arnold involved claims under both the THRA and Title VII. After the Court dismissed the claims against defendant Welch, Arnold requested reconsideration on the THRA claims. . Arnold contended individual liability under the THRA existed and as support provided the Court with an unpublished Tennessee Court of Appeals decision, Wood v. Emerson Electric Co., No. 01-A-9310- *444 CH-00467, 1994 WL 716270 (Tenn.Ct.App. Aug. 12, 1994). Arnold argued Wood established that individuals may in fact be liable under the THRA.

In reconsidering its decision, the Court examined Wood and another unpublished Tennessee Court of Appeals decision, Gifford v. Premier Mfg. Corp., No. 18, 1989 WL 85752 (Tenn.Ct.App. Aug. 1, 1989). It decided the THRA and Title VII should be construed similarly with respect to the definition of employer and the liability of individuals. Since the clear weight of authority under Title VII is individual liability does not lie, the Court was of the opinion that the Tennessee Supreme Court, if called upon to decide this issue, would decide individuals are not liable under the THRA.

2. Employer under THRA and Title VII (a) The THRA and Title VII should be similarly construed.

As was stated in Arnold, the THRA and Title VII should be similarly construed since both have the same purpose. “It is the purpose and intent of the general assembly by this chapter to (p)rovide for execution within Tennessee of the policies embodied in the federal Civil Rights Aet() of 1964....” Tenn.Code Ann. § 4-21-101(a)(1). Thus, analysis under the THRA should be the same as under Title VII. Trentham v. K-Mart Corp., 806 F.Supp. 692, 705 (E.D.TN.1991); Bruce v. Western Auto Supply Co.,

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906 F. Supp. 441, 1995 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18582, 68 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 44,080, 71 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1824, 1995 WL 713459, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/frizzell-v-southwest-motor-freight-inc-tned-1995.