Garcia v. Frito-Lay Snacks Caribbean, Inc.

181 F. Supp. 2d 38, 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 22084, 2001 WL 1688794
CourtDistrict Court, D. Puerto Rico
DecidedDecember 28, 2001
DocketCiv. 97-1313(SEC)
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 181 F. Supp. 2d 38 (Garcia v. Frito-Lay Snacks Caribbean, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Puerto Rico primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Garcia v. Frito-Lay Snacks Caribbean, Inc., 181 F. Supp. 2d 38, 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 22084, 2001 WL 1688794 (prd 2001).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

CASELLAS, District Judge.

Pending before the Court is Defendant Frito Lay Snacks Caribbean, Inc.’s (“Frito Lay”) “Motion Requesting the Dismissal of Plaintiffs Disability Claims and Memorandum of Law in Support Thereof,” (Docket # 143). For the reasons stated below, Defendant’s motion is GRANTED.

I. Background

On March 6, 1997, Gloria Garcia-Vázquez (“Gloria García”) and her husband filed the above-captioned case for injunc-tive, compensatory relief, and punitive damages resulting from Frito Lay’s alleged discrimination, hostile working environment, harassment, failure to provide a reasonable accommodation, and the otherwise unlawful termination of Plaintiff Gloria Garcia from her job (Docket # 1). Originally, Plaintiffs were seeking redress under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), 29 U.S.C. § 621, et. seq.; the Equal Pay Act (EPA), 29 U.S.C. § 206(d)(1); and the American with Disabilities Act (ADA), 42 U.S.C. §§ 12101 et. seq. However, on March 24, 2000 this Court issued an Opinion and Order, upon a motion for summary judgment, whereby Plaintiffs’ claims under the ADEA and the EPA were dismissed with prejudice. See Docket ##103-4. The Court sustained Plaintiffs’ ADA claim on grounds that there were material facts in dispute regarding two crucial issues. First, the Court found that there was enough evidence in the record for a jury to find that Gloria Garcia was disabled under the ADA at the time of her termination. Docket # 103 at 11). Second, the Court found that there was enough evidence in the record under the applicable legal standard, *40 to allow a reasonable fact finder to believe that Gloria Garcia was constructively discharged. Id. at 15-16. On February 20, 2001 Defendant’s motion for reconsideration from this ruling was summarily denied. Docket # 124.

After this ruling, the Court scheduled several settlement conferences, the last of which was held on August 22, 2001. See Docket # 127; cont. sine die at Plaintiffs’ request, Docket # 130; and Docket ## 137, 139 & 142. During the conferences, Defendant requested that the Court revisit the narrow issue of what constitutes “working” as a major life activity under the ADA. In making their argument, Defendant noted that two cases had recently been decided by the First Circuit Court of Appeals which concern precisely this issue. See Lebrón-Torres v. Whitehall Laboratories, 251 F.3d 236 (1st Cir.2001) and Gelabert-Ladenheim v. American Airlines, Inc., 252 F.3d 54 (1st Cir.2001).

After considering Defendant’s request, at the conclusion of the August 22, 2001 Settlement Conference, the Court ordered Defendant to file its motion and legal memorandum by September 6, 2001. Plaintiffs’ response was due on September 21, 2001. Having received the parties’ submissions, the Court will now decide, in light of Lebrón and Gelabert, whether Plaintiff is substantially limited in the major life activity of “working” for the purposes of the ADA. 1

Defendant has proceeded pursuant to Sutton v. United Air Lines, 527 U.S. 471, 483, 119 S.Ct. 2139, 144 L.Ed.2d 450 (1999) (holding that “whether a person has a disability under the ADA is an individualized inquiry”) to discuss the undisputed facts of the case at bar, in comparison with the facts that the Court of Appeals for the First Circuit faced in the Lebrón and Gela-bert decisions. Finding this approach appropriate, the Court adopts it for this Opinion and Order.

II. Statutory framework

The ADA provides that no employer covered by the ADA “shall discriminate against a qualified individual with a disability because of the disability of such individual in regard to” employment decisions. 42 U.S.C. § 12112(a). The statute defines “qualified individual with a disability” as “an individual with a disability who, with or without reasonable accommodation, can perform the essential functions of the employment position that such individual holds or desires.” 42 U.S.C. § 12111(8). See also Sutton, 527 U.S. at 477-478, 119 S.Ct. 2139.

To qualify as a “disabled” person pursuant to the ADA, a person must have an actual disability, have a record of a disability, or be regarded as having one. 42 U.S.C. § 12102(2). The ADA and the EEOC regulations provide that an individual is considered “disabled” for purposes of the ADA only if he/she has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. Sutton, 527 U.S. at 478, 119 S.Ct. 2139.

Under the EEOC regulations, a “physical impairment” includes “any physiological disorder, or condition, cosmetic disfigurement, or anatomical loss affecting one or more of the following body systems: neurological, musculoeskeletal, special sense organs, respiratory (including *41 speech organs), cardiovascular, reproductive, digestive, genito-urinary, hemic and lymphatic, skin, and endocrine.” 29 C.F.R. § 1630.2(h)(1). The EEOC also defines the term “substantially limits,” and defines “major life activities” as “functions such as earing for oneself, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working.” Id. at § 1630.2(1) and (j).

In Sutton, the Supreme Court clarified that “whether a person has a disability under the ADA is an individualized inquiry.” 527 U.S. at 483, 119 S.Ct. 2139. Also, “a person whose physical or mental impairment is corrected by mitigating measures still has an impairment, but if the impairment is corrected it does not substantially limit a major life activity.” Id.

For a person to be considered limited in the major life activity of “working,” the following criteria must be met. First of all, the EEOC has established that:

With respect to the major life activity of working—

(i) The term substantially limits means significantly restricted in the ability to perform either a class of jobs or a broad range of jobs in various classes as compared to the average person having comparable training, skills and abilities.

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Related

García-Velázquez v. Frito Lay Snacks Caribbean
358 F.3d 6 (First Circuit, 2004)

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Bluebook (online)
181 F. Supp. 2d 38, 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 22084, 2001 WL 1688794, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/garcia-v-frito-lay-snacks-caribbean-inc-prd-2001.