Gazco-Hernandez v. Neffenger

299 F. Supp. 3d 351
CourtUnited States District Court
DecidedMarch 20, 2018
DocketCASE NO. 15–2267 (GAG)
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 299 F. Supp. 3d 351 (Gazco-Hernandez v. Neffenger) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States District Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gazco-Hernandez v. Neffenger, 299 F. Supp. 3d 351 (usdistct 2018).

Opinion

GUSTAVO A. GELPI, United States District Judge

Plaintiff María Gazco-Hernandez sued Defendants Peter Neffenger, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, and others for discrimination based on age, religion, and sex, as well as hostile work environment due to sexual harassment, and retaliation. (Docket No. 3). She also asserts supplemental state law claims under Article 1802 of the Puerto Rico Civil Code. Id. Defendants moved for summary judgment. (Docket No. 65). For the reasons discussed below, Defendants' motion for summary judgment is GRANTED in part and DENIED in part . Gazco's ADEA and Title VII discrimination claims, as well as supplemental claims under Article 1802, are dismissed with prejudice. Her Title VII hostile work environment and *355Title VII/ADEA retaliation claims may proceed.

I. Local Rule 56

Before considering the merits of Defendants' motion for summary judgment, the Court must address Gazco's non-compliance with Local Rule 56. At the summary judgment stage, parties must follow the district court's anti-ferret rule, Local Rule 56. Puerto Rico Am. Ins. Co. v. Rivera-Vazquez, 603 F.3d 125, 130 (1st Cir. 2010) (summary judgment standard "operates in conjunction with a district court's local anti-ferret rule"). Section (c) instructs that "[a] party opposing a motion for summary judgment shall submit with its opposition a separate, short, and concise statement of material facts." L. Cv. R. 56(c). This opposing statement "shall admit, deny or qualify the facts supporting the motion for summary judgment by reference to each numbered paragraph of the moving party's statement of material facts ." Id. (emphasis added). Per section (e), facts "shall be deemed admitted unless properly controverted." Id. (e). Since the rule purports to prevent the Court from "rummaging through a plethoric record," the First Circuit has "held with a regularity bordering on the monotonous that parties ignore the strictures of an 'anti-ferret' rule at their peril." Puerto Rico Am. Ins. Co., 603 F.3d at 131.

Gazco's opposition is a textbook case of Local Rule 56 noncompliance. Defendants' submission contains ninety-eight facts; Gazco's opposition does not admit, deny, or qualify any, much less "by reference to each numbered paragraph." L. Cv. R. 56(c); see Puerto Rico Am. Ins. Co., 603 F.3d at 132 ("The appellants' SUF did not address, paragraph by paragraph or statement by statement, the insurers' SUF."). Instead, Gazco provides a list of seven undisputed facts and twenty-five disputed facts. (Docket No. 74). This does not comply with Local Rule 56(c). See Puerto Rico Am. Ins. Co., 603 F.3d at 132 ("Although the SUF contains eighty-eight numbered paragraphs of facts, the opposition nowhere matches up with, or even references, these numbered paragraphs. Rather, it comprises twenty-five numbered paragraphs ...."). And given that the parties have submitted ninety-one exhibits, Local Rule 56 compliance is even more important than usual to facilitate the Court's administration of justice. The Rule intends to protect the Court from having to ferret through exhibits to determine if a genuine issue of material fact exists. Hence, considering Gazco's noncompliance and the importance of Local Rule 56 in the context of ninety-one exhibits, the Court will disregard Gazco's opposing statement of facts. Defendants' submission shall be deemed admitted as uncontroverted to the extent it complies with Local Rule 56.

II. Relevant Factual and Procedural Background

María Gazco is a female, Seventh Day Adventist, over forty years of age, who began working for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) as a Transportation Security Officer in 2002. (Docket No. 65 ¶¶ 1, 6). As of filing this case, she worked as a Master Behavior Detection Officer at the F-Band level (BDO). Id. ¶ 3. Because of her religion, she took Saturdays as a "Regular Day Off," and the TSA has always granted her requests to do so. Id. ¶ 7. Throughout her employment, the TSA had non-discrimination and anti-harassment policies that Gazco was familiar with. Id. ¶¶ 4-5.

Job Promotion Interviews

The TSA's administration guide defines the policies and procedures for interviewing and selecting BDOs. Id. ¶ 9. According to the guide, candidates are interviewed by a panel of two or three trained interviewers. Id. ¶ 10. The process consists of standard *356question and scoring procedures, in which candidates are asked identical questions and rated on a five point scale by each interviewer. Id. The interviewers then discuss their ratings among themselves to agree on an overall rating for each competency. Id. ¶ 11. Candidates who score three points or more in each competency "pass" the interview. Id. ¶ 12. Per the guide, those who pass make it to a BDO Selection Referral List, and a selecting official then chooses from any of the candidates in that list. Id. ¶ 14.

In 2008, a G-Band BDO position, a promotion from Gazco's F-Band BDO position, became available. Id. ¶ 15. Gazco, however, skipped the opportunity to interview. Id. ¶ 16. She was not selected, and did not file an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) discrimination charge for her non-selection. Id. ¶ 17.

In 2010, another G-Band BDO position became available. Id. ¶ 18. Gazco interviewed before a three-member panel, scored two points in the "Problem Solving Competency" and thus did not make the Selection Referral List. Id. ¶¶ 20-22. Overall, she scored fourteen points, and the prevailing candidate scored twenty-three. Id. ¶ 21, 23. The Selecting Officer decided based on interview notes and scoring sheets that did not indicate the candidates' name, sex, religion, age, or EEO activity. Id. ¶ 29. Gazco did not file a discrimination charge with the EEO as a result of her non-selection. Id. ¶ 31.

Another G-Band vacancy emerged in or around November 2011, and Gazco interviewed for it on January 9, 2012. (Docket No. 65 ¶¶ 32-33). This time she scored twenty-one points, but the prevailing candidate scored twenty-six. Id. ¶¶ 34-35. In fact, two candidates tied with twenty-six points, and the Selecting Officer broke the tie by considering both candidates' Performance Accountability and Standards System (PASS) Score. Id. ¶ 36.

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299 F. Supp. 3d 351, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gazco-hernandez-v-neffenger-usdistct-2018.