Gillis v. Principia Corp.

111 F. Supp. 3d 978, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 70939, 2015 WL 3474977
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Missouri
DecidedJune 2, 2015
DocketNo. 4:14CV1924 HEA
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 111 F. Supp. 3d 978 (Gillis v. Principia Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gillis v. Principia Corp., 111 F. Supp. 3d 978, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 70939, 2015 WL 3474977 (E.D. Mo. 2015).

Opinion

OPINION, MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

HENRY EDWARD AUTREY, District Judge.

This matter is before the Court on Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss. [Doc. No. 11]. Plaintiff filed a Response in Opposition to the Motion. [Doc. No. 16]. Defendant filed a Reply. [Doc. No. 17], For the reasons set forth below, the Motion to Dismiss will be granted without prejudice.

Facts and Background1

Plaintiff attended Principia College between August 2009 and May 2013, when she graduated. Principia College is owned and operated by the Principia Corporation, and is an accredited private, co-educational four-year liberal arts and science college for Christian Scientists, located in Elash, Illinois.2 Plaintiffs various accomplishments, leadership experience, community involvement, and commitment to Christian Science resulted in Principia College awarding her a scholarship at the “Trustee level” — an accomplishment shared by only a select few in her graduating class.

Plaintiff, as a Christian Scientist, chose to attend Principia College because it represented itself as a small, safe, supportive Christian Science environment, and because its policies — both express and implied — set forth the rules, responsibilities, and expectations for all those on campus, including students, faculty, staff and administration. Plaintiff was led to believe that Principia College was the “perfect place for her to attend college” by Principia’s representation of itself as a “healing environment,” which “mandated certain behaviour, prescribed certain beliefs, and promised to help her with various aspects of her life.” According to Plaintiff, Principia College “promised to help Plaintiff become a well rounded person, intellectually, spiritually, morally, socially, emotionally, and physically,” and offered “an enriching music education.”

Principia’s promise to students that they will be educated in an environment based on Christian Science teachings is “understood to be upheld by Principia College through regulation of the ‘Principia College Community’ — students, faculty, staff, and administration — including requiring certain conduct, prohibiting certain conduct, and establishing a system for dispute resolution.” To this end, all students are required sign the Principia Pledge, which states:

I commit to serve God and. humanity through the study and healing practice of Christian Science, expressed in principled though and action, unselfish love, and moral courage.
Further, all students, faculty, and administrators are required to sign the “Principia Community Commitment, which states:
Strive — to understand and express God in all you do
Conquer- — “all that is unlike God”
Love — “God ... and your neighbour as ' yourself’ (Luke 10:27)
Give — unselfishly

Plaintiff provides additional quotations from various Principia College catalogues further reinforcing its professed commit[981]*981ment to the beliefs of Christian Science, and its expectation that students, faculty, and administrators will be equally committed. These include pledges to rely on Christian Science for healing; study the bible; pray; attend church services; fore-go the use of alcohol, tobacco, illegal substances, and medication; forego premarital and extramarital sexual activity; forego engagement in homosexual activity; and resolve disputes via the “Matthews Ethos.” 3 Further, Principia College, via the policies of its Restoration Justice Board and Community Board, promises an individual accused of wrongs the right to know the details behind alleged violations and the right to discuss with, and question, others about the case, and defend themselves. Further, Principia promises that “before excluding [a] student from class, the instructor will inform the student in writing of the reason for the exclusion and allow the student to respond. A copy of the letter will be sent to the Scholastic committee.”

Additionally, Principia College requires its community to “Get Help When There is Immediate Danger,” which means that when “a community member is aware of circumstances that threaten someone’s immediate well-being, he or she should act to prevent harm and, if necessary, get help. Confidentiality is outweighed by the need to get help.”

According to Plaintiff, she enjoyed her time and education at Principia College for approximately two years. However, Plaintiffs experience was ultimately marred by the circumstances surrounding two events. First, the Dean of Students and other staff failed to take action regarding Plaintiffs disclosure that she was “suffering from a possible terminal illness.” Second, one of Plaintiffs instructors was openly hostile and unfairly excluded her from his music class for no legitimate reason, thus preventing her from completing a major in music.

With regard to her “possible terminal illness,” Plaintiff states that she repeatedly informed Principia College about her physical state and concerns, but that Principia did little, if anything, in response to her statements and pleas for help. Plaintiff suggests a myriad of possible actions Principia College could have, but ultimately did not, undertake. These include: calling 911; contacting on campus Christian Science nurses and asking them to daily check in on Plaintiffs wellbeing; contacting Plaintiffs parents; allowing Plaintiff to receive care from on campus Christian Science nurses while participating in class; communicating with Plaintiffs instructors to ensure Plaintiff had a “more harmonious and supportive experience in the classroom and with assignments”; allowing Plaintiff to take a part-time credit load, a less challenging credit-load, and/or extending the length of her courses over their normal term lengths; communicating with Plaintiffs on-campus employers to either have them accommodate her needs or discontinue her employment; working with the financial aid office to ensure Plaintiffs ability to afford being enrolled at Principia while potentially being unable to be gainfully employed; assisting Plaintiff in finding charitable assistance that would address the costs and needs associated with being physically unfit; or working with Plaintiff to honorably withdraw from enrollment for a period of time while she recovered.

With regard to her exclusion from a music class, Plaintiff alleges that the instructor yelled at her repeatedly in an angry tone and with harsh language; [982]*982threatened her grade in his class when she asked questions about the nature of exam questions or exam formats; refused to assist her with methods to better learn the course material; openly mocked her as a “slow learner” when she confessed how hard and long she studied for an exam for which she received a poor grade; consistently talked over her; and resisted giving her any chance to speak when meeting over academic issues with her and other students.

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Bluebook (online)
111 F. Supp. 3d 978, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 70939, 2015 WL 3474977, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gillis-v-principia-corp-moed-2015.