Gomez v. Baltimore Lutheran High School Association

CourtDistrict Court, D. Maryland
DecidedJuly 21, 2022
Docket1:20-cv-03267
StatusUnknown

This text of Gomez v. Baltimore Lutheran High School Association (Gomez v. Baltimore Lutheran High School Association) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Maryland primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gomez v. Baltimore Lutheran High School Association, (D. Md. 2022).

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF MARYLAND

DONNA BUETTNER-HARTSOE, et al., *

Plaintiffs, * Civil Action No. RDB-20-3132

v. *

BALTIMORE LUTHERAN HIGH * SCHOOL ASSOCIATION, d/b/a/ CONCORDIA PREPARATORY * SCHOOL, * Defendant.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

JENNIFER PULLEN, *

Plaintiff, * Civil Action No. RDB-20-3214

BALTIMORE LUTHERAN HIGH * SCHOOL ASSOCIATION, d/b/a/ CONCORDIA PREPARATORY * SCHOOL, * Defendant.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * ANDREA CONRAD, et al., *

Plaintiffs, * Civil Action No. RDB-20-3229

BALTIMORE LUTHERAN HIGH * SCHOOL ASSOCIATION, d/b/a/ CONCORDIA PREPARATORY * SCHOOL, and LUTHERAN CHURCH- MISSOURI SYNOD, * SOUTHEASTERN DISTRICT, * Defendants.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * ARIANA GOMEZ, *

Plaintiff, * Civil Action No. RDB-20-3267

BALTIMORE LUTHERAN HIGH * SCHOOL ASSOCIATION, d/b/a/ CONCORDIA PREPARATORY * SCHOOL, and LUTHERAN CHURCH- MISSOURI SYNOD, * SOUTHEASTERN DISTRICT, * Defendant.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * SELENA BARBER, et al., *

Plaintiffs, * Civil Action No. RDB-21-0691

BALTIMORE LUTHERAN HIGH * SCHOOL ASSOCIATION, d/b/a/ CONCORDIA PREPARATORY * SCHOOL, * Defendants.

MEMORANDUM OPINION These five cases are brought by five different women, all former students of Concordia Preparatory School (“CPS”), previously known as Baltimore Lutheran High School. All of the women make similar allegations of sexual assault and verbal sexual harassment by male students at the school dating back to 2016. They allege that school officials failed to adequately address their numerous complaints or take any meaningful action in response, thereby cultivating a hyper-sexualized culture at the school. In this series of cases, three minors, N.H., H.C., and A.G.—through their respective mothers, Donna Buettner-Hartsoe, Andrea Conrad,

and Selena Barber—and two adults, Jennifer Pullen and Ariana Gomez (collectively, “Plaintiffs”), bring federal and state claims against Defendant Baltimore Lutheran High School Association, now doing business as Concordia Preparatory School, and Defendant Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, Southeastern District (“LCMS”).1 Presently pending before this Court are Defendant Concordia Preparatory School’s Partial Motions to Dismiss, or in the Alternative, for Summary Judgment. (RDB-20-3132, ECF

No. 108; RDB-20-3214, ECF No. 60; RDB-20-3229, ECF No. 75; RDB-20-3267, ECF No. 112; RDB-21-0691, ECF No. 37.)2 These Motions relate to Plaintiffs’ claims in Count I of their respective Amended Complaints under Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 (“Title IX”),3 20 U.S.C. § 1681, et seq. (RDB-20-3132, Am. Compl., ECF No. 69; RDB- 20-3214, Am. Compl., ECF No. 53; RDB-20-3229, Am. Compl., ECF No. 24; RDB-20-3267, Am. Compl., ECF No. 26; RDB-21-0691, Am. Compl., ECF No. 29.) In these Motions, the

Defendant contends that it is not subject to Title IX jurisdiction as it was not a direct recipient of federal financial assistance during the relevant time periods. This argument is without merit, as the tax-exempt status of the Defendant under 26 U.S.C. § 501(c)(3) constitutes federal financial assistance for the purposes of Title IX. The parties’ submissions have been reviewed,

1 On May 18, 2021, all of these cases were assigned to the undersigned Judge. Through its June 23, 2021 Order, this Court consolidated these cases for discovery and motions. (RDB-20-3132, ECF No. 65; RDB-20-3214, ECF No. 48; RDB-20-3229, ECF No. 61; RDB-20-3267, ECF No. 101; RDB-21-0691, ECF No. 17.) 2 The Motions, Responses, and Replies, along with supporting exhibits, filed in all five cases are nearly identical. 3 Title IX of the Education Amendments of Act of 1972 protects individuals from discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance. 20 U.S.C. § 1681(a). and no hearing is necessary. See Local Rule 105.6 (D. Md. 2021). For the reasons that follow, Defendant CPS’s Motions, construed as Partial Motions for Summary Judgment, are DENIED.

BACKGROUND In a Memorandum Opinion dated June 23, 2021, this Court detailed Plaintiffs’ factual allegations. (E.g., RDB-21-0691, ECF No. 15 at 5-20.)4 The presently pending Motions relate only to whether there is a genuine dispute of fact as to whether CPS received federal financial assistance and was subject to Title IX requirements at the times relevant to Plaintiffs’ claims. Accordingly, this Court provides the following summary of facts necessary to resolve the Motions at issue.

Concordia Preparatory School, originally known as Baltimore Lutheran High School, is a religiously affiliated private school that is exempt from federal income taxes under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. (E.g., RDB-21-0691, Financial Statements, ECF No. 39 *SEALED*.) Plaintiff N.H. attended CPS from Fall 2017 through Spring 2018. (RDB-20- 3132, ECF No. 69 ¶¶ 11, 64, 84.) Plaintiff Pullen attended CPS from Fall 2014 through Spring

2019. (RDB-20-3214, ECF No. 53 ¶¶ 9, 68, 91.) Plaintiff H.C. attended CPS from Fall 2019 through Spring 2020. (RDB-20-3229, ECF No. 24 ¶¶ 11, 90, 114.) Plaintiff Gomez attended CPS from Fall 2017 through Spring 2019. (RDB-20-3267, ECF No. 26 ¶¶ 10, 72, 96.) Plaintiff A.G. attended CPS from Winter 2016 through May 2019. (RDB-21-0691, ECF No. 29 ¶¶ 11, 106, 117.)

4 This same Memorandum Opinion was docketed in each of the five consolidated cases. (See RDB-20-3132, ECF No. 63; RDB-20-3214, ECF No. 46; RDB-20-3229, ECF No. 59; RDB-20-3267, ECF No. 99; RDB-21- 0691, ECF No. 15.) In that Memorandum Opinion, this Court denied Defendant CPS’s motions to dismiss the Title IX claims of Plaintiffs H.C., Gomez, and A.G. (E.g., RDB-21-0691, ECF No. 15 at 32–36.) From 2014 through 2020, CPS received funding from the State of Maryland in the form of grants to aging schools, textbook and technology grants, and a grant from the State of Maryland Field House Emergency Fund. (E.g., RDB-21-0691, Def. Answers to Interrogs.

23–26, ECF No. 39-3 *SEALED*.)5 CPS did not apply for federal funding until March or April 2020, when it applied for a Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) loan from the United States Small Business Administration (“SBA”). (E.g., RDB-21-0691, Johnson Tr. 394, ECF No. 39-1 *SEALED*.) This request was made in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. (E.g., id.; RDB-21-0691, Def. Answers to Interrogs. 23–26, ECF No. 39-3 *SEALED*.) On April 8, 2020, CPS received a loan from the SBA in the amount of $483,400.00. (E.g., RDB-21-0691,

SBA Confirmation, ECF No. 39-10 *SEALED*.) That loan was forgiven as of November 10, 2020. (E.g., RDB-21-0691, Def. Answers to Interrogs. 26, ECF No. 39-3 *SEALED*.) STANDARD OF REVIEW CPS's Motions are styled as partial motions to dismiss under Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6) or, in the alternative, for summary judgment under Fed. R. Civ. P. 56. A motion styled in this manner implicates the court's discretion under Rule 12(d) of the Federal Rules of Civil

Procedure. See Kensington Vol. Fire Dept., Inc. v. Montgomery Cty., 788 F. Supp. 2d 431, 436-37 (D. Md. 2011). Ordinarily, a court “is not to consider matters outside the pleadings or resolve factual disputes when ruling on a motion to dismiss.” Bosiger v.

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