Grove v. Montana Army National Guard

872 P.2d 791, 264 Mont. 498, 51 State Rptr. 366, 1994 Mont. LEXIS 89
CourtMontana Supreme Court
DecidedApril 18, 1994
Docket92-436
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 872 P.2d 791 (Grove v. Montana Army National Guard) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Montana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Grove v. Montana Army National Guard, 872 P.2d 791, 264 Mont. 498, 51 State Rptr. 366, 1994 Mont. LEXIS 89 (Mo. 1994).

Opinions

JUSTICE WEBER

delivered the Opinion of the Court.

This is an appeal from a dismissal of this action by the First Judicial District Court, Lewis and Clark County, due to the courts determination that it did not have jurisdiction. The court determined that the plaintiffs were on federal active duty for the Montana Army National Guard (the Guard) and not subject to the courts jurisdiction. We reverse and remand.

We address the following issue as being dispositive of the case: Did the court err by dismissing the action due to lack of jurisdiction based upon the determination that plaintiffs were on federal active duty with the Guard?

Plaintiff Becky Barry (Barry) was hired by the Guard as a billeting clerk at the Fort Harrison training site in February of 1988, and subsequently moved into the position of administrative clerk on October 1, 1988. Ronald Oesterle (Oesterle) was the training site manager. Barry was supervised by defendants LeRoy Henderson, Scott Smith, and Oesterle.

Barry alleges that she was sexually harassed by defendants over an extended period of time. In the fall of 1989, Barry filed sexual harassment claims against Oesterle, Henderson and Smith with the Guard and also with the Equal Employment Opportunity Office (EEOC). Oesterle terminated Barry shortly after Barry filed her claims. Oesterle also terminated ten other persons, including Grove, at approximately or about the same time claiming a lack of funding. Several months later, eight of the eleven were rehired. Neither Barry nor Grove were hired back despite their seniority to the other employees.

Timothy L. Grove (Grove), husband of Barry, filed a written statement supporting the sexual harassment claim. After Grove was not rehired by the Guard, he filed his own claim against the Guard. Barry and Grove alleged that they were not rehired in retaliation for Barrys claim. The Guard sent an investigator from the State Adjutant Generals office to research the claims. The investigator found evidence of wrongful discharge in both Barrys and Groves termination and failure to be rehired.

[500]*500The Guard adopted the finding of its investigator and determined that Barry and Grove had been discriminated against and were due back pay. Barry filed a claim with the Human Rights Commission (HRC) in June of 1990. Initially, the HRC answered that it did not have jurisdiction because it considered the Guard to be a federal agency. Barry sought a reconsideration of this decision and the HRC subsequently issued a “Right to Sue Letter.”

The Guard then changed its legal position stating that it could not issue back pay and that the Title VII action was not appropriate. The Guard determined that the only way Barry and Grove could receive back pay was to file an action for “Correction of Military Records.” Subsequent to this decision, on March 25,1992, Barry and Grove filed a Complaint and Demand for Jury Trial in the Montana First Judicial District Court, Lewis & Clark County. Defendants made a motion to dismiss for failure to exhaust administrative remedies.

On August 14,1992, the court issued its Memorandum and Order dismissing plaintiffs complaint against all defendants because Barry and Grove were on federal active duty at the time of the discrimination and they could not pursue their claims in state court. It is from this order that plaintiffs appeal.

Did the court err by dismissing the action due to lack of jurisdiction based upon the determination that plaintiffs were on federal active duty with the Guard?

The District Court dismissed the action based upon its determination that it had no jurisdiction because the Guard is a federal agency. According to the court, plaintiffs must pursue the option provided them through the Guards administrative agency.

On appeal, plaintiffs argue that the Guard is a state entity and has acted as such throughout the course of this litigation. While plaintiffs admit to the dual nature of the Guard, they argue that its dual role does not make the Guard a federal entity. Plaintiffs contend that while members of the Guard unit serve in the national armed forces and follow federal rules and regulations, they are also the state national guard and are subject to state rules and regulations. According to plaintiffs, at the times relating to the claims of harassment, they were employed in their state capacity.

The Guard argues that it has a dual character but that it follows federal laws and regulations and not those of the state. The Guard contends that federal law prohibits it from lawsuits such as this in state courts. According to the Guard, plaintiffs only redress is to have their records corrected.

[501]*501In reviewing a motion to dismiss, this Court will review the complaint in the light most favorable to plaintiffs and we will affirm the courts dismissal only if we determine that plaintiff is not entitled to relief under any set of facts which could be proven in support of the claim. King v. State (1993), 259 Mont. 393, 856 P.2d 954. The laws that are applicable to the alleged charges are those covered by both state and federal discrimination law. The Montana Human Rights Act and the Montana Constitution prohibit discrimination because of gender. Section 49-2-303, MCA; Art. II, Sec. 4,1972 Mont.Const. Title VII of 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1972 amendments to that Act prohibit the same type of discrimination to all employees including those of the federal government. 42 U.S.C. 2000e.

The record shows that members of the Guard are informed that both sets of laws apply to them. No issue regarding Title VII has been raised in the appeal to this Court. We limit our consideration to the District Courts decision that it did not have jurisdiction to apply state laws to the Guard and the plaintiffs.

This Court has determined that members of the Guard serve a dual responsibility, to the State of Montana and also the United States of America:

In times of national emergency as declared by Congress, the militia may be called to active federal duty by the President pursuant to 10 U.S.C. § 3500. At such times the militia is subject to federal authority, and operates under rules virtually identical to the United States Army.
During times of state emergency, the militia is subject to call for service by the Governor. Art. VI, § 13, 1972 Mont. Const. Then the militia operates under state authority, but only to the extent that the state rules conform to applicable federal law. Section 10-1-105, MCA.
In times of peace, the militia operates somewhere between the two.

Evans v. Montana National Guard (1986), 223 Mont. 482, 483, 726 P.2d 1160, 1161.

The idea of a dual status has been established by the Supreme Court of the United States. In Perpich v. Department of Defense (1990), 496 U.S. 334, 110 S.Ct.

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Bluebook (online)
872 P.2d 791, 264 Mont. 498, 51 State Rptr. 366, 1994 Mont. LEXIS 89, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/grove-v-montana-army-national-guard-mont-1994.