Grow v. W a Thomas Co.

601 N.W.2d 426, 236 Mich. App. 696
CourtMichigan Court of Appeals
DecidedOctober 22, 1999
DocketDocket 209865
StatusPublished
Cited by40 cases

This text of 601 N.W.2d 426 (Grow v. W a Thomas Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Grow v. W a Thomas Co., 601 N.W.2d 426, 236 Mich. App. 696 (Mich. Ct. App. 1999).

Opinion

Neff, J.

Defendants W. A. Thomas Company (hereafter defendant) and Dennis Arquette appeal as of right from the trial court’s judgment for plaintiff in this sexual harassment case involving an alleged hostile work environment. We affirm in part, vacate the judgment in part, and remand for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.

i

Plaintiff began working for defendant in March 1994. Plaintiff testified that from the very beginning Arquette, her supervisor, subjected her to continuous sexual harassment. We do not deem it necessary to describe in detail the specific conduct described by plaintiff. It is sufficient to note that plaintiff testified that Arquette’s alleged conduct toward her included sexually explicit comments and unwanted kissing and groping; Plaintiff testified that she complained about Arquette’s conduct to another supervisor and to the plant manager, and that these men personally witnessed some of Arquette’s sexual conduct in the workplace, but that no action was taken to punish Arquette for the sexual harassment or to prevent further occurrences.

Plaintiff testified that after Arquette began berating her for things such as her attitude, work output, and attendance record, she quit. Plaintiff testified that defendant sent her a copy of a newly formed sexual harassment policy and ordered her to return to work. Plaintiff complied, but found the harassment had turned from sexual to something more hostile. After four days back on the job, plaintiff quit again. She *701 described for the jury the emotional distress she suffered, including a suicide attempt and various physical ailments.

Defendants denied that plaintiff was subjected to a sexual and hostile work environment. Arquette stated that although he may have touched plaintiff, or given her a casual hug on occasion, he denied ever touching her in a sexual manner. In addition, defendant’s plant manager denied witnessing any inappropriate conduct by Arquette and denied that plaintiff ever complained of sexual harassment before quitting. Defendants presented evidence regarding their investigation of Arquette’s conduct, which failed to reveal any corroboration of plaintiff’s allegations. 1

Defendants also presented evidence that plaintiff, rather than Arquette, was the one who made crude, sexual comments and engaged in offensive behavior in the workplace. In addition, defendants presented the testimony of some of plaintiff’s former employers, who testified that the reasons for plaintiff’s leaving previous employment were insubordination and poor attendance, contrary to plaintiff’s representations on her employment application with defendant.

Plaintiff filed a complaint alleging a hostile work environment pursuant to the Civil Rights Act (cra), MCL 37.2101 et seq.; MSA 3.548(101) et seq. On defendants’ motion, plaintiff’s constructive discharge claim was summarily dismissed, thus leaving only her claim for emotional distress damages. A mediation evaluation for $125,000 was accepted by plaintiff and rejected by defendants.

*702 After a six-day jury trial, the jury found defendants liable and awarded plaintiff $80,555 in emotional distress damages. The court awarded plaintiff $43,376.66 in attorney fees and costs, and $37,827.50 in mediation sanctions, bringing the total judgment to $192,684. This appeal followed.

n

Defendants raise several challenges to the instructions given to the jury. A trial court’s decisions regarding jury instructions are reviewed for an abuse of discretion. Lagalo v Allied Corp (On Remand), 233 Mich App 514, 519; 592 NW2d 786 (1999). We review the instructions in their entirety and will not reverse a court’s decision regarding supplemental instructions unless failure to vacate the verdict would be inconsistent with substantial justice. Nabozny v Pioneer State Mut Ins Co, 233 Mich App 206, 217; 591 NW2d 685 (1998).

A

Defendants first argue that the trial court erred in its instructions regarding the effect of defendants’ investigation of plaintiff’s complaints and subsequent remedial action. We disagree.

As defendants correctly note, an employer may avoid liability under the CRA “if it adequately investigated and took prompt and appropriate remedial action upon notice of the alleged hostile work environment.” Downer v Detroit Receiving Hosp, 191 Mich App 232, 234; 477 NW2d 146 (1991); see Radtke v Everett, 442 Mich 368, 396; 501 NW2d 155 (1993). However, the duty to investigate arises only if the *703 employer has actual or constructive notice of the alleged offensive environment. Downer, supra at 234-235.

In the recent cases of Burlington Industries, Inc v Ellerth, 524 US 742; 118 S Ct 2257; 141 L Ed 2d 633 (1998), and Faragher v Boca Raton, 524 US 775; 118 S Ct 2275; 141 L Ed 2d 662 (1998)—both decided after trial in the present case—the United States Supreme Court held that an employer is vicariously hable for a supervisor’s creation of a hostile environment unless the employer can prove, by a preponderance of the evidence, both elements of the following affirmative defense:

(a) that the employer exercised reasonable care to prevent and correct promptly any sexually harassing behavior, and
(b) that the plaintiff employee unreasonably failed to take advantage of any preventive or corrective opportunities provided by the employer or to avoid harm otherwise. [Ellerth, supra, 118 S Ct 2270; Faragher, supra, 118 S Ct 2293.]

This affirmative defense is not available where the supervisor’s harassment culminates in a tangible employment action, such as discharge, demotion, or undesirable reassignment. Id.

On appeal, defendants complain that the trial court erred in refusing to give their proposed instruction regarding this subject in its entirety. 2 We find no abuse of discretion in the trial court’s decision. *704 Although the court’s instructions perhaps were not as detailed as defendants may have liked, they fairly and accurately advised the jury of the applicable law. The jury was instructed that it must determine whether defendant, once it knew or should have known of the alleged harassment committed by Arquette, adequately investigated and implemented prompt and appropriate corrective action. On its verdict form, the jury specifically found that defendant did not. 3 The result of this determination by the jury, whether viewed as an element of plaintiff’s claim or as a part of an affirmative defense, is vicarious liability for defendant. Consequently, substantial justice does not require reversal of the jury’s verdict on the basis of the trial court’s failure to read instruction 36 in its entirety.

*705 B

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Bluebook (online)
601 N.W.2d 426, 236 Mich. App. 696, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/grow-v-w-a-thomas-co-michctapp-1999.