Guilday v. Department of Justice

485 F. Supp. 324, 1980 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10995, 22 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 376
CourtDistrict Court, D. Delaware
DecidedJanuary 31, 1980
DocketCiv. A. 4578
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 485 F. Supp. 324 (Guilday v. Department of Justice) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Delaware primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Guilday v. Department of Justice, 485 F. Supp. 324, 1980 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10995, 22 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 376 (D. Del. 1980).

Opinion

OPINION

CALEB M. WRIGHT, Senior District Judge.

In this non-jury action, Peter W. Guilday, the plaintiff, seeks retroactive promotions, back pay, interest, attorneys’ fees and costs 1 from Leonel J. Castillo, Commissioner of the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service (“INS”). Guilday alleges that INS improperly retaliated against him, rejecting his promotion, for filing with INS an administrative complaint of racial and religious discrimination. Guil-day initially sought redress for this alleged discrimination as well. 2 On June 20, 1978, this Court dismissed the discrimination issues on procedural grounds. 3 Presently before this Court, which heard this case during a week long trial, are both parties’ petitions for judgment, along with proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law submitted in support thereof. Since the record discloses that Guilday’s employer retaliated against him, this Court finds that he should be promoted and paid retroactively. The following opinion constitutes this Court’s findings of fact and conclusions of law as required by Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 52.

The legal basis for Guilday’s claim is the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq. (1971). Although originally applicable only to the private sector, this statute was later extended to cover federal employees by the Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972. 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-16. Together these statutes prohibit federal agencies from retaliating against their employees for filing discrimination complaints, otherwise, federal employees might be deterred from bringing valid suits to eliminate vestigal discrimination. Williams v. Boorstin, 451 F.Supp. 1117 (D.D.C.1978); Ayon v. Sampson, 547 F.2d 446 (9th Cir. 1976). Possible remedies include the award of retroactive promotion and raises, Richerson v. Jones, 551 F.2d 918 (3d Cir. 1977), necessary to place an employee in as good a position as he would have assumed but for the retaliation. 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-16(d); 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(g). Mead v. U. S. Fidelity & Guaranty Co., 442 F.Supp. 114 (D.Minn. 1977) .

Over the years, courts evolved a special system for allocating burdens of proof in the highly subjective field of employment discrimination. Under these procedures, Guilday must first make out a prima facie case of employment retaliation. Ostapowicz v. Johnson Bronze Company, 541 F.2d 394 (3d Cir. 1976). This is done by proving *326 that: (1) he participated in the protected activity (filing a discrimination complaint); (2) the employer knew of this participation; and (3) following this participation, he was denied a promotion within such a period of time and in such manner that the Court can infer retaliatory motivation. Brown v. Biglin, 454 F.Supp. 394, 399 (E.D.Pa.1978); Hochstadt v. Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology, Inc., 425 F.Supp. 318, 324 (D.Mass.1976). If Guilday establishes a prima facie case, the burden of proof shifts to the defendant which may defend itself either by showing that no retaliatory motive ever existed, or that it was insignificant. McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, 411 U.S. 792, 93 S.Ct. 1817, 36 L.Ed.2d 668 (1973); Rogers v. E. E. O. C., 179 U.S.App.D.C. 270, 551 F.2d 456 (D.C. Cir. 1977); Ostapowicz v. Johnson Bronze Company, 541 F.2d 394 (3d Cir. 1976); Day v. Mathews, 174 U.S.App. D. C. 231, 530 F.2d 1083 (D.C. Cir. 1976); E. E. O. C. v. E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., 445 F.Supp. 223 (D.Del.1978); Beckwith v. Hampton, 430 F.Supp. 183 (D.D.C.1977); Hochstadt v. Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology, Inc., 427 F.Supp. 318 (D.Mass.1976); Doe v. AFL-CIO Dept. of Organization Region 6, 405 F.Supp. 389 (N.D.Ga.1975).

Guilday began working for INS on June 26,1961. 4 All went well until July 30,1968, when Guilday, a white Christian, 5 filed a complaint that INS favored Blacks and Jews in promotion to desirable positions. 6 In August, 1972, he filed a similar charge and he also complained that INS retaliated against him for filing his previous complaint. 7 On February 5, 1974, he filed another complaint alleging retaliation only. 8 INS hearing officers ultimately decided all these complaints against Guilday 9 who then brought this action.

As these complaints were being decided, plaintiff’s supervisors evaluated his performance. INS supervisors routinely evaluated their workers during the last months of any calendar year. 10 If a worker requested, in order to be considered for certain jobs, his supervisors would evaluate him more often. 11 In any evaluation, a worker’s immediate supervisor and his next higher supervisor 12 would rate him. Supervisors used two INS forms: “Basic” and “Supervisory Performance or Potential”. 13 Each such form allowed the supervisor, by checking a box and commenting about the employee, to make a recommendation regarding advancement of which there were three possibilities:

[ ] A. I highly recommend him for promotion at this time for the reasons set forth under comments below.

[] B. I recommend him for promotion.

[ ] C. I do not recommend him for promotion at this time for the reasons set forth under comments below.

COMMENTS: (Use separate sheet if necessary). 14

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
485 F. Supp. 324, 1980 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10995, 22 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 376, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/guilday-v-department-of-justice-ded-1980.