Hansen v. Aon Risk Services of Texas, Inc.

473 F. Supp. 2d 743, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3045, 2007 WL 128958
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Texas
DecidedJanuary 16, 2007
DocketCivil Action H-05-3437
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 473 F. Supp. 2d 743 (Hansen v. Aon Risk Services of Texas, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hansen v. Aon Risk Services of Texas, Inc., 473 F. Supp. 2d 743, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3045, 2007 WL 128958 (S.D. Tex. 2007).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

LAKE, District Judge,

Plaintiff, Mark A. Hansen, brings this action against Aon Risk Services of Texas, Inc., for gender discrimination in violation of Chapter 21 of the Texas Labor Code (Texas Commission on Human Rights Act or TCHRA), and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e, et seq. Pending before the court are Defendant Aon Risk Services of Texas, Inc.’s Motion for Summary Judgment (Docket Entry No. 31), Plaintiffs Objections to Defendant’s Summary Judgment Evidence (Docket Entry No. 38), Defendant’s Objections to Evidence Attached to Plaintiffs Response to Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment and Motion to Strike Plaintiffs Summary Judgment Evidence (Docket Entry No. 45), and Plaintiffs Motion to Strike Defendant’s Summary Judgment Reply Evidence (Docket Entry No. 50). For the reasons explained below, defendant’s motion for summary judgment will be granted in part and denied in part, plaintiffs evidentiary motions will be denied in part and declared moot in part, and defendant’s evidentiary motion will be declared moot.

*746 I. Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment

Defendant argues that it is entitled to summary judgment because plaintiff cannot establish a prima facie case of gender discrimination, because defendant had legitimate, nondiscriminatory reasons for its adverse employment decision, and because defendant would have terminated plaintiff regardless of any unlawful motive because of plaintiffs poor performance. 1 Defendant also argues that it is entitled to summary judgment because plaintiff failed to comply with the procedural prerequisites for any claim that he is attempting to assert under the TCHRA and for the demotion and failure to transfer that he may be attempting to assert under Title VII. 2 In the alternative, defendant argues that plaintiffs jury demand is not timely. 3 Asserting that he has not alleged separate causes of action for demotion and failure to transfer but, instead, has alleged only causes of action for discriminatory discharge in violation of Title VII and the TCHRA, 4 plaintiff argues that defendant’s motion for summary judgment should be denied.

A. Standard of Review

Summary judgment is authorized if the movant establishes that there is no genuine dispute about any material fact and the law entitles it to judgment. Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c). Disputes about material facts are “genuine” if the evidence is such that a reasonable jury could return a verdict for the nonmoving party. Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 2511, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). The Supreme Court has interpreted the plain language of Rule 56(c) to mandate the entry of summary judgment “after adequate time for discovery and upon motion, against a party who fails to make a showing sufficient to establish the existence of an element essential to that party’s case, and on which that party will bear the burden of proof at trial.” Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 2552, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). A party moving for summary judgment “must ‘demonstrate the absence of a genuine issue of material fact,’ but need not negate the elements of the nonmovant’s case.” Little v. Liquid Air Corp., 37 F.3d 1069, 1075 (5th Cir.1994) (en banc), (quoting Celotex, 106 S.Ct. at 2553-2554). If the moving party meets this burden, Rule 56(c) requires the nonmovant to go beyond the pleadings and show by affidavits, depositions, answers to interrogatories, admissions on file, or other admissible evidence that specific facts exist over which there is a genuine issue for trial. Id. (citing Celotex, 106 S.Ct. at 2553-2554). In reviewing the evidence “the court must draw all reasonable inferences in favor of the nonmov-ing party, and it may not make credibility determinations or weigh the evidence.” Reeves v. Sanderson Plumbing Products Inc., 530 U.S. 133, 120 S.Ct. 2097, 2110, 147 L.Ed.2d 105 (2000). Factual controversies are to be resolved in favor of the nonmovant, “but only when ... both parties have submitted evidence of contradictory facts.” Little, 37 F.3d at 1075.

B. TCHRA Claim

Defendant argues that it is entitled to summary judgment on plaintiffs TCHRA claim because

*747 [u]nder Section 21.254 of the Texas Labor Code, the plaintiff may bring a civil action within 60 days after the TWC [Texas Workforce Commission] issues a right to sue letter. The TWC sent Hansen a right to sue letter on May 13, 2005. See Exhibit 5. Under the mailbox rule, he should have received the letter approximately 3 days later, by May 16, 2005.... However, he filed his original complaint 143 days later, on October 6, 2005. Therefore, any claims Hansen has under the Texas Labor Code are untimely and must be dismissed. 5

Plaintiff argues that his TCHRA claim is timely because on or about May 21, 2005, he appealed the TWC’s decision to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), that the EEOC issued a Dismissal and Notice of Rights letter on July 8, 2005, and he filed suit on October 6, 2005, within the sixty-day time limit. 6

Defendant replies that plaintiffs novel argument that he appealed the TWC dismissal to the EEOC and that TCHRA filing requirements were tolled while the EEOC reviewed the findings and issued its own right-to-sue letter is without legal support. Citing Vielma v. Eureka Co., 218 F.3d 458 (5th Cir.2000), defendant argues that a right-to-sue letter issued by the EEOC is incapable of triggering the sixty-day filing period established by § 21.254 of the Texas Labor Code. The court agrees.

The undisputed evidence shows that on May 13, 2005, the TWC issued a Dismissal and Notice of Right to File a Civil Action. 7 That notice states in pertinent part

NOTICE OF RIGHT TO FILE A CIVIL ACTION

Pursuant to Sections 21.208, 21.252 and 21.254 of the Texas Labor Code, as amended, this notice is to advise you of your right to bring a private civil action in state court in the above referenced case.

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Bluebook (online)
473 F. Supp. 2d 743, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3045, 2007 WL 128958, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hansen-v-aon-risk-services-of-texas-inc-txsd-2007.