Hardaway Management Co. v. Southerland

977 S.W.2d 910, 1998 Ky. LEXIS 137, 1998 WL 741808
CourtKentucky Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 15, 1998
Docket97-SC-168-DG, 97-SC-915-DG
StatusPublished
Cited by65 cases

This text of 977 S.W.2d 910 (Hardaway Management Co. v. Southerland) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Kentucky Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hardaway Management Co. v. Southerland, 977 S.W.2d 910, 1998 Ky. LEXIS 137, 1998 WL 741808 (Ky. 1998).

Opinions

COOPER, Justice.

AppellanVCross-Appellee Hardaway Management Company, Inc., (Hardaway) is headquartered in Tennessee and manages multi-unit apartment complexes in both Tennessee and Kentucky. Appellee/Cross-Appellant Carole J. Southerland had been employed by Hardaway as manager of the Oak Hill Apartments in Morgantown, Kentucky, since December 1,1984. On October 29,1988, South-erland injured her back in a work-related accident. She continued to work until November 4, 1988 when her treating physician, Dr. Craig Beard, ordered her to stop. She was removed from payroll status effective November 7, 1988. The notation on the payroll action form placed in Southerland’s personnel file reflects the reason for the action as “Leave of absence due to alleged work injury.” On December 7, 1988, Hardaway rehired a former maintenance employee, Sandra Carroll, as “assistant manager.”

On January 24, 1989, Dr. Beard released Southerland to return to work, but with restrictions against repetitive bending at the waist or lifting more than thirty pounds. However, when Southerland informed Hard-away vice-president Dean Carter by telephone on January 27, 1989 that she was ready to return to work subject to Dr. Beard’s restrictions, Carter advised her that her employment was terminated. On that same date, a payroll action form was placed in Southerland’s personnel file indicating the reason for her termination as “Lack of work — services not needed;” and a letter was sent to Southerland giving her written notification of her termination and stating that she was being terminated for “lack of work.” Also on January 27, 1989, a payroll action form was placed in Sandra Carroll’s personnel file promoting her from assistant manager to manager, effective January 30, 1989.

Because Southerland’s injury was work-related, she was paid temporary total disability benefits under the Kentucky Workers’ Compensation Act of $146.66 per week for the periods November 4, 1988 through February 16, 1989, and March 19, 1989 through January 6, 1990. On September 28, 1990, she settled the remainder of her workers’ compensation claim for a lump sum payment of $15,000.00, representing a permanent partial disability rating of 28.5%.

On August 30, 1991, Southerland sued Hardaway in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky, asserting three causes of action: (1) Wrongful termination in violation of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. § 701, et seq.; (2) retaliatory discharge in violation of Kentucky’s Workers’ Compensation Act, KRS 342.197; and (3) wrongful termination in violation of the Kentucky Equal Opportunities Act (KEOA), KRS 207 .150.1 Hardaway was granted summary judgment on the Rehabilitation Act claim on grounds of limitations, and on the retaliatory discharge claim on grounds of insufficiency of the evidence. Summary judgment was denied with respect to the KEOA claim. The district court then declined to exercise supplemental jurisdiction over that claim and dismissed it without prejudice on October 18, 1993. All of these rulings were affirmed by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Southerland v. Hardaway Management Company, Inc., 41 F.3d 250 (6th Cir.1994).

Meanwhile, on January 7, 1994, Souther-land filed this action for compensatory and punitive damages for violation of the KEOA. Following a jury trial in the Butler Circuit Court, she was awarded compensatory damages for “back pay or income lost” in the sum of $81,374.00 and punitive damages in the sum of $25,000.00. Pursuant to KRS [913]*913207.230(1), the trial judge also awarded her attorney fees and costs in the sum of $44,-192.17. The Court of Appeals reversed the award of punitive damages, but affirmed the awards for compensatory damages, attorney fees and costs. We granted Hardaway’s motion for discretionary review of the compensatory damage award and Southerland’s cross-motion for discretionary review of the Court of Appeals’ reversal of her punitive damages award.

I. CIRCUIT COURT JURISDICTION.

Southerland brought this action in the Butler Circuit Court pursuant to KRS 207.230, which provides inter alia as follows:

207.230. Citizen suits.
Notwithstanding the provisions of KRS 207.200 [procedures for enforcement by Department of Workplace Standards] and KRS 207.210 [administrative complaint procedures], citizen suits may be commenced under the following terms and conditions:
(1) Any person deeming himself injured by any act in violation of the provisions of this chapter shall have a civil cause of action in Circuit Court to enjoin further violations, and to recover the actual damages sustained by him, and upon judicial finding of any violation of KRS 207.150 to 207.190, shall recover the costs of the law suit, including a reasonable fee for his attorney of record, all of which shall be in addition to any other remedies contained in KRS 207.130 to 207.240. (Emphasis added.)

This provision was enacted along with KRS 207.150 as part of the original KEOA in 1976. 1976 Ky. Acts, ch. 280, § 12. Harda-way posits that KRS 207.230(1) was either superseded or repealed by implication by the 1990 enactment of KRS 207.260, which provides as follows:

207.260. Right of action — Recovery for each violation.

(1) Any person aggrieved by a violation of KRS 207.135, 207.150, 207.160, or 304.12-013 shall have a right of action in District Court and may recover for each violation:
(a) Against any person who violates a provision of this section, liquidated damages of one thousand dollars ($1,000) or actual damages, whichever is greater.
(b) Against any person who intentionally or recklessly violates a provision of this section, liquidated damages of five thousand dollars ($5,000) or actual damages, whichever is greater.
(e) Reasonable attorney’s fees.
(d) Such other relief, including an injunction, as the court shall deem appropriate.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Terry Hall v. Bpm Lumber, LLC
Kentucky Supreme Court, 2024
Dutcher v. Nebraska Dept. of Corr. Servs.
979 N.W.2d 245 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 2022)
Nami Res. Co. v. Asher Land & Mineral, Ltd.
554 S.W.3d 323 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 2018)
Asher v. Unarco Material Handling, Inc.
862 F. Supp. 2d 551 (E.D. Kentucky, 2012)
Ventas, Inc. v. HCP, INC.
647 F.3d 291 (Sixth Circuit, 2011)
Leighton v. CSX Transportation, Inc.
338 S.W.3d 818 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 2011)
Peoples Bank of Northern Kentucky, Inc. v. CROWE CHIZEK AND CO.
277 S.W.3d 255 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 2008)
Gersh v. Bowman
239 S.W.3d 567 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 2007)
Eckstein v. Cincinnati Insurance
618 F. Supp. 2d 707 (W.D. Kentucky, 2007)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
977 S.W.2d 910, 1998 Ky. LEXIS 137, 1998 WL 741808, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hardaway-management-co-v-southerland-ky-1998.