Hartman v. Duffy

158 F.R.D. 525, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16853, 1994 WL 666112
CourtDistrict Court, District of Columbia
DecidedNovember 23, 1994
DocketCiv. No. 77-2019 (CRR)
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 158 F.R.D. 525 (Hartman v. Duffy) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, District of Columbia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hartman v. Duffy, 158 F.R.D. 525, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16853, 1994 WL 666112 (D.D.C. 1994).

Opinion

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION ........................................................... 530

DISCUSSION............................................................... 531

I. THE COURT FINDS THAT THE PETITIONERS ARE ENTITLED TO INTERVENTION OF RIGHT UNDER RULE 24(A) OF THE FEDERAL RULES OF CIVIL PROCEDURE.................................... 531

A. TIMELINESS..................................................... 531

B. INTEREST AND PRACTICAL IMPAIRMENT..................... 533

C. ADEQUACY OF REPRESENTATION.............................. 534

D. EXHAUSTION OF ADMINISTRATIVE REMEDIES................ 535

II. THE COURT FINDS THAT CERTIFICATION OF THE PLAINTIFF CLASS IS PROPER................................................. 536

A. THE RECORD DEMONSTRATES THAT THE CLASS WAS PROPERLY CERTIFIED IN 1978........................................ 538 B. THE RECORD DEMONSTRATES THAT CERTIFICATION OF THE CLASS IS PROPER NOW....................................... 539

(1) THE PLAINTIFFS’ SHOWING OF SPECIFIC DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICES COMMON TO THE CLASS SATISFIES THE RULE’S COMMONALITY CRITERION...................... 540

(a) The record reveals that class members commonly experienced overt discrimination through the Agency’s placement of explicit limitations on the employment of women, and through its employees’ expression of stereotypical views of women..... 540

(b) The record reveals that class members were commonly subjected to gender-biased evaluations and discriminatory application of subjective criteria by the Agency......................... 541

(c) The Plaintiffs’ claims that the Agency discouraged female applicants further support a finding of commonality............ 543

(d) The Plaintiffs’ claims that the Agency used discriminatory recruitment devices and preselected men further support a finding of commonality...................................... 543

(2) THE COURT FINDS THAT THE CLAIMS OF THE REPRESENTATIVE PARTIES, INCLUDING THE INTERVENORS, ARE TYPICAL OF THE CLAIMS OF THE CLASS............... 544

(3) THE COURT FINDS THAT THE NAMED PLAINTIFFS ADEQUATELY REPRESENT THE CLASS ...................... 546

CONCLUSION.............................................................. 547

APPENDIX A: ANECDOTAL TESTIMONY DESCRIBING OVERT DISCRIMINATION AND EXPRESS LIMITATIONS ON THE EMPLOYMENT OF WOMEN IN CIVIL SERVICE AND FOREIGN SERVICE POSITIONS........... 547

APPENDIX B: ANECDOTAL TESTIMONY DESCRIBING DISCRIMINATION IN THE FORM OF GENDER-BIASED EVALUATIONS AND DISCRIMINATORY APPLICATION OF SUBJECTIVE CRITERIA FROM THE RECORD IN 1978, 1979 AND ON REMAND ............................................ 550

[530]*530 MEMORANDUM OPINION

CHARLES R. RICHEY, District Judge.

INTRODUCTION

The above-captioned case is before the Court on remand from the Court of Appeals following its decision of April 5, 1994, in which it directed this Court “to reconsider the question of class certification, and to follow that determination with whatever is necessary to conclude the proceeding.” Hartman v. Duffey, 19 F.3d 1459, 1475 (D.C.Cir.1994). Pursuant to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended by the Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972, 42 U.S.C. §§ 2000e-2000e-17, this case was initiated in 1978 on behalf of a large number of women who unsuccessfully applied for civil service or foreign service positions with the United States Information Agency (“USIA” or “Agency”). By order of April 19, 1978, the Court certified this case as a class action, with the class consisting of “all women who have applied for employment with or are currently employed by the United States Information Agency and who have been or continue to be adversely affected by the discriminatory employment practices of the defendant.” On November 16, 1984, the Court found that the Defendant had “discriminated against women as a class with regard to hiring” in six occupational categories at the defendant agency. Hartman v. Wick, 600 F.Supp. 361, 375 (D.D.C.1984). That opinion also details the background of this lengthy litigation, as does De Medina v. Reinhardt, 686 F.2d 997, 1000-01 (D.C.Cir.1982), an appeal of an earlier decision in this case.

Thereafter, in January 1988, the Court ruled on the framework for the relief to be afforded the Plaintiff class. Hartman v. Wick, 678 F.Supp. 312 (D.D.C.1988). Under this scheme, class members who had applied for a civil service position at the USIA would be given individualized Teamster1 hearings to assess appropriate relief, while class members who applied for foreign service jobs at the USIA would be permitted to compete for a designated number of such positions to be specifically set aside by the USIA for class relief purposes. With the consent of both parties, the Court then appointed a Special Master2 to proceed with individualized Teamster hearings for each class member who applied for a civil service position, and to recommend to the Court a specific number of foreign service positions to be specially set aside by the Agency for class relief purposes.

In July 1992, the Court ordered the USIA to set aside thirty-nine foreign service positions over the next three years for women on the rank-ordered list of unsuccessful foreign service applicants. Hartman v. Gelb, No. 77-2019, 1991 WL 202367 (July 9, 1992). Appealing from that order, the Defendant challenged the designated number of remedial foreign service positions, the 1984 liability determination, and the 1978 class certification. Not reaching the liability finding or the issue of the number of reserved slots, the Court of Appeals found that, based on the record before it, the Court could not decide that the suit was properly certified as a class action. Thus, the case was remanded to this Court for reconsideration of the issue of class certification. Hartman v. Duffey, 19 F.3d 1459 (D.C.Cir.1994).

On remand, the Plaintiffs argue that class certification is proper because four types of discrimination existed in all six job categories at issue: (1) overt discrimination and express limitations on employment of women; (2) gender-biased evaluations and disparate application of subjective selection criteria; (3) discouragement of female applicants; and (4) preselection of male applicants and use of discriminatory recruiting devices. In support of this contention, the Plaintiffs supply detailed anecdotal evidence taken from the 1979 liability trial as well as from additional sworn testimony of proposed intervenors and other class members. In light of the Court of Appeals’ decision, the Plaintiffs have also filed a Motion to Intervene which names twenty additional Plaintiffs as class representatives. The Plaintiffs argue that the proposed intervenors’ inclusion as class repre[531]*531sentatives leaves no doubt that class certification covering all six job categories is proper.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
158 F.R.D. 525, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16853, 1994 WL 666112, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hartman-v-duffy-dcd-1994.