Hawkins v. Avalon Hotel Group, LLC

986 F. Supp. 2d 711, 2013 WL 6328132, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 171170, 97 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 44,970, 120 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1701
CourtDistrict Court, M.D. Louisiana
DecidedDecember 4, 2013
DocketCivil Action No. 12-570-SDD-RLB
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 986 F. Supp. 2d 711 (Hawkins v. Avalon Hotel Group, LLC) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.D. Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

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Hawkins v. Avalon Hotel Group, LLC, 986 F. Supp. 2d 711, 2013 WL 6328132, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 171170, 97 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 44,970, 120 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1701 (M.D. La. 2013).

Opinion

RULING

SHELLY D. DICK, District Judge.

This matter is before the Court on the Motion for Summary Judgment filed by the Defendant, Avalon Hotel Group, LLC d/b/a Towneplaee Suites by Marriott Gonzales (“Defendant” or “Avalon”).1 Plaintiff, Peggy Hawkins, has filed an Opposition to the motion.2 Also before the Court is Defendant’s Motion to Exclude Untimely Disclosed Exhibits.3 Plaintiff has filed no opposition to this motion. For the reasons which follow, the Court finds that both of Defendant’s motions should be granted.

I. Factual Background

On November 4, 2011, Plaintiff applied for a part-time position with Avalon’s Townplace Suites by Marriott in Gonzales (“the Hotel”) as a laundry attendant in the housekeeping department. Plaintiff was hired for this position on November 8, 2011. During her employment with Avalon, Plaintiff also worked as a personal caregiver for Sunset Personal Care. Six months after Plaintiff began working at the Hotel, Avalon placed a new management team at the Hotel, led by LaTisha Mallet (“Mallet”), who joined the Hotel on May 1, 2012. Shortly thereafter, Plaintiff complained to Mallet that she was being required to clean more rooms than before Mallet arrived, and that she was being asked now to do more than laundry which she believed was all she was hired to do. Mallet responded that, as the nighttime housekeeping employee, Plaintiffs job description included such tasks.

General Manager Stephanie Ehrhard (“Ehrhard”) began working at the Hotel on May 21, 2012. Upon her arrival at the Hotel, Ehrhard was instructed by upper management to review and evaluate the Hotel’s current staffing and modify it to reduce excessive payroll. Based on the size of the Hotel, Ehrhard concluded that employees should be performing multiple tasks, i.e., laundry attendants should be performing room housekeeping duties and also keeping public areas clean. Along with other members of the management team, Ehrhard conducted a position-by-position and department-by-department review. The team’s goal was to identify redundant positions in an effort to combine these positions and reduce payroll; Plaintiffs laundry attendant position was found to be such a position.

Plaintiff contends that on May 23, 2013, while she was in the Hotel lobby getting coffee near the front desk, Ehrhard approached her from behind and propositioned her for a sexual relationship. Specifically, Plaintiff testified that Ehrhard stated, in these exact words: “I would like to have [sic] sexual relationship with [715]*715you.”4 Plaintiff contends she told Ehrhard that she was straight, to which Ehrhard “just dropped her arms” like she was disappointed.5 Following this alleged encounter, Plaintiff finished her laundry duties but claims she “felt hurt” and was wondering to herself “is this for real.”6

Plaintiff claims that she was off the day after the alleged proposition, and that when she returned to work on May 25, Ehrhard had eliminated her job as it had previously existed and increased Plaintiffs job duties. Plaintiff contends that the elimination of her job as laundry attendant and the increase of her new job duties on the day after she alleges she rebuffed Ehrhard’s sexual advances, caused Plaintiff such distress that she could no longer work. Plaintiff alleges she went to the hospital with symptoms of blurry vision and nausea which she attributed to the alleged incident with Ehrhard. Plaintiff claims that when she missed work on May 26 and the days following, she called in each day and reported her doctor’s excuse. The record reflects that Plaintiff hired a lawyer and filed a complaint with Avalon via e-mail on May 30, 2012 through the Defendant’s corporate e-mail system.7 Plaintiff was ultimately terminated on May 31, 2013.

Ehrhard contends that she remembers being introduced to Plaintiff by Mallet on the day she arrived at the Hotel. Ehrhard alleges that she next met with Plaintiff on May 25, 2012, to discuss Plaintiffs job duties at which time Plaintiff asked for a raise. Ehrhard contends the management team had discovered that Plaintiff had not been performing housekeeping duties that were part of her laundry attendant position. The team decided that a job title change would effectively indicate to Plaintiff that she was expected to complete these duties. During this meeting between Ehrhard and Plaintiff, Defendant contends interim Manager Linda Marshall and Avalon’s Head of Human Resources, Sofiya Chaney, were seated within earshot just a few feet away. At this meeting, Plaintiffs request for a raise was denied because raises occur only after a yearly performance review. Defendant contends that Ehrhard and Plaintiff discussed her job changes and Plaintiff accepted them. Plaintiff also requested and was provided her initial job application. Plaintiff then reported to the laundry area where she stated she was leaving because she had a headache.

Ehrhard denies ever making any sexual advances towards Plaintiff or even seeing Plaintiff on May 23. Ehrhard has also testified that she is not a homosexual and currently lives with her male fiancé. In fact, Ehrhard contends the Plaintiff has completely fabricated the allegations.8 Mallet testified that for as long as she has known Ehrard, she has been with a man.9 Plaintiff testified that she had no knowledge that Ehrhard was homosexual.10 Plaintiff also testified that she had never heard any other employees discuss Ehrhard’s sexual orientation.11 Plaintiff fur[716]*716ther testified that beyond the one alleged incident in the lobby, Ehrhard never called, texted, stared, e-mail, touched, or otherwise made advances towards Plaintiff.12 Plaintiff admitted she did not report the alleged incident to anyone on May 23, 2012.13 Plaintiff also testified that she did not voice any complaints of retaliation to Ehrhard upon receiving the new job duties during the May 25 meeting.14

Avalon contends that, beginning on May 26, 2012, the day following the meeting regarding Plaintiffs new job duties, Plaintiff did not appear for work. Avalon also contends that, despite the fact that the Employee Handbook required Plaintiff to report any absences due to illness to management, Plaintiff only called the front desk, left her name, and advised that she was sick.15 Avalon avers that it was several days after Plaintiff had failed to report to work that she contacted Mallet advising of her illness. When Mallet inquired about Plaintiffs illness and whether she had seen a doctor, Plaintiff allegedly claimed she would bring a note when she returned, but hung up without providing a date of return or any details about her alleged illness.16 Mallet stated that she attempted to calf Plaintiff after this conversation but got no answer or voicemail.

Mallet reported to Ehrhard and Chaney that Plaintiff had missed several days of work. Mallet believed that Plaintiffs unexcused absences and failure to directly contact management or present a doctor’s note was cause for her termination under the Employee Handbook.17

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986 F. Supp. 2d 711, 2013 WL 6328132, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 171170, 97 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 44,970, 120 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1701, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hawkins-v-avalon-hotel-group-llc-lamd-2013.