Higdon v. Mabus

5 F. Supp. 3d 1199, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 32274, 2014 WL 977995
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. California
DecidedMarch 11, 2014
DocketCase No. 12CV1657-GPC(MDD)
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 5 F. Supp. 3d 1199 (Higdon v. Mabus) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Higdon v. Mabus, 5 F. Supp. 3d 1199, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 32274, 2014 WL 977995 (S.D. Cal. 2014).

Opinion

ORDER GRANTING DEFENDANT’S MOTION FOR PARTIAL SUMMARY JUDGMENT

GONZALO P. CURIE L, District Judge.

Before the Court is Defendant Raymond E. Mabus, Secretary of the Navy’s motion for partial summary judgment. (Dkt. No. 21.) An opposition was filed by Plaintiff Stephanie Higdon on January 17, 2014. (Dkt. No. 23.) A reply was filed on January 31, 2014. (Dkt. No. 24.) Based on the briefs, supporting documentation, and the applicable law, the Court GRANTS Defendant’s motion for partial summary judgment.1

Factual Background

The parties do not dispute the allegations in the Complaint or in the record. On May 25, 2008, Defendant hired Plaintiff as a GS-0802-08 Engineering Technician (“ET”), in the Facilities Management Department (“FMD”) at Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton. (Dkt. No. 1, Compl. at ¶ 5.) Her first level supervisor was Assistant Department Head Ventura Vidaurri. (Id.; Dkt. No. 21-2, D’s Notice of Lodgment (“NOL”), Ex. 3.) Department Head Michael A. Johnson was Vidaurri’s first level supervisor and Plaintiffs second level supervisor. (Dkt. No. 21-2, NOL, Ex. 4.)

Plaintiff claims that from the first day of her employment, Defendant assigned her administrative duties that male ETs did not perform, such as answering phones, and denied her training that her male coworkers received. (Dkt. No. 1, Compl. ¶ 5.) She received no appropriate training in an ET position. (Id.)

Sometime prior to June 25, 2008, Defendant denied Plaintiffs request for an Alternate Work Schedule (“AWS”). (Id. ¶ 6.) She filed a union grievance regarding the denial. (Id.) On June 25, 2008, Johnson and Vidaurri “confronted” her regarding this grievance at a meeting. (Id.; Dkt. No. 21-2, NOL, Ex. 1 at USA 0005.) At [1203]*1203that meeting, Defendant reassigned her to the hospital’s Reprographics Department, where she worked for the next eight months on duties outside her ET position. (Dkt. No. 1, Compl. ¶ 6; Dkt. No. 21-2, NOL, Ex. 1 at USA 0005.)

At the end of January 2009, Defendant informed Plaintiff that she would be returning to the FMD, effective February 2, 2009. (Dkt. No. 1, Compl. ¶ 7; Dkt. No. 21-2, NOL, Ex. 1 at USA 0005.) On February 2, 2009, Defendant assigned Plaintiff as a dispatcher in the FMD’s Transportation Division, a GS-03 position. (Dkt. No. 1, Compl. ¶ 8; Dkt. No. 21-2, NOL, Ex. 1 at USA 0005.) In that assignment, she shared an office with four other employees. (Dkt. No. 1, Compl. ¶ 8; Dkt. No. 21-2, NOL, Ex. 1 at USA 0005.) Plaintiff’s male counterparts were given their own offices and appropriate training. (Dkt. No. 1, Compl. ¶ 8; Dkt. No. 21-2, NOL, Ex. 1 at USA 0005.) She did not perform duties associated with her GS-0802 position as an Engineering Technician. (Dkt. No. 1, Compl. ¶ 8; Dkt. No. 21-2, NOL, Ex. 1 at USA 0005.) While in the Transportation Department, she was also given part time duties of ordering materials which was what she was originally hired to do as an ET. (Dkt. No. 1, Compl. ¶ 8.)

On April 21, 2009, Vidaurri told that Plaintiff that she would not be promoted to GS-09 in May 2009, because she had not worked as an ET for the past year and had not accomplished any measurable work to warrant her promotion to GS-09. (Dkt. No. 1, Compl. ¶ 9; Dkt. No. 21-2, NOL, Ex. 1 at USA 0005; Dkt. No. 21-2, NOL, Ex. 7 at USA 0033.)

Around May 6, 2009, Plaintiff contacted the EEO office concerning these issues. (Dkt. No. 1, Compl. ¶ 10.) Around August 4, 2009, an EEO Counselor interviewed Vidaurri concerning the EEO Complaint. (Id.) Around August 18, 2009, Plaintiff filed a formal EEO complaint. (Id.) Around October 8, 2009, the Captain at the Naval Hospital signed the notice of acceptance of Plaintiffs EEO complaint. (Id.; Dkt. No. 23-2, Zielinski Deck, Ex. B.) She was placed on a training plan to facilitate her eventual promotion. (Dkt. No. 21-2, NOL, Ex. 7, Lisa Childress Aff., at USA 0033.)

Around October 8, 2009, when the Captain of the Naval Hospital accepted Plaintiffs EEO complaint, Vidaurri told her that her credit card had been put on hold due to numerous mistakes associated with her purchase card folder.2 (Dkt. No. 21-2, NOL, Ex. 8 at USA 0042.) On October 15, 2009, Vidaurri told Plaintiff that her computer and Internet usage logs would be reviewed to determine how much time she was devoting to the facility purchasing program. (Dkt. No. 1, Compl. ¶ 10; Dkt. No. 21-2, NOL, Ex. 3, Vidaurri Aff. at USA 0015; Dkt. No. 21-2, NOL, Ex. 7 at USA 0033; Dkt. No. 21-2, NOL, Ex. 8, Higdon Aff. at USA 0042; Dkt. No. 21-2, Dkt. No. 21-2, NOL, Ex. 21, EEOC Decision at USA 0129-0130.) Plaintiff concedes using her computer for unauthorized purposes. (Dkt. No. 21-2, NOL, Ex. 21 at USA 0133.) No discipline or any other repercussion arose out of the review. (Dkt. No. 21-2, NOL, Ex. 21 at USA 0132.) The EEOC concluded that Plaintiff failed to establish a prima facie case of a discriminatory hostile work environment based on gender and retaliatory discrimination. (Id. at USA 00143.) Plaintiff voluntarily retired in 2011 after many consecutive months of sick leave, annual leave, AWOL and leave without pay. (Dkt. No. 21-2, [1204]*1204NOL, Ex. 23, Navy Decision on 2011 EEO Claim at USA 0157-0159.)

In her complaint, Plaintiff alleges causes of action for hostile work environment based on gender and retaliation for prior EEO activity under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (“Title VII”). Specifically, Plaintiff asserts the following acts of gender discrimination and retaliation: 1) confrontation by the Department Head and Assistant Department Head because of her Union grievance and being denied AWS on June 25, 2008; 2) assignment to Reprographics on June 25, 2009; 3) upon returning to Facilities Management in February 2, 2009, assigned to work as a dispatcher for the Transportation Office; 4) informed that she would not be promoted to GS-0802-09 in May 2009 a year after her employment began;3 5) being forced to share an office as a dispatcher with four other employees while all the male GS-0802 Engineering Technicians had their own offices; 6) informed by Vidaurri, on October 9, 2009 that her credit card would be put on hold, and informed on October 15, 2009, that her computer and Internet usage would be reviewed to determine the amount of effort directed toward the DMLSS purchasing program. She also alleges constructive discharge. Defendant moves for summary judgment on all allegations except for the failure to promote based on discrimination.

Discussion

A. Legal Standard on Summary Judgment Motion

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56 empowers the Court to enter summary judgment on factually unsupported claims or defenses, and thereby “secure the just, speedy and inexpensive determination of every action.” Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 325, 327, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). Summary judgment is appropriate if the “pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 56

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5 F. Supp. 3d 1199, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 32274, 2014 WL 977995, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/higdon-v-mabus-casd-2014.