Hines v. Todd Pacific Shipyards Corp.

112 P.3d 522
Court of Appeals of Washington·Decided May 4, 2005·No. 53419-0-I·Published·Cited by 5 cases

Opinion

112 P.3d 522 (2005)
127 Wash.App. 356

Bruce HINES, Appellant,
v.
TODD PACIFIC SHIPYARDS CORPORATION, a Delaware Corporation doing business in the State of Washington, Respondent.

No. 53419-0-I.

Court of Appeals of Washington, Division 1.

April 18, 2005.
Publication Ordered and Corrected May 4, 2005.

*524 Richard J. Hughes, Attorney at Law, Mount Vernon, Counsel for Appellants.

Walter E. Barton, Karr Tuttle Campbell, Seattle, Counsel for Respondents.

SCHINDLER, J.

In April 1999, Bruce Hines was injured while working at Todd Pacific Shipyards Corporation (Todd). Hines tested positive for cocaine and was suspended from work. Todd allowed Hines to return to work on condition that he agree to successfully complete a substance abuse treatment program. Todd terminated Hines in December 1999, for failing to comply with the requirements of the agreement. In 2000, a subcontractor for Todd hired Hines to work on a government project at Todd's facility. When Todd informed the subcontractor that Hines could not work at Todd's facility because he had failed a drug test and was terminated, the subcontractor laid off Hines.

Hines contends the trial court erred in granting Todd summary judgment and deciding (1) Hines did not have a claim under the Health Care Disclosure Act, RCW 70.02 (HCDA) or for breach of confidentiality; (2) Todd was not negligent; and (3) Hines failed to establish Todd violated Washington's Law Against Discrimination, RCW 49.60 (WLAD). Hines also contends the trial court abused its discretion in denying the motion to amend his complaint to allege a retaliation claim under WLAD. We affirm.

FACTS

Hines worked as a rigger for Todd intermittently for approximately 20 years. Hines' work as a rigger was dangerous and involved moving heavy equipment on and off shipping vessels.

In April 1999, Hines injured his ankle in an on-the-job accident. The terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between Todd and the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers Local No. 104 Union (Union) required Hines to submit to a drug and alcohol screening test. Hines tested positive for cocaine and he was suspended *525 from work at Todd.[1] The CBA required Todd to provide Hines the opportunity to obtain treatment. Todd's personnel manager, Tim Sullivan, referred Hines to drug treatment programs including Lakeside-Milan Recovery Centers (Lakeside). Sullivan told Hines he could return to work after obtaining a drug evaluation and successfully completing any recommended treatment.

Hines obtained a drug and alcohol assessment at Lakeside and was diagnosed with cocaine and alcohol dependency. Lakeside recommended Hines participate in an intensive month-long in-patient program followed by a 26-week aftercare program. The 26-week aftercare program required Hines to abstain from alcohol and drugs and attend at least seven meetings a week. Hines agreed to participate in the treatment program at Lakeside. On April 26, 1999, Hines signed a release authorizing Lakeside to release information to Todd, "including historical, diagnostic, treatment or other related information. . ., [and] [a]ny and all information about or learned in the course of treatment."[2] The authorization automatically expired after 90 days.[3]

Hines successfully completed the 28-day in-patient treatment program on May 31, 1999. Todd allowed Hines to return to work after completing in-patient treatment on condition that he agreed to enter into an Agreement for Continuation of Employment, also known as the "Last Chance Agreement" (LCA).[4] The LCA required Hines to comply with the requirements of the drug and alcohol treatment program and successfully complete the program. The LCA expressly provides that Hines' employment with Todd was contingent on the terms of the Agreement and that failure to comply with the treatment program would result in termination. On June 11, 1999, Hines signed the LCA. To comply with the LCA, Hines understood he had to authorize Lakeside to release information. After Hines signed the LCA, the Union dispatched Hines to work at Todd when work was available from June 1999 until December 1999.

In August 1999, Lakeside notified Todd that Hines had missed meetings and was not in compliance with the treatment program. Sullivan sent a letter to Hines reiterating that he needed to comply with the treatment program in order to work at Todd. Sullivan asked Hines to call him so that they could "get to the bottom of this matter before we must take action regarding your future employment."[5]

Hines called Sullivan and told him the insurance carrier had not paid Lakeside. Sullivan suggested Hines contact the Union to assist him with payment and reminded Hines that under the LCA his failure to comply with the treatment program could result in termination from Todd.[6] On September *526 9, 1999, Hines resumed participation in the treatment program with Lakeside.

In December 1999, Lakeside again notified Todd that Hines had unexcused absences and was not in compliance with his treatment program. On December 15, 1999, Hines revoked his authorization to Lakeside to provide information to Todd. On December 15, 1999, Todd terminated Hines for not complying with the LCA. On December 21, 1999, Sullivan informed the Union that Hines was terminated for violating the LCA and instructed the Union not to dispatch Hines to work at Todd.[7]

In early 2000, the Union dispatched Hines to work for Fraser Boiler. At that time, Fraser Boiler was a subcontractor for Todd doing work on a United States Navy Vessel at Todd's facility. Employees doing work on the Navy Vessel needed security clearance.[8] On March 11, 2000, Sullivan learned Hines and another former Todd employee were working for Fraser on the Navy vessel at the Todd facility. Sullivan sent an email to Todd employees Ludy Marz, Marlene Twilley and Clarence Dias requesting removal of Hines and the other former employee. The email stated,

I'm addressing this to you not knowing the proper direction to go in hope that you may be the right contact. It has been reported that Frasier [sic] or some other sub currently has two former Todd employees working for them that either failed a recent drug test at Todd or has been fired for a similar offense. We want them removed from our job site. Can you help . . . . The two former employees are... Bruce Hines ....[9]

Fraser Boiler received a copy of Sullivan's email. Fraser Boiler laid off Hines because he did not have security clearance to work at Todd's facility.

On October 26, 2001, Hines filed a lawsuit against Todd. Hines alleged that Todd's decision to terminate him and Todd's failure to accommodate his drug and alcohol disability violated the WLAD. Hines also alleged tortious interference. In July 2002, Hines filed a motion to amend his complaint to add Lakeside as a defendant and to add claims based on the March 11 email and the information disclosed by Todd to Fraser Boiler. Hines' additional claims were for retaliation under RCW 49.60.210

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Hines v. Todd Pacific Shipyards Corp., 112 P.3d 522 (Wash. Ct. App. 2005).

112 P.3d 522 (Hines v. Todd Pacific Shipyards Corp.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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