Hunter v. State

44 Ill. Ct. Cl. 65, 1992 Ill. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 4
Court of Claims of Illinois·Decided January 31, 1992·No. No. 84-CC-2688·Published

Opinion

OPINION

Montana, C.J.

Claimant Glenda Hunter filed this claim on April 6, 1984, seeking wages owed to her. As will be developed herein, the case was not in a posture to be tried for several years thereafter. Trial was finally held on October 10, 1991, briefs were waived, and Commissioner J. Patrick Hanley promptly filed his report.

Glenda Hunter was employed as a correctional parole counselor by the Department of Corrections (hereinafter referred to as the “Department”) since February of 1968. Claimant’s employment was terminated by the Department on May 4, 1982. As of that date, Claimant’s position was Correctional Parole Counselor 3.

On February 1, 1984, the Department, pursuant to an interim order of the circuit court, reinstated Claimant as an employee. Claimant was employed by the Department until she was terminated a second time on March 8, 1985, pursuant to further administrative proceedings.

The Claimant’s discharge was the result of administrative proceedings wherein it was alleged by the Department that she violated several of the Department’s administrative regulations and policies.

The circumstances of Claimant’s discharge are more fully detailed in an August 9,1989, opinion of the appellate court of Illinois. (Department of Corrections v. Illinois Civil Service Comm’n (1989), 187 Ill. App. 3d 304, 543 N.E.2d 190.) A petition before the Illinois Supreme Court seeking leave to appeal the appellate decision was denied on January 8, 1990, and Claimant was immediately reinstated as an employee of the Department.

The appellate court ultimately found, “that the totality of [claimant’s] conduct is insufficient cause for her discharge.” (543 N.E.2d 190, 196.) The court, in ruling that her discharge was against the manifest weight of the evidence, remanded the case with directions to reinstate the October 19, 1983, Illinois Civil Service Commission order that suspended Claimant for 90 days. CSC Case No. DA-290-82.

Claimant now seeks a sum (hereinafter referred to as “net back wages”), compensating her for wages she would have earned for the periods of time she was not employed by the Department (hereinafter referred to as “gross back wages”), set off by sums she earned from other employment. Additionally, Claimant seeks interest on her net back wages from August 9, 1989. The total claim is for $136,225.80; $120,553.80 representing net back wages and $15,672.00 as interest.

On May 4, 1990, an order was entered generally continuing this claim. That order stated that Claimant should exhaust her remedies pursuant to section 64.1(m) of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1989, ch. 127, par. 63b—4(m).) Section 64.1(m) allows the Department of Central Management Services to pay any wage claim if the

“chief officer of the State agency employing the claimant certifies to [CMS] that the claim is a valid wage claim and that the fiscal year and lapsed period have expired.” (par. 63b—4(m).)

The record reveals that Claimant filed a claim for back wages with the Department of Central Management Services. The Department would not certify the claim and objected to payment of the claim. On December 11, 1990, the Department of Central Management Services dismissed her claim for back wages.

Claimant was the only witness called at a hearing on this claim on October 10, 1991. If Claimant was suspended for only 90 days, as ultimately ordered by the appellate court, she testified that she would have returned to work on July 3,1982.

Claimant testified that the gross wages for her position classification for the respective time periods during the pendency of her discharge case were as follows:

a. $12,539.10 ($2,122.00 monthly) for July 3, 1982, through December 31, 1982;

b. $12,732.00 ($2,122.00 monthly) for December 31, 1982, through July 1, 1983;

c. $14,854.00 ($2,122.00 monthly) for July 1, 1983, through February 1, 1984;

d. $8,501.25 ($2,267.00 monthly) for March 8,1985, through June 30,1985;

e. $28,560.00 ($2,380.00 monthly) for July 1, 1985, through July 1,1986;

f. $7,284.00 ($2,428.00 monthly) for July 1, 1986, through October 1, 1986;

g. $22,725.00 ($2,525.00 monthly) for October 1, 1986, through July 1,1987;

h. $31,668.00 ($2,639.00 monthly) for July 1, 1987, through July 1,1988;

i. $33,252.00 ($2,771.00 monthly) for July 1, 1988, through July 1, 1989;

j. $17,208.00 ($2,868.00 monthly) for July 1, 1989, through December 31,1989; and

k. $647.61 (monthly not indicated) for December 31,1989, through January 8,1990.

Total: $189,970.96

Her testimony indicated what her monthly gross wages would have been and such sums are identified above in parentheses. She did not include wages she earned during her 11-month temporary reinstatement in her claim for back wages.

In addition to gross wages, the Claimant testified she would have received a total of $900.00 in bonuses; $150.00 in 1984, $150.00 in 1985, $200.00 in 1987, $200.00 in 1988, and $200.00 in 1989. Claimant stated that her gross back wages would have been $189,970.96 plus $900.00 in bonuses, for a total of $190,870.96. Claimant’s exhibit No. 1, demonstrative evidence of Claimant’s testimony, was admitted into the record without objection, as amended to reflect the sum of $190,870.96 as the total of gross back wages.

Claimant argues that she is not required to mitigate her damages. Regardless of the argument, Claimant presented testimony regarding mitigation of damages. Claimant stated that she sought employment during the period of time commencing in the middle of 1982 through January 1990 and at times did have some employment.

On October 8, 1982, she was involved in an automobile accident, suffered two crushed vertebrae and was unable to obtain or hold employment through the balance of 1982 and throughout all of 1983. She wore a steel brace after the accident until July 1983. She wore a body cast from July 1983 to February 1984, when she returned to work at the Department pursuant to the circuit court’s interim order.

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Hunter v. State, 44 Ill. Ct. Cl. 65, 1992 Ill. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 4 (Ill. Super. Ct. 1992).

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