JACKSON v. TEMPLE UNIVERSITY

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedSeptember 27, 2021
Docket2:20-cv-01421-KSM
StatusUnknown

This text of JACKSON v. TEMPLE UNIVERSITY (JACKSON v. TEMPLE UNIVERSITY) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
JACKSON v. TEMPLE UNIVERSITY, (E.D. Pa. 2021).

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA

WILLIAM JACKSON, CIVIL ACTION

Plaintiff, NO. 20-1421-KSM v.

TEMPLE UNIVERSITY,

Defendant.

MEMORANDUM Marston, J. September 27, 2021 Plaintiff William Jackson brings claims for age and disability discrimination against his former employer, Defendant Temple University. (Doc. No. 1.) Temple has moved to dismiss the complaint in its entirety, arguing that it fails to state claims upon which relief can be granted. (Doc. No. 3.) In the alternative, Temple moves for summary judgment on the grounds that Jackson waived his claims when he signed a Compromise and Release Agreement during workers’ compensation proceedings. (Id.) For the reasons discussed below, Temple’s motion is granted in part and denied in part. I. Taking the allegations in the complaint as true, the relevant facts are as follows. Temple University hired Jackson in August 2016 in the position of Roving Engineer II. (Doc. No. 1 at ¶ 13.) In that role, Jackson was responsible for inspecting and performing maintenance at the buildings on Temple’s North Broad Street campus. (Id. at ¶ 14.) Jackson had the necessary education to perform this role, along with more than 20 years of experience in the field of facility management, and his initial reviews were commendable and above standard. (Id. at ¶¶ 15–16.) On January 6, 2018, Jackson was injured when he fell while at work. (Id. at ¶ 17.) His injuries left him unable to: (1) stand for more than 10 to 15 minutes at a given time, (2) lift or carry any object heavier than 5 to 10 pounds, (3) walk up and down stairs, and (4) climb. (Id. at ¶ 18.) As a result, he was “unable to perform the full function of the position of Roving

Engineer II for a period of time.” (Id. at ¶ 19.) In November 2018, Jackson was sufficiently recovered to perform the essential functions of the Roving Engineer II position with a reasonable accommodation. (Id. at ¶ 20.) Specifically, Jackson asked that he be transferred to an open position which had limited requirements to walk or climb. (Id. at ¶ 23.) Someone at Temple (Jackson does not identify who) denied the request, taking the position that Jackson “was fully able to perform the duties of his position without any accommodation.” (Id. at ¶ 26.) Jackson alleges that Temple took this position “in retaliation for his request for a reasonable accommodation.” (Id. at ¶ 27.) Despite this denial, Jackson “continued to ask for an accommodation in that he be transferred to an open position working in the department which would have required limited

walking and climbing.” (Id. at ¶ 28.) Jackson does not describe the open position, but claims in conclusory terms that he was “qualified for this position in terms of his education, training, and his prior work experience.” (Id. at ¶ 29.) An unidentified individual once again denied his request on the basis of “a report from a workers compensation doctor retained by [Temple].” (Id. at ¶ 32.) Jackson then asked for a new accommodation, in the form of a leave of absence, which someone at Temple again denied. (Id. at ¶¶ 34–35.) Jackson asserts that no one at Temple contacted him to “discuss his request for a leave of absence,” despite the fact that Temple “has, on prior occasions, provided accommodations to other employees in its Facilities Department such as providing leave, allowing a transfer or changing a work schedule.” (Id. at ¶¶ 36, 38.) Given this, Jackson alleges that Temple “treated [him] differently” when it refused to engage with him about his request for a reasonable accommodation, his request for a leave of absence, or his request for a transfer to a new position. (Id. at ¶ 40a–c.) And he claims that Temple erred when it failed to “provide him with a reasonable accommodation” even though it could have

done so “without undue hardship to it.” (Id. at ¶ 40d.) Jackson also “believe[s] that his age was . . . used as a reason not to provide him with an accommodation” because “comments were made as to ‘how long’ Plaintiff was employed;” and “the position that he applied for was given to a substantially younger individual who did not possess the knowledge or skill to perform the job.” (Id. at ¶ 45.) Jackson does not say who made these comments, when they were made, or the context in which they were made. Neither does he identify the position for which he applied, the person to whom it was given, their age, or their level of education and skill. Jackson was eventually terminated. (Id. at ¶ 52.) He provides no facts about when or how he was let go, except that it occurred after his requests for accommodation. Jackson also

states in conclusory fashion that he “believes and therefore avers that the real reason why he was terminated was based on his age,” “his disability,” and in “retaliation.” (Id. at ¶¶ 52–55.) Jackson dual filed a charge of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) and Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (“PHRC”) on August 19, 2019. (Id. at ¶¶ 62, 67.) The EEOC issued a Dismissal and Notice of Rights on December 17, 2019 (id. at ¶ 63 & p. 14), and Jackson filed his complaint in this case on March 13, 2020 (see id.). He brings claims for age discrimination under the Pennsylvania Human Relations Action (“PHRA”) and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (“ADEA”), a claim for disability discrimination under the Americans with Disability Act (“ADA”), and claims for retaliation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the PHRA, the ADA, and the Philadelphia Fair Practices Ordinance (“PFPO”). (See generally id.) Temple University has filed a motion to dismiss or in the alternative, for summary judgment. (Doc. No. 3.) Jackson opposes the motion.1 (Doc. No. 9.) For the reasons discussed below, the motion is granted in

part and denied in part. II. A. “To survive a motion to dismiss, a complaint must contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009) (quotation marks omitted). “A claim has facial plausibility when the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.” Id. “The plausibility standard is not akin to a ‘probability requirement,’ but it asks for more than a sheer possibility that a defendant has acted unlawfully.” Id. “[T]he tenet that a court must accept as true all of the allegations contained in a

complaint is inapplicable to legal conclusions. Threadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported by mere conclusory statements, do not suffice.” Id. “Determining whether a complaint states a plausible claim for relief will . . . be a context-specific task that requires the reviewing court to draw on its judicial experience and common sense.” Id. at 679. “As a general matter, a district court ruling on a motion to dismiss may not consider matters extraneous to the pleadings.” In re Burlington Coat Factory Sec. Litig., 114 F.3d 1410,

1 In addition to Jackson’s substantive arguments, he asks that the Court deny the motion outright because Temple failed to comply with the meet and confer requirements outlined in the Court’s publicly available Policies and Procedures. (Doc. No. 9 at p. 24.) The Court will consider the substantive arguments raised in Temple’s motion to dismiss. However, defense counsel is warned that in the future, the Court expects counsel to adhere to all of the procedures outlined in the Court’s Policies and Procedures, including the meet and confer requirement. 1426 (3d Cir. 1997).

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JACKSON v. TEMPLE UNIVERSITY, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jackson-v-temple-university-paed-2021.