Johnson v. Lou Fusz Automotive Network, Inc.

519 S.W.3d 450, 2017 WL 765918, 2017 Mo. App. LEXIS 753
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedFebruary 28, 2017
DocketNo. ED 104593
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 519 S.W.3d 450 (Johnson v. Lou Fusz Automotive Network, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Johnson v. Lou Fusz Automotive Network, Inc., 519 S.W.3d 450, 2017 WL 765918, 2017 Mo. App. LEXIS 753 (Mo. Ct. App. 2017).

Opinion

Lisa Johnson appeals from the judgment dismissing her claim for employment discrimination and from the summary judgment denying her claim for unpaid overtime. We affirm the judgment, as modified herein.

Johnson was employed by Lou Fusz Automotive Network, Inc. as a fleet leasing agent for sixteen years before -she was terminated in January 2013. After filing discrimination charges with the relevant agencies,1 Johnson filed this lawsuit. Therein, she asserted one count of employment discrimination based on her association with her son who has a disability in violation of the Missouri Human Rights Act (“MHRA”) and one count for a violation of the Missouri Minimum Wage Law (“MMWL”) based on unpaid overtime. The court dismissed the MHRA count with prejudice on the ground that it was preempted by the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act (“ERISA”) and, therefore, the state court lacked subject matter jurisdiction over that claim. The court entered summary judgment against Johnson on her claim for unpaid overtime. We will address each of the claims separately in this opinion.

MHRA Discrimination Claim and ERISA Preemption

The petition contains the following allegations with respect to Johnson’s MHRA claim. Johnson received health insurance benefits through her employer, Lou Fusz. It is undisputed that this benefits plan qualifies as an ERISA plan. It included coverage for Johnson’s son, who has had a disability caused by a brain malformation since his birth in 2006. Her son has had multiple surgeries, and his condition must be regularly monitored by angiograms and CT scans, all of which require multiple hospital admissions. Lou Fusz was aware that Johnson’s son had this condition, that it would continue and was not curable and that it substantially limited his major life [454]*454activities—thus, she alleged, it was a “disability” under the MHRA. See Section 213.010(4) RSMo.

Johnson alleged that the medical costs of monitoring and treating her son’s condition were covered by Lou Fusz’s group health insurance policy, and Lou Fusz knew that the condition was covered. “The serious and continuing nature of [her son’s] medical condition led to increased costs in the medical insurance provided to Johnson as a benefit of her employment,” and Lou Fusz “was aware of incurring continuing and increasing costs associated with insuring Johnson’s family as a result of [her son’s] disability.” Lou Fusz was “aware of the extensive expenses it incurred as a result of insuring [her son’s] medical care through Johnson” and “knew that [he] would require consistent medical monitoring, hospital stays, and treatment for his continuing disability.”

Johnson alleged that during the telephone conversation with her supervisor in which she was terminated, the supervisor informed Johnson that Lou Fusz eliminated her position “to ‘cut company employment costs,’ ” “repeatedly mentioned [her son’s] disability and how Johnson’s termination placed her in a ‘bad position’ regarding [his] medical costs” and “directly stated” that Johnson “would no longer be able to rely on the insurance policy” to cover her son’s “extensive medical expenses.” Johnson alleged that after her termination, the employee who took over her position was paid more to perform the same duties and that other employees whose positions were also eliminated were offered other positions. Johnson was never offered an alternative position at Lou Fusz.

Johnson alleged that her association with her son “served as a contributing or motivating factor in the decision 'of [Lou Fusz] to terminate Johnson” and alleged as evidence thereof: the direct statements her supervisor made “tying the termination to animus and [the son’s] medical coverage and associated expenses;” the failure to offer her an alternative job like other employees whose positions were eliminated; and Lou Fusz’s “knowledge of [her son’s] disability and the fact that [it] would continue to face the cost of insuring [his] necessary and continuing medical treatment through Johnson.” In this way, she alleged, Lou Fusz unlawfully discriminated and retaliated against Johnson because of her association with her son in violation of • the MHRA. See Section 213.070(4) RSMo (prohibiting discrimination “in any manner against any other person because of such person’s association with any person protected by this chapter”). Johnson sought compensatory and punitive damages, including lost wages and other benefits of employment, among other relief.

Lou Fusz filed its answer and asserted affirmative defenses, none of which were based on an argument that Johnson’s MHRA claim was preempted by ERISA. But later, after taking Johnson’s deposition, Lou Fusz attempted to remove the case to federal court based on ERISA. The case was remanded to the state court, however, because the notice of removal had not been timely filed. See Johnson v. Lou Fusz Automotive Network, Inc., 2014 WL 7338820 (E.D. Mo. December 22, 2004). Thereafter, Lou Fusz filed an amended answer in state court and moved to dismiss the MHRA claim for lack of subject matter jurisdiction because that claim was preempted by ERISA and therefore the federal courts had exclusive jurisdiction over it.

Attached to Lou Fusz’s motion to dismiss were excerpts of Johnson’s deposition testimony. In those excerpts, Johnson testified that when she went to find insur-[455]*455anee after she was fired, the insurance agents said her son was uninsurable except through an employer and that her termination sounded suspicious, which confirmed what she had been thinking already. One agent recommended an attorney and told Johnson he believed she had a claim for discrimination. She was asked at the deposition if she was alleging that Lou Fusz discriminated against her “based on the costs of [your son’s] disability,” and she answered “yes.” She was asked if she was claiming that the reason she was terminated was “to avoid paying for the medical insurance, the increasing costs of his treatment and insurance.” Johnson said “yes.” She also testified at the deposition that she believed that the individuals who were responsible for deciding to terminate her were aware of the cost of her son’s treatment and “the cost of the insurance covering him” when they made the decision to eliminate her position. When asked if “the desire to avoid making those payments was the motivating factor behind your termination of employment,” Johnson answered “I think that they reasoned-in having to subsidize his continuing healthcare costs, yes.” When asked what statements led her to believe that, she referred to the supervisor’s comment that termination was leaving Johnson “in a bind with [her son] and insurance.” She also said that comments were made during open enrollment meetings at Lou Fusz about rising healthcare costs and increases to insurance premiums. Johnson was unaware how the cost of her son’s healthcare compared to the cost of covering other employees, but she believed other employees who had individual—not family—healthcare plans were treated better than her, “possibly” because they cost Lou Fusz less money.

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Bluebook (online)
519 S.W.3d 450, 2017 WL 765918, 2017 Mo. App. LEXIS 753, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/johnson-v-lou-fusz-automotive-network-inc-moctapp-2017.