Kailikole v. Palomar Cmty. Coll. Dist.

384 F. Supp. 3d 1185
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. California
DecidedApril 26, 2019
DocketCase No.: 18-CV-02877-AJB-MSB
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 384 F. Supp. 3d 1185 (Kailikole v. Palomar Cmty. Coll. Dist.) 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
Kailikole v. Palomar Cmty. Coll. Dist., 384 F. Supp. 3d 1185 (S.D. Cal. 2019).

Opinion

Hon. Anthony J. Battaglia, United States District Judge

Pending before the Court is Defendant Palomar Community College District's motion to dismiss. (Doc. No. 9.) Plaintiff filed an opposition to Defendant's motion to dismiss. (Doc. No. 11.) For the reasons set forth more fully below, the Court DENIES Defendant's motion to dismiss. Pursuant to Civil Local Rule 7.1.d.1, the Court finds the instant matter suitable for determination on the papers and without oral argument. Accordingly, the hearing date of June 20, 2019 at 2 p.m. is vacated as to this motion only.

I. BACKGROUND

Kathryn Kailikole ("Plaintiff") brings seven causes of action, under state and federal law, for retaliation and disability discrimination against her previous employer, Palomar Community College District *1189("Defendant"). (Doc. No. 7.) Plaintiff alleges that on December 14, 2017 she was "mysteriously and suddenly placed on paid leave." (Id. ¶ 13.) She was told she could not speak to anyone at the college and was not given information about why she was removed, other than that it involved an investigation related to a confidentiality issue. (Id. ¶ 14.) Plaintiff remained on paid leave for five months without ever being informed of the nature of the allegations. (Id. ¶ 15.)

Plaintiff's retaliation claims are rooted in her participation as a witness in an investigation against Takashi Nakajima ("Nakajima") and Arthur Gerwig ("Gerwig"), who were professors at Palomar Community College District accused of sexual harassment and race discrimination. (Id. ¶¶ 5-10.) In May 2017, Plaintiff received a report from a faculty member about their racist and sexually harassing conduct, and reported the incident to Shawna Cohen, the District's Manager of the Equal Opportunity and Compliance Office and a Deputy Title IX Coordinator. (Id. ¶ 6.) On November 1, 2017, an investigator for the school district concluded that Plaintiff was credible, and Nakajima and Gerwig were guilty of violating the College's anti-harassment policies. (Id. ¶ 9.) No action was taken against these professors. (Id. ¶ 10.) Plaintiff inquired and discussed with other faculty in November 2017 as to why action was not being taken. (Id. ) On December 12, 2017, the District placed Nakjima and Gerwig on one month of unpaid leave. (Id. ¶ 12.) Plaintiff was subsequently placed on paid leave on December 14, 2017. (Id. ¶ 13.) Plaintiff alleges that her computer was searched, without her consent, to acquire evidence that would discredit her report of Nakajima's and Gerwig's racist and sexually harassing conduct. (Id. ¶ 19.) Through this search, an email dated December 8, 2017 was obtained. (Id. ) This email contained a forwarded message from the Plaintiff to another faculty member about an incident involving Nakajima and Gerwig. (Id. ) The faculty member then forwarded the email to his wife. (Id. ¶¶ 20-22.) Based on this conduct, the District investigator concluded that Plaintiff was part of a conspiracy to leak confidential information about Nakajima and Gerwig outside the College. (Id. )

Plaintiff's disability claims are rooted in her informing the Defendant of her disability and her subsequent termination. (Id. ¶¶ 2, 11, 14.) On May 5, 2017, Plaintiff alleges that she needed to leave a meeting because she believed she was having a heart attack. (Id. ¶ 4.) Plaintiff was instead having a panic attack and was later diagnosed with anxiety. (Id. ) She suffers from feelings of being overwhelmed, helplessness, and nervousness. (Id. ) She also has panic attacks and suffers from vertigo and cysts. (Id. ) The effects of her anxiety affect her daily activities. (Id. ) Plaintiff informed Dr. Jack Kahn, the Vice-President of Instruction, that she suffered from anxiety in May 2017. (Id. ) Plaintiff later met with Dr. Kahn on December 4, 2017 and discussed her anxiety with him. (Id. ¶ 11.) Dr. Kahn "assured Plaintiff that she was an 'incredibly valuable member of the team' and that he was dedicated to providing her with his 'complete support.' " (Id. ) Less than two weeks after this meeting, Plaintiff was put on paid leave. (Id. ¶ 13.)

II. LEGAL STANDARD

A motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(6) tests the legal sufficiency of a plaintiff's complaint. See Navarro v. Block , 250 F.3d 729, 732 (9th Cir. 2001). "[A] court may dismiss a complaint as a matter of law for (1) lack of cognizable legal theory or (2) insufficient facts under a cognizable legal claim."

*1190SmileCare Dental Grp. v. Delta Dental Plan of Cal. , 88 F.3d 780, 783 (9th Cir. 1996) (citation omitted). However, a complaint will survive a motion to dismiss if it contains "enough facts to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face." Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly , 550 U.S. 544, 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007). In making this determination, a court reviews the contents of the complaint, accepting all factual allegations as true and drawing all reasonable inferences in favor of the nonmoving party. See Cedars-Sinai Med. Ctr. v. Nat'l League of Postmasters of U.S. , 497 F.3d 972, 975 (9th Cir. 2007). Notwithstanding this deference, a reviewing court need not accept legal conclusions as true. See Ashcroft v. Iqbal , 556 U.S. 662, 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009). It is also improper for a court to assume "the [plaintiff] can prove facts that [he or she] has not alleged." Assoc. Gen. Contractors of Cal., Inc. v. Cal. State Council of Carpenters , 459 U.S. 519, 526, 103 S.Ct.

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384 F. Supp. 3d 1185, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kailikole-v-palomar-cmty-coll-dist-casd-2019.