Kilgo v. Bowman Transportation, Inc.

87 F.R.D. 26, 30 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 928, 1980 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11191, 22 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 30,836, 22 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1007
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Georgia
DecidedMarch 28, 1980
DocketCiv. A. No. C79-674A
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 87 F.R.D. 26 (Kilgo v. Bowman Transportation, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kilgo v. Bowman Transportation, Inc., 87 F.R.D. 26, 30 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 928, 1980 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11191, 22 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 30,836, 22 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1007 (N.D. Ga. 1980).

Opinion

ORDER

SHOOB, District Judge.

Several issues involved in this case are before the Court at this time. This is an employment discrimination action brought by Edna Kiigo on April 23, 1979. Virginia Wentz was added as a plaintiff on August 22, 1979.

1. Substitution of Oscar Kiigo

The death of .Edna Kiigo was suggested upon the record in this case on November 9, 1979, and plaintiffs have moved for substitution of Oscar Kiigo, in his capacity as representative of the estate of Edna Kiigo, pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 25(a)(1). Defendant contends that Oscar Kiigo is not a proper party to be substituted for Edna Kiigo because he has not been qualified as the executor of Edna Kilgo’s will and will not be so qualified because he has elected to take property previously owned by Edna Kiigo as a year’s support in lieu of probating the will. Oscar Kiigo is named by Edna Kilgo’s will as the executor of her estate, however. To deny him the right to be substituted for her in this action on the grounds asserted by defendant would be an unduly harsh result. Fed.R.Civ.P. 25(a)(1) is intended to allow some flexibility in substitution of parties. Rende v. Kay, 415 F.2d 983 (D.C.Cir. 1969). The Rende case, in fact, provides support for allowing substitution of Oscar Kiigo:

The addition of “successor” in the Rule would take care of the case of, say, the distributee of an estate that had been distributed .

415 F.2d at 985. Defendant has cited no authority for its position. Oscar Kiigo is found to be a proper party to be substituted for Edna Kiigo.

2. Amendment to complaint

Plaintiffs seek leave to amend the complaint in this action to allege arbitrary and capricious enforcement of defendant’s one-year prior experience requirement. Defendant has not objected to that amendment except to point out that if its motion [28]*28for dismissal or summary judgment is granted there will be nothing to amend. The amendment is found to be proper under Fed.R.Civ.P. 15(a) and it is allowed.

3. Survival of Title VII claim

State law governs the question of survival of Edna Kilgo’s claim under 42 U.S.C. § 2000e, et seq. To the extent that any of the civil rights statutes, 42 U.S.C. §§ 1981 through 2000h-6, fails to cover an issue which arises in a civil rights case,

the common law, as modified and changed by the constitution and statutes of the State wherein the court having jurisdiction of such . . . cause is held, so far as the same is not inconsistent with the Constitution and laws of the United States, shall be extended to and govern the said courts in the trial and disposition of the cause .

42 U.S.C. § 1988. Title VII, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e, et seq., does not provide whether an action brought pursuant to it survives the death of the plaintiff. Accordingly, Georgia law, to the extent it is not inconsistent with federal law, determines the question of survival. Robertson v. Wegmann, 436 U.S. 584, 98 S.Ct. 1991, 56 L.Ed.2d 554 (1978). Under Georgia law this action would survive. Ga.Code Ann. §§ 3 501 and 3 505. Such a result is consistent with the remedial purposes of Title VII.

Defendant contends that Robertson v. Wegmann, supra, supports the position that a civil rights action does not survive the plaintiff’s death, citing the following:

It is therefore difficult to see how any of § 1983’s policies would be undermined if Shaw’s action were to abate. The goal of compensating those injured by a deprivation of rights provides no basis for requiring compensation of one who is merely suing as the executor of the deceased’s estate.

436 U.S. at 592, 98 S.Ct. at 1996, 56 L.Ed. 2d at 562. The situation presented in that case was an exception to the usual result under Louisiana law, and the context of the statement relied on by defendant is an analysis of whether the law was inconsistent with the policy of § 1983 because the action before the Court would not survive. The Supreme Court found that because a civil rights action would almost always survive under Louisiana law the law was not inconsistent with § 1983 and would control the question of survival of a § 1983 action. Edna Kilgo’s action brought pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 2000e, et seq., is found to survive her death.

4. The claim of Virginia Wentz

Defendant argues that because there is no allegation in the complaint that Virginia Wentz has received a right-to-sue letter, there is a jurisdictional defect as to her claim. Plaintiffs have stated that Virginia Wentz has now received a right-to-sue letter. Plaintiffs are ordered to amend their complaint to add an allegation to that effect.

5. The class action

Plaintiffs seek an order directing that this action proceed as a class on behalf of:

All females who, since April 18, 1976, have, would have, but for the futility of doing so, or will in the future seek permanent employment as an over-the-road truck driver with Defendant by applying through its Atlanta, Georgia terminal and who have been, would have been, or will be refused such permanent employment due:
(1) To Defendant’s one year prior experience requirement;
(2) To Defendant’s discriminatory enforcement of its one year prior experience requirement; and
(3) To Defendant’s policy against assigning men and women to the same truck.

Defendant has challenged the adequacy of any representative of the class, the scope of the proposed class and the numerosity of the proposed class.

a. Representation of the class

Oscar Kilgo is not an adequate representative of the proposed class because, although he has an interest in claims for [29]*29back pay, he does not have the same interest in declaratory and injunctive relief as other members of the proposed class. See Ashworth v. Sherwin-Williams Company, 10 FEP Cases 709 (N.D.Ga.1974). Virginia Wentz, however, appears to have an identity of interest with the proposed class. Defendant objects to her representation of the class on the ground that she has not received a right-to-sue notice, but it appears that she has received such a notice. Plaintiffs have been ordered to amend the complaint accordingly.

b. Scope of the class

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87 F.R.D. 26, 30 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 928, 1980 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11191, 22 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 30,836, 22 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1007, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kilgo-v-bowman-transportation-inc-gand-1980.