Kim-Foraker v. Allstate Insurance

834 F. Supp. 2d 267, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 77350, 2011 WL 2786431
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedJuly 15, 2011
DocketCivil Action No. 09-3786
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 834 F. Supp. 2d 267 (Kim-Foraker v. Allstate Insurance) 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
Kim-Foraker v. Allstate Insurance, 834 F. Supp. 2d 267, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 77350, 2011 WL 2786431 (E.D. Pa. 2011).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM

NORMA L. SHAPIRO, District Judge.

Plaintiff Elenna Kim-Foraker (“KimForaker”) brings claims against her former employer, defendant Alstate Insurance Company (“Alstate”), for race and national origin discrimination in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq., and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act (“PHRA”), 43 Pa. Stat. Ann. § 955 et seq. The court has jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. §§ 1331 and 1367. Before the court is Alstate’s motion for summary judgment. The court will grant Alstate’s motion.

I. Background

Kim-Foraker, a Korean-American, began working as a trial attorney at Al-state’s Philadelphia legal office in May, 1999. In 2004, she was promoted to the position of senior trial attorney, responsible for training less experienced trial lawyers.

Kim-Foraker was the only Asian-American attorney working in Alstate’s Philadelphia legal office from May, 1999 until her termination in September, 2006. Richard Steiger (“Steiger”), a Caucasian man, was her immediate supervisor. She also briefly reported to Walter Robinson (“Robinson”), an Mrican-American man. Kim-Foraker and her immediate supervisors each reported to Twanda Turner-Hawkins (“Turner-Hawkins”), an African-American woman, who was the head of Alstate’s Philadelphia legal office.

In early 2006, Alstate alleges that KimForaker began to engage in disruptive and unprofessional behavior in the workplace, in violation of Alstate’s policy requiring each employee to treat all other employees with dignity and respect, conduct oneself in a professional manner, and create a supportive rather than a negative working environment. Def.’s Mot. for Summ. J., Ex. D (Unacceptable Behavior Notification). Alstate’s policy, entitled “The Al-state Partnership,” states that employees are expected to “[fjoster dignity and respect in all interactions. Treating each other with dignity and respect, regardless of job level or relationship, is the standard at Alstate. Nothing less is acceptable.” Id.

On February 15, 2006, a representative from Alstate’s Central Processing Unit (“CPU”) held a meeting with all Alstate attorneys in the Philadelphia office to discuss how the CPU could better serve the office’s administrative needs. Id. Alstate alleges that during the meeting, Kim-Foraker asked several questions of the CPU representative in a confrontational and argumentative manner. Id. Kim-Foraker [271]*271admits that her supervisor, Steiger, believed she acted unprofessionally (he communicated this to her in a subsequent meeting), but she disputes Allstate’s characterization of her behavior and states she did not act in a confrontational manner or raise her voice. Id., Ex. A (Dep. of KimForaker) at 111:1-113:1.

On March 1, 2006, Kim-Foraker met with Allstate attorney manager Robinson in his office. She informed Robinson that certain judges were criticizing and threatening sanctions against Allstate’s Philadelphia office because of its failure to meet deadlines and comply with court orders. Id. at 127:1-130:17. She was upset about the criticism because she felt it harmed her reputation, and she requested that Robinson, as a manager, take action to correct the situation. Id. She also complained that other employees in the Philadelphia office failed to inform her of phone messages, so that she missed deadlines. Id. at 120:4-122:24.

The conversation became heated. Allstate alleges that several co-workers with nearby offices heard Kim-Foraker screaming at Robinson for approximately fifteen minutes. Id., Ex. B (human resources investigation) at 2-3. Alarmed, the co-workers summoned Steiger to intervene on Robinson’s behalf. Id. Steiger entered Robinson’s office. Id. Steiger reports that Robinson asked Kim-Foraker to leave, but she refused, and Robinson left instead. Id. at 1-2. According to Kim-Foraker, she did not yell but instead remained calm. Id., Ex. A (Dep. of Kim-Foraker) at 127:1-130:17. Kim-Foraker alleges that as Robinson left his office, he stepped on her right foot, hit her left shoulder with his body, and then slammed his body against her and knocked her backwards. Id. at 136:15-138:14. Robinson states he cannot remember what happened, but acknowledges that Steiger told him he accidentally bumped into Kim-Foraker. Id., Ex. B (human resources investigation) at 3. Steiger states that Robinson may have bumped Kim-Foraker on his way out, but states it was accidental and only a “minor graze.” Id. at 2.

Kim-Foraker filed a human resources complaint against Robinson for the March 1, 2006 incident. Id. at 1. Allstate’s human resources manager conducted an investigation, from March 1 to 3, 2006, during which she interviewed Allstate employees who had witnessed or overheard the March 1, 2006 incident. Id. at 1-4. The human resources investigator concluded that Robinson did not violate any Místate policy; she found that he did not intentionally bump into Kim-Foraker, and that he raised his voice only at the end of the meeting when he asked Kim-Foraker to leave his office. Id. at 3M. In contrast, the investigation found that Kim-Foraker acted unprofessionally by engaging in argumentative behavior. Id.

The human resources investigator also concurred with recommendations from Steiger and Turner-Hawkins that KimForaker be issued a written warning for unacceptable behavior. Id. at 4. On March 3, 2006, Steiger presented Kim-Foraker with an Unacceptable Behavior Notification. The notification cited February 15 and March 1, 2006 as incidents of inappropriate behavior inconsistent with Mlstate’s policy of treating all employees with dignity and respect, and stated that further instances of inappropriate behavior would result in a Job in Jeopardy Notification. Id., Ex. D (Unacceptable Behavior Notification).1 After receiving the Unacceptable [272]*272Behavior Notification, Kim-Foraker took an approved medical leave until May 15, 2006, when she had exhausted her paid days off and returned to work on a reduced schedule.2 Id., Ex. A (Dep. of KimForaker) at 160:3-18.

Upon her return to work in May, 2006, Allstate alleges that Kim-Foraker’s unprofessional behavior continued. For example, Allstate states (and Kim-Foraker does not dispute) that, unprompted, she discussed with insurance adjusters the March 1, 2006 incident, including her allegations that Robinson physically injured her; this discussion made the insurance adjusters feel uncomfortable, and distracted the adjusters’ attention from attending to customer issues. Id., Ex. F (Job in Jeopardy Notification). On May 26, 2006, Allstate issued a Job in Jeopardy Notification to Kim-Foraker. Id. The notification stated that Kim-Foraker continued to engage in unprofessional behavior in violation of Allstate’s policy, and cited specific examples of her unprofessional behavior. Id.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
834 F. Supp. 2d 267, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 77350, 2011 WL 2786431, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kim-foraker-v-allstate-insurance-paed-2011.