Knapp v. America West Airlines

207 F. App'x 896
Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit·Decided November 24, 2006·No. No. 05-4322·Published·Cited by 2 cases

Opinion

ORDER AND JUDGMENT**

WADE BRORBY, Circuit Judge.

Susan Knapp appeals the district court’s grant of summary judgment to America West Airlines on Mrs. Knapp’s claims alleging violations of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), 29 U.S.C. §§ 2601-2654. We have jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291, and we AFFIRM.

I.

Mrs. Knapp was a pilot for America West. In 1995, she and her husband noticed that their eldest son, born in 1986, displayed symptoms of fetal distress syndrome, including vision problems. In 1995, 1996, 1997, and 1998, Mrs. Knapp made periodic requests under the FMLA and America West’s personal leave policy for leave to take her son to various health care providers and to provide at-home vision therapy.

In 1999, Mrs. Knapp began making more frequent FMLA leave requests to provide her son with more intensive treatment. In the fall of 1999, she requested intermittent leave for October 13, 14, and 15, October 28 and 29, and November 5, 6, 12, and 13. On October 12, America West granted leave for October 13-15. It later denied the other FMLA leave requests, as well as additional FMLA leave requests for February and July 2000. As it turned out, on November 5, 1999, Mrs. Knapp flew several scheduled flight legs, then called in sick because she could not continue due to her own medical condition. Thereafter, she was on medical leave as her condition did not permit her to fly. Ultimately, Mrs. Knapp left America West’s employ in August 2000.

In 2001, Mrs. Knapp brought suit for violation of her FMLA leave rights for the denials of leave to care for her son. The district court held Mrs. Knapp was not eligible for FMLA leave because she had not accrued at least 1,250 hours of service in the twelve months prior to the requested leave. See 29 U.S.C. § 2611(2)(A)(ii); 29 C.F.R. § 825.110(a)(2). Specifically, the court evaluated four categories of alleged working time: active-duty time, training time, layover time, and reserve-duty time. It held that active-duty and training time counted as hours worked, and assumed the same for layover hours, for a total of approximately 764 hours. It further held, though, that Mrs. Knapp’s reserve-duty [898] time did not count as hours of service. Without the reserve-duty time, Mrs. Knapp did not meet the 1,250-hour threshold, so the district court denied Mrs. Knapp’s motion for partial summary judgment and granted summary judgment to America West. Mrs. Knapp appeals. We review a grant of summary judgment de novo. Jones v. Denver Pub. Schs., 427 F.3d 1315, 1318 (10th Cir.2005).

II.

The parties disagree on Mrs. Knapp’s total hours of service in the twelve months preceding her leave requests, with America West claiming she should be credited with approximately 440 hours and Mrs. Knapp claiming she had over 1,900 hours. For purposes of this appeal, though, the determinative question is whether Mrs. Knapp’s reserve duty time should be counted as hours of service.

‘Whether an employee has worked the minimum 1,250 hours of service is determined according to the principles established under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) for determining compensable hours of work.” 29 C.F.R. § 825.110(c). Under the FLSA, “[wjhether waiting time is time worked under the Act depends on particular circumstances.... ‘Facts may show that the employee was engaged to wait or they may show that he waited to be engaged.’ ” Id. § 785.14 (quoting Skidmore v. Swift & Co., 323 U.S. 134, 137, 65 S.Ct. 161, 89 L.Ed. 124 (1944)). The test is whether the time is spent predominantly for the employer’s benefit or for the employee’s. Skidmore, 323 U.S. at 138, 65 S.Ct. 161; Armour & Co. v. Wantock, 323 U.S. 126, 133, 65 S.Ct. 165, 89 L.Ed. 118 (1944). Relevant factors include “consideration of the agreement between the parties, the nature and extent of the restrictions, the relationship between the services rendered and the on-call time, and all surrounding circumstances.” Boehm v. Kan. City Power & Light Co., 868 F.2d 1182, 1185 (10th Cir.1989) (citing Skidmore, 323 U.S. at 137, 65 S.Ct. 161); see also 29 C.F.R. § 785.14. Where, as here, the employee is not required to remain on the employer’s premises, the critical inquiry is whether the employee is able to use the time effectively for her own purposes. Renfro v. City of Emporia, 948 F.2d 1529, 1537 (10th Cir.1991); 29 C.F.R. § 785.17.

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Knapp v. America West Airlines, 207 F. App'x 896 (10th Cir. 2006).

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