Kwikkel-Elliott v. Aid Ass'n for Lutherans

980 F. Supp. 317, 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16209, 1997 WL 640983
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Missouri
DecidedSeptember 17, 1997
DocketNo. 1:96CV00109 ERW
StatusPublished

This text of 980 F. Supp. 317 (Kwikkel-Elliott v. Aid Ass'n for Lutherans) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kwikkel-Elliott v. Aid Ass'n for Lutherans, 980 F. Supp. 317, 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16209, 1997 WL 640983 (E.D. Mo. 1997).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

WEBBER, District Judge.

This matter is before the Court on defendant’s motion for summary judgment [document # 33].

Plaintiffs Tammy Kwikkel-Elliott (“Kwikkel-Elliott”) and William Elliott (“Elliott”) brought this action against the defendant Aid Association for Lutherans (“AAL”) pursuant to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, (“Title VII”), 42 U.S.C. § 2000e, and the Missouri Human Rights Act (“MHRA”), Mo.Rev.Stat. § 213. Plaintiff provided notice to the Court on September 11,1997, that Counts I and II have been resolved by settlement, and that only plaintiff William Elliott’s Count III claim of constructive discharge remains. Accordingly, the portions of defendant’s motion for summary judgment that apply to plaintiff Tammy Kwikkel-Elliott will be denied as moot.

The standards applicable to summary judgment motions are well settled. Pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56(c), a court may grant a motion for summary judgment if all of the information before the court shows “there is no genuine issue of material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” See Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 2550, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986).

The initial burden is placed on the moving party. City of Mt. Pleasant. Iowa v. Associated Elec. Co-op., Inc., 838 F.2d 268, 273 (8th Cir.1988) (moving party has the burden of clearly establishing the non-existence of any genuine issue of fact,that is material to a judgment in its favor). Once this burden is discharged, if the record does in fact bear out that no genuine dispute exists, the burden then shifts to the non-moving party who must set forth affirmative evidence and specific facts showing there is a genuine dispute on that issue. Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 249, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 2510-11, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986).

Once the burden shifts, the non-moving party may not rest on the allegations in his pleadings, but by affidavit or other evidence must set forth specific facts showing that a genuine issue of material fact exists. Fed. R.Civ.P. 56(e). The non-moving party “must do more than simply show that there is some metaphysical doubt as to the material facts.” Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co., Ltd. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 586, 106 S.Ct. 1348, 1356, 89 L.Ed.2d 538 (1986).

This Court is required to view the facts in a light most favorable to the non-moving party, and must give the non-moving party the benefit of any inferences that can logically be drawn from those facts. Matsushita, 475 U.S. at 587, 106 S.Ct. at 1356; Butter v. Buechler, 706 F.2d 844, 846 (8th Cir.1983). Moreover, this Court is required to resolve all conflicts in favor of the non-moving party. Robert Johnson Grain Co. v. Chemical Interchange Co., 541 F.2d 207, 210 (8th Cir.1976). The trial court may not consider the credibility of the witnesses or the weight of the evidence, White v. Pence, 961 F.2d 776, 779 (8th Cir.1992). With these principles in mind, the Court now turns to an examination of the facts.

Although plaintiff Kwikkel-Elliott’s claims have been resolved, the Court finds it necessary to briefly restate the facts surrounding her claims because they bear contextual pertinence to plaintiff Elliott’s claim. In December 1994, Kwikkel-Elliott was divorced from her then husband and on February 8, 1995, Elliott was divorced from his then wife. The two became engaged to be married on [319]*319February 14,1995, and were married in April 1995. Plaintiff Kwikkel-Elliott was employed by AAL as a District Representative (“DR”) from November, 1993, until her discharge in August, 1994. Kwikkel-Elliott was assigned to the Hollingsworth Agency and worked out of the office in Jackson, Missouri. From November 3, 1993, through May, 1994, Kwikkel-Elliott shared the office with two other DRs, plaintiff Elliott and Steve Grebling. On August 4,1994, Plaintiff KwikkelElliott was terminated by her supervisor, General Agent (“GA”), Jack Hollingsworth for her alleged theft of company funds.

Plaintiff Elliott was employed by AAL from 1984, through September 30,1995. Elliott began employment with AAL as a DR in a Florida agency. In December, 1989, Elliott voluntarily transferred to a DR position in the Hollingsworth Agency. Elliott worked in the Cape Girardeau, Missouri, area from 1989, through May 31, 1994. From November, 1993, through May, 1994, Elliott worked out of the office in Jackson, Missouri, which he shared with plaintiff Kwikkel-Elliott and Steve Grebling. In May of 1994, Elliott was promoted to an Assistant General Agent (“AGA”) position in the Carow Agency in St. Louis. Elliott transferred to St. Louis on June 1,1994.

Elliott learned of AAL’s decision to terminate Kwikkel-Elliott during a meeting with Jack Hollingsworth in early August, 1994. Hollingsworth told Elliott about Kwikkel-Elliott’s termination because Elliott was the person who initially recruited Kwikkel-Elliott. Elliott questioned Hollingsworth’s decision to terminate Kwikkel-Elliott. Later that year, without notifying AAL management, Elliott appeared at an unemployment compensation hearing on Kwikkel-Elliott’s behalf. Elliott did not testify at the hearing, but his presence did create tension among AAL management.

Elliott alleges that after Kwikkel-Elliott’s discharge, he experienced a series of career “set backs.” First, he was told that AAL management was concerned about his appearance at Kwikkel-Elliott’s unemployment compensation hearing and questioned his loyalty. Next, he was told by several members of management that if he valued his career, he should distance himself from KwikkelElliott. He was removed from his position as a AGA and placed back in the position of a DR, a position he previously held. As a DR, he states his average salary was $140,000 a year. Elliott asserts that after he failed to distance himself from Kwikkel-Elliott, he experienced a complete loss of support in the company which led to his constructive discharge. He claims he was yelled at by a supervisor, not given consideration for a sales territory he wanted, and lied to, which all made his working conditions intolerable. Elliott resigned on September 30,1995.

Defendant denies that Elliott was constructively discharged. Defendant asserts that throughout 1994, and up to September 30, 1995, there were numerous problems and complaints regarding Elliott’s job performance, judgment and insubordination. Specifically, defendant alleges the following facts. In September, 1,994, two customers made complaints against Elliott.

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Related

Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc.
477 U.S. 242 (Supreme Court, 1986)
Paul Carter v. William L. Ball, III
33 F.3d 450 (Fourth Circuit, 1994)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
980 F. Supp. 317, 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16209, 1997 WL 640983, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kwikkel-elliott-v-aid-assn-for-lutherans-moed-1997.