Larmanger v. Kaiser Foundation Health Plan

805 F. Supp. 2d 1050, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 81901, 2011 WL 3159897
CourtDistrict Court, D. Oregon
DecidedJuly 26, 2011
DocketNo. 3:11-CV-89-BR
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 805 F. Supp. 2d 1050 (Larmanger v. Kaiser Foundation Health Plan) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Oregon primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Larmanger v. Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, 805 F. Supp. 2d 1050, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 81901, 2011 WL 3159897 (D. Or. 2011).

Opinion

BROWN, District Judge.

This matter comes before the Court on the Motion (# 10) to Dismiss of Defendants Chris Kitchel and Ryan Gibson. For the reasons that follow, the Court GRANTS Defendants’ Motion.

BACKGROUND

The following facts are taken from Plaintiffs First Amended Complaint:

In 1989 Defendant Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Northwest, which is fully owned and controlled by Defendant Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. (collectively referred to as Kaiser), hired Plaintiff Kimerie Larmanger. During the time pertinent to this case, Plaintiff was a Patient Care Manager.

In October 2008 Plaintiff reported a subordinate employee to Kaiser “management/compliance” for committing time-card fraud. “Near the same time,” Plaintiff reported a different employee for committing violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIP-PA). After an investigation, Plaintiff alleges Kaiser fired both of the individuals reported by Plaintiff over the objection of Defendant Shawn Ferguson, a manager in Kaiser’s Human Resources Department.

According to Plaintiff, after the employees were fired, Kaiser began “a campaign of retaliation against [her] instigated by Ferguson and aided by other Defendants ... with the intention of ‘documenting out’ Plaintiff from employment which eventually included ‘stacking’ her employment file with documents purporting to reflect her performance.”

Plaintiff alleges she reported the retaliation and harassment to a number of Kaiser managers and to the Kaiser complaint hotline several times, but the alleged retaliation and harassment by Ferguson and Defendant Justin McGowan continued.

On November 13, 2009, Ferguson and McGowan placed Plaintiff on a “Corrective Action” disciplinary plan.

On December 3, 2009, Plaintiff met with Defendants Chris Kitchel and Ryan Gibson, attorneys employed by the law firm of Stoel Rives, “regarding a civil action in which they were representing KAISER brought by ... the same employee that Plaintiff had reported for time card fraud.” During the meeting Kitchel “asked what Plaintiff had been through regarding the incident involving the former employee.” Plaintiff “relayed the details of the investigation that ensued” and the alleged retaliation she had experienced from Ferguson, McGowan “and others.”

On January 20, 2010, Plaintiff met again with Kitchel and Gibson “to prepare for [Plaintiffs] deposition” in the action filed by the employee terminated for time-card fraud.

[1053]*1053On January 21, 2010, Plaintiff was deposed in the matter of the employee terminated for time-card fraud. Kitchel and Gibson appeared at deposition on behalf of Kaiser.

Also on January 21, 2010, Plaintiff submitted a Leave of Absence-Medical Leave Request form seeking intermittent medical leave due to migraine headaches. On February 1, 2010, Plaintiff faxed a medical certification to Kaiser to support her request for intermittent medical leave.

On February 8, 2010, Plaintiff was terminated by Kaiser “at the behest of McGowan aided by Ferguson.”

On May 4, 2010, Gibson contacted Plaintiff regarding “the deposition of a former employee that had filed a civil action against KAISER, the same employee that Plaintiff had reported for HIPPA violations.” Gibson advised Plaintiff that he and Kitchel “wanted to prepare Plaintiff for the deposition.”

Throughout May 2010 Gibson attempted to communicate with Plaintiff several times “regarding representation in the deposition.” Plaintiff, however, did not “directly respond” to Gibson. Although it is not clear from the First Amended Complaint, Plaintiff advised the Court at oral argument that she was not deposed in the matter of the employee terminated for HIPPA violations.

On January 24, 2011, Plaintiff filed an action in this Court against Kaiser, McGowan, Ferguson, Kitchel, and Gibson in which Plaintiff brought claims against Kaiser for (1) violation of the Family Medial Leave Act (FMLA), 29 U.S.C. § 2601, et seq.; (2) violation of the Oregon Family Leave Act (OFLA), Or.Rev.Stat. § 659A.150, et seq.; (3) disability discrimination in violation of Or.Rev.Stat. § 659A.109 and/or § 659A.112; (4) violation of whistle-blower protection under Or. Rev.Stat. § 659A.199, (5) violation of whistleblower protection under Or.Rev.Stat. § 659A.230, (6) retaliation for opposing unlawful discrimination in violation of Or. Rev.Stat. § 659A.030(l)(f); (7) failure to pay back-wages in violation of Or.Rev.Stat. § 659A.140; and (8) wrongful discharge. Plaintiff also brought a claim against McGowan, Ferguson, Kitchel, and Gibson for aiding and abetting discrimination in violation of Or.Rev.Stat. § 659A.030(l)(g) and a claim against Kitchel and Gibson for breach of fiduciary duty.

On February 22, 2011, Plaintiff filed a First Amended Complaint to include additional facts to support all of her claims.

On March 14, 2011, Defendants Kitchel and Gibson filed a Motion to Dismiss [Plaintiffs First] Amended Complaint.

On June 1, 2011, the Court heard oral argument on Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss.

STANDARDS

To survive a motion to dismiss, a complaint must contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to “state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.” [Bell Atlantic v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544,] 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929. A claim has facial plausibility when the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged. Id. at 556, 127 S.Ct. 1955. The plausibility standard is not akin to a “probability requirement,” but it asks for more than a sheer possibility that a defendant has acted unlawfully. Ibid. Where a complaint pleads facts that are “merely consistent with” a defendant’s liability, it “stops short of the line between possibility and plausibility of ‘entitlement to relief.’ ” Id. at 557, 127 S.Ct. 1955 (brackets omitted).

[1054]*1054Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 1949, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009). See also Bell Atlantic v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555-56, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007). The court must accept as true the allegations in the complaint and construe them in favor of the plaintiff. Intri-Plex Tech., Inc. v.

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805 F. Supp. 2d 1050, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 81901, 2011 WL 3159897, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/larmanger-v-kaiser-foundation-health-plan-ord-2011.