Leake v. University of Cincinnati

93 F.R.D. 460, 28 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 330, 1982 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10908
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Ohio
DecidedJanuary 29, 1982
DocketNo. C-3-80-449
StatusPublished

This text of 93 F.R.D. 460 (Leake v. University of Cincinnati) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Ohio primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Leake v. University of Cincinnati, 93 F.R.D. 460, 28 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 330, 1982 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10908 (S.D. Ohio 1982).

Opinion

DECISION AND ENTRY OVERRULING DEFENDANTS’ MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT; CONFERENCE CALL SET TO DETERMINE TRIAL DATE AND OTHER DATES

RICE, District Judge.

I. Introduction

This matter is before the Court pursuant to the Motion for Summary Judgment filed by Defendant Warren Bennis, Defendant William Aeschbacher, Defendant Campbell Crockett, and Defendant University of Cincinnati (hereinafter referred to collectively as Defendants). Briefly, the relevant background of this action is as follows. Since 1969, Plaintiff Jane Leake has been a professor of history at the Raymond Walters General and Technical College of the University of Cincinnati (hereinafter referred to as Raymond Walters College), a two year branch campus of the University. Prior to that time, since 1961, Plaintiff had taught in various capacities at the main campus of the University of Cincinnati, including visiting professorships in the department of history in 1965-66, 1966-67, and 1968-69. Plaintiff had attempted to obtain a regular position at the main campus of the University prior to accepting the position at Raymond Walters College, but had been unable to do so. During the 1971-72 academic year, Dabney Park, an assistant professor of history at the main campus, was on a leave of absence, and Guido Ruggiero was hired as a visiting professor of history to replace Park for that year. During the winter of 1972, the University approved an extension of Park’s leave of absence, and again searched for a person to fill his position. Although approximately twenty persons applied for the position, only Ruggiero was interviewed by the Search Committee. That Committee recommended that Ruggiero be hired for the 1972-1973 academic year as a replacement for Park, and the Department of History approved this recommendation with the understanding that if feasible, the position would be permanent, or tenure track. Aeschbacher, the Head of the History Department, conveyed this recommendation to Campbell Crockett, the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and on March 29, 1972, Crockett wrote to Ruggiero, offering him a two year appointment in the History Department. During the summer of 1972, Plaintiff became aware of the possibility of a regular appointment in medieval history at the main campus, and wrote to Aeschbacher to inquire about such a possibility. In September, 1972, Aeschbacher wrote to Plaintiff informing her that no opening in medieval studies was available. On October 3, 1972, the Board of Trustees of the University approved Ruggiero’s appointment.

On April 17, 1973, Plaintiff filed charges with the EEOC, and after receiving her Notice of Right to Sue from that agency on December 1,1975, filed the within action on February 24,1976, alleging that Defendants had violated her rights under 42 U.S.C. [462]*462§§ 2000e, et seq., and 20 U.S.C. §§ 1681, et seq. Judge Porter dismissed Plaintiff’s Complaint on September 16, 1976, finding that since Plaintiff had not filed her charge with the EEOC within 180 days of October 3, 1972, her claim was time-barred under 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e). Judge Porter specifically ruled that the statutory period in § 2000e-5(e) was jurisdictional and could not be waived by either party. In addition, the Judge rejected Plaintiff’s claim of a continuing violation, by finding that the transaction in question was isolated. Finally, Judge Porter dismissed Plaintiff’s § 1681 claim by ruling that § 1681 did not provide a private right of action. On appeal, the Sixth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of Plaintiff’s § 1681 claim, by holding that although a private right of action could be inferred under Title IX, the protection of § 1681 did not extend to employees of educational institutions. Leake v. University of Cincinnati, 605 F.2d 255, 259-260 (6th Cir. 1979) (Leake). In that decision, the Sixth Circuit also reversed the dismissal of Plaintiff’s Title VII claims, and remanded the case to the district court. Id. at 260. The Court found that although Plaintiff’s EEOC charge was not filed within 180 days of the alleged discriminatory act, “negotiations between plaintiff and the University and the affirmative conduct of defendant as set forth in the University counsel’s letter ... tolled the time period within which plaintiff was required to file charges.” Id. at 258.

Following remand, Defendants filed an answer (Doc. # 19), and the case was transferred from Judge Porter’s docket to the docket of Judge Rubin (Doc. # 30), and finally, to this Court’s docket on October 9, 1980 (Doc. # 32). On July 10, 1981, Defendants filed the Motion for Summary Judgment which is presently under consideration. In the memorandum accompanying that Motion, Defendants have presented four points with respect to which, they contend, there are no genuine issues of material fact. First, Defendants claim that Plaintiff does not have standing to maintain the present action because she did not apply for the job given to Guido Ruggiero. Second, Defendants assert that Plaintiff is precluded from recovery herein, because the operative acts forming the basis of her claim occurred prior to the time, i.e., March 24, 1972, when Title VII was amended to make parties such as the University of Cincinnati legally responsible for alleged discriminatory actions. Third, Defendants maintain that even if Plaintiff had applied, she would not have been hired. As a fourth and final basis for summary judgment, Defendants argue that Plaintiff’s charge was not timely filed with the EEOC because it was not filed within either 180 or 224 days (allowing for tolling of 44 days, pursuant to the Sixth Circuit decision in Leake) of the March 29, 1972 offer of employment to Ruggiero.

On August 10, 1981, Plaintiff filed a memorandum responding to the above points, and on August 12, 1981, arguments on the within matter were presented to the Court pursuant to an oral hearing. After consideration of the properly authenticated materials submitted herein,1 the Court has concluded that genuine issues of material fact do exist, and that Defendants are not entitled to summary judgment as a matter of law. In setting forth the reasons for its decision, the Court will briefly summarize the appropriate standards for determination of a motion brought under Fed.R.Civ.P. 56, and will then apply those criteria to the issues raised by Defendants.

II. Rule 56 Standards

With regard to summary judgment, Rule 56(c) provides that:

The judgment sought shall be rendered forthwith if the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law.

[463]*463In McHenry v. Ford Motor Co., 269 F.2d 18 (6th Cir. 1959), the Sixth Circuit indicated that:

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93 F.R.D. 460, 28 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 330, 1982 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10908, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/leake-v-university-of-cincinnati-ohsd-1982.