Leaphart v. Williamson

850 F. Supp. 2d 956, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14265, 95 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 44,413, 2012 WL 394207
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Arkansas
DecidedFebruary 7, 2012
DocketNo. 4:10CV02035 JLH
StatusPublished

This text of 850 F. Supp. 2d 956 (Leaphart v. Williamson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Leaphart v. Williamson, 850 F. Supp. 2d 956, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14265, 95 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 44,413, 2012 WL 394207 (E.D. Ark. 2012).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

J. LEON HOLMES, District Judge.

Catherine Leaphart brings this action against the previous Mayor and City Council members of Russellville, Arkansas, pursuant to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e (2006); 42 U.S.C. § 1981 (2006); 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (2006); and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, 29 U.S.C.A. § 623(a) (West 2008), alleging that the defendants dis[958]*958criminated against her on the basis of race and age. Leaphart also asserts various state law claims. The defendants have moved for summary judgment.1 The motion for summary judgment will be granted in part and denied in part.

On February 2, 2010, Christi Williams resigned as Director of Human Resources for the City of Russellville. The City posted a job advertising the position and received more than twenty applications. The Mayor and his assistant selected five applicants, including Leaphart, and the City Council interviewed each of these applicants in the Mayor’s presence. Pursuant to Ordinance No. 1632 and Ark.Code Ann. § 14-42-110 (Repl.1998), the Mayor had the final authority to hire and fire department heads, such as the Director of Human Resources, subject to a two-thirds veto by the Council.

Although there is evidence that some of the Council members considered Leaphart to be highly qualified, the Council agreed on two other “top” candidates, both of whom were white. Leaphart offers evidence that the Mayor hired her as Director of Human Resources on Friday, March 5, 2010. Thereafter, he left for a trip to Oklahoma. On Sunday, March 7, the Council held a special meeting to enact Ordinance No. 2073. The ordinance abolished the Human Resources Department, including the director position, and established a non-department head position entitled “Human Resources,” employed at the will of the Council. Leaphart offers evidence that the Council had not had a Sunday meeting in at least twenty years.

The parties disagree about whether the Council knew that the Mayor had hiredLeaphart. Alderman Kirchner testified in his deposition that before the Sunday meeting he was called by the personnel committee chairman, Alderman Wiley. Wiley indicated that the reason for the meeting was that the Council did not believe that the Mayor was going to hire either of the recommended candidates but would name Leaphart as the new Director of Human Resources. The parties also disagree about whether the Sunday meeting was the result of a long-term plan to eliminate the Human Resources Department. The Council met for a regularly scheduled meeting on February 18, 2010 where they discussed, inter alia, the following agenda item: “Consideration of Discussion to Change Human Resource Position to fall under Finance Director-Alderwoman Harris.” However, that item was withdrawn.

The Mayor vetoed the new ordinance when he returned on Monday, March 8. Later that day, the Council unanimously voted to override the Mayor’s veto. On March 9, the Council voted to overturn the Mayor’s hiring of Leaphart. The Council subsequently hired one of the younger, white candidates for the newly created human resources position.

A court should enter summary judgment if the evidence, viewed in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party, demonstrates that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(a); see also Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 249-50, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 2511, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986); Torgerson v. City of Rochester, 643 F.3d 1031, 1042 (8th Cir. 2011) (en banc). A genuine dispute of material fact exists only if the evidence is sufficient to allow a jury to return a verdict for the nonmoving party. Anderson, 477 U.S. at 249, 106 S.Ct. at 2511.

[959]*959The parties agree that Leaphart’s claims of race and age discrimination pursuant to Title VII and the ADEA are analyzed under the familiar McDonnell Douglas burden-shifting framework. See Young-Losee v. Graphic Packaging Intern., Inc., 631 F.3d 909, 912 (8th Cir.2011) (Title VII); Haigh v. Gelita USA, Inc., 632 F.3d 464, 468 (8th Cir.2011) (the ADEA). Under McDonnell Douglas, the plaintiff must first establish a prima facie case of discrimination. Fields v. Shelter Mut. Ins. Co., 520 F.3d 859, 864 (8th Cir.2008). A prima facie case of discrimination requires proof that the plaintiff is a member of a protected class, she was qualified for an open position, she was denied the position, and the employer filled the position with a person not in the same protected class. Amini v. City of Minneapolis, 643 F.3d 1068, 1074 (8th Cir.2011).2 The burden then shifts to the City to state a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason for not hiring her. Id. Once the City states such a reason, the burden shifts back to the plaintiff to show that the stated reason is a pretext for discrimination.

For the purposes of this motion, the defendants concede that Leaphart can establish the first three elements of her prima facie case. Leaphart has offered evidence that on February 18, the Council decided to leave the Human Resources Department and the director position unaltered or, at least, to postpone any changes. Two weeks later, however, after learning that the Mayor was planning to hire Leap-hart rather than the recommended younger, white candidates, the Council reversed course by assembling for an unprecedented Sunday meeting in order to eliminate the director position. Subsequently, the Council hired one of the younger, white candidates to fill the newly created human resources position. A jury could find that the Council went to a great deal of trouble to interfere with the Mayor’s effort to hire a qualified, older, black candidate. That finding, combined with the fact that the Council preferred younger, white candidates and filled the new human resources position with a younger, white individual, satisfies the low burden at the prima facie stage. Id.; see also Torgerson v. City of Rochester, 643 F.3d 1031, 1047 (8th Cir. 2011) (en banc) (“ ‘The burden of establishing a prima facie case of disparate treatment is not onerous.’ ”) (quoting Tex. Dept. of Cmty. Affairs v. Burdine, 450 U.S. 248, 253, 101 S.Ct. 1089, 67 L.Ed.2d 207 (1981)).

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Related

Texas Department of Community Affairs v. Burdine
450 U.S. 248 (Supreme Court, 1981)
Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc.
477 U.S. 242 (Supreme Court, 1986)
Bogan v. Scott-Harris
523 U.S. 44 (Supreme Court, 1998)
Young-Losee v. Graphic Packaging International, Inc.
631 F.3d 909 (Eighth Circuit, 2011)
Haigh v. Gelita USA, Inc.
632 F.3d 464 (Eighth Circuit, 2011)
Torgerson v. City of Rochester
643 F.3d 1031 (Eighth Circuit, 2011)
Amini v. City of Minneapolis
643 F.3d 1068 (Eighth Circuit, 2011)
Hinshaw v. Smith
436 F.3d 997 (Eighth Circuit, 2006)
Reeves v. Sanderson Plumbing Products, Inc.
530 U.S. 133 (Supreme Court, 2000)
Fields v. Shelter Mutual Insurance
520 F.3d 859 (Eighth Circuit, 2008)
Smith v. American Greetings Corp.
804 S.W.2d 683 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1991)
Dodson v. Allstate Insurance
47 S.W.3d 866 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 2001)
Faulkner v. Arkansas Children's Hospital
69 S.W.3d 393 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 2002)

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Bluebook (online)
850 F. Supp. 2d 956, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14265, 95 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 44,413, 2012 WL 394207, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/leaphart-v-williamson-ared-2012.