Lewis v. New York City Police Department

908 F. Supp. 2d 313, 2012 WL 5467551, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 161247
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. New York
DecidedNovember 9, 2012
DocketNo. 09-cv-5472 (SLT)(CLP)
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 908 F. Supp. 2d 313 (Lewis v. New York City Police Department) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lewis v. New York City Police Department, 908 F. Supp. 2d 313, 2012 WL 5467551, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 161247 (E.D.N.Y. 2012).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

TOWNES, District Judge:

Crystal D. Lewis (“Plaintiff’) brings this action against the New York City Police Department (the “NYPD”) and Commissioner Raymond Kelly (the “Commissioner”) (together, “Defendants”), alleging that Defendants discriminated against her in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (“Title VII”), 42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq. and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (“ADEA”), 29 U.S.C. § 621, et seq., as well as discriminated and retaliated against her in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), 42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq. and the Family Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”), 29 U.S.C. § 2601 et seq. Defendants have moved for summary judgment, alleging that some of Plaintiffs claims are time-barred or unexhausted. With regard to Plaintiffs remaining claims, Defendants argue that Plaintiff has not met her bur[318]*318den. For the reasons that follow, the court grants Defendants’ motion in its entirety.

I. Standards of Review

Summary judgment is appropriate only when “there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Fed. R. Crv. P. 56(a). ' In deciding a summary judgment motion, the court must construe the evidence in the light most favorable to the non-moving party and draw all reasonable inferences in its favor. Niagara Mohawk Power Corp. v. Jones Chemical Inc., 315 F.3d 171, 175 (2d Cir.2003) (citing Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 255, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986)). Additionally, “[a] pro se party’s submissions are to be read liberally, a requirement that is especially strong in the summary judgment context, where a pro se plaintiffs claims are subject to a final dismissal.” Ferguson v. Bizzario, 2010 WL 4227298, at *3 (S.D.N.Y. Oct. 19, 2010).

Initially, the burden is on the moving party to demonstrate the absence of a genuine issue of material fact. Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 323, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). If the moving party satisfies its burden, the non-moving party must assert specific facts demonstrating that there is a genuine issue of fact. Anderson, 477 U.S. at 250, 106 S.Ct. 2505. Importantly, 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. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 586, 106 S.Ct. 1348, 89 L.Ed.2d 538 (1986). Instead, to defeat a summary judgment motion there must be sufficient evidence upon which a reasonable fact finder could return a verdict for the non-moving party. Anderson, 477 U.S. at 248-49, 106 S.Ct. 2505.

II. Background

The parties do not dispute the following facts which are construed in a light most favorable to Plaintiff, the non-moving party. On November 14,1980, Plaintiff began her employment with the NYPD as a police administrative aide (“Police Aide”). (Defendants’ Statement of Facts (“Defs. SOF”) ¶ 2; Plaintiffs Deposition (“PI. Dep.”) at 11.) As a Police Aide, Plaintiff rotated daily among five different clerical posts.1 (Defs. SOF ¶ 3; PI. Dep. at 12, 16, 18.) Plaintiff worked as a Police Aide at the Brooklyn Court Section of the NYPD until her first termination on October 22, 2007. (Defs. SOF. ¶ 4.) Following her reinstatement, Plaintiff worked as a Police Aide at the Brooklyn Police Tow Pound, where she remained until her second termination on November 13, 2009. (Defs. SOF ¶ 5.)

A. Plaintiffs FMLA Leave

Plaintiff applied for and received FMLA leave in 2003, although the record does not appear to indicate the medical reason. (Defs. SOF ¶ 31.) In March of 2004, Plaintiff again requested FMLA leave due to her medical condition. (Id. ¶ 32.) Lieutenant Seth Schoen reviewed that request and the supporting documentation and approved FMLA leave for one to three days per month for a period of twelve months to commence March 18, 2004. (Id.) Schoen indicated, however, that because Plaintiff was already in Step IV, she must follow [319]*319civilian employee sick procedures for any sick leave not falling under the approved leave.2 (Id.)

At some point thereafter, although it is not clear precisely why or when, Edward Liburd, a wage and hour investigator,- conducted an investigation to determine whether Schoen’s division was in compliance with the FMLA as it applied to Plaintiff. (Ex. Q Attached to Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment (“Defs. MSJ”).) In a letter dated July 23, 2004 Liburd indicated that the investigation had been concluded and wrote to Schoen to notify him of the findings. Liburd noted that in discussions with Schoen in June of 2004, Schoen had “expressed a concern regarding [Plaintiffs] leave exceeding the three days per month.” (Id.) Liburd acknowledged that the “number of leave days taken [by Plaintiff] to date is unknown,” but concluded that given Plaintiffs five day workweek, “extending the maximum number of days to be taken in a month to five would be appropriate,” and that the FMLA permits “a maximum of five days per month, for a total of 60 days in a twelve month period.” (Id.) He also indicated that Plaintiff “continues to document and express a concern for having her leave be[] used as a negative factor in employment actions, specifically with respect to her performance evaluations.” (Id.) Liburd expressed no opinion on this, and merely concluded that Sehoen’s division was in “compliance with [the FMLA] as long as [Schoen] do[es] not use any employees’ Family Medical Leave as a negative factor in employment actions.” (Id.)

In a letter dated September 24, 2004, an assistant deputy commissioner with the Legal Bureau addressed the issue left open by Liburd’s letter — the number of days of leave Plaintiff had claimed. (Ex. R Attached to Defs. MSJ.) In its response to a request by the command at the Brooklyn Court Section “for clarification of the [FMLA] as it applies to [Plaintiff],” an assistant deputy commissioner at the Legal Bureau concluded that, notwithstanding Schoen’s approval of Plaintiffs request for FMLA through March 17, 2005, upon review of Plaintiffs timekeeping records and the relevant statutory provisions, Plaintiff “is not entitled to the protections of FMLA coverage at this time.” (Id.) That conclusion was based on the FMLA’s requirement that an employee have worked 1,250 hours during the 12-month period immediately preceding the requested leave, and that the record indicated that, as of September 23, 2004, Plaintiff had worked only 945.02 hours since September 2003. (Id.)

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Bluebook (online)
908 F. Supp. 2d 313, 2012 WL 5467551, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 161247, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lewis-v-new-york-city-police-department-nyed-2012.