Lovoi v. Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority

6 Am. Tribal Law 499, 2 G.D.R. 138
Procedural entryThis page is a short order in Lovoi v. Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority. Read the opinion of the Court — 5 Am. Tribal Law 335
Mohegan Gaming Disputes Trial Court·Decided July 6, 2005·No. No. GDTC-D-02-156·Published

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OF DECISION ON DEFENDANT’S “MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT”

WILSON, Judge.

I.

Introduction

The pro se Plaintiff filed the complaint in this action under the Mohegan Discriminatory Employment Practices Ordinance, MTO 2002-04 (The “Ordinance”) against the Defendant Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority (“MTGA”) and a MTGA employee, William Velardo. She alleged that she was discharged from her employment with the MTGA as a result of discriminatory employment practices, and she requested the court to order such relief as is proper and available under the Ordinance.

After a series of pleadings, issue was joined and the Defendant MTGA 1 moved for summary judgment on the grounds that the Plaintiff has “no viable cause of action”; that she “states a litany of petty grievances, many of them imaginary”; and that the Defendant “had substantial, legitimate, non-discriminatory reasons for dismissing the Plaintiff from employment.” For the reasons herein stated, the Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment is granted.

II.

Procedural History

The Plaintiff, a 52 year old female former employee of the Defendant MTGA, filed a Discriminatory Employment Practice Complaint dated November 30, 2002 alleging that she was wrongfully, and dis-criminatorily, terminated from her employment at Fidelia’s Restaurant at the Mohegan Sun Casino, a gaming facility operated by the Defendant MTGA. The initial complaint named as Defendant both the MTGA and William Velardo, a MTGA employee.

The MTGA is the authorized agency of the Mohegan Tribe of Indians of Connecticut, a federally recognized Tribe. The Mohegan Tribe duly adopted a Mohegan Tribal Discriminatory Employment Practices Ordinance, MTO 2002-04, “in order to provide anti-discriminatory provisions for its employment applicants and its employees.” § 1.02

Plaintiffs complaint alleged discriminatory employment practices based on “gender”, “age’, “physical disability when reasonable accommodation is possible”, “exercise of rights under Connecticut Workers Compensation Act, Tribal Law or Regulation”, and “retaliation a-, a íe-sult of the filing of a complaint, or the testimony or being about to testify in a proceeding under the Mohegan Tribal Discriminatory Practices.” The complaint [502] attached an un-sworn “affidavit” of the Plaintiff in which she alleged wrongful termination.

There followed a series of pleadings including requests to revise the complaint, amended complaints, and motions directed at the pleadings. On October 17, 2003 this court granted the Defendant’s Motion to Strike as to the Defendant William Velar-do, thereby dismissing the case as to him. Lovoi v. MTGA, 2 G.D.R. 32, 4 Am. Tribal Law 574, 2003 WL 25705205 (2003); this court also dismissed additional counts filed by the Plaintiff against the Defendant MTGA on the grounds that they were either redundant to the original complaint and/or barred by the sovereign immunity of the Tribe. Ibid. Thereafter, the court clarified that ruling and reiterated that the Plaintiffs original complaint stated claims cognizable under MTO 2002-04, against the MTGA only. Lovoi v. MTGA, 2 G.D.R. 84, 5 Am. Tribal 333, 2004 WL 5660104 (2004). The Plaintiff then moved for summary judgment. Because the Plaintiff failed to comply with Rule 49 of the Rules of Civil Procedure by filing any documents which showed that there was no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the Plaintiff was entitled to judgment as a matter of law, the court denied the motion. Lovoi v. MTGA, 2 G.D.R. 106, 5 Am. Tribal Law 333, 2004 WL 5660116 (2004). Thereafter, the Defendant filed an answer which denied the allegations of the Plaintiffs complaint and specially pleaded four special defenses, which the Plaintiff has denied.

The Court granted the Defendant’s Motion for Leave to File a Motion for Summary Judgment2 and the Defendant has now so moved.

The Defendant’s motion argues that the “Plaintiff has demonstrated she has no viable cause of action”; that she does not state facts to support a claim under MTO 2002-04; that there were “substantial, legitimate non-discriminatory reasons for dismissing the Plaintiff from employment,” and “that she was given notice of her shortcomings and the opportunity to correct them.” As required by Rule 49 of the Rules of Civil Procedure the Defendant filed in support of its motion, a Memorandum , of Law, sworn affidavits of Mark Smith, Nada Valentin, and defense counsel, and eight exhibits, including records of discussion, incident reports, personnel action forms, a job description form and the Plaintiffs deposition testimony.

The Plaintiffs objection to the Defendant’s Motion consists of a Memorandum arguing, pro se, that she does have a viable cause of action and “that the Defendant’s intentionally and maliciously discriminated against this Plaintiff wrongfully and unprofessionally.” She appended a newspaper account of the recent decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in Smith v. (My of Jackson, 544 U.S. 228, 125 S.Ct. 1536, 161 L.Ed.2d 410 (2005) which she argues supports her claim. She did not file any opposing affidavits or other documentary evidence as provided by Rule 49.

[503] Oral argument was had and both parties presented their arguments. The court finds that the pleadings and other proof show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the Defendant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.

III.

Applicable Law

A. MTO 2002-04

This action is brought pursuant to MTO 2002-04 the “Mohegan Discriminatory Employment Practices Ordinance;” which has the following relevant provisions:

§ 102(C)(1) of the Ordinance provides that the Tribe “does not consent to the applicability of Title VII of the Civil Rights the Age Discrimination in Employ - ment Act, or the American Disabilities Act

: Subsection (C)(3) provides that in the event of any conflict between the provisions of MTO 2002-04 and the Mohegan Tribal Employment Rights Ordinance, (“TERO”), the provisions of TERO shall prevail.

The following must be noted about § 102:

“ ... Statutes (other than ERISA) that would regulate the relations between tribes and their employees have generally been ruled inapplicable [to Indian Tribes] . .. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 expressly excepts Indian Tribes from coverage. 42 U.S.C. § 2OO0e(b) ... The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (Af)EA), which has no such exception, has been ruled to be inapplicable [to Indian Tribes] as an undue interference, respectively, with treaty or inherent rights of tribal self-government.” Canby, American Indian Law, 284 (4th Ed.2004) (citation omitted.) See Winslow v. MTGA, 2 G.D.R. 48, 49, 5 Am. Tribal Law 292, 2004 WL 5660105 (2004).

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Lovoi v. Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority, 6 Am. Tribal Law 499, 2 G.D.R. 138 (Mo. 2005).

6 Am. Tribal Law 499 (Lovoi v. Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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