Lynch v. Sperry Rand Corp.

62 F.R.D. 78, 18 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 476, 1973 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10490, 7 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 9044, 6 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1306
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedDecember 26, 1973
DocketNo. 70 Civ. 4809
StatusPublished
Cited by44 cases

This text of 62 F.R.D. 78 (Lynch v. Sperry Rand Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lynch v. Sperry Rand Corp., 62 F.R.D. 78, 18 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 476, 1973 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10490, 7 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 9044, 6 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1306 (S.D.N.Y. 1973).

Opinion

OPINION

FREDERICK van PELT BRYAN, District Judge:

This suit is brought as a class action on behalf of all present and former male employees of defendant Sperry' Rand Corporation (Sperry), who are participants in Sperry’s retirement pension plans. The complaint charges that the Sperry pension plans discriminate against male employees and retirees and in favor of women in similar status, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq.)1

The essence of the charges of sex discrimination under the Sperry pension plans is (1) that women are permitted to retire on full pension at the age of 60 whereas men may not retire on full pension until the age of 65, and (2) that women are entitled to early retirement at age 50 whereas men are not entitled to early retirement benefits until age 55.

The plaintiffs include: (1) 27 male employees or former employees of the Sperry Gyroscope Division and the now closed Ford Instrument Division of Sperry, both in New York State. The individual plaintiffs are all participants in Sperry retirement plans;

(2) Four local unions of the International Union of Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers and an Engineers union, which are collective bargaining agents for employees in these two Sperry divisions; and

(3) The International Union of Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers, which has affiliated locals acting as bargaining agents for employees of Sperry in various divisions throughout the United States.

The complaint seeks:

(1) A declaratory judgment holding that the practices and policies under the Sperry pension plans violate Title VII of the 1964 Act by discriminating against men and in favor of women;

(2) Injunctive relief against continuation of such practices and policies and directing appropriate adjustment in the plans to eliminate them;

(3) Monetary relief to those male employees and retirees who have been un[81]*81favorably affected by the alleged discrimination ; and

(4) Costs and attorneys fees.

Sperry’s answer denies all allegations of discrimination against male employees and any violations of Title VII in its retirement pension plans and alleges three affirmative defenses and a counterclaim against the union plaintiffs.2

It is unnecessary to review here the extensive prior proceedings in this action. Suffice it to say that motions and cross motions between parties were held in abeyance or delayed for a long time by very extensive discovery proceedings. At the present time, the following motions are before the Court:

(1) A motion by plaintiffs under Rule 23(c)(1), Fed.R.Civ.P., to determine that the suit may be maintained as a class action and to determine the composition of the class.

(2) Motions by plaintiffs to strike Sperry’s first and third affirmative defenses and its counterclaim on the ground that they are legally insufficient.

(3) A motion by Sperry for judgment for defendant on the ground of failure of plaintiffs to join indispensable parties defendant or, in the alternative, to require that the union plaintiffs be realigned as parties defendant.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has filed briefs as an ami-cus curiae in support of plaintiffs’ motions to dismiss the first and third affirmative defenses and for a class action determination.

I. The Class Action Motion

Since disposition of the plaintiffs’ motion for a class action determination under Rule 23 will necessarily resolve several questions raised by the motions addressed to the pleadings, the class action ; motion will be considered first.

Voluminous affidavits and depositions, answers to interrogatories, and other materials have been submitted to the Court on these motions. These materials as well as the briefs submitted contain charges and countercharges by each side against the other. All this has succeeded in muddying the waters considerably. Each side apparently seeks to obtain rulings at this early stage of the proceeding which go beyond the scope of the motions now before the Court.

As Judge Medina recently said in Eisen v. Carlisle & Jacquelin (III), 479 F.2d 1005, 1016 (2d Cir.), cert, granted, 414 U.S. 908, 94 S.Ct. 235, 38 L.Ed.2d 146 (1973):

We agree with the ruling by the Fifth Circuit in Miller v. Mackey International, Inc., 452 F.2d 424 (5th Cir. 1971), that the preliminary hearing on the merits was improper. As [82]*82stated by Judge Wisdom, 452 F.2d at page 427: '
In determining the propriety of a class action, the question is not whether the plaintiff or plaintiffs have stated a cause of action or will prevail on the merits, but rather whether the requirements of Rule 23 are met.

A. The Requirements of Rule 23(a).

It is plain that the action has normal attributes of a typical class action. The class on whose behalf suit is filed, consisting of a large number of Sperry employees and retirees, is so numerous that joinder of all the members of the class is plainly impracticable. Rule 23(a)(1). Questions of law and fact with respect to the alleged discrimination are common to the class. Rule 23(a)(2). The claims, at least of the plaintiff employees as representative parties, are typical of the members of the class. Rule 23(a)(3). Thus, three of the four prerequisites of a class action prescribed in Rule 23(a) are clearly fulfilled.

The fourth prerequisite — that the representative parties will fairly and adequately protect the interests of the class, Rule 23(a)(4) — is the only one seriously challenged here.

To fairly and adequately protect the interests of the class, the class representatives must have interests that coincide with the class members and must be able to assure the Court that in representing them they will vigorously prosecute the action through competent attorneys. E. g., Herbst v. Able, 47 F. R.D. 11, 15 (S.D.N.Y.1969); Dolgow v. Anderson, 43 F.R.D. 472, 494 (E.D.N.Y. 1968); Mersay v. First Republic Corp. of America, 43 F.R.D. 465, 469 (S.D.N. Y.1968).

There are two groups of plaintiffs who together seek to represent the male Sperry employees and former employees who will be members of the class. The first group consists of the 27 individual plaintiffs, all of whom are employees or retired employees of Sperry, who claim to be affected by the alleged discrimination. The second group is comprised of 6 unions, the 5 locals of the Sperry Gyroscope and Ford Instrument Divisions, and the International Union with which 4 of the locals are affiliated.

As to the first group, the individual plaintiffs, Sperry concedes that they are all employees or former employees who are covered by the pension plans and who claim to be affected by the alleged discrimination. Sperry takes the position, however, that, even so, these individuals cannot fairly and adequately protect the interests of a class of which they are members.

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62 F.R.D. 78, 18 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 476, 1973 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10490, 7 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 9044, 6 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1306, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lynch-v-sperry-rand-corp-nysd-1973.