Madden-Tyler v. Maricopa County

943 P.2d 822, 189 Ariz. 462, 238 Ariz. Adv. Rep. 12, 1997 Ariz. App. LEXIS 31
CourtCourt of Appeals of Arizona
DecidedMarch 6, 1997
Docket1 CA-CV 96-0162
StatusPublished
Cited by21 cases

This text of 943 P.2d 822 (Madden-Tyler v. Maricopa County) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Arizona primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Madden-Tyler v. Maricopa County, 943 P.2d 822, 189 Ariz. 462, 238 Ariz. Adv. Rep. 12, 1997 Ariz. App. LEXIS 31 (Ark. Ct. App. 1997).

Opinions

OPINION

RYAN, Judge.

Congress did not enact specific statutes of limitations for claims brought under § 1983 of the Civil Rights Act, § 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, or Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Instead, the time limits of the most appropriate state statute are to be applied. In this appeal, we hold that the most appropriate statute of limitations for all three acts is Arizona Revised Statutes Annotated (“A.R.S.”) § 12-542, setting a two-year limit for personal injury actions. Accordingly, we conclude that the trial court erred in applying different statutes of limitations and thus reverse the judgment dismissing appellant’s claims on statute of limitations grounds.

FACTS1 AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Bonnie Madden-Tyler (“appellant”) was employed by the office of the Clerk of the Maricopa County Superior Court as director of information services. In October 1992 she was assigned to a project to reorganize the office’s file room. The project involved placing files in boxes and moving shelving units.

During a project planning meeting, appel-lee Jackie Crawford, appellant’s supervisor, informed appellant and other staff members that the County could not afford to hire outside labor to assist with the project, and therefore the office staff would be required to do the work. Appellant informed Crawford that she could not do the physical labor involved because she had a very weak lower back and had undergone medical treatment for it in the past. Crawford told appellant that she still would have to perform the work required to complete the project.

On October 22, 1992, appellant worked from about 6 p.m. until midnight moving and unboxing files. When she left the office, she felt pain in her back. The next morning, she informed appellee Judith Allen, clerk of the superior court, that she had hurt her back and needed help to complete the project. Allen did not provide appellant with more help.

Appellant received medical treatment for her back pain. On December 22, 1992, she had surgery for a ruptured lumbar disk.

[465]*465After using all her accrued sick and vacation leave and compensatory time, appellant returned to work. Because of her back condition, she could work only part-time. Appellant resigned from her job on April 1, 1993, because she could not control her work flow and her back pain made it difficult for her to concentrate. She filed a workers’ compensation claim and received benefits.

Appellant wrote to the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) and requested a waiver of the 180-day period for filing a claim with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”). The DOJ granted the waiver. On March 31, 1994, appellant filed the lawsuit from which this appeal arose. Appellant filed a charge of handicap discrimination with the EEOC on April 5, 1994; the EEOC issued a right-to-sue letter on April 22, 1994.

In her amended complaint, appellant brought claims against the defendants2 for violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), 42 U.S.C. §§ 12101 to 12213; violation of § 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. § 794; wrongful constructive discharge in violation of public policy; and violation of her civil rights under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. She also brought a claim against Crawford for tortious interference with contract.

Appellees asked for dismissal of appellant’s wrongful discharge and tortious interference claims on grounds that she had failed to raise those claims with the Maricopa County Merit Commission and that workers’ compensation was her exclusive remedy for tort claims arising out of her work-related injury. The trial court dismissed those two claims.

Next, appellees requested summary judgment on the remaining claims, arguing that they had been untimely filed under the applicable statutes of limitations. Appellees separately asked for summary judgment on the basis that, as a matter of law, appellant was not disabled at the time she was injured.

The trial court found a genuine issue of fact as to whether appellant was disabled under the ADA and denied that motion for summary judgment. However, the court concluded that appellant’s Title I ADA claim was barred by the federal 180-day claim statute, that the appropriate limitations period for her Title II ADA and Rehabilitation Act claims was the 180-day limit under Arizona’s Civil Rights Act (“ACRA”), and that her claims were filed later than 180 days after the claims accrued and the DOJ did not waive that limitations period. It therefore granted summary judgment on those claims. The court requested supplemental memoran-da on the statute of limitations governing appellant’s § 1983 claim.

The court subsequently ruled that a one-year statute of limitations applied to appellant’s § 1983 claim, and it granted summary judgment in favor of appellees on that claim. The court entered final judgment in favor of appellees and appellant timely appealed. We have jurisdiction. A.R.S. § 12-2101(B).

DISCUSSION

A. Limitations Period for § 1983 Claim

Appellant first argues that under federal law, her § 1983 claim is governed by the two-year statute of limitations in A.R.S. § 12-542(1) for personal injury actions. Appellees respond that the one-year statute of limitations in A.R.S. § 12-821 should apply because appellant’s personal injury action is against public employees, and § 12-821 controls in such actions.

Federal statutes contain no specific limitation period for civil rights claims brought under § 1983. Wilson v. Garcia,. 471 U.S. 261, 266, 105 S.Ct. 1938, 1941, 85 L.Ed.2d 254 (1985). If no limitation period exists for a federal cause of action, a local time limitation will apply unless it conflicts with federal law or policy; federal interests must predominate. Id. at 266-67, 105 S.Ct. at 1941-42; see also Baker v. Board of Regents of State of Kan., 991 F.2d 628, 630 (10th Cir.1993). In 42 U.S.C. § 1988, Con[466]*466gress implicitly endorsed this approach for civil rights claims. Wilson, 471 U.S. at 266-67,105 S.Ct. at 1941-42.

Before Wilson, § 1988 required courts to select the “most analogous” or “most appropriate” state statute of limitations as the governing statute. Blake v. Dickason, 997 F.2d 749, 750 (10th Cir.1993). In Wilson, “the Supreme Court abandoned that uncertain and confusing practice in favor of a simple, bright-line rule.” Id. In deciding that § 1983 claims “are best characterized as personal injury actions,” the Wilson

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Mathis v. Dannels
D. Arizona, 2021
Daurio v. Faust
D. Arizona, 2020
Benge v. Ryan
D. Arizona, 2020
Skydive Arizona, Inc. v. Hogue
360 P.3d 153 (Court of Appeals of Arizona, 2015)
Lawrence Morris v. Dennis Burke
526 F. App'x 783 (Ninth Circuit, 2013)
Loos v. LOWE'S HIW, INC.
796 F. Supp. 2d 1013 (D. Arizona, 2011)
Rowland v. Prudential Financial, Inc.
362 F. App'x 596 (Ninth Circuit, 2010)
Lopez v. Produce Exchange
171 F. App'x 11 (Ninth Circuit, 2006)
McCulley v. City of Tucson
68 F. App'x 91 (Ninth Circuit, 2003)
Kyles v. Contractors/Engineers Supply, Inc.
949 P.2d 63 (Court of Appeals of Arizona, 1997)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
943 P.2d 822, 189 Ariz. 462, 238 Ariz. Adv. Rep. 12, 1997 Ariz. App. LEXIS 31, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/madden-tyler-v-maricopa-county-arizctapp-1997.