Meyers v. Ace Hardware, Inc.

95 F.R.D. 145, 35 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 310, 35 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 68, 1982 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15709
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Ohio
DecidedAugust 10, 1982
DocketNo. C 81-255
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 95 F.R.D. 145 (Meyers v. Ace Hardware, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Ohio primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Meyers v. Ace Hardware, Inc., 95 F.R.D. 145, 35 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 310, 35 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 68, 1982 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15709 (N.D. Ohio 1982).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM and ORDER

WALINSKI, District Judge:

This matter is before the Court for disposition of various motions filed by the parties. On April 21, 1981, the plaintiffs filed the complaint in this action alleging that the defendants actively engaged in the practice of racial discrimination toward their minority employees. The instant lawsuit is an across the board class action instituted on behalf of the plaintiffs and others similarly situated, and maintained pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 1331, 1337, 1343(4), 2201 and 2202.

The complaint pleads a suit in equity authorized and instituted pursuant to the Civil Rights Act of 1866, 1870 and 1871, codified at 42 U.S.C. § 1981 et seq. Plaintiffs subsequently sought leave to amend their complaint to include allegations of violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. §§ 2000e et seq.

The first motion to be addressed by the Court is plaintiffs’ motion to supplement the complaint, and defendant’s opposition thereto. In this motion plaintiffs seek to supplement their original complaint with EEOC right-to-sue letters in an effort to state a Title VII cause of action. However, plaintiffs subsequently filed a motion to withdraw their motion to supplement. In lieu of the former motion, plaintiffs proffered a motion for leave to file a first amended complaint, in which the proper Title VII allegations are advanced. Since the plaintiffs have in effect withdrawn their motion to supplement, of the three motions, the Court will be required to render a decision only as to the motion for leave to file an amended complaint.

Rule 15(a) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure provides that a party may amend a complaint only by leave of the Court when a responsive pleading has been filed in the case. In the instant lawsuit, with a responsive pleading having been filed by the defendant, Rule 15(a) comes into play. Rule 15(a) further provides that “leave shall be freely given when justice so provides.” This mandate was strongly reaffirmed by the Supreme Court in Foman v. Davis, 371 U.S. 178, 83 S.Ct. 227, 9 L.Ed.2d 222 (1962). The general practice of the Federal Courts is to liberally allow amendments of the pleadings. See: 3 Moore’s Federal Practice, f 15.08(2) at 59 (2d ed. 1981). In accordance with these principles, a Court should allow a party to amend its pleading, unless there is evidence of bad faith, undue delay, dilatory motive on the part of the movant, repeated failure to cure deficiencies by amendment, or futility of the amendment. Foman v. Davis, supra, at 182, 83 S.Ct. at 230.

Plaintiffs seek to amend the complaint sub judice in order to properly assert Title VII allegations. The Court finds . these circumstances more than adequate to justify the amendment to the complaint. Defendants have not complained of any hardship or prejudice as a result of this amendment; also absent are the other circumstances denominated in Foman v. Davis that would militate against the granting of an amendment. Therefore, in accordance with the policy of liberal allowance of amendments to pleadings, and in the absence of harm to the defendants, the Court grants plaintiffs’ motion for leave to file the first amended complaint.

[149]*149The defendants have filed a motion to dismiss attacking different aspects of the plaintiffs’ complaint. Each aspect of the motion to dismiss will be dealt with separately in this memorandum and order.

At this juncture the Court notes that appended to defendant’s motion to dismiss are various exhibits. Defendants have filed their motion to dismiss pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6) of the Fed.R.Civ.P., alleging the failure of plaintiffs to state a claim for which relief can be granted. The rule provides that

[i]f, on a motion asserting the defense numbered (6) to dismiss for failure of the pleading to state a claim upon which relief can be granted, matters outside the pleading are presented to and not excluded by the court, the motion shall be treated as one for summary judgment and disposed of as provided in Rule 56, and all parties shall be given reasonable opportunity to present all material made pertinent to such a motion by Rule 56.

Rule 12(b), Fed.R.Civ.P. In light of this provision, notwithstanding the fact that defendant’s motion was proffered pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6), the motion is to be judged according to the standards delineated in Rule 56 relevant to summary judgment.

As noted, Rule 56 governs the disposition of motions filed in quest of summary judgment. Rule 56(c) states in part:

(c) The judgment sought shall be rendered forthwith if the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law...

In ruling on a motion for summary judgment, the duty of the Court is to determine whether a genuine factual dispute exists, and if so, not to resolve it. United States v. Diebold, Inc., 369 U.S. 654, 82 S.Ct. 993, 8 L.Ed.2d 176 (1962); Tee-Pak, Inc. v. St. Regis Paper Co., 491 F.2d 1193 (6th Cir. 1974). Moreover, “[i]n ruling on a motion for summary judgment, the Court must construe the evidence in its most favorable light for the party opposing the motion and against the movant.” Bohn Aluminum & Brass Corp. v. Storm King Corp., 303 F.2d 425, 427 (6th Cir. 1962). To summarize, the Court must weigh most favorably for the party opposing the motion; if reasonable minds could differ as to a material fact in issue, then a genuine factual dispute exists and the motion for summary judgment must be denied.

The first issue raised by the motion to dismiss relates to allegations of class discrimination asserted by the plaintiffs in their amended complaint. In order to prosecute a case as a class action, the prerequisites to the maintenance of a class action must be met. The rule containing these requirements states that:

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95 F.R.D. 145, 35 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 310, 35 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 68, 1982 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15709, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/meyers-v-ace-hardware-inc-ohnd-1982.