Morris v. American Nat. Can Corp.

730 F. Supp. 1489, 1989 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16301, 52 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 210, 1989 WL 168778
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Missouri
DecidedDecember 18, 1989
Docket87-1161C(3)
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 730 F. Supp. 1489 (Morris v. American Nat. Can Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Morris v. American Nat. Can Corp., 730 F. Supp. 1489, 1989 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16301, 52 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 210, 1989 WL 168778 (E.D. Mo. 1989).

Opinion

730 F.Supp. 1489 (1989)

Jacquelyn L. MORRIS, Plaintiff,
v.
AMERICAN NATIONAL CAN CORPORATION, et al., Defendants.

No. 87-1161C(3).

United States District Court, E.D. Missouri, E.D.

December 18, 1989.

Michael J. Hoare, P.C., Michael J. Hoare, St. Louis, Mo., for plaintiff.

James P. Mannion, Jr. and Sabrina M. Wrenn, Bryan Cave McPheeters & McRoberts, St. Louis, Mo., for defendants.

MEMORANDUM

HUNGATE, District Judge.

This matter is before the Court to determine the merits of plaintiff's claims after a five-day bench trial.

Pursuant to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e, et seq., plaintiff, a female employee of defendant corporation, contends that *1490 she was subjected to unlawful sexual harassment by defendant supervisors and other employees, and that her complaints of the harassment were not effectively resolved, resulting in plaintiff's constructive discharge in March 1987. Plaintiff was eventually reinstated in March 1988, and she claims she is entitled to lost wages, lost benefits, and seniority retroactive to her initial date of employment in 1981. Defendants counter they are not liable because (a) they had no notice or knowledge of problems encountered by plaintiff until she filed an administrative charge, and (b) once they had notice or knowledge of the problem(s), they took immediate steps to ameliorate the problems. Only Counts I through III of the amended complaint are now before the Court. See order dated September 20, 1988.

Having carefully considered the pleadings, testimony, witnesses, documents, and evidence, and being fully advised in the premises, the Court renders the following findings of fact and conclusions of law.

Findings of Fact

1. Plaintiff Jacquelyn L. Morris is a female citizen of the United States. She has been employed by defendant corporation to work at its facility in Pevely, Missouri, known as the Foster-Forbes Glass Division ("Foster-Forbes").

2. Defendant American National Can Corporation is a Delaware corporation doing business in Missouri, in part through Foster-Forbes where glass containers are manufactured. Defendant is an employer within the meaning of Title VII.

3. Plaintiff has worked as a machinist (or mold-maker) in the mold department at Foster-Forbes from on or about April 13, 1981, through March 30, 1987, the effective date of her resignation. At the time of her resignation, she was the employee in the mold department having the most seniority. She was rehired on March 8, 1988, and continues to work in the mold department at present.

4. During the period prior to April 1986, plaintiff was one of only two females in the mold department. After April 1986, she was the only female in that department. Since 1984, the mold department has had a total of either eleven or twelve employees in it.

5. Since 1983, defendant David Scott has been the Manager of Forming Operations at Foster-Forbes. He was the immediate supervisor of defendant Glenn Besore during the relevant time period.

6. During the relevant time period, defendant Glenn Besore was the Supervisor of Mold Repair at Foster-Forbes. In this position, Mr. Besore was the immediate supervisor of plaintiff and other mold department employees. As a result of his request, Mr. Besore is now a non-supervisory employee in the mold department at Foster-Forbes.

7. On July 16, 1986, plaintiff filed the first of two administrative charges of sex discrimination against defendants. Plaintiff timely filed this lawsuit after receiving her right-to-sue letter.

8. The credible testimony establishes that between 1984 and July 16, 1986, plaintiff was subjected to the following conduct by defendant Scott: Mr. Scott commented on more than one occasion that plaintiff "had a nice ass" and that "he'd like to have a piece of that." Additionally, Mr. Scott touched plaintiff's buttocks on occasion. While Mr. Scott denied these statements and acts, the denials are not clearly credible since other employees testified to seeing such conduct. This conduct did not continue after the filing of plaintiff's first administrative charge.

9. The credible evidence establishes that between 1984 and July 14, 1986, plaintiff was subjected to the following conduct by defendant Besore: On more than one occasion, Mr. Besore would make comments such as "did(n't) you get any last night," "do you spit or swallow," or "you have the whitest teeth I ever came across." The latter two comments were reported to be punch lines from dirty jokes related in the mold department. Plaintiff thought they were references to oral sex acts. Additionally, Mr. Besore would make references to plaintiff's weight, her "big butt" *1491 or her "boobs." During one staff meeting, Mr. Besore responded to plaintiff's inquiry about where she should sit by moving plaintiff's head down while saying something to the effect that she "might as well sit underneath his desk since that's where everybody says you do your best work." On one occasion when plaintiff would not leave his office while he was in a meeting with a salesperson, Mr. Besore said to her something like: "You want to go out with [the salesperson] tonight? ... You want to show him a good time or something?" Mr. Besore explained he was trying to embarrass her into leaving his office rather than reprimanding her in front of the salesperson. Once Mr. Besore touched plaintiff's breasts and plaintiff responded by slapping him. On several occasions, Mr. Besore would tap plaintiff's and other employees' buttocks while remarking to the employees that they should get on with or back to their work.

10. Plaintiff was embarrassed or offended by these acts and comments but did not say anything about them to Mr. Besore, to Mr. Scott, or to any other managerial staff at defendant corporation.

11. Before plaintiff filed the July 16, 1986, administrative charge, plaintiff received at or near her work station:

(a) a sausage with a note "bite me baby" (found in her purse on November 4, 1985);

(b) a clay replica of a penis with steel wool testicles and a semen-like substance on it (found in her workbench on April 16, 1986);

(c) a welded figure of a man with a penis (found on an unknown date);

(d) a pair of women's underwear with a sanitary napkin having a reddish substance on it and with a note attached saying something like "Jackie have you lost this" (found hanging from the light at her workbench in March or April 1986);

(e) a pile of a substance described as "semen-like" (found on her toolbox on June 23, 1986);

(f) a picture of an erect penis (found on her toolbox on July 14, 1986); and

(g) "Playboy-type" pictures (found at her workbench about once or twice a week since 1984).

12. After her first administrative charge was filed on July 16, 1986, plaintiff received the following at or near her work station:

(a) the words "bitch" or "slut" written on her desk (found July 21, 1986);

(b) a large replica of an erect penis apparently made out of a stick and hard glue, along with a note saying: "Hey Jake [sic] — Heard ya got one in your pants the same size. I never knew, think we could get together. — Your Lesbian Friend" (found on her toolbox July 23, 1986);

(c) the words "Jackie blows heads" written on a shelf sign marking where equipment called "blowheads" were kept (found at first on August 7, 1986, and remained for approximately six days);

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
730 F. Supp. 1489, 1989 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16301, 52 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 210, 1989 WL 168778, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/morris-v-american-nat-can-corp-moed-1989.