MUNDY v. CITY OF PITTSBURGH

District Court, W.D. Pennsylvania·Decided December 22, 2022·No. 2:22-cv-00031·Unknown

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA

SHARON MUNDY, ) ) Plaintiff, ) 2:22-cv-31 ) v. ) ) Judge Marilyn J. Horan CITY OF PITTSBURGH, ) ) Defendant. )

MEMORANDUM OPINION Plaintiff, Sharon Mundy, brings a four-count, Second Amended Complaint against Defendant, City of Pittsburgh, alleging claims for violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 42 U.S.C. § 1981, and 42 U.S.C § 1983. (ECF No. 36). Ms. Mundy’s first Complaint brought claims against the City pursuant to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the ADA, 42 U.S.C. § 1981, and 42 U.S.C. § 1983. (ECF No. 4, at 2). The City filed a Motion to Dismiss Ms. Mundy’s Complaint in its entirety. (ECF No. 8). On June 8, 2022, this Court granted the City’s Motion to Dismiss, but granted Ms. Mundy leave to amend her ADA Disability Discrimination claim with regard to her asthma condition, her ADA Failure to Accommodate claim related to her asthma condition, her ADA Retaliation claim, her Title VII Retaliation claim, her § 1981 Retaliation claim, and her Procedural Due Process claims. (ECF No. 21, at 1-2). Presently, before the Court, is the City’s Motion to Dismiss Ms. Mundy’s Second Amended Complaint. (ECF No. 41). Ms. Mundy filed her Response, (ECF No. 44), and the City filed its Reply, (ECF No. 45). The Motion to Dismiss has been fully briefed and is now ripe for decision. For the reasons that follow, the City’s Motion to Dismiss will be denied in part and granted in part. I. Facts Ms. Mundy was an employee of the City’s Department of Public Works from June 2008 until her termination in November 2020. (ECF Nos. 36, ⁋⁋ 7-8; 36-13, at 2). Ms. Mundy worked in the traffic division and the Department of Public Works’ graffiti removal program.

(ECF No. 36, ⁋⁋ 9-10). Ms. Mundy is a member of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Local 2037, which represents workers in the City’s Department of Public Works. (ECF No. 36, ⁋ 11; ECF No. 42, at 3). The Second Amended Complaint alleges that Ms. Mundy has suffered from depression and a severe case of asthma since 2009. (ECF No. 36, ⁋ 12). Ms. Mundy has attached doctor’s notes to her Second Amended Complaint, which states that Ms. Mundy suffers from severe allergies, asthma, and anxiety. (ECF Nos. 36-1; 36-2). On March 5, 2019, Ms. Mundy’s internal medicine doctor wrote a letter on her behalf, explaining that “Ms. Mundy’s asthma/allergies become worse with exposure to dust, resins, paint fumes, smoke, and mold spores. If exposed to irritant this causes Ms. Mundy to have chest tightness, shortness of breath, and wheezing.” (ECF

Nos. 36-2, at 3). On October 15, 2020, Ms. Mundy’s internal medicine doctor also wrote a letter on her behalf, explaining that “triggers for her allergies are smoke, paint, dust, an [sic] other resins when exposed her allergies become worse.” (ECF Nos. 36-2, at 2). Ms. Mundy takes several medications for her allergy, asthma, and anxiety conditions. (ECF Nos. 36, ⁋ 14; 36-3). These medications include: predniSONE, albuterol, fluticasone propion-salmeterol, ibuprofen, and omeprazole.1 (ECF No. 36-3, at 2).

1 The Court takes judicial notice that none of these medications are typically prescribed to treat anxiety or depression. The Second Amended Complaint alleges that Ms. Mundy requested that the City reinforce its no smoking and masking policy due to her asthma issues. (ECF No. 36, ⁋ 15). Ms. Mundy attaches an April 1, 2020 email correspondence with her City human resources manager confirming that she discussed the issue of employees smoking indoors and within work vehicles.

(ECF No. 36-4, at 2). The Second Amended Complaint further alleges that, while the City made attempts to enforce its COVID-19 masking policy, it failed to respond to Ms. Mundy’s complaints about smoking indoors and within work vehicles. (ECF No. 36, ⁋ 18). Ms. Mundy attaches an email correspondence from the Director of the Department of Public Works that reminded workers to comply with the City’s masking and social distancing policy, but it did not include any mention of the City’s smoking policy. (ECF No. 36-6, at 2). The Second Amended Complaint alleges that, due to the City’s failure to provide a reasonable accommodation for her asthma, her “respiratory injury increased,” and she began “taking FMLA leave and utilizing other vacation days to accommodate her asthma illness.”

(ECF No. 36, ⁋ 19). The Second Complaint further alleges that Ms. Mundy was reprimanded by a verbal warning for calling off work. (ECF No. 36, ⁋ 20). Ms. Mundy’s FMLA leave was set to expire on June 23, 2020. (ECF No. 36, ⁋ 21). The City gave Ms. Mundy a deadline of July 9, 2020 to return to work. (ECF No. 36, ⁋ 22). On July 10, 2020, Ms. Mundy received a medical note from her internal medicine doctor that stated “Please excuse Ms. Sharon Mundy from work because of illnesses (1) Acute Anxiety (2) Severe Asthma (3) Fracture of Toe No-5 Right.” (ECF No. 36-7, at 2). The Second Amended Complaint alleges that the City did not consider Ms. Mundy’s letter from her doctor and that she was suspended “for five days pending termination.” (ECF No. 36, ⁋ 24). According to a September 29, 2020 letter from Janet Manuel, Director of Human Resources for the City, to Philip Ameris, Jr., Union representative, Ms. Mundy was suspended on July 10, 2020. (ECF No. 36-9, at 3). According to the letter, “Ms. Mundy was terminated for absenteeism, being AWOL and failure to report these absences to The Standard, a contracted

City provider, where she had an open and approved intermittent FMLA leave account. And by her own admission she was aware of her FMLA leave account.” (ECF No. 36-9, at 2). The letter further states that the Department of Public Works Director, Michael Gable, offered Ms. Mundy a chance to return to work on August 4, 2020, subject to a number of probationary conditions, including that she sign a Last Chance Agreement. (ECF No. 36-9, at 3). The letter describes that Ms. Mundy specifically rejected a provision of the Last Chance Agreement, wherein she could not test positive for marijuana or she would face immediate five-day suspension pending termination. (ECF No. 36-9, at 3-4). The letter continues to explain that Ms. Mundy “rejected this LCA condition because she says she does not have a drug or alcohol problem, just chronic asthma and a concern about cigarette smoke at work.” (ECF No. 36-9, at

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MUNDY v. CITY OF PITTSBURGH, (W.D. Pa. 2022).

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