Ngassa v. Ocean State Job Lot Stores of SE MA, Inc.

26 Mass. L. Rptr. 499
CourtMassachusetts Superior Court
DecidedFebruary 3, 2010
DocketNo. 092138
StatusPublished

This text of 26 Mass. L. Rptr. 499 (Ngassa v. Ocean State Job Lot Stores of SE MA, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts Superior Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ngassa v. Ocean State Job Lot Stores of SE MA, Inc., 26 Mass. L. Rptr. 499 (Mass. Ct. App. 2010).

Opinion

Tucker, Richard T., J.

Defendants seek collectively, by the two filed motions, to dismiss or have summary judgment enter in regard to fourteen of the sixteen counts of plaintiffs verified complaint. The complaint sets forth claims of racial and national origin discrimination in the work place resulting in the failure to promote and the termination of plaintiff by his employer, Ocean State Job Lot Stores of Se MA, Inc. (“Ocean State”). (G.L.c. 151B, §4(1).) He also asserts that defendants retaliated against him on account of his filing of a charge of discrimination with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) after he was terminated. (G.L.c. 15 IB, §4(4).) Lastly plaintiff claims that he was retaliated against by coercion, intimidation, threats or interference with his exercise of the right to bring a claim against defendants in the MCAD (G.L.c. 151B, §4(4A)), and that defendant George Portrait aided and abetted these discriminatoiy practices. (G.L.c. 15IB, §4(5).)

Defendants move to dismiss the retaliation claims brought under §4(4) and §4(4A) and seek summary judgment in regard to claims of discrimination for defendants’ failure to promote and the aiding and abetting claims. Defendants do not move against Count II, which sets forth the claim of termination of employment based upon plaintiffs race and or national origin against defendant Ocean State Job Lot SE MA, Inc. on Count XV which seeks punitive damages.

Applicable Standard

a. Motion to Dismiss

A motion to dismiss or for judgment on the pleadings, by its very nature, “argues that the complaint (or counterclaim) fails to state a claim upon which relief can be granted.” Jarosz v. Palmer, 436 Mass. 526, 529 (2002), quoting J.W. Smith & H.B. Zobel, Rules Practice §12.16 (1974). In considering such a motion the allegations of the Complaint, as well as such inferences as may be drawn therefrom in the plaintiffs favor are to be taken as true. Nader v. Citron, 372 Mass. 96, 98 (1977). In pleading his case, however, a plaintiff may not assert legal conclusions cast in the form of factual allegations. Schaer v. Brandeis University, 432 Mass. 474, 477 (2000). “While a complaint attacked by a . . . motion to dismiss does not need detailed factual allegations ... a plaintiffs obligation to provide the ‘grounds’ of his entitlement to relief required more than labels and conclusions... Factual allegations must be enough to raise a right to relief above the speculative level... [based] on the assumption that all the allegations in the complaint are true (even if doubtful in fact).. .” Iannacchino v. Ford Motor Co., 451 Mass. 623, 636 (2008), quoting Bell Atl Corp. v. Twombly, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 1964-1965 (2007). In short, a Complaint must contain, to prevent a motion to dismiss, “allegations plausibly suggesting (not merely consistent with) an entitlement to relief.” Id.

b. Summary Judgment

Summary judgment shall be granted where there are no genuine issues as to any material fact and where the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Cassesso v. Commissioner of Correction, 390 Mass. 419, 422 (1983); Community Nat’l Bank v. Dawes, 369 Mass. 550, 553 (1976); Mass.R.Civ.P. 56(c). The moving party bears the burden of affirmatively demonstrating the absence of a triable issue, “and [further] that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Pederson v. Time Inc., 404 Mass. 14, 16-17 (1989). A party moving for summary judgment who does not have the burden of proof at trial may demonstrate the absence of a triable issue either by submitting affirmative evidence that negates an essential element of the opponent’s case or “by demonstrating that proof of that element is unlikely to be forthcoming at trial.” Flesner v. Technical Communications Corp., 410 Mass. 805, 809 (1991); accord, Kourouvacilis v. General Motors Corp., 410 Mass. 706, 716 (1991). “If the moving party establishes the absence of a triable issue, the party opposing the motion must respond and allege specific facts which would establish the existence of a genuine issue of material fact in order to defeat [the] motion.” Pederson, supra, 404 Mass. at 17. “[T]he opposing party cannot rest on his or her pleadings and mere assertions of disputed facts to defeat the motion for summary judgment.” LaLonde v. Eissner, 405 Mass. 207, 209 (1989).

DISCUSSION

Motion to Dismiss

In asserting that the Complaint fails to state claims of retaliation upon which relief can be granted the defendants argue that Counts IV-XV must be dis[500]*500missed as the alleged retaliatory actions took place after the plaintiff had been terminated. Thus, even if the alleged retaliatory actions occurred, the defendants argue plaintiff suffered no adverse employment action as a result. In support of this position the defendants cite MacCormack v. Boston Edison Co., 423 Mass. 652 (1966). In MacCormack, the Supreme Judicial Court stated that “[t]o succeed . . . plaintiff must establish the basic fact that he was subjected to an adverse employment action.” Id. at 662 citing Lewis v. Gillette. Co., 22 F.3d 22, 24 (1st Cir. 1994). The complained of action must be sufficient to produce in the plaintiff a “material disadvantage.” MacCormack at 662. In MacCormack, the court found that plaintiff had proven he had exercised a protected right when he filed a discrimination claim against his employer, that the employer knew the plaintiff had filed a claim and knew that retaliation was illegal. The court found, however, that the plaintiff had never established that as a result he had suffered an “adverse employment action” which materially disadvantaged him. MacCormack at 663. Herein, defendants argue, that the retaliatory acts alleged by plaintiff occurred following his termination and therefore could not have materially disadvantaged plaintiff in regard to his employment.

Plaintiff responds that a claim for retaliation may be made upon acts that occur after a termination. The Supreme Judicial Court has twice considered cases involving alleged retaliatory actions that occurred post-termination. Sahli B. Bull v. HN Information Systems, Inc., 437 Mass. 696, 700, 702-06 (2002) (employer’s filing of a declaratory judgment action seeking a ruling upon the effect of a release signed by the plaintiff at the time of her layoff, was not in retaliation to plaintiffs commencement of a MCAD action); Weber v. Community Team Work. Inc., 434 Mass. 761, 784-86 (2001) (claim that employer’s failure to distribute letters of reference as previously agreed, in retaliation for plaintiffs filing of a charge with the MCAD, was untimely). In neither of these cases did the Court consider the post-termination nature of the alleged retaliatory acts.

At least one Superior Court case has followed Sahli B. Bull and Weber in holding that “employees may bring a retaliation claim for acts that occur after the termination of the employment relationship.” Donaldson v. Akibia, Inc., 20 Mass. L. Rptr. 318 (2005, Fecteau, J.). In Donaldson, plaintiffs claim of retaliation by the employer’s reduction of proposed severance pay after receipt of plaintiffs attorney’s discrimination claim letter was held to raise a justiciable question of fact sufficient to preclude summary judgment.

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

Related

Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly
550 U.S. 544 (Supreme Court, 2007)
Rochon, Donald v. Gonzales, Alberto
438 F.3d 1211 (D.C. Circuit, 2006)
Lewis v. Gillette, Co.
22 F.3d 22 (First Circuit, 1994)
Pederson v. Time, Inc.
532 N.E.2d 1211 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1989)
LaLonde v. Eissner
539 N.E.2d 538 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1989)
Community National Bank v. Dawes
340 N.E.2d 877 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1976)
Kourouvacilis v. General Motors Corp.
575 N.E.2d 734 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1991)
Flesner v. Technical Communications Corp.
575 N.E.2d 1107 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1991)
Cassesso v. Commissioner of Correction
456 N.E.2d 1123 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1983)
Nader v. Citron
360 N.E.2d 870 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1977)
MacCormack v. Boston Edison Co.
423 Mass. 652 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1996)
Schaer v. Brandeis University
735 N.E.2d 373 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 2000)
Weber v. Community Teamwork, Inc.
752 N.E.2d 700 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 2001)
Jarosz v. Palmer
766 N.E.2d 482 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 2002)
Sahli v. Bull HN Information Systems, Inc.
774 N.E.2d 1085 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 2002)
Iannacchino v. Ford Motor Co.
451 Mass. 623 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 2008)
Donaldson v. Akibia, Inc.
20 Mass. L. Rptr. 318 (Massachusetts Superior Court, 2005)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
26 Mass. L. Rptr. 499, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ngassa-v-ocean-state-job-lot-stores-of-se-ma-inc-masssuperct-2010.