Phyllis Stewart v. FCA US LLC

District Court, S.D. Indiana·Decided July 23, 2026·No. 1:24-cv-01553·Unknown

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF INDIANA INDIANAPOLIS DIVISION

PHYLLIS STEWART, ) ) Plaintiff, ) ) v. ) No. 1:24-cv-01553-JRO-MKK ) FCA US LLC, ) ) Defendant. )

ORDER GRANTING MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

Plaintiff Phyllis Stewart alleges that FCA US LLC ("FCA"), her former employer, violated 42 U.S.C. § 1981 and the Americans with Disabilities Act ("ADA") when it terminated her employment. FCA has filed a motion for summary judgment, arguing that Stewart was fired due to absenteeism and not for any discriminatory purpose. Dkt. [79]. Based on the undisputed material facts, that motion is GRANTED. I. FACTS & BACKGROUND Stewart did not respond to FCA's motion for summary judgment, despite FCA providing her notice of the importance of doing so. Dkt. 82. Accordingly, the Court recounts FCA's undisputed material facts that are supported by the record. Keeton v. Morningstar, Inc., 667 F.3d 877, 880 (7th Cir. 2012). A. Facts FCA is an automotive manufacturer with multiple manufacturing facilities in Kokomo, Indiana. Dkt. 80-4 at 1. Stewart is a forty-one-year-old Black woman previously employed by FCA. Dkt. 80-1 at 6, 13. She began working at FCA in 2013 as a die-caster at the Kokomo Casting Plant ("KCP"). Id. at 7. Stewart was represented by the labor union United Auto Workers – Local 1166, and her employment was governed by the terms of the national and local labor

agreements negotiated between FCA and the union. Dkt. 80-4 at 1–2, 20. In 2016, Stewart started experiencing anxiety. Dkt. 80-1 at 21. 1. Initial workplace conflicts At some point before 2021, Stewart transferred rows in the plant so that she worked on the same rows as LaTasha Fowler, her cousin. Dkt. 80-1 at 17– 18. At that time, Stewart was in charge of operating two die-cast machines on the day shift and had no issues with her co-workers. Id. at 17–18, 27. Fowler, however, had interpersonal issues with many people in her row, including a

group of women, consisting mostly of White women and one Black woman. Id. at 17. Other workers were messing with Fowler's locker and taking things from her workstation. Id. Fowler also had issues with a group of White men. Id. at 18. Stewart believes race was at the heart of her co-workers' issues with Fowler, testifying that "[t]heir issue with my cousin is because she's a smart, Black, strong woman." Dkt. 80-2 at 11. When Stewart joined Fowler's row, other employees on the row learned she and Fowler were cousins. Dkt. 80-1 at 17. Stewart believes her co-workers began imputing their dislike of Fowler onto her

at this time. Id. 2. 2021 incident On October 15, 2021, Stewart found a rope hanging on one of her machines. Dkt. 80-3 at 7–8. She described the rope as a "hanging noose." Dkt. 80-1 at 14, 19. Stewart's supervisor, Tony Ferris, came to her station and saw the noose on her assigned machine. Dkt. 80-2 at 5. Stewart told Ferris the rope on her workstation was a hate crime. Id. He offered to allow her to go home for

the day, but Stewart declined; "I wasn't leaving because I'm not no coward." Id. Stewart does not know who placed the rope, id., but she suspects she was targeted out of dislike for Fowler, dkt. 80-1 at 17. After this incident, Stewart developed sleep terrors. Id. at 22. 3. 2022 incident On August 11, 2022, Stewart was involved in a frightening incident. Dkt. 80-2 at 28. When Stewart arrived at work that day, one of her die-cast machines was

shut down. Dkt. 80-1 at 19. She decided to clean it, which required entering the machine's production cell, an enclosed area containing a furnace and a robot. Id. When the machine is running, it is dangerous to be inside the cell. Id. When Stewart entered the cell to clean the machine, someone shut the door to the cell and locked it. Id. at 20. Stewart began recording video on her phone. Id. Per the video timestamps, she was locked inside the cell for 76 seconds. Id. at 8. Then an FCA contractor let her out. Id. at 20. Stewart could not clearly see the contractor due to dirt on the cell window's glass, and she could not later

identify him. Id. After exiting the cell, Stewart began inspecting the outside locking mechanism. Id. at 24. But she was interrupted by people rushing up to her, asking what had happened, which overwhelmed her. Id. Stewart was crying and at some point blacked out. Id. She was taken to Medical where the nurse worked. Id. In the nurse's office, she relayed the incident to a number of FCA employees, including her supervisor, her team leader, her union representative,

an HR representative, the nurse, and others. Id. Stewart left Medical and the KCP plant altogether that day. She recalls crying, driving home, and thinking that she would not be going back to FCA's KCP parking lot again. Dkt. 80-2 at 7. 4. Post-incident events After Stewart was locked in the machine cell, she experienced what she described as a "nervous breakdown." Dkt. 80-1 at 22. The incident exacerbated her pre-existing anxiety and caused her to develop depression and "severe" post-

traumatic stress disorder. Dkt. 80-1 at 22; Dkt. 80-3 at 23–26. Stewart applied for and received medical disability leave on August 14, 2022. Dkt. 80-4 at 2. She received some percentage of her full pay from FCA while she was on leave. Dkt. 80-1 at 14. While on leave, Stewart filed a complaint with the Indiana Civil Rights Commission claiming FCA discriminated against her on the basis of her race when she was locked in the machine cell; she also alleged FCA failed to investigate the incident. Dkt. 80-3 at 13–14. The Indiana Civil Rights

Commission issued a "no probable cause" finding. Dkt. 80-1 at 32. She also filed a charge of employment discrimination with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which deferred to the Indiana Civil Rights Commission's determination. Dkt. 80-3 at 18. Stewart also contacted the NAACP and the Indiana Department of Occupational Safety and Health. Dkt. 80-2 at 16. Neither entity took actions to help Stewart. Id. FCA investigated Stewart's report of being locked in the machine cell. Dkt.

80-4 at 2. Investigators identified no witnesses. Id. They were unable to corroborate the events as Stewart described. Id.; see also id. at 7. 5. ADA request, release to return to work, and termination On January 16, 2024, Stewart wrote to the FCA human resources and labor relations representative, requesting a transfer to one of two other FCA plants in Kokomo as an accommodation under the ADA. Dkt. 80-3 at 21–22. The HR representative wrote back and asked Stewart to have her doctor complete ADA paperwork on Stewart's behalf. Id.

Stewart provided FCA with the completed form. Her doctor wrote on January 29 that Stewart "cannot function in current work environment due to traumatic event," dkt. 80-3 at 24, and that "[a] traumatic event has caused severe PTSD and causes recurrent panic attacks when associated with her workplace," id. at 25. The doctor did not expressly indicate Stewart's transfer was medically necessary, dkt. 80-4 at 3, but wrote that "[i]f employee switched facilities, she could resume all work functions," and "[s]he would benefit from being in a different facility," dkt. 80-3 at 24.

FCA's HR representative stated that Stewart's transfer to a different facility presented "potential" issues under the labor union's collective bargaining agreement. Dkt. 80-4 at 3. The HR representative had to consult with corporate labor relations to determine whether Stewart's request was "allowed and appropriate" under the agreement. Id. While FCA worked through these considerations, it expected Stewart to return to work at KCP. Id. FCA continued to evaluate Stewart's accommodation request. On

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