Prandini v. National Tea Co.

62 F.R.D. 503, 14 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 297
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedMay 9, 1974
DocketCiv. A. No. 72-870
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 62 F.R.D. 503 (Prandini v. National Tea Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Prandini v. National Tea Co., 62 F.R.D. 503, 14 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 297 (W.D. Pa. 1974).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM ORDER

WEBER, District Judge.

The original complaint in this case filed October 18, 1972, alleged that it was being brought as a class action by the plaintiff on behalf of a class composed of female persons who were employed or might be employed, by the defendant National Tea Company at all of its retail stores covered by the applicable collective bargaining agreements between National Tea Company and The [504]*504Amalgamated Food Employees Union Local 590. The Local 590 bargaining unit covers stores within this judicial district and is a co-defendant in this action.

The proffered second amended complaint attempts to enlarge the class to include the Youngstown Division of defendant National Tea Company which would include its operations in the Western District of Pennsylvania, as well as employees employed in Ohio, outside this District, and employees who are not covered by the bargaining unit Local No. 590.

Extensive discovery has been pursued by the parties with respect to the allegations of the original complaint. The defendant alleges that the other Youngstown Division stores which were not covered by a collective bargaining agreement with Local 590 were administered separately from the stores covered by the Local 590 union contract and had contracts with other labor organizations dissimilar to the contract of defendant with Local 590. By a prior order of this court no discovery was permitted with regard to periods prior to 1968, and it now appears to this member of the court that defendant has ceased all operations in the Youngstown Division of which the class of persons represented by plaintiff form a part. The employment of these persons has been terminated, many of their personnel records have been discarded, and the remaining personnel records have been transferred to Chicago, Illinois, all prior to the commencement of this lawsuit.

[I] To allow an amendment widening the geographical area and including employees who are covered by collective bargaining agreements other than those of the representative plaintiff and the co-defendant Local 590 at this late date in the progress of the lawsuit would impose a very substantial prejudice upon the. defendant sufficient to disallow the amendment.

The second general objection to the amendments is that they contain many claims not made in the original complaint and not contained in the original EEOC charges, and thus enlarge the cause of action beyond the jurisdictional basis allowed in Title VII of the Act and furthermore assert claims which were not asserted within the ninety days of plaintiff’s receipt of the “right to sue” letter of the EEOC.

The amended complaint recites nine new particularized areas of alleged discrimination which the defendant claims were not set forth in the original complaint or in the EEOC charges. As we stated in a similar case, Vallo et al. v. The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Co., et al., Civil Action No. 72-871, on April 4, 1974:

“Our reading of the proffered amended complaint indicates to us that the eight specifications now offered by the amended complaint are in the form of a bill of particulars or a more specific complaint in support of the generalized allegations made in the original complaint. We do not believe that they introduce any new or different elements into the law suit from those originally posed in the original complaint.”

In view of the rule that amendments are to be liberally allowed we do not believe that the introduction of these specifications poses undue hardship on the defendant. They all concern the central issue of an allegation of discriminatory employment practices suffered by women employees. The plaintiff’s statement of claim in the original complaint alleged separate entry classifications; limited promotional opportunities; lower wage rates; a classification, promotional and seniority system; and system of compensation; all discriminating against female employees. We believe this original statement to be sufficiently broad to encompass all of the particulars now offered in the amended complaint, [505]*505and we will allow the proffered amendment with respect to these allegations. Martin v. Virgin Islands Natl. Bank, 455 F.2d 985 [3rd Cir. 1972); Rural Fire Protection v. Hepp, 366 F.2d 355, 362 [9th Cir. 1966]; Artman v. International Harvester Co., 355 F.Supp. 476, 480 [W.D.Pa.1972]; 3 Moore’s Federal Practice 15.15 [3], p. 1025 [1974 ed.].

The third amendment offered is the addition of a count asserting a cause of action under 42 U.S.C. § 1985(3). While defendant objects to this proffered amendment we believe that some of the matters raised by defendant at this time are premature. Plaintiff only seeks now to allege that the facts recited in support of its Title VII cause of action also constitute a cause of action under 42 U.S.C. § 1985(3). We believe that the adequacy of the pleadings or the evidence to support a § . 1985(3) cause of action may properly be attacked by summary proceedings at some later stage of this litigation, but at this moment we are only considering the propriety of allowing an amendment to plaintiff’s complaint to assert that § 1985(3) gives a cause of action on the facts recited in the complaint. We believe that the only proper objection to the amendment at this time lies in possible prejudice to defendant as a result of the interjection of an entirely new element into a law suit which has been pending for some time. Longbottom v. Swaby, 397 F.2d 45, 49 [5th Cir. 1968]; Matlack v. Hupp Corp., 51 F.R.D. 151, 161-163 [E.D.Pa.1972]; Williams v. United States, 405 F.2d 234, 237 [5th Cir. 1968]. We see no handicap to the defendant to face the claim of a § 1985(3) cause of action if the facts pleaded in the complaint in support of the other causes of action also support the 1985(3) cause of action, (Matlack v. Hupp Corp., cit. supra; Martin v. Virgin Islands Natl. Bank, cit. supra; Gunnip v. Warner Co., 43 F.R.D. 365 [E.D. Pa.1968]; Williams v. Thomas Jefferson University, 58 F.R.D. 536 [E.D.Pa. 1973]) and the appropriate jurisdictional requirements are met. We do not at this time determine the question of the jurisdictional sufficiency of the § 1985(3) cause of action, or any objections or defenses that may be raised to it. We are only now considering the allowance of an amendment over the possible objection of prejudice.

The only grounds of prejudice that we can see at this time arise from the lateness of the proffered amendment and its effect upon the defendants’ preparation of this law suit and the defendants’ ability to defend against such a claim at this time.

We have some trouble with the question of the statute of limitations upon recovery of damages under a § 1985(3) count at this time.

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

Related

Outboard Marine Corp. v. Pezetel
535 F. Supp. 248 (D. Delaware, 1982)
Hoopes v. Nacrelli
512 F. Supp. 363 (E.D. Pennsylvania, 1981)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
62 F.R.D. 503, 14 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 297, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/prandini-v-national-tea-co-pawd-1974.