Quarterman v. City of Springfield

CourtMassachusetts Appeals Court
DecidedMarch 29, 2017
DocketAC 16-P-223
StatusPublished

This text of Quarterman v. City of Springfield (Quarterman v. City of Springfield) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts Appeals Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Quarterman v. City of Springfield, (Mass. Ct. App. 2017).

Opinion

NOTICE: All slip opinions and orders are subject to formal revision and are superseded by the advance sheets and bound volumes of the Official Reports. If you find a typographical error or other formal error, please notify the Reporter of Decisions, Supreme Judicial Court, John Adams Courthouse, 1 Pemberton Square, Suite 2500, Boston, MA, 02108-1750; (617) 557- 1030; SJCReporter@sjc.state.ma.us

16-P-223 Appeals Court

WILL QUARTERMAN vs. CITY OF SPRINGFIELD & another.1

No. 16-P-223.

Hampden. November 9, 2016. - March 29, 2017.

Present: Kafker, C.J., Kinder, & Lemire, JJ.

Alcoholic Liquors, License, Local licensing authority. Anti- Discrimination Law, Race, Damages, Attorney's fees. Practice, Civil, Judgment notwithstanding verdict, Motion to amend, Instructions to jury. Judgment, Amendment. Damages, Loss of profits, Attorney's fees.

Civil action commenced in the Superior Court Department on August 14, 2008.

The case was tried before Daniel A. Ford, J., an award of attorney's fees was ordered by him, and motions for judgment notwithstanding the verdict and to alter or amend the judgment were heard by him.

Leonard H. Kesten for the plaintiff. Edward M. Pikula, City Solicitor, for the defendants.

KINDER, J. On April 13, 2006, the board of license

commissioners (board) of the city of Springfield (city) denied

1 Peter Sygnator, individually and as chairman of the board of license commissioners. 2

plaintiff Will Quarterman's application for a liquor license.

Quarterman, an African American, brought this action against

board chairman Peter Sygnator and the city, claiming that denial

of the application was discriminatory and in retaliation for

Quarterman's earlier filing of a complaint with the

Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD).

Ultimately, a Superior Court jury rejected the claim of racial

discrimination, but found that the city, through the actions of

former Mayor Charles Ryan, had retaliated against Quarterman in

violation of G. L. c. 151B, § 4(4).2 The jury awarded damages of

$250,000 in lost profits and $100,000 for emotional distress.

The city challenged the verdict in posttrial motions for

judgment nothwithstanding the verdict (judgment n.o.v.), to

alter or amend the judgment, and for a new trial. Principally,

the city argued that the evidence of retaliation and damages was

insufficient. In a comprehensive written decision, the trial

judge denied the motions as to liability for retaliation, but

allowed them, in part, as to damages. The judge concluded that

there was evidentiary support for the award of $100,000 for

emotional distress. However, he found that the evidence of lost

profits was "lacking in substance." He also reasoned that

2 The jury found that neither Sygnator nor Mayor Ryan discriminated against Quarterman, and that Sygnator did not retaliate against him. Mayor Ryan is not a named defendant in this action. 3

Quarterman had failed to establish standing to claim lost

profits because the profits were not direct and personal to him.

Accordingly, the judge reduced the damages from $350,000 to

$100,000. Quarterman challenges that ruling on appeal.

On cross-appeal, the city argues that (1) the motions for

judgment n.o.v. and to alter or amend the judgment should have

been allowed in their entirety; (2) the judge erred in refusing

to instruct the jury regarding the mayor's right to freedom of

speech; (3) the judge abused his discretion in denying a motion

in limine to admit findings in a related Federal case; and (4)

the judge abused his discretion in awarding attorney's fees.

For the reasons that follow, we affirm the order denying

the motion for judgment n.o.v. as to liability for retaliation,

and affirm the order to alter or amend the judgment by

eliminating damages for lost profits. We also conclude that the

jury were properly instructed, and that the judge did not abuse

his discretion with respect to the motion in limine and the

award of attorney's fees.3

Background. We summarize the facts in the light most

favorable to Quarterman, reserving some details for our

discussion. See Abramian v. President & Fellows of Harvard

3 In light of our ruling affirming the allowance of the motion to alter or amend the judgment, we need not address the motion for new trial, which was allowed only on the condition that the motion to amend or alter judgment was reversed. See Mass.R.Civ.P. 50(c), as amended, 428 Mass. 1402 (1998). 4

College, 432 Mass. 107, 110 (2000). Quarterman had been in the

bar business in the city for several years. In September, 2002,

he opened a nightclub, Logan's Lounge, after obtaining a liquor

license from the board. The business operated without incident

until April, 2004, when a brawl and shooting occurred there

during an afterhours party. Although Quarterman was not present

at the time, police reports suggested that he was. Immediately

following the shooting, Quarterman voluntarily closed Logan's

Lounge. Shortly thereafter, the business was evicted from the

property and closed permanently.

In August, 2004, Quarterman and a new business partner,

Paul Ramesh, applied to the board to transfer the liquor license

to a new club called Halo that they planned to open in the

entertainment district of the city. Despite Quarterman's

repeated requests for a hearing on the application, one was not

convened until March, 2005. In the intervening months, Sygnator

raised multiple concerns about the interior design of the club,

which Quarterman addressed. There was also a concern about the

proposed venue, which had previously been occupied by a

nightclub called Asylum. Asylum had posed problems for the city

because of large crowds, excessive noise, vandalism, illegal

drug use, and violence.

On March 2, 2005, Quarterman filed the first of two

complaints with the MCAD. He alleged that the city, the mayor, 5

and Sygnator discriminated against him on the basis of race by

failing to schedule a vote on his application to transfer the

liquor license. Meanwhile, the board held a hearing and voted

three to two to deny the application. The city, through its

attorney, suggested to Quarterman and Ramesh that they address

the concerns raised by the board and apply for a new license.

In January, 2006, Quarterman and Ramesh applied for a new

liquor license in the name of their new corporation, Exile

Entertainment, Inc. The hearing on the application was delayed

from March 9, 2006, to April 13, 2006, at the mayor's request so

that he could attend. At the hearing, the mayor, who had never

previously appeared before the board, argued against the

application. He also recruited other witnesses to speak in

opposition to the application, including the police commissioner

and a representative of American International College. In

support of his opposition, the mayor cited the shooting at

Logan's Lounge, suggesting that Quarterman had been present when

it had occurred. The board voted three to one to deny the

application. At least one commissioner changed his vote based

on the mayor's opposition.

By contrast, immediately following the vote denying Exile a

liquor license, the board voted to approve a liquor license for

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