Querry v. Messar

66 F. Supp. 2d 563, 1999 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17218, 1999 WL 996941
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedNovember 1, 1999
DocketNo. 98 CIV. 0019(WCC)
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 66 F. Supp. 2d 563 (Querry v. Messar) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Querry v. Messar, 66 F. Supp. 2d 563, 1999 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17218, 1999 WL 996941 (S.D.N.Y. 1999).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

WILLIAM C. CONNER, Senior District Judge.

Plaintiff Rosalyn Querry brings this action against the City of Yonkers, former Yonkers Police Commissioner Donald Christopher, Captain Francis J. Messar [566]*566and Lieutenant Emil Cavorti (collectively, the “City defendants”), alleging gender discrimination in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq., (“Title VII”), and the Civil Rights Act of 1871, 42 U.S.C. § 1983. In a prior opinion, this Court granted in part and denied in part the City defendants’ motion for summary judgment with leave to renew their motion upon completion of discovery.1 Querry v. Messar, 14 F.Supp.2d 437 (S.D.N.Y.1998). Discovery is now complete and the City defendants have renewed their motion for summary judgment pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 56 with regard to plaintiffs surviving claims.

Plaintiff alleges that the City defendants treated female officers who were injured on the job differently from similarly-situated male officers and subjected injured female officers to adverse employment actions and a hostile work environment. Specifically, plaintiff claims that the City defendants: (1) ordered her to return to work despite her doctors’ orders to the contrary; (2) intimidated her doctors into changing their medical opinions; (3) denied plaintiff disability and leave benefits; (4) assigned plaintiff to midnight tours for discriminatory reasons; and (5) failed to return plaintiff to her post in the Forensics Laboratory.

For the reasons that follow, the City defendants’ motion for summary judgment is denied in part and granted in part.

BACKGROUND

Plaintiff has been a police officer with the Yonkers Police Department (the “Department”) since 1987. Defendant Donald Christopher was the Department’s commissioner from January 1996 until his retirement in April 1998. Defendant Francis Messar is a captain in the Department and was the commanding officer of the Department’s Medical Control Unit (the “MCU”) from September 1996 until April 1998. Defendant Emil Cavorti is a lieutenant with the Department who has served as the supervisor of the MCU since September 1996.

The MCU is responsible for monitoring members of the Department who are sick, injured or disabled. Oracle Management Services, Inc. (“Oracle”) is a third-party medical provider and claims administrator for the Department. Oracle also served as the Department’s medical authority from 1992 until the position of police surgeon was reinstated in the fall of 1998. As the Department’s medical authority, Oracle made medical determinations as to an officer’s ability to work at all or to work limited or full-time duty after an illness or injury. During that time, although Oracle was the Department’s medical authority, officers continued to see their private physicians for medical treatment, and these physicians offered medical opinions on the officers’ ability to work.

Members of the Department receive unlimited leave with full pay when they are sick or injured (due to an off-duty injury) or disabled (due to an on-duty injury). Members who have used a certain number of “sick” leave days are placed in a Chronic Absence Control Program, which represents a blight on their record. (Sussman Aff. ¶ 19, Ex. 19.) Generally the salary of members who are out on “disability” leave is not taxable. Pursuant to NY. Gen. Mun. Law § 207-e, the City of Yonkers is required to pay for medical treatment of officers injured on the job. The City provides insurance coverage for off-duty injuries and illnesses, although, with co-payments and limits on the number of treatments, the coverage is less comprehensive than benefits provided for on-duty injuries under § 207-c.

[567]*567From May 1987 until an on-the-job injury January 81, 1996, Querry was never absent by reason of disability or illness and she received several awards and commendations for service. She worked full-time in the Second Precinct, first on a special duty assignment in the Forensics Laboratory from July 1988 through January 1995, then on patrol from January 1995 through January 1996. On January 31, 1996, Querry slipped and fell on ice while on duty and injured her back. She was out of work on medical leave from February 1, 1996 to March 29, 1996. On March 19, a chiropractor examined Querry at Oracle’s request. The chiropractor recommended that Querry return to work, but on light duty for the first two months. On March 30, Querry was ordered to return to work. She reported to work, but left after completing half her shift, complaining of back and leg pain. Querry states that she was unable to work due to pain on April 2 and 3. (PLAffJ 14.) On April 5, Querry gave the Department notes from two of her treating physicians recommending she work a four-hour shift on light duty.

On April 21, Querry went off duty again due to back pain. She was examined by Oracle chiropractor Dr. Michael J. Bard-well on April 23, 1996. Dr. Bardwell reported he saw “no reason why this woman cannot continue to work in a light duty capacity full days” and found Querry could return to full duty in two weeks. (Suss-man Aff. ¶4, Ex. 4.) However, Querry went off duty again from May 6 through 27 due to pain. (PLAfO 14.) Querry’s general practitioner wrote that Querry was unable to work from May 28 to June 28 due to her lower back pain and a possible herniated disc. However, Querry states that she was ordered to return to work May 28, and that she worked until June 28. (Pl.Aff.HH 14-15.) An Oracle physician found that Querry could return to light duty on June 19 and to full duty in another two weeks. However, a week later Quer-ry’s personal chiropractor advised that Querry could work only four-hour shifts starting July 1. On July 2, Querry returned to work, but left before the completion of her shift, complaining of back pain. She was ordered to return to work on July 5 for four hours a day on light duty. An Oracle chiropractor, Dr. Jonathan Scott Zimbardo, examined Querry July 7, 1996 and recommended that Querry have an MRI. He recommended that if the results were negative, Querry could return to work on light duty for four weeks and full duty thereafter. The MRI showed “diffuse disc bulges” and “disc degeneration.” (Sussman Aff. ¶ 6, Ex. 6.)

Querry claims that despite the MRI results, she was ordered to return to work. Medical records indicate she was examined by Dr. Bardwell at Oracle’s request on September 12. Bardwell reviewed the MRI findings and found “based on the minimal amounts of objective findings ... this claimant may return to an eight hour work day as a police officer ... on a light duty status.” (Messar Reply Decl. Ex. R.) Querry left work early the following day, complaining of pain. That day, her private chiropractor signed a note recommending that Querry work four-hour tours, a recommendation in which her general practitioner concurred on September 16. On September 18 and 19, Querry left work early, complaining of muscle spasms in her back. She was re-examined at Oracle’s request by Dr. Bardwell on September 19, who again found that Querry could work an eight-hour day. Querry did not complete her tours on September 20, 24 and 26 due to back pain. (Sussman Aff. ¶ 15, Ex.

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66 F. Supp. 2d 563, 1999 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17218, 1999 WL 996941, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/querry-v-messar-nysd-1999.