Rightnour v. Tiffany & Co.

239 F. Supp. 3d 744, 2017 WL 878448, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 31398
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedMarch 6, 2017
Docket16-cv-3527 (JGK)
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 239 F. Supp. 3d 744 (Rightnour v. Tiffany & Co.) 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
Rightnour v. Tiffany & Co., 239 F. Supp. 3d 744, 2017 WL 878448, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 31398 (S.D.N.Y. 2017).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

JOHN G. KOELTL, District Judge:

The plaintiff, Kristin Rightnour, sued Tiffany and Company (“Tiffany”) for religious discrimination and retaliation under federal and local law. Tiffany petitions for an order to stay this action and compel the plaintiff to arbitrate the dispute pursuant to the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”), 9 U.S.C. §§ 3, 4. This Court has jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1332(a)(1).

I.

A.

The following facts are taken from the parties’ submissions.

[747]*747Rightnour began working for Tiffany as the Director of Marketing in October 2013. Compl. ¶ 12. In April 2014 Rightnour, a practicing Catholic, had a conversation with two other employees, one of whom is Jewish. Id ¶ 14. Allegedly at the Jewish colleague’s request, Rightnour “explained the crucifixion story.” Id. ¶ 15. At the end of 2014, a human resources manager from Tiffany allegedly informed Rightnour that Tiffany had received a complaint from one of Rightnour’s coworkers that Rightnour had stated that “the Jewish people killed Jesus.” Id. ¶ 17. Rightnour denied making the statement but also explained that she is a devout Catholic and that the views she expressed to her colleagues are standard Catholic beliefs. Id. ¶ 18. Tiffany issued the plaintiff a formal warning and informed her that it would withhold her entire 2014 bonus. Id. ¶¶ 19-20. Tiffany also made' the plaintiff ineligible for a merit increase or transfer for a period of one year. Id. ¶ 20.

In response, in December 2014, through counsel, the plaintiff complained to Tiffany’s legal department that she had been subject to unlawful religious discrimination. Id ¶ 21; Coleman Deck in Opp. to Mot. Exs. A, B. She alleges that months later, in March 2015, Tiffany retaliated against her by issuing a negative performance review to her. Compl. ¶ 22. The following month, on April 22, 2015, Rightnour filed a charge of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) alleging religious discrimination and retaliation in violation of federal, state, and local antidiscrimination laws. Id. ¶ 24; Coleman Deck Ex. C.1 The plaintiff alleges that two days later, Tiffany informed her that it would not be promoting her to the newly-established position of Group Director of Brand Management, and instead promoted an individual that Rightnour claims was significantly less qualified than she. Compl. ¶ 25.

B.

In late February 2015, Tiffany sent Rightnour and other Tiffany employees a form email with the subject line “You have been enrolled in the Dispute Resolution Agreement course.” Rodriguez Deck in Supp. of Mot. Ex. 2. That email reads:

Hi Kristin Rightnour

Tiffany and Company is providing employees with dispute resolution agreements, which offer the resolution of employment-related disputes through arbitration. You will be provided with a Dispute Resolution Agreement in the attached learning module.
Please click on the link below to review the Dispute Resolution Agreement and acknowledge the receipt of the Agreement at your earliest convenience,
[hyperlink titled “Dispute Resolution Agreement”]
If you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact your local Human Resources Generalist.

Rodriguez Deck Ex. 2 (first emphasis added, second emphasis in original). Rightn-our alleges that she “did not review, nor did any person at Tiffany ever personally ask [her] to review” the Dispute Resolution Agreement at that time. Rightnour Deck ¶ 2. Tiffany sent emails to Rightnour throughout March and April which were identical to the one sent in February, and then on April 13 sent the following personalized email:

On February 27, 2015, you received an e-mail notifying you of Tiffany and Company’s Dispute Resolution Agreement [748]*748and.inviting you to participate in a related learning module. As explained in the learning module, you are subject to the terms of the Dispute Resolution Agreement.
For. your convenience, we have attached a link to the [hyperlink to Dispute Resolution Agreement]. The learning module will reside in Self Service.
If you have any questions, please contact your .Human Resources Generalist. Do not reply to this email.

Rodriguez Deck Ex. 2 p. 8. It is unclear whether Rightnour read that email when it was sent, but she allegedly did not review the Dispute Resolution Agreement at that time. Ten days after the email was sent, on April 23, Rightnour sent her immediate supervisor a copy of the EEOC complaint that had been filed the day before, on April 22. Rightnour Deck ¶ 3; Ex. A.

Rightnour alleges th^t she first, viewed the Dispute Resolution Agreement on April 28, 2015, when her supervisors directed her to complete a set of “routine training programs” online. Id. ¶5. Upon logging into one of the programs, the training module prompted Rightnour' to “review and acknowledge the terms of the Dispute Resolution Agreement.” Id. ¶6. The Dispute Resolution Agreement contains a “Binding Agreement to Arbitrate,” which “requires arbitration of legal disputes between [the employee] and Tiffany and Company [ ] arising out of or relating to [the employee’s] employment or the termination of employment.” Rodriguez Deck Ex. 1 p. 1. The Agreement also states:

Arbitration is a mandatory condition of your employment with the Company.
You will receive training on the Dispute Resolution Program and this Agreement and will be asked to sign an acknowledgment. However, and regardless of whether you submit the acknowledgment, continuing your employment after receipt of this Agreement constitutes mutual acceptance of the terms of this Agreement by you and the Company.
You have the right to consult with counsel of your choice concerning this Agreement.

Id. The plaintiff alleges that, because she “did not want to waive [her] rights to pursue in court the claims that [she] asserted in [her] prior demand letters and EEOC Charge,” and the online module did not permit her to complete the program without clicking “yes” and agreeing to the terms set forth in the Dispute Resolution Agreement, she “immediately exited out of the program and did not complete it.” Rightnour Deck ¶ 8.

The next day, April 29, 2015, Rightnour emailed her supervisor, stating, in relevant part: ■ . .

I don’t know if [the Dispute Resolution Agreement] is mandatory, but I wanted to let you know that I won’t be completing this module or signing the agreement contained in it. I have been advised by my attorney that signing the agreement in this training would essentially coerce me to waive very significant legal rights. I fully intend to pursue the claims raised in the .EEOC charge and/or anything related to those claims in court should we not be able to reach a resolution so [I] am not willing to sign a contract that would inhibit this process.

Rightnour Deck Ex. B. The record'does not reflect what, if any, response the plaintiff received.

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239 F. Supp. 3d 744, 2017 WL 878448, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 31398, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rightnour-v-tiffany-co-nysd-2017.