ROADMAN v. SELECT SPECIALTY HOSPITAL

CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedFebruary 5, 2020
Docket3:16-cv-00246
StatusUnknown

This text of ROADMAN v. SELECT SPECIALTY HOSPITAL (ROADMAN v. SELECT SPECIALTY HOSPITAL) 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
ROADMAN v. SELECT SPECIALTY HOSPITAL, (W.D. Pa. 2020).

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA DONNA ROADMAN, ) Case No. 3:16-cv-246 ) Plaintiff, ) JUDGE KIM R. GIBSON ) ) v. ) ) SELECT SPECIALTY HOSPITAL and ) RONALD LEWIS, ) ) Defendants. ) MEMORANDUM OPINION I. Introduction This case arises from Defendant Select Specialty Hospital’s (“Select”) alleged discrimination against Plaintiff in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (“Title VII’) while she worked as a registered nurse (“RN”) at Select. Pending before the Court is Defendants’ Motion for Partial Summary Judgment. (ECF No. 75.) The Motion is fully briefed (ECF Nos. 78, 81, 82) and ripe for disposition. For the reasons that follow, the Court GRANTS Defendants’ Motion. II. Jurisdiction and Venue This Court has subject-matter jurisdiction because Plaintiff's Title VII claim arises under federal law. 28 U.S.C. § 1331. This Court has jurisdiction over Plaintiff's state law claims because they form part of the same case or controversy as her federal claim. 28 U.S.C. § 1367. Venue is

proper because a substantial part of the events giving rise to Plaintiff's claims occurred in the Western District of Pennsylvania. 28 U.S.C. § 1391(b)(2).

II, Factual Background The following facts are undisputed unless otherwise noted.! A. Plaintiff Allegedly Experiences Sexual Harassment at Select Plaintiff was employed by Select as a RN for a period of approximately seven weeks, from July 7, 2015, through August 26, 2015. (ECF No. 76 { 1.) During her second week of employment, on July 13, Plaintiff met Ronald Lewis, another RN employed by Select, who was assigned to conduct a portion of her training and orientation over a period of three weeks. (Id. [1 6-8.) Plaintiff claims that, during her second and third weeks of training with Mr. Lewis— specifically between July 17 and July 19, 2015—Mr. Lewis: asked her on a date; stated in a text message that they could “have a lot of fun;” grabbed her cheeks; put his arm around her; grazed and patted her buttocks; called her “hon,” “sexy,” and “dear;’ told her she looked “cute” or “pretty;” and directed other innuendos towards her. (Jd. {{ 9-11.) Plaintiff further claims that, on either July 27, 28, or 29, while she and Mr. Lewis were in one of Select’s medication rooms obtaining medication for a patient, Mr. Lewis allegedly grabbed her by the waist and rubbed his crotch against her buttocks. (Id. { 12.) Plaintiff did not work with Defendant Lewis again after July 29, 2015, and otherwise had no interaction with him after that date. (Id. { 13.)

1 The Court derives these facts solely from Defendants’ Statement of Undisputed Material Facts. (ECF No. 76). Plaintiff filed no responsive statement of material facts, which was due on July 1, 2019. (ECF No. 80.) Under the Local Rules of Court of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, “[a]lleged material facts set forth in the moving party’s Concise Statement of Material Facts . . . will for the purpose of deciding the motion for summary judgment be deemed admitted unless specifically denied or otherwise controverted by a separate concise statement of the opposing party.” LCvR 56(E); see also Practices and Procedures of Judge Kim R. Gibson at 28-29 (same). Accordingly, the Court deems all the facts in Defendants’ Statement of Undisputed Material Facts (ECF No. 76) to be admitted by Plaintiff. -2-

B. Plaintiff's Reports Mr. Lewis’s Alleged Conduct to Select Plaintiff had received Select’s anti-harassment policies, and was aware that, if she believed she had experienced sexual harassment, she was to report it to her supervisor, Chief Nursing Officer Danielle Smorto. (Id. {1 19, 22-23). Plaintiff first reported Mr. Lewis’s alleged conduct to Staffing Coordinator Renee Lightcap on August 3, 2015. (Id. J 14.) Plaintiff spoke to Ms. Lightcap because Ms. Smorto had been away on vacation since July 31, 2015. (Id. 1 18.) Plaintiff requested that Select assign her a different trainer because Mr. Lewis purportedly made her feel uncomfortable with alleged inappropriate comments and touching. (Id. 1] 15-16.) Ms. Lightcap assigned Plaintiff to a different trainer, Ron Lindros, effective immediately. (Id. 17.) Plaintiff did not report the medication room incident to Ms. Lightcap or to any member of management until Ms. Smorto contacted her on August 11, 2015 to follow up on the allegations Plaintiff had conveyed to Ms. Lightcap. (Id. 1] 16, 18, 21.) Ms. Smorto called Plaintiff on August 11, 2015, to obtain further information from Plaintiff regarding Mr. Lewis’s alleged conduct. (Id. J 26.) Ms. Smorto told Plaintiff that Select would conduct an investigation and asked Plaintiff to submit a written statement of her allegations. (Id. { 28.) Plaintiff emailed a statement to Ms. Smorto on August 12, 2015, which Ms. Smorto then forwarded to Human Resources Coordinator Matt Gost, Regional Human Resources Director Barb Foster, and CEO Kelly Blake. (Id. {1 27, 29, 34.) Ms. Smorto and Mr. Gost then met with Mr. Lewis that same day and questioned him regarding the alleged inappropriate conduct. (Id, { 39.) Mr. Lewis denied having touched Plaintiff inappropriately, stating that he only had put his arm around her in a non-sexual manner when directing her to the next procedure in her training. (Id. □ 40.) Ms. Smorto then suspended Mr. Lewis until Select completed its investigation -3-

of the matter and told Mr. Lewis that he could not have any contact with Plaintiff during the investigation, he was prohibited from retaliating against her, and he was to behave in a respectful and professional manner toward all of his coworkers at all times. (Id. [J 41-43.) Prior to Plaintiff's complaints, Select had never received any prior complaints regarding Mr. Lewis. (Id. { 82.) Additionally, Plaintiff did not know of any other female employee who Mr. Lewis had allegedly touched inappropriately or otherwise sexually harassed. (Id. { 80.) C. Select Interviews Plaintiff and Mr. Lewis On August 13, 2015, Ms. Smorto and Mr. Gost reached out to Plaintiff and scheduled a meeting with her on August 19 to discuss her complaint about Mr. Lewis. (Id. 1] 4445, 50.) In the interim, Ms. Smorto and Mr. Gost conducted a follow-up meeting with Mr. Lewis, during which they further reviewed Plaintiff's allegations with him, and Mr. Lewis maintained his denial of the allegations. (Id. {J 47-48.) Ms. Smorto and Mr. Gost told Mr. Lewis that he would not be disciplined at that time because the allegations were currently unsubstantiated, but also reminded him that he must behave in a professional manner toward Plaintiff and refrain from

any retaliation. (Id. J 49.) Ms. Smorto and Mr. Gost interviewed no other employees because Plaintiff was unable to identify anyone who purportedly had any knowledge related to her allegations. (Id. J 36.) Had Plaintiff identified any witnesses, Ms. Smorto and Mr. Gost would have interviewed them. (Id. J 37.) Plaintiff met with Ms. Smorto and Mr. Gost on August 19, 2015, to discuss her complaint against Mr. Lewis. (Id. 151.) Plaintiff told Ms. Smorto and Mr. Gost that Mr. Lewis had sent her text messages, screenshots of which she then provided to Select. (Id. 54.) After the August 19 meeting, Plaintiff informed Select that Jamie Cotterman, another RN, had information regarding -4-

Mr. Lewis's alleged conduct. (Id. 1 55.) Ms. Blake, Ms. Smorto, and Mr. Gost interviewed Ms. Cotterman on August 25, 2015, and she told them that Mr. Lewis may have asked her out when she first began working at Select, but that he did not ask her out again after she declined.

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Bluebook (online)
ROADMAN v. SELECT SPECIALTY HOSPITAL, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/roadman-v-select-specialty-hospital-pawd-2020.