Rowe v. General Motors Corp.

550 F. Supp. 217, 1982 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15319, 44 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1842
District Court, N.D. Georgia·Decided September 23, 1982·No. Civ. A. No. 10391·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

ORDER

ORINDA D. EVANS, District Judge.

This case is presently before the Court on an Amended Motion for Leave to File Separate Complaint, filed July 19, 1982. Defendant opposes the motion. It contends the Complaint, if filed, would be barred on grounds of res judicata, lack of timeliness and failure to state a claim. For the reasons explained below, the Court finds the defense of res judicata does not bar the Complaint. Neither does the Complaint fail to state a claim. However, because of the generality of the proposed Complaint, no definitive ruling can be made on the lack of timeliness claim. Therefore, Plaintiffs should be permitted to file and pursue their Amended Proposed Separate Complaint.

BACKGROUND OF THIS MOTION

The instant matter opens a new chapter in the long history of Rowe v. General Motors Corp., first filed in this Court on August 25, 1966. In Rowe, a class of black hourly paid employees challenged employment practices which were held to have discriminatorily impeded their progress into the ranks of the salaried work force. Rowe v. General Motors Corp., 457 F.2d 348 (5th Cir.1972). The final decree in Rowe was entered on September 28, 1972, granting certain injunctive relief.

On July 19, 1976, Herman Johnson, a GM Lakewood employee, filed another Title VII class action against General Motors in this Court. Johnson v. General Motors, Civil Action No. C76-1204, 598 F.2d 432 (5th Cir.1979). It alleged that Defendant “has engaged and is engaging” in a broad range of discriminatory practices affecting training and promotions. Thus, on its face, the Complaint arguably covered a period of time both before and after entry of the September 28,1972 Rowe decree. The class Johnson sought to represent was “all past, present and potential black employees and applicants for employment” at the Lakewood facility. As is more fully discussed below, the District Court ultimately dismissed the Johnson suit on December 16, 1980. Judgment was entered January 26, 1981. The Order of Dismissal contained a suggestion that Johnson’s back pay claim be prosecuted under the Court’s continuing jurisdiction to enforce the September 28, 1972 Rowe decree. A postjudgment Order entered February 23, 1981, suggested that putative class members might also seek relief in Rowe.

On January 16, 1981, Plaintiffs filed a Motion for Further Relief in the instant action, Rowe. The motion recited that the moving parties were members of the Rowe class because they had all been hired at GM Lakewood before September 28, 1972. It alleged that Defendant “continues to discriminate against black employees in all aspects relating to salaried jobs at its Lakewood Assembly Plant.” It prayed for an [219]*219award of back pay, plus modification of the decree so as to enjoin Defendant from “further discriminating with respect to salaried jobs.”

On April 30, 1982, an Order was entered herein which in part held that Plaintiffs could not seek relief for alleged acts of discrimination occurring after September 28, 1972 through the vehicle of a motion to modify said 1972 decree, 550 F.Supp. 204. The Order directed Plaintiffs to file a proposed separate complaint (or individual proposed separate complaints) covering alleged post-decree acts of discrimination. That has now been done and as stated above, the case is before the Court on Plaintiffs’ Amended Motion for Leave to File Separate Complaint, to which the Amended Proposed Separate Complaint is appended.

RES JUDICATA

Defendant argues Herman Johnson’s individual claim set forth in the Amended Proposed Separate Complaint should not be allowed filed because it is clearly barred by res judicata. This is alleged to be a product of dismissal of Johnson’s Complaint in Johnson v. General Motors by Judge Edenfield on December 16, 1980, and Johnson’s subsequent failure to appeal Judge Eden-field’s order of dismissal.

On December 16,1980, Herman Johnson’s Motion to Certify a Class was before the Court. The order entered that date simultaneously denied the motion to certify and, on the Court’s own motion, dismissed the action. The order first noted that the Court of Appeals had held that res judicata did not bar Johnson’s claim for monetary damages arising from the practices disapproved in Rowe; nor did the original Rowe decree bar any claim for injunctive or declaratory relief that could not have been sought in Rowe. See Johnson v. General Motors, 598 F.2d 432, 438 (5th Cir.1979). In its discussion thereafter, it indicated Johnson’s claim was in substance the same as that involved in the original Rowe case. Hence, the Court concluded he should seek his relief under the District Court’s continuing jurisdiction in Rowe.

The District Court’s Order concluded as follows:

Thus, the sole remaining issue is whether relief under Rowe is more appropriately afforded Johnson in his individual capacity or as the representative of some or all of the Rowe class. The court need not rule on that question, however, until Johnson seeks relief under Rowe and moves to represent a class thereunder, if he so chooses.
By this ruling the court does not intend to intimate any opinion as to the validity of the putative class members’ individual claims, nor as to the propriety of another class action with other employees representing the class. Consideration of those questions must also be reserved until they are properly before the court.
Accordingly, Johnson’s motion to certify a class is DENIED. This action is DISMISSED WITHOUT PREJUDICE to Johnson’s right to bring his back pay claim pursuant to the court’s continuing jurisdiction to enforce the Rowe decree. Johnson’s motion to compel is DENIED as moot.

Res judicata is a legal principle which prohibits relitigation of matters finally determined between parties. The question here is whether Judge Edenfield “finally determined” that Herman Johnson’s claims for relief from alleged post-September 28, 1972 discrimination are barred by the res judicata effect of the Rowe decree. Certainly, the December 16,1980 Order reflects Judge Edenfield’s determination that Johnson’s claim was part and parcel of the matter adjudicated in Rowe. On the other hand, the Order specifically concludes with a determination that the action is “DISMISSED WITHOUT PREJUDICE” to Johnson’s right to bring his back pay claim pursuant to the Court’s continuing jurisdiction to enforce the Rowe decree.1 In order [220]*220to determine what part of Johnson’s claim escapes the net of res judicata, it is thus necessary to consider what sort of proceeding the Court intended would subsequently be had in Rowe. A comment of the District Court contained in a later-entered Order in Johnson (Order of February 24, 1981 denying a motion by intervenors/applicants to intervene) provides insight into this matter. In that Order, Judge Edenfield. noted that putative members of the class Johnson had unsuccessfully sought to represent, and who were employed by General Motors after the Rowe decree was entered could seek relief under the Court’s continuing jurisdiction in Rowe,

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Rowe v. General Motors Corp., 550 F. Supp. 217, 1982 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15319, 44 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1842 (N.D. Ga. 1982).

550 F. Supp. 217 (Rowe v. General Motors Corp.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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