Slaughter v. City of Maplewood

612 F. Supp. 374, 1985 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18182
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Missouri
DecidedJuly 5, 1985
DocketNo. 83-465C(1)
StatusPublished

This text of 612 F. Supp. 374 (Slaughter v. City of Maplewood) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Slaughter v. City of Maplewood, 612 F. Supp. 374, 1985 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18182 (E.D. Mo. 1985).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM

NANGLE, Chief Judge.

Plaintiff, Ronald Slaughter, brought this action pursuant to Title VII, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq., 42 U.S.C. § 1981, and 42 U.S.C. § 1983. He is a former employee of defendant, the City of Maplewood, and alleges that defendant engaged in race discrimination by terminating him from his employment, by affording him less favorable job assignments than white employees, by denying him the privilege of working overtime, and by tolerating insulting racial slurs on behalf of other employees.

The § 1981 and § 1983 claims were tried to a jury which found that the City had not discriminated against plaintiff. Only the Title VII claim remains for this Court’s consideration herein. The Court, having considered the pleadings, the testimony of witnesses, the documents in evidence, and the stipulations of the parties, and being fully advised in the premises, hereby makes the following findings of fact and conclusions of law, as required by Rule 52 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.

A. FINDINGS OF FACT

1. Plaintiff Ronald Slaughter is a black, male resident of the State of Missouri, and a citizen of the United States.

2. Defendant City of Maplewood is a municipal corporation within the State of Missouri.

3. Ronald Slaughter was employed by defendant from September 10, 1979, to De[376]*376cember 23, 1981, as a truck driver/laborer for the City’s Street Department.

4. As a Street Department employee, plaintiff was responsible for maintaining the streets and operating various motor vehicles. He was physically capable of performing all of the tasks assigned to him.

5. Ronald Slaughter had an atrocious employment record with the City of Maple-wood, replete with counselings and suspensions. His lack of cooperation with his supervisors was the primary target of these disciplinary actions. On February 12, 1980, plaintiff received a performance evaluation from his supervisor, Mr. Ray Heinsohn which reflected an unsatisfactory performance in the areas of dependability and cooperation. On August 14, 1980, when assigned to assist in blaektopping an area, plaintiff refused to work and walked away from his job. On December 4, 1980, he was suspended because he refused to work upon receiving an assignment which he did not like. Furthermore, he directed some profane language towards two of his supervisors in connection with that incident.

6. Plaintiff had a poor attendance record, as well. He was late to work on numerous occasions. On April 13 and April 20, 1981, he failed to either call in or report to work, and was consequently suspended without pay.

7. Also, in April of 1981, Mr. Slaughter received a directive from the City Manager to prepare a written job description. When he failed to comply with this request, he was suspended for two additional days without pay.

8. Plaintiff contends that he received fewer overtime assignments than other employees, including employees with less seniority than himself. On several occasions, however, plaintiff’s supervisor, William Rushing, attempted to contact plaintiff about overtime work, without avail. On one occasion a woman answered the telephone and indicated that plaintiff was not at home. The woman’s reply came only after a pause and after she had consulted someone else in the home. Mr. Rushing felt that plaintiff was in fact at home, but had instructed the woman to suggest otherwise. In addition, plaintiff refused an overtime assignment on December 20, 1981. Plaintiff acknowledged that the bulk of overtime assignments were distributed in December of 1981, during a large snowstorm, yet asserts that another white employee with less seniority than himself received an overtime assignment while he did not. This particular individual was not employed by the Department at that time, however. This Court thus concludes that plaintiff’s allegations that he was passed over with respect to overtime assignments are not credible.

9. On December 22, 1981, plaintiff’s supervisor requested plaintiff to work overtime. Plaintiff refused, directed some foul language towards the supervisor, and turned away. The following day plaintiff was terminated for insubordination by the City Manager, a black female.

10. On December 5, 1980, plaintiff filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for race discrimination. The EEOC found that reasonable cause to believe that plaintiff’s allegations were true did not exist. Plaintiff elected not to pursue any further action on his complaint.

11. While some racial slurs may have been directed toward plaintiff, during his employment with the City of Maplewood, plaintiff never complained to his supervisor William Rushing.

12. No other white employees have an attendance record similar to plaintiff’s. In fact, mention was made of two other employees who were terminated during plaintiff’s term of employment, both of whom are white. One was terminated for failing to report to work or to call in. The other was terminated for displaying a dangerous weapon.

13. Plaintiff filed a timely complaint with the EEOC against defendant in accordance with 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5. He received an unfavorable result and subsequently filed a complaint with this Court.

[377]*377B. CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

This Court has jurisdiction of this case pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1331 and 42 U.S.C. § 2000e—5(f)(3). In addition, defendant is an employer as defined by 42 U.S.C. § 2000e(b).

From the outset, the theory of collateral estoppel applies to this case because a jury denied plaintiffs claims of discrimination under § 1981 and § 1983. As noted by the Eighth Circuit in Goodwin v. Circuit Court of St. Louis County, Missouri, 729 F.2d 541, 549 n. 11 (8th Cir.1984), “when § 1983 and Title VII claims are tried jointly, the § 1983 theory to the jury and the Title VII theory to the court, a jury verdict on the issue of discrimination would collaterally estop the parties with respect to that issue on the Title VII claim.” See also Sisco v. J.S. Alberici Construction Co., Inc., 655 F.2d 146, 151 (8th Cir.1981), cert. denied, 455 U.S. 976, 102 S.Ct. 1485, 71 L.Ed.2d 688 (1982). As discrimination claims brought under § 1981, § 1983 and Title VII require the same elements of proof, Lewis v. University of Pittsburgh,

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
612 F. Supp. 374, 1985 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18182, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/slaughter-v-city-of-maplewood-moed-1985.