Spruill v. Winner Ford of Dover, Ltd.

175 F.R.D. 194, 39 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 1002, 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13403, 74 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1649, 1997 WL 547311
CourtDistrict Court, D. Delaware
DecidedAugust 14, 1997
DocketCiv. A. No. 94-685 MMS
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 175 F.R.D. 194 (Spruill v. Winner Ford of Dover, Ltd.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Delaware primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Spruill v. Winner Ford of Dover, Ltd., 175 F.R.D. 194, 39 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 1002, 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13403, 74 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1649, 1997 WL 547311 (D. Del. 1997).

Opinion

OPINION

MURRAY M. SCHWARTZ, Senior District Judge.

I. Introduction

Joseph D. Spruill, Sr. (“Spruill”) filed a complaint against Winner Ford of Dover, Ltd., Winner Imports of Dover, Inc. and Winner Hyundai, Inc. (collectively “Winner” or “defendants”), claiming race discrimination in employment in violation of Title VII of the CM Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq., and 42 U.S.C. § 1981.1 Jurisdiction is proper under 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(f)(3) and 28 U.S.C. §§ 1331 and 1343. Before the Court are pre-trial motions in limine filed by both parties.

II. Facts

Spruill began work for Winner Ford of Dover in January 1992 as a sales representative. D.I. 1 H10. He alleges he was subject to a racially hostile work environment culminating in his constructive discharge in May 1993. Id. Spruill, who is African American, asserts Steven Snyder, Winner’s Business Manager in the Finance and Insurance Department, repeatedly made racial slurs toward him, including calling him “chocolate” and “nigger.” Id. If 16. Snyder further is claimed to have stated to Spruill, “kiss my hand and say white man is God,” and “tell your big lipped sister to suck my d_,” among other things. Id. Snyder further made negative comments about Spruill’s marriage to a woman who is white. Id. Other managers at Winner are alleged to have participated in the racial harassment of Spruill as well; these managers included Roger Wollaston, who was general manager at Winner until January 1993, and Frank Fitzwater, who took Wollaston’s place. Id.

[196]*196Following his resignation, Spruill filed charges with the Delaware Department of Labor (“DDOL”) and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”). Spruill subsequently received a determination from the DDOL of reasonable cause to believe he was discriminated against on the basis of his race, and a Notice of Right to Sue from the EEOC. D.1.1, Exh. A, B.

III. Motions in Limine

The Third Circuit Court of Appeals has approved of pre-trial motions in limine as a' method of “narrow[ing] the evidentiary issues for trial and ... eliminating] unnecessary trial interruptions.” Bradley v. Pittsburgh Bd. of Educ., 913 F.2d 1064, 1069 (3d Cir.1990). In this case, the parties have raised a number of issues for pre-trial resolution: (1) the admissibility of the DDOL determination; (2) Winner’s liability for the actions of its “middle managers;” (3) the admissibility of evidence of discrimination against other employees — before, during and after Spruill’s employment at Winner; (4) the admissibility of a letter written by Spruill’s attorney in response to an offer of reinstatement by Winner; (5) the addition of certain witnesses to the pre-trial order and (6) the production of certain witness statements. These issues will be considered separately below.

A. DDOL Determination

Spruill seeks to admit the DDOL determination in its entirety, including factual findings as well as conclusions and opinions. D.I. 75, at 12. Winner’s opposition is twofold. First, Winner asserts, the document is hearsay, and does not fall within the exception permitted by Federal Rule of Evidence 803(8)(C). Second, Winner urges the document is inadmissible under Federal Rule of Evidence 403; because it purported to analyze the issue under state law, the prejudicial effect of the findings outweighs the probative value.

As noted, Winner’s first objection is governed by Rule 803(8)(C), which presents an exception to the hearsay rule. Unless the DDOL findings fall under such an exception, they are inadmissible, as they are out of court statements to be introduced for the truth of the matter asserted therein. See Fed.R.Evid. 801. Rule 803(8) provides an exception to the hearsay rule, however, for:

Records, reports, statements, or data compilations, in any form, of public offices or agencies, setting forth ... (C) in civil actions ... factual findings resulting from an investigation made pursuant to authority granted by law, unless the sources of information or other circumstances indicate lack of trustworthiness.

The Supreme Court has interpreted Rule 803(8)(C) to authorize admission of opinions and conclusions as well as factual determinations, contingent upon trustworthiness as well as the general considerations for admissibility such as relevance and prejudice. Beech Aircraft Corp. v. Rainey, 488 U.S. 153, 109 S.Ct. 439, 102 L.Ed.2d 445 (1988). Beech is not directly applicable, however; it concerned a report which opined as to the cause of an airplane crash, and the Court specifically reserved the question whether legal conclusions would be admissible under Rule 803(8)(C). Id. at 170 n. 13, 109 S.Ct. at 450 n. 13.

The federal circuit courts of appeals have not treated uniformly the issue of the admissibility of EEOC findings and their state counterparts, see Johnson v. Yellow Freight Sys., Inc., 734 F.2d 1304, 1309 (8th Cir.1984) (citing eases). One view is such findings are per se admissible, while other courts reserve the decision on admissibility to the discretion of the trial judge. Id. The Third Circuit Court of Appeals falls within the latter category. Starceski v. Westinghouse Elec. Corp., 54 F.3d 1089, 1099 n. 12 (3d Cir.1995); see also Walton v. Eaton Corp., 563 F.2d 66 (3d Cir.1977).

White the opinions of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals have not been expansive as to the various grounds for admitting or excluding the reports, opinions from other circuits indicate — as is suggested by the Supreme Court and the rule — that indicia of trustworthiness should guide the determination. See, e.g., Johnson, 734 F.2d at 1309; Abrams v. Lightolier, Inc., 702 F.Supp. 509, 512 (D.N.J.1989). However, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in Johnson also noted [197]*197such reports could be ruled inadmissible for several other reasons:

The trial judge correctly may perceive a danger of unfair prejudice to the defendant or properly may consider that time spent by the defendant in exposing the weaknesses of the EEOC report would add unduly to the length of the trial.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Villanueva v. Zimmer
69 A.3d 131 (New Jersey Superior Court App Division, 2013)
Cohen v. Gulfstream Training Academy, Inc.
249 F.R.D. 385 (S.D. Florida, 2008)
Garcia v. Yale New Haven Hospital, No. Cv 95-0373032s (Jul. 2, 1999)
1999 Conn. Super. Ct. 8844 (Connecticut Superior Court, 1999)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
175 F.R.D. 194, 39 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 1002, 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13403, 74 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1649, 1997 WL 547311, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/spruill-v-winner-ford-of-dover-ltd-ded-1997.