Swenson v. Buffalo Lodging Associates, LLC

20 Mass. L. Rptr. 39
CourtMassachusetts Superior Court
DecidedSeptember 9, 2005
DocketNo. 050005
StatusPublished

This text of 20 Mass. L. Rptr. 39 (Swenson v. Buffalo Lodging Associates, LLC) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts Superior Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Swenson v. Buffalo Lodging Associates, LLC, 20 Mass. L. Rptr. 39 (Mass. Ct. App. 2005).

Opinion

MacLeod-Mancuso, Bonnie H., J.

INTRODUCTION

The plaintiff, David Swenson (“Swenson”), brought this action against the defendants, Buffalo Lodging Associates, LLC (“BLA”), Buffalo-Marlboro Associates, LLC (“BMA”), and Ronald Kendall (“Kendall”). Swenson alleges that all defendants’ conduct constitutes age discrimination in employment under G.L.c. 151B, §4 (count one). As for the claim of tortious interference (count two) Swenson alleges that the defendant Kendall interfered with an advantageous employment relationship he had with BLA and BMA. This matter is now before the Court on defendant Kendall’s motion to dismiss. For the reasons set forth below, as to count one the defendant’s motion to dismiss is ALLOWED, and as to count two the defendant’s motion to dismiss is DENIED.

MOTION TO DISMISS RECORD

The record discloses the following undisputed facts:

Swenson was employed by BMA as the director of sales for the Hampton Inn, located in Marlborough, Massachusetts (the “hotel”). While BMA owns and operates the hotel, there is some dispute as to what relationship exists between BLA and the hotel. For purposes of this motion it is sufficient to note that, at the least, BLA provides management services to this hotel.

At the time his employment began with the hotel in January 1999, Swenson was fifty-eight years old. In December 2001, Howard Hinton (“Hinton”) was hired as the hotel’s vice president of sales and marketing and he reported to Kendall, the President of BLA. On Februaiy 5, 2002, Swenson was given a written warning. For reasons that need not be considered for this motion, Swenson resigned from employment effective Februaiy 28, 2002. At the time his resignation was accepted Swenson was sixty-one years old.

On August 5,2002, Swenson filed a charge with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (“MCAD”) alleging BLA discriminated against him based upon his age. The charge did not name any individuals as additional respondents. Kendall’s name was included only as the President of BLA. Further, the body of the charge identified only one individual, Hinton, as participating in the discriminatory behavior. On March 21, 2003, Swenson filed a motion to amend his complaint to add BLA as a party respondent, based upon that entity’s status as his true former employer, and to add Hinton as a party respondent, based upon his alleged status as the “primaiy actor in the age discrimination that occurred.” At no time did Swenson attempt to include Kendall as an additional party respondent and on October 14, 2004, Swenson withdrew that part of his pending motion to amend which sought to add Hinton as an additional party respondent. The MCAD never acted on Swenson’s motion to amend the complaint. On December 10, 2004, the MCAD issued a lack of probable cause finding regarding Swenson’s discrimination claim. On December 15, 2004, Swenson appealed the MCAD’s finding. The MCAD never ruled on Swenson’s appeal.

On January 3, 2005, Swenson filed a complaint with this Court and also filed a notification of withdrawal from the MCAD on January 28, 2005. The complaint named BLA, BMA, and Kendall as defendants.

DISCUSSION

I. Standard of Review

In reviewing a motion to dismiss pursuant to Mass.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(1) or 12(b)(6), all of the allegations in the plaintiffs complaints are taken as true and the Court draws all reasonable inferences therefrom in favor of the plaintiff. Marram v. Kobrick Offshore Fund Ltd., 442 Mass. 43, 45 (2004) (citing Blank v. Chelmsford Ob/Gyn., P.C., 420 Mass. 404, 407 (1995)). A complaint shall not be dismissed for failure to state a claim “unless it appears beyond doubt that the plaintiff can prove no set of facts in support of his claim which would entitle him to relief.” Conley v. Gibson, 355 U.S. 41, 45-46 (1957); see also Nader v. Citron, [40]*40372 Mass. 96, 98 (1977). Massachusetts is a notice pleading state, hence, the plaintiffs burden is minimal, requiring only sufficient information to identify the claims and the plaintiffs entitlement to relief. See Mass.R.Civ.P. 8(a)(1); see also Bell v. Mazza, 394 Mass. 176, 184 (1985).

II. Swenson’s age discrimination claim (count one) against Kendall

At the time Swenson resigned from his job, “Massachusetts law required] that a discrimination action under G.L.c. 15 IB be preceded by a charge filed with the MCAD within six months of the discriminatory conduct.” Cuddi v. Gallery Gift Shoppes, 2003 WL 22700536 (Mass.Super.).1 (17 Mass. L. Rptr. 65) Since the defendants could not have discriminated against Swenson after his employment was severed, the latest he could have met the statutory deadline of filing with the MCAD was August 28, 2002. G.L.c. 15 IB, §5 requires a plaintiff, as a prerequisite to filing an action in Superior Court for discrimination, to name a party in an MCAD action. Sereni v. Star Sportswear Mfg. Corp., 24 Mass.App.Ct. 428, 429-30 (1987), The requirement that a Superior Court action alleging discrimination under G.L.c. 15IB be preceded by a complaint filed with the MCAD “has a dual purpose. First, it is meant to provide the agency with an opportunity to investigate and conciliate the claim of discrimination. Second, the filing requirement provides notice to the defendant of a potential suit.” Carter v. Comm’r of Corr., 43 Mass.App.Ct. 212, 217 (1997) (quoting Conroy v. Boston Edison Co., 758 F.Sup. 54, 57 (Mass.Dist.Ct. 1991)).

Other than listing Kendall as the President of the company, Swenson failed to name him as a respondent or allege that he in any way discriminated against Swenson. Thus, Kendall was not put on notice that he might be the subject of a potential suit and there was no opportunity to conciliate the claim of discrimination based on any alleged conduct by him.

Plaintiffs counsel cited eleven cases that he asserts stand for the proposition “that a plaintiff [is] entitled to name an additional party when filing suit in Superior Court, even if the additional party was not named in the MCAD charge . . . where there was a close relationship between the named party and the unnamed party . . .” Plaintiffs Opposition to Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss, at 5-6. Assuming that Superior Court decisions constitute binding precedent on other Superior Court Judges, all of these cases can be distinguished from the present case.

In the majority of the cases cited, the plaintiff filed a charge with the MCAD within the statutory period but failed to formally name a party that was later named in a Superior Court action. In those decisions the courts decided that this was not fatal to the plaintiffs Superior court action where the MCAD charge specifically identified the unnamed party as the wrongdoer within the body of the claim.

In Femino v. Data Tech., Inc., the plaintiff failed to formally name his supervisor, Wayne Heath, in the heading but in the “Particulars” section specifically identified Heath as the person who harassed him. 2001 WL 1809807 at *2 (Mass.Super.) (14 Mass. L. Rptr. 273). Similarly, in Pardo v. General Hosp. Corp., the plaintiff failed to name Wang and Suit in the MCAD filing but in the “charge, described in detail the alleged discriminatory actions of Wang and Suit.” 2001 WL 1772030 at *3 (Mass.Super.) (12 Mass. L. Rptr. 459, 13 Mass. L. Rptr. 544).

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Related

Conley v. Gibson
355 U.S. 41 (Supreme Court, 1957)
Bell v. Mazza
474 N.E.2d 1111 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1985)
Sereni v. Star Sportswear Manufacturing Corp.
509 N.E.2d 1203 (Massachusetts Appeals Court, 1987)
Comey v. Hill
438 N.E.2d 811 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1982)
Nader v. Citron
360 N.E.2d 870 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1977)
Blank v. Chelmsford Ob/Gyn, P.C.
649 N.E.2d 1102 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1995)
Marram v. Kobrick Offshore Fund, Ltd.
442 Mass. 43 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 2004)
Carter v. Commissioner of Correction
681 N.E.2d 1255 (Massachusetts Appeals Court, 1997)
Sobotka v. Westfield Savings Bank
2 Mass. L. Rptr. 193 (Massachusetts Superior Court, 1994)
Sobotka v. Westfield Savings Bank
3 Mass. L. Rptr. 346 (Massachusetts Superior Court, 1994)
Tuffo v. Morisi
7 Mass. L. Rptr. 19 (Massachusetts Superior Court, 1997)
Leclerc v. Interstate Distributors, Inc.
8 Mass. L. Rptr. 654 (Massachusetts Superior Court, 1998)
Pardo v. General Hospital Corp.
12 Mass. L. Rptr. 459 (Massachusetts Superior Court, 2000)
Avitable v. W.M. Gulliksen Manufacturing Co.
12 Mass. L. Rptr. 653 (Massachusetts Superior Court, 2001)
Commonwealth v. Aron
13 Mass. L. Rptr. 542 (Massachusetts Superior Court, 2001)
Pardo v. General Hospital Corp.
13 Mass. L. Rptr. 544 (Massachusetts Superior Court, 2001)
Femino v. Data Technology, Inc.
14 Mass. L. Rptr. 273 (Massachusetts Superior Court, 2001)
Weston v. Town of Middleborough
14 Mass. L. Rptr. 323 (Massachusetts Superior Court, 2002)

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Bluebook (online)
20 Mass. L. Rptr. 39, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/swenson-v-buffalo-lodging-associates-llc-masssuperct-2005.