Tebo v. Potter

345 F. Supp. 2d 61, 16 Am. Disabilities Cas. (BNA) 394, 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 23921, 2004 WL 2711167
CourtDistrict Court, D. Massachusetts
DecidedNovember 8, 2004
DocketCIV.A. 01-40138-NMG
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 345 F. Supp. 2d 61 (Tebo v. Potter) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Massachusetts primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Tebo v. Potter, 345 F. Supp. 2d 61, 16 Am. Disabilities Cas. (BNA) 394, 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 23921, 2004 WL 2711167 (D. Mass. 2004).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM & ORDER

GORTON, District Judge.

On July 26, 2001, Plaintiff John M. Tebo (“Tebo”) brought this disability discrimination action against his employer, John E. Potter, Postmaster General of the United States Postal Service (“USPS”). Tebo alleges violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), 42 U.S.C. § 12111 et seq., and the Rehabilitation Act, 29 U.S.C. § 794. Tebo’s complaint alleges that USPS failed to provide a reasonable accommodation for his disability (Count 1), created a hostile work environment (Count II) and retaliated against him after he filed an Equal Employment Opportunity (“EEO”) claim (Count III).

I. Background

A. Factual Background

The following facts are set forth as alleged in the complaint, plaintiffs Local Rule 56.1 Statement of Material Facts and the memoranda supporting and opposing defendant’s motion for summary judgment. Because this matter is before the Court on defendant’s motion for summary judgment, facts will be viewed in the light most favorable to the plaintiff. O’Connor v. Steeves, 994 F.2d 905, 907 (1st Cir.1993).

Tebo has worked for USPS in some capacity since December 31, 1988. He was originally hired as a part time Rural Carrier Relief for the Westborough Post Office. In September, 1993, Tebo began working full time as a Rural Carrier, a position involving the delivery of mail by truck on a regular route. Tebo worked for USPS in that position until May, 1999, after which time his attendance at work became sporadic.

Plaintiff has suffered from a nervous condition his entire life. In the fall of 1998, he began experiencing symptoms of stress and possible cardiac problems and was out of work due to those symptoms on numerous days. In the following months his symptoms included agoraphobia, anxiety disorder, breakdowns, depression, difficulty managing anger, increased heart rate, insomnia, obsessive compulsive disorder, panic attacks lasting a few hours to a few days, shortness of breath, “stress caused by problems with co-workers and abusive treatment by his supervisor,” and on some days he was barely able to get up in the morning and unable to do chores at home. Tebo received counseling and psy-chotherapeutic treatment and has taken medication for some or all of those problems. His doctors consider his symptoms to be related to a non-work related disability. In June, 1999, plaintiffs doctor, Dr. Celona, advised Tebo not to drive because the medication he was taking for his anxiety disorder had a sedative effect. In September, 1999, Dr. Celona recommended that Tebo work in a more structured environment, e.g. indoors. •

Postal employment is governed by the Collective Bargaining Agreements (“CBAs”) of various unions. In 1999 Tebo was a member of the Rural Letter Carriers (“RLC”) craft within the National Rural Letter Carriers Association (“the NRLCA”). Other relevant unions include the American Postal Workers Union, the National Association of Letter Carriers and the National Postal Mail Handlers Union (together, “the three major unions”). In 1978, the USPS entered into a CBA with the three major unions which contained a provision for light duty work for illnesses or injuries sustained while off the *64 job. The agreement provided that the three major unions could assign employees to one of the other two member unions (via a so-called “cross-craft agreement”) for light duty work in certain circumstances. The NRLCA was not part of that agreement and to this day does not have a cross-craft agreement.

“Light duty work” is to be distinguished from “limited duty work.” Light duty refers to work provided to employees who have sustained a non work-related injury that prevents them from carrying out their work. Limited duty work, on the other hand, is available only for employees who have incurred a work-related disability. Because Tebo’s disability was not work related, he was ineligible for limited duty work. Furthermore, according to the USPS, the RLC craft is the only craft in the USPS that does not have a provision for light duty work. Therefore, in order for Tebo to be assigned light duty work, he would have to be transferred to another craft, which USPS has determined would violate the CBA of the RLC.

On August 31, 1999, Tebo informed his shop steward that he would like to leave RLC and change crafts. He was not immediately transferred to another craft because, according to the USPS, to have done so would have violated various CBAs unless no one in the craft to which the available position belonged bid for the position.

During the fall of 1999, Tebo, still employed as a RLC, was given indoor work consistent with the RLC craft and was assigned tasks such as assisting with the rural mail count and easing mail on rural routes with heavy volume on an intermittent basis. Since the fall of 1999, Tebo has continued to seek work in a craft other than RLC.

On December 7, 2000, Tebo was offered a position as a Mail Handler in the Fram-ingham Post Office, a position in a craft other than RLC. He accepted that position and has been working full time in it since December 16, 2000. The USPS authorities state that, because no one within the Mail Handler craft bid on the position, plaintiffs transfer did not violate any CBA.

B. Procedural History

On November 19, 2001, defendant filed a motion to dismiss Tebo’s complaint pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6) or, alternatively, for summary judgment pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(b). This Court, “mindful of the individualized inquiry required by the ADA and the general allegations made by Tebo about the impact of his disability,” denied that motion on September 12, 2002.

On October 4, 2002, defendant filed a motion for reconsideration of the Court’s September 12, 2002 Order. That motion requested that this Court reconsider its previous Order because the Court had not addressed the allegation that the plaintiff could not establish the second essential element of his claim because he had admitted that he could not perform the essential functions of his job, a rural mail carrier, either with or without accommodation. The Court reconsidered the motion but held that, absent further discovery, Tebo’s allegations stated a claim for relief and defendant’s motion to dismiss or for summary judgment would, therefore, once again be denied.

Potter filed the instant motion for summary judgment on March 14, 2004. Because the parties have undergone discovery and have presented factual evidence to the Court to substantiate their arguments, the Court now finds that summary judgment in favor of defendant is warranted.

*65 II. Motions for Leave to File a Response

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Bluebook (online)
345 F. Supp. 2d 61, 16 Am. Disabilities Cas. (BNA) 394, 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 23921, 2004 WL 2711167, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/tebo-v-potter-mad-2004.