United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Global Horizons, Inc.

7 F. Supp. 3d 1053, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 36207
CourtDistrict Court, D. Hawaii
DecidedMarch 19, 2014
DocketCivil No. 11-00257 LEK
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 7 F. Supp. 3d 1053 (United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Global Horizons, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Hawaii primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Global Horizons, Inc., 7 F. Supp. 3d 1053, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 36207 (D. Haw. 2014).

Opinion

ORDER GRANTING PLAINTIFF’S: MOTION FOR PARTIAL SUMMARY JUDGMENT ON THE EEOC’S PATTERN OR PRACTICE CLAIM OF HOSTILE WORK ENVIRONMENT AGAINST DEFENDANT GLOBAL HORIZONS, INC.; MOTION FOR PARTIAL SUMMARY JUDGMENT ON THE EEOC’S PATTERN OR PRACTICE CLAIM OF DISPARATE TREATMENT AGAINST GLOBAL HORIZONS, INC.; AND MOTION FOR PARTIAL SUMMARY JUDGMENT ON THE EEOC’S PATTERN OR PRACTICE CLAIM OF RETALIATION AGAINST GLOBAL HORIZONS, INC.

LESLIE E. KOBAYASHI, District Judge.

Before the Court are Plaintiff Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (“the EEOC” or “Plaintiff’): Motion for Partial Summary Judgment on the EEOC’s Pattern or Practice Claim of Hostile Work Environment Against Defendant Global Horizons, Inc.,1 (“Hostile Work Environment Motion”) filed on November 1, 2013; [dkt. nos. 606-07;] the EEOC’s Motion for Partial Summary Judgment on the EEOC’s Pattern or Practice Claim of Disparate Treatment Against Global Horizons, Inc. (“Disparate Treatment Motion”), filed on November 1, 2013; [dkt. nos. 610, 612;] and the EEOC’s Motion for Partial Summary Judgment on the EEOC’s Pattern or Practice Claim of Retaliation Against Global Horizons, Inc. (“Retaliation Motion”), filed on November 1, 2013 [dkt. nos. 616, 618].2 Global Horizons did not [1057]*1057respond to the EEOC’s motions.3 On December 6, 2013, the EEOC filed a consolidated reply as to all four of its motions, emphasizing Global Horizons’s failure to respond. [Dkt. no. 659.]

The Court finds these matters suitable for disposition without a hearing pursuant to Rule LR7.2(d) of the Local Rules of Practice of the United States District Court for the District of Hawai’i (“Local Rules”). After careful consideration of the motions and the relevant legal authority, the EEOC’s Hostile Work Environment Motion, the EEOC’s Disparate Treatment Motion, and the EEOC’s Retaliation Motion are HEREBY GRANTED, for the reasons set forth below.

BACKGROUND

This Court set out the general background of this case in the 2/28/14 Order, and will only address the allegations that are relevant to the motions currently before it.

The motions currently before this Court address the EEOC’s claims against Global Horizons for pattern or practice of discriminatory treatment based on national origin, retaliation, and/or constructive discharge, in violation of 42 U.S.C. §§ 2000e-2(a), 2000e-3(a) (“Count I”). [Third Amended Complaint, filed 6/4/12 (dkt. no. 263), at ¶¶ 622-26, 642-44.] Count I alleges, in pertinent part:

623. At all times relevant to this action, the Claimants[4] were employed by Global [Horizons].
624. Since 2003, Global [Horizons] supplied the Claimants to work at one or more farms owned and operated by the Farm Defendants.
625. Since 2003, Global [Horizons] engaged in a pattern or practice of unlawful discriminatory employment practices at its facilities in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, California and at the Farm Defendants’ farms located in Oahu, Maui, and, Kauai, and Hawaii in violation of §§ 703(a) and 704(a) of Title VII, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-2(a) by discriminating against the Claimants with respect to the terms and conditions of their employment because of their Asian race and/or Thai national origin; subjecting the Claimants to harassment and hostile work environment because of their Asian race and/or Thai national origin; retaliating against employees for engaging in protected activity including but not limited to opposing and/or complaining about the discriminatory terms and conditions of employment, harassment, and/or hostile work environment; and/or constructively discharged the Claimants by subjecting them to intolerable working conditions and/or terms and conditions of employment.
626. Global [Horizons]’s pattern and/or practice of discriminatory treatment includes, without limitation, harassment, hostile work environment, disparate treatment, constructive discharge, and retaliation against employees for engaging in protected activity including but not limited to opposing and/or complaining about the discriminatory terms and conditions of employ[1058]*1058ment, harassment, and/or hostile work environment.

[Id. at ¶¶ 623-26.]

The EEOC served three sets of requests for admissions (“RFA”) on Global Horizons, but Global Horizons neither answered nor objected to any of the three sets of RFA. [Decl. of Sue Noh in Supp. of Pltf. EEOC’s Motions for Partial Summary Judgment Against Global Horizons, Inc. Re: Pattern or Practice of Disparate Treatment, Hostile Environment & Retaliation, filed 11/1/13 (dkt. no. 628) (“Noh Decl.”),5 at ¶¶ 1-2; id., Exh. 1 (RFA Set 1 (Nos. 1-709)); id., Exh. 2 (RFA Set 2 (Nos. 710-1210)).] The EEOC argues that, pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 36(a)(3), the matters in the RFA sets are deemed admitted as a matter of law.

The EEOC further argues that, based on the undisputed facts of this case, it is entitled to summary judgment as to the pattern and practice claims of hostile work environment, disparate treatment, and retaliation in Count I. This Court notes that, insofar as the EEOC’s Merits Motions all rely on pattern and practice allegations, this Court does not construe the Merits Motions as addressing the other counts in the Third Amended Complaint.

DISCUSSION

I. Admission of Material Facts

At the outset, this Court notes that Global Horizons failed to respond either to the EEOC’s Merits Motions or the EEOC’s concise statements of fact in support of the Merits Motions (collectively “Merits CSOFs”).6 Local Rule 56.1(g) states: “For purposes of a motion for summary judgment, material facts set forth in the moving party’s concise statement will be deemed admitted unless controverted by a separate concise statement of the opposing party.” Thus, this Court HEREBY DEEMS ADMITTED all of the statements of fact set forth in the EEOC’s Merits CSOFs.

II. Standard for Pattern and Practice Claims

In ruling on Global Horizons’s motion to dismiss the Third Amended Complaint, United States District Judge David Aan Ezra, described some of the requirements for Count I:

In order to establish a pattern or practice of discriminatory treatment in violation of Title VII, a plaintiff must show “ ‘more than the mere occurrence of isolated or accidental or sporadic discriminatory acts.’ ” Obrey v. Johnson, 400 F.3d 691, 694 (9th Cir.2005) (quoting Int’l Bhd. of Teamsters v. United States, 431 U.S. 324, 336, 97 S.Ct. 1843, 52 L.Ed.2d 396 (1977)). Plaintiff must show that the discrimination was the defendant’s “ ‘standard operating procedure — the regular rather than the unusual practice.’ ” Id. (quoting Teamsters, 431 U.S.

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Bluebook (online)
7 F. Supp. 3d 1053, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 36207, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-equal-employment-opportunity-commission-v-global-horizons-hid-2014.