United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Placer ARC

147 F. Supp. 3d 1053, 32 Am. Disabilities Cas. (BNA) 678, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 159585, 2015 WL 7571535
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. California
DecidedNovember 25, 2015
DocketNo. 2:13-cv-0577-KJM-EFB
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 147 F. Supp. 3d 1053 (United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Placer ARC) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. California 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. Placer ARC, 147 F. Supp. 3d 1053, 32 Am. Disabilities Cas. (BNA) 678, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 159585, 2015 WL 7571535 (E.D. Cal. 2015).

Opinion

ORDER

KIMBERLY MUELLER, UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

The United State's Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) brings this case against Placer ARC, doing business as Placer Advocacy Resources & Choices (ARC). The EEOC’s complaint was filed on behalf of Homeyra Kazerouni-[1056]*1056an, the charging party. It alleges ARC discriminated against Ms, Kazerounian because of her disability, deafness, in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

A trial is set to begin in this case- on November 30, 2015. The matter is before the court on,. the parties’ motions in li-mine. This order addresses two of ARC’s motions: the second, which seeks to exclude testimony by an EEOC expert witness, Dr. Shana Williams, Psy.D; and the seventh, which seeks to exclude testimony by Lindy Hicks, a former ARC employee. For the reasons described below, these two motions are DENIED. The remaining motions will be addressed in court on the first day of trial.

I. GENERAL BACKGROUND1

Ms. Kazerounian has been deaf since the early stages of her childhood. She was born and raised in Iran. When she lived in Iran, she communicated using Iranian Sign Language and in Farsi. She moved to Roseville, California with her husband in 2000. Mr. Kazerounian is also deaf. Ms. Kazerounian’s primary language in the United States is American Sign Language. She knows some English, but it can be hard for her to read and write in English.

ARC is a non-profit organization that provides services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Auburn and Roseville, California, among other locations. It provides programs to its disabled clients to help support their development in important life areas, for example, personal care, health, finances, visual and performing arts, volunteerism, vocational guidance, and higher education.

In 2004, ARC accepted Ms. Kazerounian as a volunteer in its Auburn program. She worked under the supervision of Program Director Lindy Hicks. In April 2005, ARC hired Ms. Kazerounian as an Instructional Aide, at its Auburn facility, still under Ms. Hicks’s supervision. ARC provided certified sign language interpreters for Ms. Kazerounian on a near-weekly basis from April 2005 through early .2008, Ms. Hicks took a leave of absence in June 2007, and her. employment was terminated from ARC in September 2007. In February 2008, Ms. Kazerounian became a 1:1 Instructional Aide in ARC’s Roseville Adult Center facility under the supervision of Prograna Director Patty Fellañd. The next month, ARC hired Sheila Maas as an Instructional Aide and with the understanding that Ms. Maas would provide interpretation services to Ms. Kazerounian. Within a few weeks, Ms. Kazerounian told ARC that she found Ms. Maas’s interpretation services unsatisfactory.

In December 2008, Ms. Kazerounian filed a complaint of discrimination with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, which was dually filed with the EEOC, alleging disability discrimination. Ms. Kazerounian left ARC in May 2010, and in October 2010, she filed a charge of discrimination with the EEOC, alleging she was constructively discharged. This action followed.

The EEOC filed a complaint in this court in March 2013. It alleges ARC did not reasonably accommodate Ms. Kazerou-nian’s disability because it did not provide qualified sign language, interpreters or other reasonable and effective accommodations after February 2008. The EEOC also alleges ARC retaliated against Ms. Kazer-ounian for asserting her rights under the ADA, and alleges her work conditions be[1057]*1057came so intolerable that she was forced to resign. ARC contends it provided reasonable accommodation to Ms. Kazerounian and did not violate the ADA. ARC further argues • that providing Ms. Kazerounian sign language interpreters as she requested would have caused it undue hardship,

ARC moved for summary judgment in December 2014. The court granted the motion in part, finding the undisputed facts did not allow the EEOC .to proceed on a claim of retaliation in violation of the ADA. ECF No. 97. The motion was denied with respect to the EEOC’s other claims, Id. ARC’S motions in limine were filed August 20, 2015. ARC Mot. in Limine (MIL) No. 2, ECF No. 100;JARC MIL No. 7, ECF No. 105. The EEOC filed opposition briefing, ECF No. 138, and ARC replied, ECF Nos. 145,150.

II. ARC’S MOTION IN LIMINE NO. 2: TESTIMONY BY DR. WILLIAMS

A. Background

1. Dr. Williams’s Qualifications

The EEOC designated Dr. Shana Williams, Psy.D -as a retained expert to offer opinions about “Ms. Kazerounian’s functional ability to communicate in American Sign Language (ASL) and in English.” R. Rediger Deck, Ex. B (Williams Rep.), at 1, ECF No. 100. Dr. Williams is a licensed psychologist. Id. She earned a Master of Science in Psychology from the Miami Institute of Psychology in 1995 and a Doctorate of Clinical Psychology from Carlos Al-bizu University in 1998. Williams Rep. App. C. In 1999, she completed a postdoctoral residency in outpatient mental health for the deaf and hard of hearing. Id. She is the Director of Psychological Services at Children’s Center for Development and Behavior in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Williams Rep. at 1. She is a licensed and practicing clinical psychologist, a former adjunct professor in that field, and has served as a court-appointed expert and advocate for deaf and non-verbal clients. Id.

2. Assessment of Ms. ■ Kazerounian’s Abilities '

On September 24 and 25, 2014, Dr. Williams administered several tests to assess Ms. Kazerounian’s language and communication abilities. Id. She performed a Sign Language Proficiency Interview (SLPI) to “measure[] her ability to use receptive and expressive Sign Language to communicate.” Id. at 9. She administered the Denver Scale Quick Test to assess Ms. Kazerounian’s ability to read speech, or in colloquial terms, to read lips. Id. at 10. She used the Comprehensive Test of Nonverbal. Intelligence (CTON'I-2) to. test Ms. Kazerounian’s “general intelligence.” Id. at 11. She performed the second edition of the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test to assess Ms. Kazerounian’s reading, writing, mathematics, and. oral language abilities. Id. at 14. And she used the Validity Indicator Profile test to ensure the validity of the other assessments. Id. at 16.

In the section of - Dr; Williams’s report subtitled “Summary of Findings,” she expresses several opinions. Ms. Kazerouni-an’s ASL was “clear and fluent” and she communicated solely in Sign Language. Id. at 17. She received an. “Advanced” rating in the SLPI. Id. at 18. Ms. Kazerounian relies on “multimode means of receptive communication”;. that is, “[s]he relies on visual cues, Sign Language, body and facial expression, previous knowledge, and synthesis to understand receptive communication.” Id. The results of the CTONL2 cognitive test were “solidly in the average range.” Id. at 17. But Ms. Kazerounian’s English reading and comprehension scores were “in the Extremely Low range.” Id. at 18. Similarly,. Ms. Kazerounian “was often not able to synthesize English words spoken on the lips.” Id. She “could not under[1058]*1058stand verbal presentation even when she was able to see the speaker’s lips.” Id.

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147 F. Supp. 3d 1053, 32 Am. Disabilities Cas. (BNA) 678, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 159585, 2015 WL 7571535, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-equal-employment-opportunity-commission-v-placer-arc-caed-2015.