Veney v. John W. Clarke, Inc.

28 F. Supp. 3d 435, 2014 WL 2925260, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 88886
CourtDistrict Court, D. Maryland
DecidedJune 27, 2014
DocketCivil No. JKB-13-2410
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 28 F. Supp. 3d 435 (Veney v. John W. Clarke, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Maryland primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Veney v. John W. Clarke, Inc., 28 F. Supp. 3d 435, 2014 WL 2925260, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 88886 (D. Md. 2014).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

JAMES K. BREDAR, District Judge.

I. Background

Plaintiffs Stacey Veney, Torres Savage, Emory Rhyne, Robert King, and Melvin Brunson filed this suit seeking unpaid wages allegedly due to them under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”), 29 U.S.C. §§ 201-219, and the Maryland Wage and Hour Law (“MWHL”), Md.Code Ann., Lab. & Empl. §§ 3-401-3-431 (LexisNexis 2008 & Supp. 2013). Plaintiffs have claimed that Defendants failed to pay them minimum wage . for all hours worked and have also claimed entitlement to overtime pay for hours worked in excess of forty hours per week. Plaintiffs were laborers who picked up trash and recyclables and threw them into Defendants’ trucks. Defendants are three trash and recyclables collection compar nies — John W. Clarke, Inc.;- Clarke Refuse Services, Inc.; and Holland Refuse Ser[438]*438vice, Inc. (collectively, “Clarke Refuse”)— and Wesley M. Clarke (“Clarke”), who is an owner and/or manager and operator of all three businesses. Emory Rhyne accepted Defendants’ offer of judgment and is no longer a party to the case. (ECF Nos. 28, 31, 32.)

Pending before the Court is Defendants’ motion for partial summary judgment. (ECF No. 25.) Defendants seek judgment in their favor on the two counts for overtime pay, Count III (under the MWHL) and Count IV (under the FLSA). They contend they are exempt from the overtime pay obligations of these two statutes because they are covered by the Motor Carrier Act’s (“MCA”) exemption as to employees of a motor private carrier for whom the MCA grants jurisdiction to the U.S. Secretary of. Transportation to set requirements for qualifications and maximum hours of service when needed to promote safety of operation. See 49 U.S.C. § 31502(b)(2). The motion has been briefed (ECF Nos. 26, 30, 33), and no hearing is necessary, Local Rule 105.6 (D.Md.2011). The motion will be denied.

II. Standard for Summary Judgment

“The court shall grant summary judgment if the movant shows that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(a); Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986) (citing predecessor to current Rule 56(a)). The burden is on the moving party to demonstrate the absence of any genuine dispute of material fact. Adickes v. S.H. Kress & Co., 398 U.S. 144, 157, 90 S.Ct. 1598, 26 L.Ed.2d 142 (1970). If sufficient evidence exists for a reasonable jury to render a verdict in favor of the party opposing the motion, then a genuine dispute of material fact is presented and summary judgment should be denied. See Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). However, the “mere existence of a scintilla of evidence in support of the [opposing party’s] position” is insufficient to defeat a motion for summary.judgment. Id. at 252, 106 S.Ct. 2505. The facts themselves, and the inferences to be drawn from the underlying facts, must be viewed in the light most favorable to the opposing party, Scott v. Harris, 550 U.S. 372, 378, 127 S.Ct. 1769, 167 L.Ed.2d 686 (2007); Iko v. Shreve, 535 F.3d 225, 230 (4th Cir.2008), who may not rest upon the mere allegations or denials of his pleading but instead must, by affidavit or other evidentiary showing, set out specific facts showing a genuine dispute for trial, Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c)(1). Supporting and opposing affidavits are to be made on personal knowledge, contain such facts as would be admissible in evidence, and show affirmatively the competence of the affiant to testify to the matters stated in the affidavit. Rule 56(c)(4).

III. Facts

Defendants admit they have never paid Plaintiffs overtime for hours worked in excess of forty in a workweek. (Defs.’ Resp. to Pis.’ Request for Admission 9, ECF No. 3CML) Clarke testified Plaintiffs’ work hours in a typical workweek varied “between somewhere in the low 40s to the low 50s.” (Clarke Dep. 43:7-8, Feb. 4, 2014, ECF No. 30-6.) Whether Plaintiffs were entitled to overtime pay for their work hours over forty in any given week depends upon the nature of the activities of their employment and certain attributes of Clarke Refuse’s business.

As to the basic nature of Plaintiffs’ job, King testified in deposition that his job with Clarke Refuse was “[w]orking on the trash truck throwing trash.” (King Dep. 6:8-9, Feb. 7, 2014, ECF No. 25-7.) The [439]*439other Plaintiffs testified similarly: “I was a laborer. I threw trash. I collected trash. I put it on the truck and we either took it to the dump or recycling plant, and that’s my job.” (Brunson Dep. 5:20-6:1, Feb. 11, 2014, ECF No. 25-8.) “[I m]ainly just walk behind or ran behind the truck and picked up the trash once you seen [sic] it.” (Veney Dep. 14:1-2, Feb. 7, 2014, ECF No. 25-9.) “[I d]ump trash. I was a trash man.” (Savage Dep. 24:21, Feb. 7, 2014, ECF No. 30-3.) Veney also indicated that he “every now and then pack[ed] the truck up,” meaning the trash was compressed so the truck could be filled to capacity. (Veney Dep. 14:3-13.)

Clarke Refuse’s foreman, Gordon Seymour, testified that one of the responsibilities of the Plaintiffs is not to pick up hazardous materials, such as ammunition or paint (Seymour Dep. 20:15-22:9-11,. Feb. 5, 2014, ECF No. 25-4), and King testified that he would not pick up gas cans left out for collection “[b]ecause they probably explode if you impact them” (King Dep. 12:3-20). Veney also testified he knew he was not supposed to take “[sjtuff like liquids, paint cans, [or] certain things” that “[m]ight be harmful to you or it could damage the truck or something like that.” (Veney Dep. 16: 8-18.) Similarly, Savage testified he knew he was not supposed to collect certain things including gas containers because “common sense will tell you that you don’t mix gas with stuff that can be flammable or catch a vehicle on fire and have the safety of the driver and the helpers in danger.” (Savage Dep. 36:6-18.)

Plaintiffs also testified that they were given additional responsibilities, including lubrication of mechanical parts and changing of tires on the trucks. (King Dep. 29:1-8; Branson Dep. 10:7, 20-21; Veney Dep. 32:5-9; Savage Dep. 19:1-12.) Clarke and Seymour acknowledged Plaintiffs were required to perform maintenance on the trucks. (Clarke Dep. 106:9-108:14; Seymour Dep. 34:20-36:1.)

As to the operation of Clarke Refuse’s business, Clarke testified that Defendants pick up residential trash and recycling and commercial trash and recycling. (Clarke Dep.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
28 F. Supp. 3d 435, 2014 WL 2925260, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 88886, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/veney-v-john-w-clarke-inc-mdd-2014.