Victorelli v. Shadyside Hospital

CourtCourt of Appeals for the Third Circuit
DecidedNovember 3, 1997
Docket96-3597
StatusUnknown

This text of Victorelli v. Shadyside Hospital (Victorelli v. Shadyside Hospital) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Victorelli v. Shadyside Hospital, (3d Cir. 1997).

Opinion

Opinions of the United 1997 Decisions States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

11-3-1997

Victorelli v. Shadyside Hospital Precedential or Non-Precedential:

Docket 96-3597

Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.law.villanova.edu/thirdcircuit_1997

Recommended Citation "Victorelli v. Shadyside Hospital" (1997). 1997 Decisions. Paper 257. http://digitalcommons.law.villanova.edu/thirdcircuit_1997/257

This decision is brought to you for free and open access by the Opinions of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit at Villanova University School of Law Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in 1997 Decisions by an authorized administrator of Villanova University School of Law Digital Repository. For more information, please contact Benjamin.Carlson@law.villanova.edu. Filed November 3, 1997

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE THIRD CIRCUIT

No. 96-3597

KATHLEEN M. VICTORELLI,

Appellant.

v.

SHADYSIDE HOSPITAL

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania (D.C. Civil Action No. 95-cv-00300)

Argued on July 23, 1997

Before: SLOVITER, Chief Judge, and ROTH, Circuit Judge, LUDWIG, District Judge1

(Opinion filed November 3, 1997)

James W. Carroll, Jr., Esquire (Argued) Tabakin, Carroll & Curtin 1430 Grant Building Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Attorney for Appellant

_________________________________________________________________ 1. Honorable Edmund V. Ludwig, United States District Court Judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, sitting by designation.

David R. Johnson, Esquire (Argued) Thomson, Rhodes & Cowie, P.C. Two Chatham Center Suite 1010 Pittsburgh, PA 15219-3499

Attorney for Appellee

Patricia A. Shiu, Esquire Catherine R. Albiston, Esquire Vicki Laden, Esquire The Employment Law Center A Project of the Legal Aid Society of San Francisco 1663 Mission Street, Suite 400 San Francisco, CA 94103

Donna Lenhoff, Esquire Rebecca Epstein, Esquire Women's Legal Defense Fund 1875 Connecitcut Avenue, N.W. Suite 710 Washington, D.C. 20009

Attorneys for Amici Curiae- Appellant

OPINION OF THE COURT

ROTH, Circuit Judge.

Kathleen M. Victorelli appeals an award of summary judgment to her former employer, Shadyside Hospital ("Shadyside"), on her claim that Shadyside violated the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, 29 U.S.C.S 2601 ("FMLA").2 For the reasons discussed below, we will vacate _________________________________________________________________

2. On March 3, 1995, this case was referred by the district court to the magistrate judge pursuant to 28 U.S.C. S 636(b)(1)(A) and (B), and Local Rule 72.1.3. The magistrate judge filed a report and recommendation, recommending that the defendant's motion for summary judgment be granted and that the plaintiff's motion for partial summary judgment be denied. On July 25, 1996, the report and recommendation was adopted by the district court. All references herein to the district court refer concurrently to the magistrate judge's report and recommendation and to the district court's adoption of it.

the grant of summary judgment and remand this case to the district court for further proceedings.

I.

From June 17, 1989, until August 1, 1994, Kathleen M. Victorelli was employed as a Central Service Technician by Shadyside Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She was terminated from her employment with Shadyside following a request for sick leave on July 29, 1994. According to Victorelli's deposition, on the preceding evening she experienced stomach upset with vomiting and diarrhea. At 4:30 a.m. on the 29th, Victorelli called the hospital and left a voice mail message informing her supervisor that she would be unable to work because of her stomach ailment. Victorelli called again at 9:00 a.m. to inform another supervisor, Janet Lattanzio, of her inability to work that day. Lattanzio was unable to speak with Victorelli at that time and suggested she call again at approximately 1:30 p.m. In the interim, Victorelli spoke with her doctor, I.N. Adoki, M.D. Dr. Adoki's opinion was that Victorelli was suffering from a "flare-up" of her peptic ulcer disease. He recommended that she not work that day. Victorelli spoke with Lattanzio again at 1:30 p.m. and said she was having stomach discomfort because of her peptic ulcer condition. Victorelli also told Lattanzio that she was scheduled to meet with her doctor about her condition on August 2 and that she would be in to work on July 30. Lattanzio responded that they would discuss Victorelli's absence on Monday, August 1.

As a result of Victorelli's July 29 "call-off " from work, Shadyside decided to terminate her employment. Lattanzio made this decision after consultation with another hospital official on the morning of the 29th but did not communicate it to Victorelli until August 1. Victorelli did report to work as scheduled on July 30 and August 1. On August 1, Victorelli was informed that she had been terminated pursuant to the hospital's progressive disciplinary policy. Lattanzio told Victorelli that she was being discharged because of previous attendance problems and what was considered to be an abuse of sick time. Victorelli had had a history of tardiness and absences due

to sickness, some in excess of her accrued sick time. She had been warned about this on numerous occasions.

Throughout her tenure with Shadyside, Victorelli was given high marks in her job evaluations. She had also, however, received written warnings for her tardiness and absenteeism. In March of 1993, Victorelli was counseled by her supervisor regarding her absenteeism and an apparent pattern of "Monday-Friday" absences due to sickness. As part of Shadyside's progressive disciplinary program, Victorelli was given her first verbal warning regarding her attendance in April of 1993. On May 2, 1994, Victorelli received a warning for tardiness. On May 18, she was given another written warning about her absences. The May 18 warning stated that any subsequent attendance violations would result in her dismissal.

Dr. Adoki first saw Victorelli on March 16, 1988. In March of 1990, he began treating her for recurring stomach pain, diagnosed as gastritis. He saw her again on August 13, 1992, because of stomach pain and additional symptoms of nausea and vomiting. He then prescribed Zantac for her condition. She continues to take Zantac to the present day. On November 18, 1992, Dr. Adoki diagnosed peptic ulcer disease. He has treated Victorelli on June 23, 1993, August 2, 1994, May 30, 1995, and November 16, 1995, because of peptic ulcer disease problems that could not be controlled by Zantac. Dr. Adoki has also spoken with Victorelli on numerous occasions regarding her condition. He has found that Victorelli's peptic ulcer disease is incurable although it can be generally controlled by medication. He has determined that, if left untreated, Victorelli's condition would cause a period of incapacity in excess of three days. He has also found that, while treated, Victorelli's condition has occasionally prevented her from working, including on July 29, 1994.

Over the course of her employment, Victorelli has informed her employer that she suffers from peptic ulcer disease. She also has had recurring cases of sinusitus and inner ear infections. While Shadyside knew of these various medical ailments, at no time did it seek medical documentation of them. Upon request, Victorelli has, except for one occasion, provided a doctor's excuse for her

illnesses. In her deposition testimony, Janet Lattanzio, Victorelli's supervisor, stated that she believed Victorelli was sick when she reported in as such.

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