Walker v. Town of Hennessey

951 F. Supp. 2d 1263, 35 I.E.R. Cas. (BNA) 1861, 2013 WL 3058085, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 85461
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Oklahoma
DecidedJune 17, 2013
DocketNo. CIV-11-1364-HE
StatusPublished

This text of 951 F. Supp. 2d 1263 (Walker v. Town of Hennessey) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Walker v. Town of Hennessey, 951 F. Supp. 2d 1263, 35 I.E.R. Cas. (BNA) 1861, 2013 WL 3058085, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 85461 (W.D. Okla. 2013).

Opinion

ORDER

JOE HEATON, District Judge.

Plaintiff Rodney Walker filed this action against his former employer, the Town of Hennessey (“Hennessey”), asserting procedural and substantive due process claims and a First Amendment retaliation claim. Defendant Hennessey has filed a motion for summary judgment, which is appropriate only “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). “A genuine dispute as to a material fact ‘exists when the evidence, construed in the light most favorable to the non-moving party, is such that a reasonable jury could return a verdict for the non-moving party.’ ” Carter v. Pathfinder Energy Services, Inc., 662 F.3d 1134, 1141 (10th Cir.2011) (quoting Zwygart v. Bd. of Cnty. Comm’rs, 483 F.3d 1086, 1090 (10th Cir.2007)). Having considered the submissions of the parties in light of this standard, the court concludes defendant’s motion should be granted in part and denied in part.

Background

The Town of Hennessey operates under the statutory town board of trustees form of government. See 11 Okla. Stat. §§ 12-101-12-114. Tiffany Tillman is the Town Clerk and Town Administrator. On April 11, 2002, the Town Board of Hennessey approved the Employee Handbook, which has applied to all Hennessey employees since that date. 'While the Handbook specifies that the Town reserves the right “to revise, supplement or rescind any policies or portion of the handbook,” it excepts from any changes its “employment-at-will policy permitting [the employee] or the Town of Hennessey to end [their] relationship for any reason at any time.” Doc. # 44-2, Introductory Statement.1 The Handbook also includes the following provisions.2

The following information is to establish for the employees in the Town of Hennessey’s service a system of personnel rules based on merit principles and designed to secure more efficient administration governing the appointment, removal, promotion, transfer, layoff, and discipline of such employees and other benefits of town government on the basis of merit and fitness.
101- Nature of Employment
Employment with the Town of Hennessey is voluntarily entered into, and the employee is free to resign at will at anytime, with or without notice or cause, so long as there is no violation of applicable federal or state law. Policies set forth in this handbook are not intended to create a contract, nor are they to be construed to constitute contractual obligations of any kind or a contract of [1266]*1266employment between the Town of Hennessey and any of its employees. The provisions of the handbook have been developed at the discretion of the Board of Trustees and, except for its policy of employment-at-will, may be amended or cancelled at any time, at the Town of Hennessey Board of Trustees sole discretion.
126 Progressive Discipline ...
Although employment with the Town of Hennessey is based on mutual consent and both the employee and the Town of Hennessey have the right to terminate at will, with or without cause or advance notice, the Town of Hennessey may use progressive discipline at its discretion. Disciplinary action may call for any of four (4) steps — verbal warning, written warning, suspension with or without pay, or termination of employment — depending on the severity of the problem and the number of occurrences. There may be circumstances when one or more steps are bypassed. Progressive discipline means that, with respect to most disciplinary problems, these steps will normally be followed: a first offense may call for a verbal warning; a next offense may be followed by a written warning; another offense may lead to a suspension; still another offense may then lead to termination of employment. 146 Dismissals
Dismissals are discharges or separations made for misconduct, inefficiency or other just cause. A department head or the Town Administrator may dismiss any employee at any time with the approval of the Board of Trustees. But no dismissal of a regular employee shall take effect unless prior to the effective date thereof, the department head gives to such employee a written statement, setting forth in substance the reasons therefore and files a copy of such statement with the Board of Trustees and in the employee’s personnel file.
148 Disciplinary Actions
The Board of Trustees may dismiss or suspend without pay, upon the recommendation of the Town Administrator or department head, an employee for any just reasonable cause. The following are some of the examples of just and reasonable cause:
Refusal to comply with the proper order of an authorized superior.
Destruction or theft of property belonging to the Town of Hennessey.
A conviction of a felony or misdemeanor involving moral turpitude.
Violation of policies and procedures of a department or the Town which may bring the department or the Town into public disrepute or impair its efficiency or service.
Acceptance of a gift or fee given with the intent of influencing the employee in performance of their duties.
The direct use of official position of authority for personal profit or advantage.
Falsification of any records including falsification of any application papers.
149 Demotions
The Town Administrator or department head may demote an employee to a different pay grade by changing their job classification or reduce the salary of an employee within the range provided and according to the rules of pay for cause. A written statement of the reasons for such actions shall be furnished to the affected employee and the copy filed with the Board of Trustees and in the personnel file of the affected employee at least (5) five days prior to the effective date of action. No demotion shall be made as a disciplinary action. Final [1267]*1267approval of any demotion shall reside with the Board of Trustees.

Doc. # 49-1.

Plaintiff signed an Employee Acknowledgment Form dated September 24, 2002, which states in pertinent part:

I have entered into my employment relationship with the Town of Hennessey voluntarily and acknowledge that there is no specified length of employment. Accordingly, either I or the Town of Hennessey can terminate the relationship at will, with or without cause, at any time, so long as there is no-violation of applicable federal or state law.
Since the information, policies and benefits described here are necessarily subject to change, I acknowledge that revisions to the handbook may occur, except to the Town of Hennessey’s policy of employment-at-will....

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Bluebook (online)
951 F. Supp. 2d 1263, 35 I.E.R. Cas. (BNA) 1861, 2013 WL 3058085, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 85461, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/walker-v-town-of-hennessey-okwd-2013.