Wiseman v. City of Michigan City

966 F. Supp. 2d 790, 2013 WL 4480227, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 117668
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Indiana
DecidedAugust 19, 2013
DocketCase No. 3:12-CV-357 JD
StatusPublished

This text of 966 F. Supp. 2d 790 (Wiseman v. City of Michigan City) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Indiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wiseman v. City of Michigan City, 966 F. Supp. 2d 790, 2013 WL 4480227, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 117668 (N.D. Ind. 2013).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

JON E. DEGUILIO, District Judge.

On January 22, 2013, Plaintiff Nancy Wiseman, through counsel, filed her First Amended Complaint, asserting eight counts variously against the City of Michigan City, Indiana, the City of Michigan City Department of Cemeteries, Perry Peterson, in his individual and official capacities, and Mark Tomsheck, in his individual and official capacities, as follows: (1) assault and battery against Mr. Peterson; (2) false imprisonment against Mr. Peterson; (3) section 1983 for violation of the First Amendment against all defendants; (4) section 1983 for violation of the Equal Protection Clause against all defendants; (5) infliction of emotional distress against all defendants; (6) punitive damages against Mr. Peterson and Superintendent Tomsheck; (7) sex discrimination and retaliation in violation of Title VII against the City of Michigan City and its Department of Cemeteries; and (8) disability discrimination and retaliation in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act against the City of Michigan City and its Department of Cemeteries.

Now before the Court is the Motion to Dismiss filed by defendants the City of Michigan City, the Department of Cemeteries, and Superintendent Tomsheck [DE 33]. The motion seeks dismissal of Counts 3 and 4 in their entirety, and Counts 5, 7, and 8 as to the Department of Cemeteries only. The motion does not contest the Title VII and ADA claims against the City of Michigan City, and makes no mention of the infliction of emotional distress and punitive damages claims. On February 22, 2013, Ms. Wiseman filed a response in opposition [DE 37], to which the Defendants filed a reply on March 1, 2013 [DE 38]. For the following reasons, Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss Plaintiffs’ Amended Complaint is hereby GRANTED IN PART and DENIED IN PART.

I. FACTUAL BACKGROUND1

Plaintiff Nancy Wiseman, a female, began working for the City of Michigan City Department, of Cemeteries in April 2010 as a seasonal laborer at Greenwood Cemetery. [DE 32 ¶¶ 6-8]. As a seasonal employee, Ms. Wiseman worked from April to November in 2010, and returned for the same period in 2011. [DE 32 ¶¶ 7, 13, 33]. Ms. Wiseman’s supervisor was Perry Peterson, a male, and she also worked along[794]*794side two other seasonal laborers, both of whom were male. [DE 32 ¶¶ 9-10]. Ms. Wiseman alleged that in 2010, Mr. Peterson began making unwanted and unwelcome sexual comments to Ms. Wiseman, and that this escalated severely when she returned to her position in 2011. [DE 32 ¶¶ 12-20]. During 2011 in particular, Mr. Peterson made grossly inappropriate and offensive statements and gestures on multiple occasions. [DE 32 ¶¶ 14-20]. In the most severe incident, Mr. Peterson forced Ms. Wiseman to the floor, restrained her against her will, and then, while on top of her, described the sex acts he wanted to perform on her. [DE 32 ¶ 15]. Throughout 2011, Mr. Peterson continuously told Ms. Wiseman that he was not being satisfied sexually, and in July or August 2011, Mr. Peterson suggested to her that since she refused to satisfy him, “he would approach females walking in the cemetery for sex.” [DE 32 ¶¶ 18-19].

Ms. Wiseman complained about this conduct in around July 2011 to Mark Tomsheck, Superintendent of the City of Michigan City Department of Cemeteries. [DE 32 ¶¶ 11, 23]. Following this complaint, Shelley Dunleavy, from the City of Michigan City’s Personnel Department, asked Ms. Wiseman to provide a statement describing Mr. Peterson’s conduct towards Ms. Wiseman. [DE 32 ¶ 28], In response, Ms. Wiseman submitted a “written complaint and concerns of sex harassment and sexual assault and battery” by Mr. Peterson. [DE 32 ¶ 30]. In addition, Ms. Wise-man submitted a “written complaint and concerns about Peterson suggesting that he could or would sexually harass and/or assault female citizens visiting the Greenwood Cemetery.” [DE 32 ¶ 30]. Mr. Peterson’s employment was terminated shortly thereafter. [DE 32 ¶ 31].

That November, Ms. Wiseman’s seasonal employment ceased due to the end of the grounds maintenance season. [DE 32 ¶ 33]. When the next maintenance season came around in April 2012, Ms. Wiseman reapplied for her position with the Department of Cemeteries, but she was not hired. [DE 32 ¶ 35], However, the two males with whom she had previously worked were both rehired, and another young male with less experience than Ms. Wise-man was also hired in April 2012. [DE 32 ¶¶ 36-37]. In addition, two other males were also hired and began working as seasonal laborers later in April 2012, and two more were hired in August or September 2012, while Ms. Wiseman was not hired for any of these positions. [DE 32 ¶¶ 41-42, exhibits B, C].

Ms. Wiseman subsequently filed a charge of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission [DE 32, exhibit A], and initiated the present action by filing a six-count complaint on June 27, 2012 [DE 1]. Upon receiving her Dismissal and Notice of Rights from the EEOC [DE 32, exhibit D], Ms. Wise-man amended her complaint to add claims under Title VII and the Americans with Disabilities Act. [DE 32]. Mr. Peterson answered the complaint [DE 36], while the remaining defendants filed a motion to dismiss, which is presently at issue [DE 33].

II. STANDARD OF REVIEW

Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6) authorizes dismissal of a complaint when it fails to set forth a claim upon which relief can be granted. Generally speaking, when considering a Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss, courts must inquire whether the complaint satisfies the “notice-pleading” standard. Indep. Tr. Corp. v. Stewart Info. Services Corp., 665 F.3d 930, 934 (7th Cir.2012). The notice-pleading standard requires that a complaint provide a “short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief,” which is suffi[795]*795cient to provide “fair notice” of the claim and its basis. Id. (citing Fed.R.Civ.P. 8(a)(2)); Maddox v. Love, 655 F.3d 709, 718 (7th Cir.2011) (citations omitted); see Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007) (quoting Fed.R.Civ.P. 8(a)(2)). In determining the sufficiency of a claim, the court construes the complaint in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party, accepts all well-pleaded facts as true, and draws all inferences in the nonmoving party’s favor. Reynolds v. CB Sports Bar, Inc., 623 F.3d 1143, 1146 (7th Cir.2010) (citation omitted).

In recent years, the Supreme Court has adopted a two-pronged approach when considering a Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss. Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678-79, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009) (citing Twombly). First, pleadings consisting of no more than mere conclusions are not entitled to the assumption of truth. Id.

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Bluebook (online)
966 F. Supp. 2d 790, 2013 WL 4480227, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 117668, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wiseman-v-city-of-michigan-city-innd-2013.