Kennedy v. Berkel & Co. Contractors, Inc.
Kennedy v. Berkel & Co. Contractors, Inc.
Opinion of the Court
Kimberly Kennedy alleges that her boss, Dwayne Bruce, repeatedly raped and abused her during her six weeks of employment with Berkel & Company Contractors. She brings twenty-four counts against Bruce and Berkel, including claims of sex-based discrimination, religious discrimination, retaliation, sexual harassment, discriminatory termination, and numerous torts. Before the Court is the defendants' Motion to Dismiss eighteen of those counts pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Dkt. 13. For the reasons that follow, the Court will grant the motion in part and dismiss seven counts.
I. BACKGROUND
The Court will recount the facts set forth in the complaint, which is presumed truthful at this stage. Kennedy moved to the District of Columbia in summer 2015 without employment. Compl. ¶ 7, Dkt. 1. She lived in a homeless shelter while looking for work in the construction industry. Id. Bruce, whom Berkel employed as a work-site superintendent, hired Kennedy as a skilled laborer for his work site on August 20, 2015, and she began work that day. Id. ¶¶ 9-13. Kennedy was the only female of Berkel's approximately ten employees at the work site. Id. ¶ 17.
In Kennedy's first days of work, Bruce assigned her to the role of directing traffic, though all of the male employees were *242assigned to excavate a foundation. Id. ¶ 23. Kennedy attempted to assist the other employees with excavation when there was no traffic to direct, but Bruce told her to find other work. Id. Kennedy then asked if she could join the male employees because she had experience with excavation, but Bruce denied the request, reasoning that "women are distracting" and the other employees might be injured. Id. ¶¶ 24-25. Bruce instead assigned Kennedy to lay asphalt in a secluded area that was out of the other employees' view and to clean the trailer he used as his office. Id. ¶ 26. On one occasion during these first days, Bruce saw Kennedy talking with another company's construction workers and threatened to fire her if she spoke with them again. Id. ¶ 27.
After isolating Kennedy from the other workers, Bruce began sexually harassing her. On a daily basis, he flirted with her, asked her if she was in a relationship, and commented on her curves and physical appearance. Id. ¶ 29. Kennedy, who is celibate pursuant to her religion, repeatedly told Bruce that his advances made her uncomfortable and that she is religious and does not date outside marriage. Id. ¶ 30. But Bruce continued to inquire into Kennedy's personal life and at one point asked her to be his girlfriend. Id. ¶ 31. When Kennedy repeated that she does not date outside of marriage because it is against her religion, Bruce refused to accept the rejection and claimed that he saw in her eyes that she liked him. Id.
Once when Kennedy was cleaning the trailer alone, Bruce entered and demanded a hug, which Kennedy refused. Id. ¶ 33. The next day, Bruce hugged Kennedy without her consent and asked her how it felt. Id. Kennedy responded that the hug made her feel "not good" and guilty. Id. But Bruce continued to hug her on a near-daily basis without her consent. Id. ¶ 34. He sometimes asked her if his hugs made her feel guilty, and she responded that they did because of her religious beliefs. Id. Kennedy recounts that she felt powerless to stop Bruce because she feared losing her job and being unable to leave the homeless shelter. Id. ¶ 35.
Bruce's harassment and assaults soon escalated. Every day, Bruce hugged Kennedy and rubbed his body against hers. Id. ¶ 37. Several times each day, Bruce approached Kennedy from behind and rubbed his erect penis on her buttocks. Id. One day, Bruce exposed his penis to Kennedy and then called her cell phone to ask her about it after she fled. Id. ¶ 40. Another day, Bruce entered the trailer, grabbed Kennedy's face, and forcibly kissed her despite her attempt to escape. Id. ¶ 38. Bruce then gave Kennedy uninvited kisses every day at work. Id. ¶ 39. On several occasions he put his hands up Kennedy's shirt and grabbed and kissed her breasts. Id.
On September 23, 2015, Kennedy's birthday, Bruce told her that he had a present for her and insinuated with his tongue that he would perform oral sex on her. Id. ¶ 41. A few days later, Bruce entered the trailer, forcibly kissed Kennedy, unzipped his pants, and repeatedly slapped Kennedy's face with his penis. Id. ¶ 42. When Kennedy resisted Bruce's attempt to force his penis into her mouth, he became angry and forced her to perform oral sex on him. Id. Bruce again forced Kennedy to perform oral sex on him on three other days. Id. ¶ 43. On one occasion, Bruce told Kennedy not to accept a phone call while he was assaulting her because she was doing her "job." Id. ¶ 45.
On September 30, Bruce became angry upon seeing Kennedy make small talk with other Berkel superintendents. Id. ¶ 47-48. Bruce handed Kennedy a final paycheck and told her that despite previous plans she would not be transferred to the next *243work site because the other superintendents said she was "too soft." Id. ¶¶ 49-50. When Kennedy began to cry, Bruce told her that "this is why I don't like to hire women." Id. ¶ 49.
Kennedy left the work site but returned later that day, hoping to change Bruce's mind. Id. ¶ 52. When Kennedy entered Bruce's trailer to ask for her job back, Bruce forced his penis into her mouth and vagina as she cried. Id. ¶ 53. After the rape, Bruce told Kennedy he would call her later about the job, and she left. Id.
Kennedy was hired by another construction company several days later. Id. ¶ 55. Bruce told other Berkel employees that the assaults were consensual, and the Berkel employees began mocking Kennedy as promiscuous when they saw her with her new construction company. Id. ¶ 56.
In the months after her employment at Berkel, Kennedy suffered from severe depression and suicidal thoughts. Id. ¶ 57. This prevented her from maintaining a job. After leaving the second construction company, Kennedy was hired by the Laborers' International Union of North America as an audit clerk, but she was fired because she could not focus, retain information, or learn new tasks. Id. ¶ 61. In August 2016, Kennedy's emotional trauma required hospitalization, and she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and prescribed medication. Id. ¶ 58. At the time the complaint was filed in June 2017, Kennedy was receiving weekly treatment and still struggled daily with depression. Id. ¶ 59.
Kennedy's suit was reassigned to the undersigned judge on December 5, 2017.
II. LEGAL STANDARDS
Rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure allows a defendant to move to dismiss the complaint for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6). To survive a Rule 12(b)(6) motion, a complaint must contain factual matter sufficient to "state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face." Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly ,
Well-pleaded factual allegations are "entitled to [an] assumption of truth,"
*244a context-specific task that requires the reviewing court to draw on its judicial experience and common sense."
When deciding a Rule 12(b)(6) motion, the court may consider only the complaint itself, documents attached to the complaint, documents incorporated by reference in the complaint, and judicially noticeable materials. EEOC v. St. Francis Xavier Parochial Sch. ,
III. ANALYSIS
The complaint contains twenty-four counts, and the defendants move to dismiss eighteen of them. (The other six are claims for sex-based discrimination and retaliation.) The complaint's federal questions and the parties' diversity of citizenship confer subject-matter jurisdiction on the Court. See Compl. ¶ 1;
Kennedy's statutory claims are based on Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the District of Columbia Human Rights Act. The D.C. Court of Appeals generally interprets the D.C. Human Rights Act as operating in parallel to Title VII. See, e.g. , Estenos v. PAHO/WHO Fed. Credit Union ,
A. Religious Discrimination
Kennedy asserts four counts of religious discrimination: (1) hostile work environment under Title VII; (2) hostile work environment under the D.C. Human Rights Act; (3) discriminatory termination under Title VII; and (4) discriminatory termination under the D.C. Human Rights Act. See Compl. ¶¶ 86-93, 101-105, 131-139, 147-150. Both statutes prohibit an employer from discriminating against an employee on the basis of religion with respect to the employee's terms or conditions of employment. 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-2(a)(1) ;
First, the defendants argue that the Title VII counts must be dismissed because Kennedy failed to exhaust her administrative remedies.
The exhaustion requirement is not so unforgiving. The requirement "serves the important purposes of giving the charged party notice of the claim and narrowing the issues for prompt adjudication and decision." Park v. Howard Univ. ,
Next, the defendants argue that the complaint inadequately alleges a hostile work environment based on religious discrimination. Defs.' Mem. at 9-10. An employer violates Title VII and the D.C. Human Rights Act with discriminatory conduct that is "severe or pervasive enough to create an [objectively and subjectively] hostile or abusive work environment" and thus "alter[s] the conditions of the victim's employment." Harris v. Forklift Sys. ,
Kennedy sufficiently alleges that Bruce created a hostile work environment based on her religion. According to the complaint, Kennedy repeatedly told Bruce that she did not date outside marriage because of her religious beliefs, yet he repeatedly touched and harassed her sexually. See generally Compl. Bruce once mocked Kennedy as "trying to be a minister" when she refused to date him. Id. ¶ 32. Upon learning that a nonconsensual hug made Kennedy feel guilty, Bruce hugged her again and asked if it again made her feel guilty. Id. ¶¶ 33-34. After Kennedy replied that it did because of her religious beliefs, Bruce hugged her on a near-daily basis. Id. ¶ 34. And if Kennedy's *246religious beliefs placed extramarital dating and opposite-sex hugs off limits, Bruce flagrantly violated those beliefs by rubbing his erect penis on her buttocks. Bruce did that several times each day. Id. ¶ 37. These egregious violations of Kennedy's religious code meet all five factors mentioned in Forklift Systems : they were frequent, severe, physically threatening and humiliating, an unreasonable interference with Kennedy's work performance, and psychologically damaging. And while Bruce's alleged conduct would have created a hostile work environment for anyone, religious or not, the complaint allows for the inference that Bruce's behavior-accompanied by his mocking of Kennedy's religious scruples-was motivated at least partly by Kennedy's religious beliefs. See 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-2(m) ("[A]n unlawful employment practice is established when the complaining party demonstrates that ... religion ... was a motivating factor for any employment practice, even though other factors also motivated the practice.");
Finally, the defendants argue that the discriminatory-termination claims fail on the grounds that Bruce did not know Kennedy's specific religion and that the complaint does not allege a causal link between the termination and religious animus. Defs.' Mem. at 13-14. The defendants are wrong to argue that an employer must know an employee's religion in order to discriminate against the employee on the basis of religion. An employer undoubtedly violates Title VII by firing an employee because the employee reads scripture even if the employer does not know what scripture the employee reads. See 42 U.S.C. § 2000e(j) ("The term 'religion' includes all aspects of religious observance and practice, as well as belief ....").
But the defendants are correct that the complaint does not adequately plead causality between the termination and religious discrimination. "Under Title VII, ... the two essential elements of a discrimination claim are that (i) the plaintiff suffered an adverse employment action (ii) because of the plaintiff's race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disability." Baloch v. Kempthorne ,
The complaint strongly suggests that Kennedy was fired because of her sex and because, contrary to Bruce's instructions, she spoke with other Berkel employees. See Compl. ¶¶ 48-49 (After "Bruce observed [Kennedy] interacting with [other employees] and was angry," he "handed [Kennedy] a final, handwritten paycheck and stated that he was not transferring her to another site ...."); id. ¶ 49 ("Bruce ... stated that he was not transferring [Kennedy] to another site because ... other superintendents said she was 'too soft,' which she understood to be a reference to her sex. [Kennedy] started crying. Bruce told her 'this is why I don't like to hire women.' "). In contrast, the complaint contains nothing to suggest that Kennedy's religious practices or beliefs had anything to do with her termination. Therefore, Kennedy's discriminatory-termination counts must be dismissed.
B. Quid Pro Quo Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment can violate Title VII and the D.C. Human Rights Act by *247effectively altering an employee's terms and conditions of employment. Burlington Indus. v. Ellerth ,
An employer is liable for quid-pro-quo harassment "[w]hen a plaintiff proves that a tangible employment action resulted from a refusal to submit to a supervisor's sexual demands."
Kennedy does not allege that Bruce terminated her employment because of a refusal to submit to his sexual demands; indeed, in the weeks leading up to her termination, Bruce succeeded in assaulting Kennedy repeatedly, despite her continual efforts to thwart his sexual demands. Instead, Kennedy alleges that Bruce terminated her employment because she spoke with other Berkel employees and was "soft." Compl. ¶ 49. Her sex-discrimination claim is based on severe and pervasive offensive conduct and is therefore properly categorized as alleging a hostile work environment. Accordingly, the Court will dismiss the quid-pro-quo claims. But it makes no real difference-Kennedy's sex-based hostile-work-environment claims, which survive, fully encompass the allegations that compose the quid-pro-quo claims. See Lutkewitte v. Gonzales ,
C. Negligence and Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress
The complaint pleads common-law claims for negligence and negligent hiring and supervision against Berkel and both intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress against Bruce. Compl. ¶¶ 158-164, 165-170, 201-204, 205-210. The defendants argue that the D.C. Worker's Compensation Act bars these claims. Defs.' Mem. at 15-17, 20. The Act "makes [an] employer liable without fault if [an] employee's occupational injury or death falls within the scope of the Act, but as a quid pro quo for such automatic liability, the Act provides the employee's exclusive remedy-an administrative remedy-against the employer for injuries within its reach." Estate of Underwood v. Nat'l Credit Union Admin. ,
The defendants' argument fails because injuries caused by sexual harassment fall outside the Act's reach. The Act defines "injury" as "accidental injury or *248death arising out of and in the course of employment."
The defendants also argue that Kennedys' tort claims fail because they are predicated on violations of the D.C. Human Rights Act or Title VII, Defs.' Mem. at 17-20, but this argument fares no better. It is true that a common-law negligent-supervision claim "may be predicated only on common law causes of action or duties otherwise imposed by the common law," and the common law "did not recognize an employer's duty to prevent ... sexual harassment" when unaccompanied by "independently tortious conduct." Griffin v. Acacia Life Ins. ,
The defendants resist this conclusion with respect to the intentional infliction of emotional distress claim on the ground that Kennedy pleaded that Bruce intentionally inflicted emotional distress upon her through, "inter alia , his pattern of sexual harassment and repeated verbal abuse." Compl. ¶ 202. The defendants argue that this focus on harassment and verbal abuse prevents the claim from reaching Bruce's assaults. Defs.' Reply at 9, Dkt. 15. That is not so: the complaint explicitly states that its references to sexual harassment and verbal abuse do not exhaust the bases for the claim ("inter alia" being the key term). Pleading, moreover, is not "a game of skill in which one misstep by counsel may be decisive to the outcome." Swierkiewicz ,
The claim for negligent infliction of emotional distress must be dismissed without prejudice, however, because Kennedy concedes that it was improperly pleaded against Bruce instead of Berkel. See Kennedy Opp'n at 24-25, Dkt. 14.
D. Wrongful Termination
Kennedy alleges common-law wrongful termination on the ground that she was "terminated because of her sex and religion when she opposed Defendant *249Bruce's sexual advances and harassment." Compl. ¶ 174. Kennedy was apparently an at-will employee. See Defs.' Mem at 20; Kennedy Opp'n at 26 (not contesting the defendants' claim that Kennedy's employment was at-will); Tingling-Clemmons v. District of Columbia ,
Kennedy's argument is flawed. First, the complaint alleges that Bruce repeatedly sexually assaulted Kennedy-hardly the quid-pro-quo exchange contemplated by the D.C. statute. The complaint therefore fails to allege the required close fit between policy and conduct. Second, the complaint does not allege that Bruce terminated Kennedy's employment on the ground that she refused to "prostitute" herself. See supra Section III.B. The wrongful-termination claim also fails, therefore, for the same reason that the quid-pro-quo claim fails.
E. Tortious Interference
Kennedy alleges that Bruce tortiously interfered with her business relationship with Berkel. Compl. ¶¶ 151-157. "A prima facie case of tortious interference with business relations requires: (1) existence of a valid contractual or other business relationship; (2) the defendant's knowledge of the relationship; (3) intentional interference with that relationship by the defendant; and (4) resulting damages." Whitt v. Am. Prop. Constr. ,
The D.C. Court of Appeals reached a conclusion contrary to this general rule in one recent case, Newmyer v. Sidwell Friends School , in which a school counselor sued the parent of a student for tortiously interfering with his contract with the school. See
Bruce did have an affiliation with Berkel, in contrast, but Kennedy argues that in a case preceding Newmyer , the D.C. Court of Appeals left open the possibility of a tortious-interference claim when a plaintiff can "produce[ ] facts that suggest that her supervisors procured a discharge of the plaintiff for an improper or illegal purpose." Kennedy Opp'n at 28 (quoting McManus v. MCI Communications Corporation ,
Bruce was employed by Berkel and directly supervised Kennedy. Because that renders this suit dissimilar to Newmyer and similar to the several cases in which the D.C Court of Appeals stated that a plaintiff cannot "maintain a suit for [tortious interference] ... based on an at-will relationship,"
F. Equitable Tolling
Kennedy filed her complaint about twenty-one months after Bruce allegedly raped her, which is outside the limitations period for many of her tort claims. See
The D.C. Code tolls a limitations period only if the plaintiff is a minor, imprisoned, or-relevant here-mentally incapacitated. See
But assuming the truth of Kennedy's allegations, the Court cannot conclude as a matter of law that Kennedy was not mentally incapacitated for most of the year between the September 30, 2015 rape and her retention of counsel. "The [D.C. Code] does not itself define non compos mentis, but 'the phrase non compos mentis generally refers to someone incapable of handling her own affairs or unable to function in society.' " Smith-Haynie v. District of Columbia ,
The situation here is similar. Kennedy alleges that in the months following her weeks of rape and abuse at Berkel, she "regularly cried" and "suffered from severe depression and suicidal thoughts."
*252Compl. ¶ 57. Because of this, she found it "difficult ... to focus, retain information, and learn new tasks" and was fired in a new job for that reason. Id. ¶ 61. In August 2016, the emotional trauma caused Kennedy to be hospitalized and diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. Id. ¶ 58. She is now no longer able to "work in the construction industry in which she had been employed for over 15 years." Id. ¶ 60. Although Kennedy, like the plaintiff in McCracken , took some responsive action after allegedly being raped-here in the form of an EEOC complaint-she alleges that she had trouble performing basic life functions in the aftermath of being raped and abused. For now at least, these allegations are sufficient to sustain her claims.
CONCLUSION
For the foregoing reasons, the Court grants in part and denies in part the defendants' Motion to Dismiss. Dkt. 13. Specifically, Counts 2 and 8 (quid pro quo sexual harassment), Counts 6 and 12 (religion-based discriminatory termination), Count 13 (tortious interference), and Count 16 (wrongful termination) are dismissed with prejudice. Count 23 (negligent infliction of emotional distress) is dismissed without prejudice. The other counts survive. A separate order consistent with this decision accompanies this memorandum opinion.
Title VII plaintiffs are not required to plead or demonstrate exhaustion in their complaints, see Jones v. Bock ,
In support of her equitable-tolling argument, Kennedy asks the Court to consider, in addition to the complaint, a declaration she attached to her opposition to the motion to dismiss. Kennedy Opp'n at 32. When deciding a Rule 12(b)(6) motion, however, a court may consider only the complaint itself, documents attached to the complaint, documents incorporated by reference in the complaint, and judicially noticeable materials. EEOC v. St. Francis Xavier Parochial Sch. ,
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Kimberly KENNEDY v. BERKEL & COMPANY CONTRACTORS, INC.
- Cited By
- 7 cases
- Status
- Published