Klotzbach-Piper v. Nat'l R.R. Passenger Corp.
Klotzbach-Piper v. Nat'l R.R. Passenger Corp.
Opinion of the Court
Plaintiff Karen Klotzbach-Piper brought this suit against Defendant the National Railroad Passenger Corporation ("Amtrak") on July 20, 2018, claiming that she was discriminated against on the basis of her gender, age, and disability while working at Amtrak between 2014 and 2018. Amtrak now moves to dismiss five of the ten claims Klotzbach-Piper brings in her complaint. Amtrak argues that Klotzbach-Piper's claims of hostile work environment based on gender and age are time-barred, that Klotzbach-Piper failed to exhaust her administrative remedies on any claims for retaliation occurring after August 2016, and that her claim of discrimination on the basis of disability should be dismissed both as time-barred and for failure to exhaust administrative remedies. The Court grants the motion to dismiss as to retaliation occurring after August 2016 because it finds that Klotzbach-Piper did not properly exhaust her administrative remedies as to any such claim. However, because Defendants have failed to meet their burden on both their timeliness and exhaustion arguments, the Court denies the motion to dismiss the hostile work environment and disability discrimination claims.
II. BACKGROUND
A. Klotzbach-Piper's Work at Amtrak
Karen Klotzbach-Piper is a 56-year-old female employee of Amtrak. Compl. ¶¶ 7, 10, ECF No. 1. Klotzbach-Piper first joined Amtrak in 1986. Id. ¶ 10. Between 1998 and 1999, Klotzbach-Piper was employed as a locomotive engineer for the company. Id. ¶ 11. From 1999 to March 2014, she worked in a management position with Amtrak in Delaware. Id. ¶ 12. In March 2014, Klotzbach-Piper resigned her management position in order to return to her previous work as a locomotive engineer. Id. ¶ 13. Klotzbach-Piper asked for a transfer to Jacksonville, Florida, id. ¶ 14, and was warned prior to the transfer that "she would not be welcome the[re] due to her age and gender."Id. ¶ 15.
In order to obtain an up-to-date engineer's license, Klotzbach-Piper completed locomotive engineer training school on May 19, 2014. See id. ¶¶ 17-18. She then reported to the Jacksonville Amtrak crew base on May 26, 2014 for orientation and to continue the process of obtaining her full engineer certification. Id. ¶ 18. As part of that process, Klotzbach-Piper would "receive[ ] daily evaluations by a peer engineer that was specially trained to handle student engineers[,]" and would ultimately complete qualifying trials on specific track segments to obtain the certification. Id. ¶ 21.
From the very start, Klotzbach-Piper alleges that she was subjected to various and repeated acts of discrimination by other Amtrak employees. See generally id. Klotzbach-Piper alleges that an employee she worked alongside between June and July 2014 called her a "carpet bagger" and said she should "rent a house instead of *179buying because she wouldn't be staying that long." Id. ¶ 26. After changing routes in August 2014, Klotzbach-Piper worked alongside two other employees who, she alleges, proceeded to subject her to "a constant barrage of degrading and mean treatment because she was a woman and older than they were." Id. ¶ 31. That treatment included creating distractions to break her concentration while she was operating the train, id. , repeated sexist and ageist comments, id. ¶¶ 31, 33, 36, unwanted touching, id. ¶ 33, and sometimes kicking, id. ¶ 40. Between June and December 2014, Klotzbach-Piper reported the behavior to both her union representative, id. ¶ 32, a road foreman, Richard Nunziato, id. ¶ 34, and an assistant superintendent, id. ¶ 36, to no avail.
In January 2015, Klotzbach-Piper lodged a formal complaint with her union representative. Id. ¶ 42. She alleges that the employees she complained about retaliated against her as a result. Id. ¶ 43. The same month, she was placed on a new schedule with a different locomotive engineer, Sharif Ahmed, who "did not allow talking in the locomotive," id. ¶ 45, did not answer her questions, id. ¶¶ 45, 47, and did not allow her to operate with any notes, id. ¶ 51. She alleges that Ahmed treated her differently because of her sex, id. ¶ 46, and that she complained about "the 'silent' treatment" to both her union representative and the assistant superintendent, id. ¶¶ 48-49.
On May 1, 2015, Klotzbach-Piper rode with and was evaluated by road foreman Matt Reinert. Id. ¶ 52. Reinert told Klotzbach-Piper she was "right on target to qualify," but that she "needed to humble herself when operating with Ahmed because he didn't appreciate her attitude." Id. Around that time, Klotzbach-Piper came to learn that Reinert was a registered sex offender. Id. ¶ 53. She brought the matter to the attention of the general chairman of her union, who confirmed Reinert's status but told her that Reinert was "allowed to be only in the locomotive" and did not have any contact with passengers. Id. ¶ 57. At some point between May and July 2015, Klotzbach-Piper reported to Nunziato that she had seen Reinert on a platform "with a young man about the age of 14-15 years old." Id. ¶ 59. Nunziato "told her it was best if she just kept her mouth shut because Reinert would be the road forem[a]n to qualify her." Id.
On July 12 and July 14, 2015, Reinert rode with Klotzbach-Piper again to evaluate her for certification on her assigned route. Id. ¶¶ 61-62. On July 12, Reinert was "agitated ... for no apparent reason." Id. ¶ 61. And after the July 14 ride, Reinert told Klotzbach-Piper that she would need another few trips before receiving her certification. Id. ¶ 62. Klotzbach-Piper discussed the two rides with her union representative, who told her he would talk to Reinert. Id. ¶ 63. On July 23, 2015, Klotzbach-Piper attended a meeting with Reinert and Nunziato, where she received a letter letting her know that she had failed her qualification trip on July 12, 2015, that she had exceeded the number of qualifying attempts to be certified on her route, and that she would be given 30 days to qualify, without pay. Id. ¶¶ 67-68. Nunziato told her at the meeting that he and Reinert would be willing and able to assist her in getting qualified, as well as to "rein[ ] in some of the 'nonsense' that the crews had been inflicting upon her." Id. ¶ 71. However, Klotzbach-Piper was also told that "these types of incidents were to be expected and in no way should have 'affected' her the way she felt they had.' " Id. Klotzbach-Piper was told to report back on July 25, 2015 to set up a schedule for her qualification. Id. After the meeting ended, Reinert walked past Klotzbach-Piper and told her "[y]ou should have just kept your mouth shut." Id. ¶ 72. Klotzbach-Piper *180talked again with the general chairman of her union, who told her the issue "would be straightened out." Id. ¶ 73.
Over the next month and a half, Klotzbach-Piper was unable to find a manager able to assist her in setting a schedule. Id. ¶ 74. She was told Reinert and Nunziato were unavailable to ride with her. Id. As a result, she worked without pay or reimbursement for hotels for several weeks while the union and Amtrak worked on resolving the issue. Id. ¶ 75. On August 26, 2015, Klotzbach-Piper rode with Nunziato for an evaluation. Id. ¶ 78. Nunziato told her that "the union did not run the base, he did," id. , and to "enjoy departing Jacksonville On-time because it would be her last," id. ¶ 79. During the ride, Klotzbach-Piper alleges that Nunziato used a pretext to "take her out of the seat and to allow Ahmed to operate the rest of the trip" after she allegedly made a mistake in a speed-restricted zone. Id. ¶ 80. After the ride, Nunziato told Klotzbach-Piper he would "contact her when he figured out what he wanted to do with her." Id. ¶ 81.
On August 28, 2015, Klotzbach-Piper was diagnosed with PTSD and anxiety and took a medical leave of absence from Amtrak pursuant to the Family and Medical Leave Act ("FMLA"),
On December 3, 2015, Klotzbach-Piper was given clearance to return to work and was advised to report back on December 10, 2015.
B. Procedural History
On June 8, 2016, Klotzbach-Piper filled out an intake questionnaire with the EEOC. EEOC Intake Questionnaire 5, ECF No. 10-1. On the questionnaire, she alleged that she had been the victim of gender discrimination, age discrimination, and retaliation.
On September 12, 2016, Klotzbach-Piper filed a formal charge of discrimination. EEOC Charge 1, Defs' Reply Ex. A, ECF No. 8-1. Klotzbach-Piper checked the boxes for discrimination on the basis of sex, age, and retaliation on the EEOC charge form.
The EEOC issued Klotzbach-Piper a right to sue letter on April 24, 2018. Compl. ¶ 4. On July 20, 2018, she filed the instant case against Amtrak. See generally
Amtrak filed its motion to dismiss on August 21, 2018. Def's Mot. Dismiss, ECF No. 4. In the motion, Amtrak only seeks to dismiss five of the ten counts in the complaint. See generally
III. LEGAL STANDARD
To prevail on a motion to dismiss under Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6), a plaintiff need only provide a "short and plain statement of [her] claim showing that [she is] entitled to relief," Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2), that "give[s] the defendant fair notice of what the ... claim is and the grounds upon which it rests," Erickson v. Pardus,
*182does not test a plaintiff's ultimate likelihood of success on the merits; rather, it tests whether a plaintiff has properly stated a claim. See Scheuer v. Rhodes ,
Nevertheless, "[t]o survive a motion to dismiss, a complaint must contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to 'state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.' " Ashcroft v. Iqbal ,
In reviewing a motion to dismiss under rule 12(b)(6), a court can only consider "the facts alleged in the complaint, documents attached thereto or incorporated therein, and matters of which it may take judicial notice." Latson v. Holder ,
IV. ANALYSIS
Amtrak moves to dismiss five of the ten claims in the Complaint. As to Counts I and II, the claims for hostile work environment on the basis of sex and age, Amtrak argues that none of the alleged harassment occurred within 300 days prior to Klotzbach-Piper filing a charge with the EEOC, and thus that the claims are time-barred. Defs.' Mem. Supp. Mot. Dismiss 4, ECF No. 4-1. With respect to Counts VI and VIII, Klotzbach-Piper's claims for retaliation occurring after June 2016, Amtrak argues that Klotzbach-Piper failed to exhaust her administrative remedies as to any retaliation occurring later than August 2016, because such retaliation would be outside the scope of her EEOC charge. Id. at 6-7. And finally, Amtrak moves to dismiss Count IX, the disability discrimination claim, because it contends that Klotzbach-Piper both failed to timely file an EEOC charge and failed to exhaust her administrative remedies. Id. at 7. The Court addresses each argument in turn. Because it finds that the hostile work environment claims are not time-barred, the Court denies the motion to dismiss Counts I and II. On the other hand, the Court grants the motion as to Counts VI and VIII insofar as they reach retaliatory acts occurring after August 2016, because it finds that Klotzbach-Piper did not exhaust her administrative remedies as to any such *183retaliation. And finally, the Court denies the motion to dismiss as to Count IX because it finds that Klotzbach-Piper properly exhausted her administrative remedies and timely brought her disability claim.
A. The Hostile Work Environment Claims Are Not Time-Barred
First, Amtrak contends that both of Klotzbach-Piper's hostile work environment claims are time-barred because none of the alleged harassment occurred within the 300 days before she filed her EEOC charge on September 12, 2016. Id. at 4. In her opposition, Klotzbach-Piper asserts that the proper measure of time is 300 days prior to her submission of the EEOC intake questionnaire on June 10, 2016, that several of the alleged acts occurred within that period, and that the Court can "consider the entire time period of the hostile work environment as long as one act contributing to the claim occurs within the ... period." Pl.'s Mem. Opp'n 3, ECF No. 6-1.
The Court first determines whether the June 10, 2016 EEOC questionnaire constituted a charge for statute of limitations purposes. "Before filing a lawsuit under the ADA, Title VII, or ADEA, a plaintiff must exhaust her administrative remedies by filing a charge of discrimination with the EEOC...." Cooper v. Henderson ,
In her EEOC questionnaire, Klotzbach-Piper represented that she had been discriminated against on the basis of, inter alia , sex and age. EEOC Intake Questionnaire 3. She also gave the name of another employee who could talk about "the way [she] was treated by other males [and] engineers," and of her local union representative, who could "confirm how [she] was treated and provide documentation of his attempts to stop [the discrimination]." Id. at 5. And she indicated that she wanted to file a charge of discrimination. Id. The Court finds that this information is sufficient for the EEOC questionnaire to be considered a charge for timeliness purposes and for the 300-day limitations period to run from June 10, 2016. As an initial matter, in its reply Amtrak does not dispute Klotzbach-Piper's assertion that June 10, 2016 is the relevant date from which to measure the limitations period. See Def's Reply 2. Next, while the questionnaire does not specifically reference hostile work environment, "a plaintiff need not use any magic words in a charge." Whorton v. Wash. Metro. Area Transit Auth. ,
Having determined the proper limitations period, the Court next reviews whether Klotzbach-Piper's hostile work environment claims are untimely. Because hostile work environment involves "a series of separate acts that collectively constitute one 'unlawful employment practice,' " Whorton ,
In her opposition, Klotzbach-Piper contends that "several acts contributing to her claims of a hostile work environment ... occurred after August 15, 2015," or 300 days prior to June 10, 2016. Pl.'s Mem. Opp'n 3. She points in particular to the "ride with her superiors that left [her] devastated and in need of medical treatment."
B. Claims of Retaliation After August 1, 2016 Are Not Properly Exhausted
Next, the Court reviews whether Klotzbach-Piper properly exhausted her administrative remedies as to Counts VI and VIII, the claims for gender-based and age-based retaliation after Klotzbach-Piper first complained of discrimination to the EEOC in June 2016. Amtrak contends that Klotzbach-Piper failed to exhaust her administrative remedies as to any retaliation occurring after August 1, 2016, because her EEOC charge indicated that the last date discrimination took place was on August 1, 2016. Def.'s Mem. Supp. 6. Klotzbach-Piper retorts that the two retaliation claims were properly exhausted because the EEOC charge indicated that she was the subject of continuing discrimination and any future retaliation would necessarily have grown out of her initial allegations. Pl.'s Mem. Opp'n 4. On the facts of this case, the Court is not persuaded. The Court accordingly grants Amtrak's motion to dismiss as to retaliation occurring after August 1, 2016.
As discussed above in Part IV.A., a lawsuit following an EEOC charge extends to "claims that are 'like or reasonably related to the allegations of the charge and growing out of such allegations.' " Park ,
In Morgan , the Supreme Court addressed the timeliness of Title VII retaliation, discrimination, and hostile work environment claims premised on acts that had occurred years before the plaintiff had filed an EEOC charge. See Morgan ,
While Morgan "dealt with timeliness rather than exhaustion,"
The Court need not definitely pronounce itself one way or the other here, because Klotzbach-Piper failed to exhaust her administrative remedies on any claim based *187on retaliation occurring after August 1, 2016 even under the narrower interpretation of Morgan . In response to Amtrak's argument that she failed to file a new EEOC charge for retaliation occurring after August 1, 2016, Def.'s Mem. Supp. 7, Klotzbach-Piper argues that any such claims are "like or reasonably related to the allegations of the charge," Pl.'s Mem. Opp'n 4 (citing Park ,
Given the lack of details regarding retaliation in Klotzbach-Piper's charge, with discipline and denial of her certification being briefly noted as the sole basis for her retaliation claim, the Court cannot find that future denials of other positions at Amtrak were "reasonably related" to the charge. In determining whether a claim "aris[es] from 'the administrative investigation that can reasonably be expected to follow the charge of discrimination,' " Park ,
C. The Disability Claim is Timely and Reasonably Related to the EEOC Questionnaire
Finally, the Court reviews Amtrak's motion to dismiss Klotzbach-Piper's ADA claim as untimely and improperly exhausted. Amtrak contends that Klotzbach-Piper failed to exhaust her administrative remedies because her EEOC charge does not mention disability and the EEOC questionnaire cannot be taken into consideration in determining exhaustion of administrative remedies. See Def.'s Mem. Supp.
*1885-6; Def.'s Reply 2-4. Amtrak also argues that the claim is time-barred. Def.'s Mem. Supp. 5. The Court first reviews whether Klotzbach-Piper properly exhausted her administrative remedies before briefly addressing Amtrak's timeliness argument. Because the Court finds that the EEOC intake questionnaire can be taken into consideration, and that the questionnaire reasonably points to a timely disability discrimination claim, the Court denies the motion as to Count IX.
First, the Court addresses the thornier issue of whether Klotzbach-Piper exhausted her administrative remedies as to the ADA claim. In its motion, Amtrak argues that the claim was not properly exhausted because the EEOC charge does not mention disability. Def.'s Mem. Supp. 7-9. In opposition, Klotzbach-Piper points out that the EEOC questionnaire referenced discrimination on the basis of disability. Pl.'s Opp'n 5-6. And in reply, Amtrak appears to make two arguments for why the EEOC questionnaire should not be considered in determining whether Klotzbach-Piper exhausted her administrative remedies: first, Amtrak appears to argue that an EEOC questionnaire can never be relied on for exhaustion purposes, and second, it argues that the EEOC questionnaire cannot be used to expand the scope of litigation to claims absent from the formal charge. Def.'s Reply 2-4. While the Court recognizes that there is a divergence of opinions amongst courts on the issue, it does not find Amtrak's arguments persuasive.
As an initial matter, Supreme Court precedent suggests that plaintiffs may be able to rely on an EEOC questionnaire to exhaust their administrative remedies when no EEOC charge is subsequently filed. While not squarely addressing the issue, the Court's holding in Holowecki that an EEOC questionnaire could qualify as a charge for timeliness purposes opened the door for courts to find that EEOC questionnaires qualify as charges for exhaustion purposes more generally. In Holowecki , the plaintiff had filed an EEOC questionnaire alleging discrimination on the basis of age but had not submitted a formal charge of discrimination with the EEOC prior to filing suit under the ADEA. Holowecki , 552 U.S. at 394,
The more complicated question is whether an EEOC intake questionnaire can constitute a charge for exhaustion purposes when the plaintiff later filed a formal EEOC charge that did not include some of the claims made in the questionnaire. As Amtrak points out, a number of courts, *189including the Third, Fourth, and Tenth Circuits, have found a subsequently filed EEOC charge to supersede the allegations made in a prior EEOC intake questionnaire. See Def.'s Reply 3-4 (citing cases); Balas v. Huntington Ingalls Indus. ,
The Court concludes that, under the D.C. Circuit's ruling in Park and with the further guidance provided by Holowecki , allegations giving rise to a claim and brought in an EEOC intake questionnaire but not in a subsequent EEOC charge can still be considered when evaluating exhaustion of administrative remedies. As noted above, the D.C. Circuit explained in the Title VII context in Park that what matters for exhaustion purposes is whether the claims brought are "like or reasonably related to the allegations of the charge and growing out of such allegations." Park ,
Despite this low burden, the D.C. Circuit in Park found that a D.C. Department of Human Rights "Pre-Complaint Questionnaire" did not constitute a charge, even when the questionnaire could be construed as making out a hostile work environment claim, because it provided no guarantee that the information provided would result in a formal EEOC complaint being initiated, it was unsworn, and more importantly there was no evidence that either the *190employer or the EEOC had access to the questionnaire. Id. at 908-09. The D.C. Circuit emphasized that "[t]o treat Intake Questionnaires willy-nilly as charges would be to dispense with the requirement of notification of the prospective defendant, since that is a requirement only of the charge and not of the questionnaire." Id. at 909 (quoting Early v. Bankers Life & Cas. Co. ,
As an initial matter, it is unclear that the notice requirement is necessary for a document to constitute a charge after Holowecki . The Supreme Court in Holowecki appears to have implicitly rejected that rationale when it acknowledged that the employer in the case had not been aware of the plaintiff's allegations until a suit had been filed, but nonetheless rejected the argument that the EEOC questionnaire could not qualify as a charge because the employer had never been notified. Holowecki , 552 U.S. at 403-04,
In any event, the EEOC intake questionnaire at issue in this case is very different from the questionnaire at issue in Park , and the Court finds that Park does not compel the rejection of claims stemming from allegations brought in the questionnaire but not in the subsequent charge. Contra Ahuja ,
With the EEOC questionnaire explicitly requesting the agency to act on Klotzbach-Piper's claims, the only remaining issue is whether the ADA claim could reasonably be expected to ensue from the EEOC's investigation. While Klotzbach-Piper indicated that she did not have a disability, EEOC Intake Questionnaire 2, and did not check the box for discrimination on the basis of disability, id. at 3, she filled out the portion of the questionnaire specifically addressing discrimination on the basis of disability, id. at 4. Klotzbach-Piper indicated that she did not have a disability but that Amtrak treated her as though she had one, noted that she had developed an anxiety disorder for which she had been prescribed medication, and alleged that her illness was held against her and Amtrak had denied her a work accommodation. Id.
*191The Court finds these allegations sufficient for the EEOC to investigate potential discrimination on the basis of disability, and for Klotzbach-Piper's ADA claims to "arise from 'the administrative investigation that c[ould] reasonably be expected to follow the charge.' " Park ,
Next, the Court briefly addresses the ADA claim's timeliness. Amtrak asserts that the claim is time-barred. Def.'s Mem. Supp. 7. The Court disagrees. The complaint makes clear that Klotzbach-Piper's ADA claim is premised on Amtrak's alleged refusal to certify her as an engineer after she was diagnosed with, and treated for, PTSD and anxiety. See Compl. ¶¶ 143-47. This alleged discrimination began at the earliest in December 2015, when Klotzbach-Piper returned to work after taking medical leave. Id. ¶ 145. And December 2015 is within 300 days of the filing of both Klotzbach-Piper's EEOC questionnaire in June 2016 and EEOC charge in September 2016. The Court thus finds that Klotzbach-Piper's ADA claim is not time-barred and denies the motion to dismiss Count IX.
V. CONCLUSION
For the foregoing reasons, Defendant's motion to dismiss Counts I, II, and IX is DENIED . Defendants' motion to dismiss Counts VI and VIII, to the extent they involve any allegations of retaliation occurring after August 1, 2016, is GRANTED . An order consistent with this Memorandum Opinion is separately and contemporaneously issued.
On a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim, the Court accepts as true the factual allegations in the complaint and construes them liberally in the Plaintiff's favor. See, e.g. , United States v. Philip Morris, Inc. ,
The Court notes that the alleged denial of accommodation is indicated to have occurred in January 2015, just a few months after Klotzbach-Piper began working in Jacksonville. EEOC Intake Questionnaire 4. Given the timeline described in the Complaint, it is possible that the EEOC intake questionnaire incorrectly listed the date of the requested accommodation as January 2015 instead of January 2016.
In reviewing the timeliness and exhaustion of Klotzbach-Piper's ADEA, Title VII, and ADA claims, the Court relies in significant part on Fed. Express Corp. v. Holowecki ,
In her opposition, Klotzbach-Piper refers to the date of filing of the EEOC questionnaire as the date of filing of the EEOC charge. See generally Pl.'s Mem. Opp'n. In response to an order of this Court, see Order (Feb. 22, 2019), ECF No. 9, Klotzbach-Piper clarified that the EEOC questionnaire was the document referred to in her opposition. Response to Order of Court 1, ECF No. 10.
The Court is not entirely convinced that the acts of gender and age-based discrimination Klotzbach-Piper alleges are "adequately linked into a coherent hostile work environment claim." Whorton ,
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Karen KLOTZBACH-PIPER v. NATIONAL RAILROAD PASSENGER CORPORATION, dba Amtrak
- Cited By
- 16 cases
- Status
- Published