Morrison v. Carleton ( 1997 )


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    UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
    FOR THE FIRST CIRCUIT
    ____________________

    No. 96-1224

    DARLENE F. MORRISON,

    Plaintiff, Appellee,

    v.

    CARLETON WOOLEN MILLS, INC. and MICHAEL RILEY,

    Defendants, Appellants.

    ____________________

    APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

    FOR THE DISTRICT OF MAINE

    [Hon. Eugene W. Beaulieu, U.S. Magistrate Judge] _____________________

    ____________________

    Before

    Selya, Circuit Judge, _____________

    Campbell, Senior Circuit Judge, ____________________

    and Boyle,* Senior District Judge. _____________________

    ____________________

    David J. Kerman with whom Robert Lewis and Jackson, Lewis, _________________ _____________ ________________
    Schnitzler & Krupman were on briefs for appellants. ____________________
    Peter B. Bickerman with whom Robert J. Stolt, Walter F. McKee and __________________ _______________ _______________
    Lipman & Katz, P.A. were on brief for appellee. ___________________


    ____________________

    March 19, 1997
    ____________________





    ____________________

    *Of the District of Rhode Island, sitting by designation.













    CAMPBELL, Senior Circuit Judge. These appeals and ____________________

    cross-appeals relate to actions heard in the district court

    arising from federal and state claims of sexual harassment,

    sex discrimination, and disability discrimination brought by

    Darlene F. Morrison against her employer Carleton Woolen

    Mills, Inc. (the "Company"), and two of her supervisors,

    Michael Riley and Lee Moody. We affirm certain parts of the

    district court's judgment and reverse others.

    I.

    In Count I of her amended complaint, Morrison

    alleged that she was subjected by Carleton and the other

    defendants to sexual harassment, in violation of the Maine

    Human Rights Act, 5 M.R.S.A. 4551, and Title VII of the

    Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. 2000e et seq. In Count __ ___

    II, she alleged violation of the same state and federal

    statutes by reason of sex discrimination. In Counts III and

    IV, Morrison alleged that defendants had subjected her to

    discrimination on account of disability, in violation of the

    Maine Human Rights Act and the Americans with Disabilities

    Act of 1990 (the "ADA"), 42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq. __ ___

    Trial before a jury began in the district court on

    October 4, 1994.1 The Title VII claims of sexual harassment


    ____________________

    1. By consent of the parties, a United States Magistrate
    Judge presided over the jury trial and subsequently
    determined the various non-jury issues. 28 U.S.C. 636(c)
    (West 1993).

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    (Count I) and sex (gender) discrimination (Count II) were

    presented to the jury but only insofar as these claims were

    based upon conduct occurring on or after November 21, 1991,

    the effective date of the 1991 Civil Rights Act. See ___

    Landgraf v. USI Film Products, 511 U.S. 244 (1994). The ADA ________ __________________

    disability discrimination claim (Count IV) was likewise

    presented to the jury. However, the Maine law claims for

    sexual harassment, sex discrimination and disability

    discrimination, and the Title VII claims for pre-November 21,

    1991 conduct did not go to the jury but rather were reserved

    for later decision by the magistrate judge.

    During the jury trial, the court, upon defendants'

    motion, dismissed as a matter of law all the claims (jury and

    non-jury) against Moody and many of the claims against Riley,

    to wit, the claims for sexual harassment (Count I) after

    November 21, 1991, for sex discrimination (Count II), and for

    disability discrimination (Counts III and IV). The court

    denied the Company's motions to dismiss the claims against

    itself.

    On October 14, 1994, the jury returned verdicts in

    Morrison's favor on her Title VII post-November 21, 1991

    sexual harassment claim (Count I) and her ADA disability

    claim (Count IV). The jury awarded Morrison $50,000 in

    compensatory damages and $100,000 in punitive damages. The





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    jury found against Morrison, and in favor of the Company, on

    her Title VII gender discrimination claim (Count II).

    On April 10, 1995, the court issued its Memorandum

    of Decision deciding the non-jury claims that it had reserved

    for bench determination. On Count I, the court found that

    Morrison had been subjected to sexual harassment sufficiently

    severe and pervasive to create a hostile work environment

    prior to November 21, 1991. Consequently, it ruled in

    Morrison's favor, and against the Company and Riley, on her

    Maine law sexual harassment claim, and also on her Title VII

    sexual harassment claim for conduct prior to November 21,

    1991. The court assessed a civil penalty for $10,000 under

    state law. 5 M.R.S.A. 4613(2)(B)(7) (West Supp. 1996).

    On Count II (gender discrimination) the court found

    no incidents of gender discrimination before November 21,

    1991. It, therefore, ruled in favor of the defendants and

    against Morrison under Title VII. The court determined,

    however contrary to the jury's Title VII verdict that,

    after November 21, 1991, Morrison had been subjected to

    gender discrimination, finding the Company liable under the

    Maine Human Rights Act.2 The court declined, however, to


    ____________________

    2. In making this finding, the court specifically noted
    that, in differing with the jury, it did not intend to
    suggest that the jury lacked sufficient evidence from which
    to conclude contrary to the court's findings. "The Court
    simply disagrees with the jury's conclusion in certain
    respects."

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    award her back pay, because it would be duplicative of the

    jury's damages award.

    Finally, as to Count III, the court determined that

    plaintiff had not been disabled within the meaning of Maine

    law, and hence found against Morrison and for defendants on

    the Maine law disability claim. In determining that Morrison

    was not disabled, the court found that the Company "did not

    perceive her to be unable to perform a major life activity,

    specifically work." The court noted that the Company had

    only perceived Morrison as incapable of performing the single

    position of floorperson.

    Defendants' post-trial motions for judgment as a

    matter of law, for new trial, and other relief were denied.

    Plaintiff's own motion for new trial was also denied.

    The Company and Riley appeal, and Morrison cross-

    appeals, from the judgment and the rulings on the various

    motions below. Morrison has since expressly waived her

    cross-appeal from the jury's adverse verdict under Count II

    (gender discrimination).

    II.

    The evidence at trial, construed in the light most

    favorable to Morrison, showed essentially the following.

    On August 23, 1983, Morrison was hired by the

    Company to work as a "spinner" in the spinning department.

    Later that year, Morrison bid on and was awarded the position



    -5-













    of "sewer." Months later, she bid on and was awarded the

    position of "coner" in the yarn preparation department.

    Morrison held this position from approximately May of 1984

    until January of 1987. All the positions held by Morrison up

    to this time were traditionally filled by female employees.

    In December 1986, Morrison bid on the position of

    "temporary floorperson" on the third shift in the yarn

    preparation department. At this time, Riley was the shift

    supervisor on the third shift in the yarn preparation

    department. Riley was angry with Morrison for bidding on the

    floorperson position. Prior to December 1986, Morrison had

    once had an angry encounter with Riley when they both worked

    on the second shift. Riley had screamed at her for leaving

    her machine to go to the restroom.

    A month later, Morrison was awarded the temporary

    floorperson position. As shift supervisor, Riley approved

    her transfer to the position and certified her satisfactory

    completion of the thirty-day probationary period. However,

    he had no discretion under the Company's contract with the

    Union to refuse a position to the most senior qualified

    person who bid on it, which, in this case, was Morrison.

    When Morrison told Fred DeVaudreuil, the department

    supervisor and Riley's superior, that she had been awarded

    the floorperson position, he asked her to reconsider taking

    it. He indicated that the Company was not happy with her



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    getting the job. Morrison believed that he was concerned

    thatshewould beinjured andassured himthatshe wouldbe careful.



    In April 1987, seven female employees of Carleton

    filed a formal grievance against Riley, charging that he was

    harassing employees at the Company by yelling, making false

    accusations and threatening their jobs. The Company

    responded by stating that it did not condone shouting by

    anyone, but that employees must recognize that they are not

    at liberty "to ignore management directives or to be tardy in

    following them." Ultimately, this grievance was resolved

    informally, with Plant Manager Everett Owens advising Riley

    about the need to be more "low key."

    In February 1988, Morrison bid on the permanent

    opening for the position of floorperson on the third shift.

    Once again, Riley became very angry, telling Morrison that

    the job was not for her, and that she was taking jobs away

    from men. Days after Morrison was awarded the floorperson

    bid, Riley told her that she was going to regret it, and that

    sooner or later he was going to get her out of the job.

    The floorperson is responsible for bringing boxes

    of yarn on bobbins to the machine operators, for taking full

    cones of yarn, weighing them and storing them, and for

    changing the warp beams. Changing a warp beam, which can

    weigh up to 1,100 pounds when full of yarn, involves several



    -7-













    steps. First, the warp is removed from its cradle with a

    crow-bar type of tool. The warp then drops about two inches,

    after which it must be rolled to where it can be picked up by

    a hydraulic lift and moved into a storage area.

    Morrison remained in the floorperson position until

    March of 1989. During that time various incidents occurred

    that are relevant to the present action.

    After changing a warp beam, Morrison went to wash

    her hands. When she left the restroom moments later, Riley

    was waiting for her. He accused her of being in the restroom

    for a long time and threatened to write her up.

    Riley took Morrison into the plant manager's

    office. He then told her that he was a big person within the

    Company and that "any woman would be proud to have a man in a

    position like this."

    Several female employees complained that the room

    was too hot because of the machinery. They asked Riley if he

    could open more of the ceiling vents. Riley said he thought

    that they were just having "hot flashes", and walked away.

    Riley threatened to fire Morrison if she did not

    drive his girlfriend (and future wife) and co-employee,

    Juanita Courtney, to her house from work during her shift.

    Riley told several people in Morrison's presence

    that the other female floorperson, Linda Paul, was able to





    -8-













    stay in such a position because she and Moody patted each

    other on the rearend.

    Morrison reported a problem with a box of yarn to

    Riley, who told her she was probably so dumb she created the

    problem herself.

    Riley told Morrison that Courtney was pregnant. He

    said "you thought I was too old, didn't you", and "I showed

    you."

    In March 1989, Morrison accepted a position as the

    medical clerk for the Company nurse, Lucille Turner. Two

    months later, Morrison decided that she wanted to return to

    her former position.

    In October 1989, Morrison bid on a temporary coner,

    fixer and tender ("fixer") position. Riley flew into a rage,

    telling Morrison that she was "stepping out of bounds" and

    that "her place was in the kitchen."

    Thereafter, Morrison bid on a permanent fixer

    position. Riley told her fellow workers that if she got the

    job, she would have to travel to a training seminar and share

    a motel room with Moody and another male worker. Morrison

    voided her bid in an effort to stop speculation about the

    seminar, and returned to her floorperson position.

    In June 1990, a first shift floorperson, William

    Rogers, asked Morrison to swap shifts with him. Even though

    Riley had moved to the first shift, Morrison agreed to the



    -9-













    switch. Riley told Morrison that he "was not going to put up

    with any bullshit on the first shift" and that he "had enough

    bitches in the first shift." Riley also called a male co-

    worker over to where he and Morrison were standing and began

    patting him in the rearend, and told her that she would have

    to get used to such behavior in the first shift.

    Riley and Moody moved their desk near the women's

    restroom, explaining that they wanted to watch the usage of

    the restroom so that they could write female workers up for

    abusing the privilege of using the restroom. Also, they

    regularly made comments about Morrison bending over boxes to

    the point where she felt very uncomfortable having to do so.

    Other incidents occurred between the spring of 1990

    and the fall of 1991.

    Riley handed Morrison a piece of paper, which he

    said was an application for a fixer position. She turned

    over the paper and discovered, to her annoyance, that it was

    entitled "Application for a Piece of Ass."

    Riley gave Morrison an ink-blot that, when folded,

    depicted various sexual acts involving persons and animals.

    He called her a "dumb broad" for being unable to properly

    fold it, after which he folded it for her. Morrison became

    very upset and called Riley a "filthy pig."

    Riley told Morrison that Moody wanted to do "funny

    things" to her body, although Moody later denied ever making



    -10-













    such a comment. On another occasion, Moody approached

    Morrison and told her that he would like to see her naked.

    Moody handed Morrison a document entitled "Canadian

    Condom Marketing Board", which contained sexually-oriented

    attempts at humor. Morrison asked Moody why he was doing

    this, and he replied something to the effect that he takes

    his orders from the office.

    Riley asked Morrison if she knew what a man with a

    ten-inch penis eats for breakfast. When she did not respond,

    he proceeded to tell her what he had eaten for breakfast.

    Riley gave Morrison a document entitled "Proposed

    Restroom Policy." This document, another crude attempt at

    humor, informed employees that if they occupied the bathroom

    stalls for more than three minutes, certain events would

    occur, including the taking of their photographs in the

    stalls.

    Riley regularly screamed and hollered at the women

    employees in the yarn preparation department, but not at the

    men. If any of the women indicated that they might complain

    about his behavior, he would tell them "pay-back's a bitch."



    During this period of time, Morrison went, on two

    occasions, to the office of Annette McGowan, the Company's

    personnel manager, to complain about Riley's harassing

    behavior. On neither occasion was Morrison allowed to speak



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    with McGowan. McGowan's secretary told Morrison that she

    would not be allowed to see McGowan without her supervisor's

    permission, even though Morrison informed her that her

    complaint was about Riley, her supervisor.

    In May 1991, Morrison injured her shoulder at work.

    She kept working, but was eventually diagnosed with

    tendinitis, and told to take ibuprofen and learn to pace

    herself.

    In October 1991, Morrison injured her back at home

    while she was making her bed. Morrison went to the Belgrade

    Regional Health Center where she saw Gretchen Hill, a

    registered nurse-practitioner. Hill found that Morrison

    appeared to have a lower lumbar muscle strain without any

    disc problems. Hill informed Turner, the Company's nurse,

    that Morrison would be absent for one week.

    Morrison returned to see Hill one week later. By

    that time, the pain was gone, although she was experiencing

    some stiffness. Hill was considering allowing Morrison to

    return to work, so she called Turner again. Turner suggested

    that Morrison should be kept out of work for two more weeks,

    a suggestion that Hill accepted.

    On November 8, 1991, Hill issued Morrison a return

    to work slip for full activity. Hill testified that she

    would have preferred Morrison to work in a limited capacity

    for a short period of time, but she felt that Morrison could



    -12-













    successfully return to work without restriction. Following

    another conversation with Turner, Hill wrote a new note on

    November 13, 1991, which suggested that Morrison be placed on

    light duty work from November 11 through November 22, and

    then return to regular duty.

    Turner and McGowan met with Morrison and informed

    her that the Company had no light duty work available at the

    time. McGowan then offered Morrison the option of bidding

    into a different position, or accepting a layoff slip, which

    would entitle her to unemployment benefits. Morrison did not

    want to lose her floorperson seniority by bidding into a

    different position, so she accepted the layoff.

    Morrison believed that she had medical clearance to

    return to regular duty after November 22, 1991, and so, on

    November 25, 1991, she went to the yarn preparation

    department and sought to punch in. Morrison could not find

    her own timecard, and asked Moody where she could find it.

    Moody responded by saying, "Girlie, I don't know. You're not

    coming back to my department. Go see nursie." Morrison felt

    "stupid."

    Turner told Morrison that she remained on layoff,

    and that she had no authority to allow her to work. Turner

    advised Morrison to speak with McGowan. McGowan informed

    Morrison that she did not have the authority to return her to

    work absent medical clearance, and suggested that she see Dr.



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    Barron, the Company's physician. On November 26, 1991, the

    next day, Morrison went to see Dr. Barron.

    The examination of Morrison consisted of the nurse

    taking her blood pressure, temperature and weight, and the

    doctor asking her how she felt. Dr. Barron advised Morrison

    that he would be going to view the floorperson position, but

    he reported to her (and wrote in his office notes) that he

    saw no physical reason why she could not return to work.

    After he viewed the floorperson position, Dr.

    Barron wrote the following notation:

    "I feel that [Morrison] can do most of
    the work without any problems. However,
    when it came to watching the warp
    removed, I felt that this was far too
    much for a woman with tendinitis and a
    back problem. I understand that these
    warps weigh in the neighborhood of 500
    pounds and the manipulation of moving
    them onto a hydraulic lift is certainly
    more than she can do. Over a period of
    time, I feel that she would be crippled
    doing this job. With tendinitis and back
    problems within a year she will be out of
    work and on disability. My
    recommendation is that she not be put on
    this type of job."

    Dr. Barron did not speak to Morrison's treating physician or

    her nurse-practitioner. Dr. Barron disregarded their

    opinions which indicated that Morrison was capable of

    fulfilling her duties, because they had not seen the

    floorperson position. At the time of trial, Morrison was

    still not permitted to work in the floorperson position on

    the basis of Dr. Barron's evaluation.


    -14-













    On November 23, 1992, Morrison returned to work

    after she decided to bid on a fixer position. She received

    the position, although after a month she was "bumped", was

    laid off for a few weeks, accepted a creeler position, and

    eventually returned as a fixer. After a dispute over being

    paid as a temporary fixer, Morrison finally attained

    permanent fixer status. Since she returned, Morrison has

    worked primarily on the third shift, under different

    supervisors from Riley and Moody. Morrison testified that

    she had no problems with Riley and Moody after she returned

    as they stayed away from her. The Company's personnel

    manager told Morrison that she had spoken to the people

    Morrison would be working with and that they would not harass

    her about her former complaints. Morrison was to report back

    any complaints she might have.

    Morrison further testified, however, that, after

    her return, most of her co-workers would no longer speak to

    her. She felt that this was due to the fact that most of

    those who spoke to her were harassed afterwards by

    supervisors for doing so. Also, the third shift supervisor,

    Ernest Clark, often criticized Morrison for her job

    performance. The Company, moreover, never asked Morrison to

    substitute when the floorperson was absent, even though

    employees with less experience were asked to do the

    floorperson's job. And finally, Morrison became very upset



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    and angry when she saw a petition, expressing support for

    Riley and Moody, being circulated among Carleton employees.

    III.

    Defendants appeal from the adverse jury verdicts,

    from the adverse findings of the district court and from the

    denial of various motions including their motion for judgment

    as a matter of law.

    A federal district court may not set aside a jury

    verdict and direct the entry of a contrary verdict, unless no

    reasonable jury could have returned a verdict adverse to the

    moving party. Jacques v. Clean-Up Group, Inc., 96 F.3d 506, _______ ____________________

    509 (1st Cir. 1996). In making this determination, the court

    examines the evidence adduced at trial in the light most

    favorable to the nonmoving party, drawing all reasonable

    inferences in its favor. Id. On appeal, we review the ___

    district court's determination de novo, applying the same __ ____

    standards. Id. ___

    Our review of a district court's own findings of

    fact is for clear error only; we review its legal rulings de __

    novo. Damon v. Sun Co., Inc., 87 F.3d 1467, 1483 (1st Cir. ____ _____ ______________

    1996).

    IV.

    A. Sexual Harassment (Count I) ______________________________

    Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 provides

    that it is an "unlawful employment practice for an employer



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    . . . to discriminate against any individual with respect to

    his compensation, terms, conditions or privileges of

    employment because of such individual's . . . sex." 42

    U.S.C. 2000e-2(a)(1) (West 1994). The Maine Human Rights

    Act, likewise, provides that it is unlawful employment

    discrimination for an employer to discriminate against an

    employee on the basis of sex "with respect to hire, tenure,

    promotion, transfer, compensation, terms, conditions or

    privileges of employment . . . ." 5 M.R.S.A. 4572(1)(A)

    (West Supp. 1996).3

    In 1980, the Equal Employment Opportunity

    Commission ("EEOC") promulgated guidelines specifying that

    sexual harassment is a form of employment discrimination

    based on sex in violation of Title VII. See 29 C.F.R. ___

    1604.11 (1996). Under Title VII, "unwelcome sexual advances,

    requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical

    conduct of a sexual nature constitutes sexual harassment

    when: (1) submission to such conduct is made either

    explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an

    individual's employment; (2) submission or rejection of such


    ____________________

    3. The Maine courts have relied on the federal case law
    surrounding Title VII for the purpose of construing and
    applying the provisions of the Maine Human Rights Act. See ___
    Bowen v. Department of Human Servs., 606 A.2d 1051, 1053 (Me. _____ __________________________
    1992). We, therefore, apply the same legal standards in
    considering whether or not the evidence was sufficient to
    support determinations under both the state and federal
    statutes.

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    conduct is used as the basis for employment decisions

    affecting such an individual; or (3) such conduct has the ______________________

    purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an _____________________________________________________________

    individual's work performance or creating an intimidating, _____________________________________________________________

    hostile or offensive working environment." 29 C.F.R. ___________________________________________

    1604.11(a) (1996) (emphasis added).

    In Meritor Savings Bank, FSB v. Vinson, 477 U.S. 57 _________________________ ______

    (1986), the Supreme Court confirmed that a violation of Title

    VII can be established through evidence of an abusive,

    hostile or offensive work environment. Quoting from the EEOC

    guidelines, the Supreme Court stated that the existence of

    sexual harassment must be assessed "in light of the record as

    a whole and the totality of the circumstances." Id. at 69; ___

    see also Harris v. Forklift Sys., Inc., 510 U.S. 17, 23 _________ ______ ____________________

    (1993) (relevant factors, though no single one is required,

    include the frequency of the discriminatory conduct; its

    severity; whether it is threatening or humiliating, or a mere

    offensive utterance; and whether it unreasonably interferes

    with an employee's work performance).

    In Lipsett v. University of Puerto Rico, 864 F.2d _______ __________________________

    881, 897-98 (1st Cir. 1988) (quoting Meritor Savs. Bank, FSB, _______________________

    477 U.S. at 67)4, this court held that, for sexual harassment

    ____________________

    4. We note that the plaintiff's claims in Lipsett actually _______
    proceeded under Title IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
    This court, however, viewed the standards for sexual
    harassment claims under Title IX to be equivalent to those
    used under Title VII. See Lipsett, 864 F.2d at 899. ___ _______

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    to be actionable, "it must be 'sufficiently severe or

    pervasive to . . . create an abusive working environment.'"

    See also Harris, 510 U.S. at 21. We said that an employer _________ ______

    "is liable upon a finding of hostile environment sexual

    harassment perpetrated by its supervisors upon employees if

    an official representing that institution knew, or

    . . . should have known, of the harassment's occurrence,

    unless that official can show that he or she took appropriate

    steps to halt it." Lipsett, 864 F.2d at 901. _______

    Claimants under Title VII were, until recently,

    limited to the equitable remedies of injunctive relief and

    back pay. The 1991 Civil Rights Act, which became effective

    on November 21, 1991, amended Title VII, and, for the first

    time, authorized individuals alleging intentional unlawful

    discrimination to seek compensatory and punitive damages

    against their employers. The 1991 Act also conferred upon

    Title VII plaintiffs the right to a trial by jury. See 42 ___

    U.S.C. 1981a(b)-(c) (West 1994). In Landgraf, the Supreme ________

    Court held that the right to such damages and to a jury trial

    did not apply to conduct that occurred prior to the effective

    date of the Act, i.e. prior to November 21, 1991. Landgraf, ________

    511 U.S. at 244-45.

    Pursuant to Landgraf, Morrison's Title VII sexual ________

    harassment claim was tried to the jury only insofar as based

    upon conduct on and after November 21, 1991. Insofar as the



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    Title VII harassment claim was for conduct prior to that

    date, it was tried to the magistrate judge, who also

    determined in its entirety Morrison's claim that the alleged

    sexual harassment violated the Maine Human Rights Act.

    Because Title VII damages were only recoverable for post-

    November 21, 1991 sexual harassment, that date assumes great

    importance here.

    1. Before November 21, 1991 ________________________

    During the pre-November 21, 1991 period, as to

    which the magistrate judge rather than the jury was the trier

    of fact, the court determined under Count I that Morrison

    "was subjected to sexual harassment sufficiently 'severe or

    pervasive enough to create an objectively hostile or abusive

    work environment'", quoting Harris, 510 U.S. at 21. The ______

    court also found that Morrison "'subjectively perceive[d] the

    environment to be abusive.' Id." This hostile environment ___

    was found to have existed prior to November 21, 1991, and the

    Company was found to have known about it, or should have

    known about it, because it was so pervasive. The Company's

    plant manager and plant supervisor5 were found to have worked

    in the same general area as plaintiff and Riley, "and could


    ____________________

    5. Carleton and Riley point out in their appellate brief
    that there is no such position as "plant supervisor" at the
    Company, nor was there any testimony at trial about any
    comparable position. Notwithstanding any error in this
    particular, we uphold the court's finding of knowledge.
    Infra. _____

    -20-













    not have missed the discriminatory atmosphere that permeated

    the department." Based on these conclusions, the court found

    against the Company and Riley on Morrison's claims of hostile

    environment sexual harassment under Maine law and under Title

    VII for conduct occurring before November 21, 1991. We find

    ample record evidence to sustain these findings.

    As an initial matter, we turn to defendants'

    contention that the federal and state statutes of limitations

    do not allow us to look at any conduct antedating the middle

    of 1991 in support of the hostile environment claims.

    Section 2000e-5(e)(1) of Title VII provides that claimants

    must file a charge of discrimination with the EEOC within 300

    days of the alleged discriminatory act. 42 U.S.C. 2000e-

    5(e)(1) (West 1994). Section 4613(2)(C) of the Maine Human

    Rights Act states that "[t]he action shall be commenced not

    more than two years after the act of unlawful discrimination

    complained of." 5 M.R.S.A. 4613(2)(C) (West 1989).

    Since Morrison filed her charge with the EEOC on

    April 23, 1992, and her complaint with the district court on

    September 3, 1993, the appellants argue that only acts of

    sexual harassment occurring after June 27, 1991, for her

    federal claim, and after September 3, 1991, for her state

    claim, should be considered in reviewing the sufficiency of

    the evidence. We disagree. The district court found that

    the hostile environment at Carleton had existed for a number



    -21-













    of years prior to November 21, 1991 and continued beyond

    September 3, 1991. We have held that there is no prohibition

    on recovery for earlier conduct if the "systemic violation"

    extends into the limitation period. See Jensen v. Frank, 912 ___ ______ _____

    F.2d 517, 523 (1st Cir. 1990). Here, the systemic violation

    continued without interruption from the late 1980's onward

    through September 3, 1991. It was, therefore, appropriate

    for the district court to look at defendants' conduct dating

    back to the 1980's, and we may do likewise, in evaluating

    Morrison's federal and state sexual harassment claims.

    From the late 1980s into the fall of 1991, there

    was ample evidence of crude, demeaning and sexually-oriented

    behavior by Riley and others directed at Morrison. A

    rational factfinder could conclude that the harassment was so

    severe or pervasive that it created a work environment

    abusive to Morrison because of her gender. Harris, 510 U.S. ______

    at 22. There is, indeed, evidence that the harassment went

    so far as to adversely affect Morrison's ability to function,

    by making her fearful to apply for certain employment

    opportunities and undermining her mental and emotional well-

    being.

    Even so, the appellants argue that the Company, as

    an entity, cannot be held liable because Morrison has not

    shown that it knew, or should have known, of the harassment.

    Morrison did not complain of harassment to the Company during



    -22-













    the period, even though there were procedures available to

    file such complaints. This is a closer question, but we find

    sufficient evidence to support the finding of the magistrate

    judge that the Company knew or should have known that the

    hostile environment existed despite plaintiff's failure to

    use official procedures to complain. In April 1987, several

    female employees of Carleton had filed a grievance against

    Riley, alleging that he was harassing them. At that time,

    Plant Manager Everett Owens told Riley to be more "low key",

    but never took any action to discipline or more closely

    supervise him. In the years before the trial of this case,

    Union President Gwendolyn Gatcomb brought several complaints

    concerning Riley's behavior to the attention of Company

    personnel. In spite of these complaints, Riley and other

    Carleton supervisors were allowed to continue with their

    responsibilities and their harassing conduct. Morrison

    testified that she had tried to bring the matter to the

    attention of Personnel Manager Annette McGowan, but had been

    unable to see her. The magistrate judge found that the

    layout of the mill was such that higher management "could not

    have missed the discriminatory atmosphere that permeated the

    department." We are satisfied that the evidence sufficiently

    supports the court's above finding, and can see no

    justification to disturb it on appeal.

    2. After November 21, 1991 _______________________



    -23-













    For us to affirm the jury's award of damages to

    Morrison on her Count I Title VII sexual harassment claim,

    the record must reveal evidence of conduct on or after

    November 21, 1991 the effective date of the 1991 Civil

    Rights Act sufficient to have created a hostile

    environment as that term is used under Title VII. Landgraf, ________

    511 U.S. at 244-45. Hostile environment sexual harassment is

    a particular species of sex discrimination. The EEOC's

    regulations, as noted, describe it as "[u]nwelcome sexual

    advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or

    physical conduct of a sexual nature . . . when . . . (3) such

    conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering

    with an individual's work performance or creating an

    intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment." 29

    C.F.R. 1604.11(a) (1996). The Supreme Court speaks of a

    "workplace . . . permeated with 'discriminatory intimidation,

    ridicule and insult' . . . that is 'sufficiently severe or

    pervasive to alter the conditions of a person's employment

    and create an abusive working environment.'" Harris, 510 ______

    U.S. at 21 (citations omitted).

    In the present case, the jury heard extensive

    evidence of the vulgar pre-November 21, 1991 incidents which,

    as we have held, amply support the magistrate judge's finding

    of hostile environment sexual harassment during that earlier

    time. However, the jury's task was to determine Title VII



    -24-













    liabilities and damages for the period from November 21,

    1991 onward. The jury could take the earlier conduct into

    account only to the extent it was legally relevant to what

    later happened for example, to help prove the intent

    behind an act committed after November 21, 1991, or the act's

    likely effect on someone like Morrison. See, e.g., Fed. R. ___ ____

    Evid. 402, 403, 404(b), 406, 412. The earlier abuse is no

    substitute for proof of actual sexual harassment occurring in

    the post-November 21, 1991 period. Because we cannot find

    evidence of sexually abusive conduct in this later period

    sufficient to support the jury's Title VII award under Count

    I, we are obliged to reverse that part of the verdict.

    From October 19, 1991 until November 23, 1992,

    Morrison was either on medical leave or on layoff from

    Carleton, hence she could not, during that period, have been

    subjected to workplace abuse, nor could her work performance

    at Carleton have been interfered with by abusive conduct

    while there. The only incident during that period that might

    be construed as workplace sexual harassment occurred on

    November 25, 1991, when Morrison went to Carleton seeking to

    return to work. Moody refused to let her punch in, telling

    her she had first to get medical clearance. In turning her

    away, Moody called Morrison "Girlie" and told her to go see

    "nursie", raising the question whether use of these terms

    made Moody's remark so offensive as to support a finding of



    -25-













    hostile environment sexual harassment. In order to assess

    Moody's probable intent when he spoke as he did on November

    25, 1991 and the reasonable effect of the phraseology on

    Morrison, see Harris, 510 U.S. at 22 (citing Meritor Sav. ___ ______ ____________

    Bank, FSB, 477 U.S. at 67), the jury could consider the __________

    evidence of Moody's and others' prior offensive conduct and

    remarks in the period before November 21, 1991. In light of

    that history, the jury could reasonably construe Moody's use

    of the terms "Girlie" and "nursie" as demeaning, rather than

    as merely light-hearted banter, and could also determine that

    Morrison had reason to be offended. Morrison testified that

    Moody's remark, made at a time when "everybody was lined up

    getting ready to punch in", made her feel "stupid."

    We are unable to conclude, however, that Moody's

    "Girlie-nursie" remark was, by itself, a sufficient basis to

    hold the Company liable to Morrison under her Title VII

    sexual harassment claim. Morrison was not working at the

    time. Her contact on this one day with the Company's work

    environment was fleeting. There is no evidence the Company

    knew of or sanctioned Moody's particular phraseology. We

    know of no case where a single, brief encounter of this

    mildly offensive sort, at a time when the plaintiff was not

    actually working, and hence could not be affected in her work

    performance and conditions of employment, has been held to

    create a sexually hostile workplace environment. See, e.g., ___ ____



    -26-













    Harris, 510 U.S. at 21 (conduct must be severe or pervasive ______

    enough to create an objectively hostile or abusive work

    environment affecting employee's conditions of employment);

    Chamberlin v. 101 Realty, Inc., 915 F.2d 777, 783 (1st Cir. __________ _________________

    1990) (single or isolated remarks do not establish a hostile

    environment). Even assuming this incident, when coupled with

    the more serious pre-November 21, 1991 incidents, might lead

    a rational jury to conclude that the earlier abusive

    environment would have remained the same through November 25,

    1991, the fact that Morrison was not working at Carleton from

    November 21, 1991 until November 23, 1992 a year later

    makes this conclusion largely irrelevant to her claim for

    damages during this period. Morrison could not have been

    injured by hostility at a workplace she did not attend.6

    We realize that Morrison contends that she accepted

    layoff status only because of the Company's refusal during

    this period to let her return to her floorperson position.

    Morrison insists that the refusal, while supposedly based on

    health concerns, was actually based on the Company's bias

    against women working as floorpersons. The jury, however,

    specifically rejected Morrison's Count II, Title VII sex


    ____________________

    6. Obviously, an award of $150,000 in compensatory and
    punitive damages would be patently excessive for one mildly
    offensive remark. Even supposing the workplace itself
    remained potentially abusive during Morrison's absence, this
    would be irrelevant while she was on layoff status and not
    present.

    -27-













    discrimination claim premised on such a theory, finding for

    the Company on Count II. The magistrate judge, contrary to

    the jury, later upheld Morrison's sex discrimination claim

    under Maine law, holding that the Company's refusal to allow _______________

    Morrison to go back to her floorperson position was gender-

    based and discriminatory. But the jury's verdict is

    conclusive on the part of the Count II claim seeking damages

    under Title VII. The jury found for Morrison on her Count I

    claim of hostile environment sexual harassment, but, as we

    discuss here, there was insufficient evidence of abuse during

    the post-November 21, 1991 period for us to affirm the award

    of damages under that theory.7

    Following the period of over a year during which

    she did not work at the Company (from October 19, 1991 until

    November 23, 1992), Morrison finally returned to work. But

    the record covering the period after Morrison's return to

    work on November 23, 1992 provides scant support for her

    hostile environment claim. When she returned, she accepted a

    different, somewhat higher-paying position8, and reported to

    ____________________

    7. The jury's finding against Morrison under Count II
    refutes any argument that the jury based its Count I sexual
    harassment verdict on a finding that Morrison was
    discriminated against when denied the opportunity to return
    to the floorperson position. Cf. Chamberlin, 915 F.2d at __ __________
    782-83.

    8. The Company's personnel manager testified that, at the
    time of trial, a fixer was paid $9.64 per hour, while a
    floorperson was paid $8.54 per hour. Morrison herself
    testified that a similar pay difference existed in 1989 when

    -28-













    new supervisors. There is no evidence that, in this new

    position, her supervisors, or any other person for that

    matter, subjected her to "discriminatory intimidation,

    ridicule and insult", Harris, 510 U.S. at 21, much less to ______

    sexually offensive, embarrassing or vulgar conduct or

    remarks, or other sex-based conduct or remarks, such as had

    occurred prior to November 21, 1991 when she was working as a

    floorperson under Riley. The Company's personnel manager

    advised her that employees had been warned to treat her

    fairly and equitably, and that she was to report anything

    offensive immediately so that it could be corrected.

    Morrison did not thereafter complain of sexual harassment to

    Company personnel. Morrison conceded that her old nemeses,

    Riley and Moody, stayed away from her, and never harassed her

    after she returned to work. Morrison, nonetheless, points to

    certain incidents that occurred during this later period,

    which, according to her, gave rise to a hostile work

    environment at Carleton.

    Morrison testified that most of the people with

    whom she had worked for years would no longer speak to her

    when she returned to work in November 23, 1992, ostensibly


    ____________________

    she had briefly worked as a fixer. There was a period
    shortly after her return when she was "bumped", laid off,
    returned as a creeler, and ultimately restored to fixer
    status. Morrison and the Company thereafter skirmished over
    her fixer pay scale, whether it was temporary or permanent;
    eventually she got the permanent rating.

    -29-













    because discouraged by management from doing so. The few

    that did were reprimanded by their supervisors afterwards.

    Morrison felt that some of her co-workers would no longer

    cooperate with her, thereby making her job much more

    difficult, and that one of her new supervisors, Ernest Clark,

    would occasionally assign her excessive work. Ernest Clark,

    according to Morrison, would also follow her around and look

    for flaws in her work, and would often blame her for mistakes

    that were not of her own doing. Morrison further complained

    that, for some time after she had completed a training

    period, she received temporary pay, instead of regular pay,

    for her work as a fixer, and that, despite her seniority, she

    never was asked to fill in for those employees with higher-

    ranking jobs within the Company. Lastly, Morrison claimed

    that she saw a petition expressing support for Riley and

    Moody circulating throughout the Company, an event that, she

    says, led her to seek professional counselling.

    Morrison argues that she does not need to show that

    management's conduct during this later period was "expressly

    sexual" in order to establish a sexually hostile work

    environment based on gender discrimination. We accept that

    many different forms of offensive behavior may be included

    within the definition of hostile environment sexual

    harassment. See Spain v. Gallegos, 26 F.3d 439, 447 (3d Cir. ___ _____ ________

    1994) (employee can show that there is a sexually hostile



    -30-













    work environment "without proving blatant sexual

    misconduct."). However, the overtones of such behavior must

    be, at the very least, sex-based, so as to be a recognizable

    form of sex discrimination. McKinney v. Dole, 765 F.2d 1129, ________ ____

    1138 (D.C. Cir. 1985). Merely because a supervisor is

    overbearing or fellow employees unsociable and hard to get

    along with, does not suffice unless underlying motives of a

    sexual or gender discriminatory nature are implicated.

    Spain, 26 F.3d at 449. _____

    The post-November 23, 1992 conduct alleged by

    Morrison occurred over a year after the earlier sexually-

    explicit misconduct by the other supervisors in her former

    position. The later conduct, as said, was not the kind

    associated with a claim for hostile environment sexual

    harassment. See, e.g., Gross v. Burggraf Constr. Co., 53 ___ ____ _____ _____________________

    F.3d 1531, 1546 (10th Cir. 1995) (employee did not establish

    a gender-based hostile environment by showing that employer

    reprimanded her in front of other employees, grilled her

    about some plans to bring discrimination charges against him,

    and told her "she was skating on thin ice."). It was not

    shown that Supervisor Clark's harshness was based on

    annoyance with her as a woman, or because he regarded the

    fixer position as off limits for women. A connection between

    Morrison's gender and the incidents she complains of was not

    established. The record contains no evidence that Morrison



    -31-













    complained to the Company that she was being subjected at

    this time to further sexual harassment or that the Company

    knew or should have believed that Morrison was being

    subjected to sexual harassment then. If the Company

    deliberately sought to isolate or punish Morrison for her

    earlier complaints of harassment, by telling other employees

    not to speak to her, such conduct might have supported a

    claim for unlawful retaliation, but not for sexual

    harassment.9 The evidence presented by Morrison is simply

    insufficient to establish a post-November 21, 1991 sexually

    hostile work environment created by severe or pervasive sex-

    based harassment.

    Morrison seeks to overcome the deficiencies in the

    evidence by contending that the more recent, non-sexual

    incidents could be linked to the pattern of vulgar, sexually-

    related misconduct that occurred at Carleton prior to the

    effective date of the 1991 Civil Rights Act. Morrison urges

    that the later incidents could be evaluated by the jury, not

    in isolation, but rather as a continuation of what she and




    ____________________

    9. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 has a separate
    statutory provision, not at issue here, making it an unlawful
    employment practice for an employer to discriminate against
    an individual because of his or her having opposed another
    unlawful practice or made a charge under the subchapter. 42
    U.S.C. 2000e-3(a) (West 1994); see also Fennell v. First ___ ____ _______ _____
    Step Designs, Ltd., 83 F.3d 526, 535 (1st Cir. 1996) ____________________
    (outlining the elements of a retaliation claim).

    -32-













    other employees encountered at the Company before November

    21, 1991.

    This point might have arguable merit relative to

    Moody's "Girlie-nursie" remark on November 25, 1991, were it

    not for the isolated nature of this incident, occurring as it

    did when Morrison was on continuous leave, hence not at the

    workplace so as to be exposed to a hostile environment. As

    to the events after her return to work on November 23, 1992,

    the pre-November 21, 1991 harassment was too remote in time

    and character to transform the later conduct into the

    different kind of behavior needed to support a damages claim

    for hostile environment sexual harassment. Morrison, by

    then, was working in a new position with other supervisors.

    To establish that she was entitled to damages for being

    subjected to hostile environment discrimination during this

    later period, she had to show some conduct within that time

    frame fitting into a cognizable definition of abusive work

    environment harassment. If this were not so, the Company

    would be held liable for conduct which it would not have

    known was either improper or a source of potential liability

    under the "hostile environment" theory at issue.

    In light of the foregoing, we hold that there was

    insufficient evidence from which a rational factfinder could

    conclude that Morrison was subjected to a sexually hostile

    work environment at Carleton after November 21, 1991.



    -33-













    B. Gender Discrimination (Count II) ________________________________

    In Count II, the district court ruled in the

    Company's favor on Morrison's federal claim, finding that

    there were no incidents of sex discrimination against

    Morrison prior to November 21, 1991.10 The district court, _____

    however, held that Morrison had established sex

    discrimination after November 21, 1991, and entered judgment

    in her favor under Maine law. We find that there is

    sufficient evidence in the record below to support the

    court's state law ruling and, accordingly, we affirm its

    judgment in this respect.

    The district court first found that Morrison was

    not permitted to return to her floorperson position on

    November 25, 1991 "because of Lucille Turner's, Annette

    McGowan's, and Dr. Barron's perception that women would more

    likely be severely injured in the floorperson position than

    would men." The record permits the inference that Morrison's

    injury was temporary and not especially serious. The

    evidence shows that Turner convinced Hill to extend

    Morrison's layoff, and later suggested that Morrison should

    ____________________

    10. As with Count I, the issue of whether Carleton
    discriminated because of gender against Morrison after
    November 21, 1991 in violation of Title VII was presented to
    the jury. The jury found against Morrison on that claim, as
    noted. The magistrate judge subsequently found otherwise on
    the same facts for purposes of Morrison's Maine law sex
    discrimination claim, finding gender discrimination after
    November 21, 1991 based on the Company's refusal to let
    Morrison continue in the floorperson position.

    -34-













    not be allowed to return to the floorperson position. When

    Morrison was given the choice of either accepting a layoff or

    leaving the floorperson position, McGowan told her that "she

    should have seen this coming because . . . [the Company] did

    not want [her] on the job." Finally, even though Dr. Barron

    talked extensively with Turner about Morrison's physical

    condition, he refused to consult with her treating physician

    or her nurse-practitioner, both of whom felt she was fit to

    perform her floorperson duties, in recommending that she be

    kept out of the job.

    The district court stated that it was satisfied

    that "a man presenting the same medical history and clearance

    to return to work would have been immediately permitted to do

    so." The record below gives credence to this statement, as

    two long-time Carleton employees, William Rogers and Norman

    Williams, testified that the Company has permitted them to

    remain in their physically-demanding jobs, despite the fact

    that they have, respectively, a chronic back problem and a

    ruptured cervical disc. Moreover, Leland Rice, who, at one

    time, worked as a floorperson at Carleton, and who is only

    five foot three inches tall and weighs no more than 140

    pounds, testified that he did not find any aspect of the job,

    including the removal of the warp beam, to be very difficult

    to perform. It could be found, therefore, that, while

    Carleton seized upon Morrison's relatively minor medical



    -35-













    problems to exclude her from the floorperson position, it

    allowed other male employees, with more serious ailments and

    less physical abilities, to continue working for the Company.

    It is true, to be sure, that there was also

    evidence suggesting that legitimate health-based

    considerations had motivated the Company's decision. But

    this is the kind of matter best sorted out by the trial

    court. There was sufficient evidence to support a reasonable

    trier's finding that Morrison was rejected because of her

    gender. The court was entitled to conclude that Morrison's

    sex "was a substantial motivating factor in the adverse

    employment decision." Cumpiano v. Banco Santander Puerto ________ _______________________

    Rico, 902 F.2d 148, 155 (1st Cir. 1990). Finding no error, ____

    we affirm. We also hold that, on remand, the court should

    reopen the issue of back pay given our vacation of the

    damages awards under Counts I and IV.

    C. Disability Discrimination (Count IV) ____________________________________

    In Count IV, the jury returned a verdict in

    Morrison's favor on her federal ADA claim. When this claim

    was submitted to the jury, the court correctly told the jury

    that Morrison could recover only for violations of the Act

    occurring on or after July 26, 1992, the effective date of

    the Act. Because the record reveals no evidence of any post-

    July 26, 1992 violations, we are obliged to overturn the

    verdict.



    -36-













    Ever since the ADA became effective on July 26,

    1992, the courts have consistently held that the Act is not

    retroactive. Miller v. CBC Cos., 908 F. Supp. 1054, 1062 ______ _________

    (D.N.H. 1995) ("there is little doubt the First Circuit would

    decline to extend the continuing violation theory to permit

    [plaintiff] to recover for the defendants' pre-ADA

    conduct."). As a result, to uphold a claim under the ADA,

    there must be evidence that the claimant was discriminated

    against because of a disability on or after July 26, 1992.

    Morrison's discrimination claim, however, is based

    on Carleton's rejection of her request, made in the fall of

    1991, to be allowed to continue in the floorperson position

    that she had previously held. The Company's decision to bar

    her from the position was effectively made, and communicated

    to her, in November 1991, eight months before the statute's

    effective date. While Morrison grieved the decision through

    her union, in proceedings strenuously pursued through

    February of 1992, and while the grievance process itself

    appears to have continued into 1993, when the matter was

    stated to be arbitrated, its subject was the Company's

    alleged unfair practice in the fall of 1991. Morrison has

    not pointed to additional incidents that took place on or

    after July 26, 1992, which constituted separate violations of

    the ADA during the later period.





    -37-













    The regulations promulgated pursuant to the ADA add

    nothing to Morrison's claim. These regulations prohibit

    disability discrimination with respect to " . . . layoff,

    termination, right to return from layoff, and rehiring." 29 ___________________________

    C.F.R. 1630.4(b) (1996) (emphasis added). However, the

    denial of any right Morrison had to return from layoff was

    complete well before July 26, 1992. Morrison was denied the

    floorperson position in the fall of 1991 after she sought to

    return from medical leave. By then Morrison had already

    accepted a layoff slip in lieu of bidding on another job, and

    remained on layoff until November 23, 1992, when she accepted

    the "fixer" position with the Company. Morrison would have

    us find a continuing violation, based on a theory that not

    restoring her to her old floorperson position formed part of

    a continuous chain of misconduct extending beyond the July

    26, 1992 deadline. But the Company's inaction is not enough.

    As we said in a somewhat analogous situation, "'it was

    incumbent upon [her] to allege facts giving some indication

    that the later refusals were themselves separate

    . . . violations.'" Velazquez v. Chardon, 736 F.2d 831, 833 _________ _______

    (1st Cir. 1984) (quoting Goldman v. Sears, Roebuck & Co., 607 _______ ____________________

    F.2d 1014, 1018 (1st Cir. 1979)).

    As Morrison does not demonstrate that

    discriminatory conduct forming a basis of her ADA claim

    occurred after July 26, 1992, we need not decide the



    -38-













    Company's further contention that Morrison's claim failed

    because her purported disability did not meet the

    definitional requirements of the Act. There may be merit to

    this and related substantive contentions, but we do not reach

    them because Morrison's asserted violation of the ADA

    occurred prior to July 26, 1992.

    D. Riley's Individual Liability ____________________________

    In footnotes in their briefs, the parties contest

    whether Riley can be held liable under Count I in his

    individual capacity for violations of Title VII and the Maine

    Human Rights Act. We deal separately with the federal and

    the state aspects of this issue.

    1. Individual Liability under Title VII ____________________________________

    Title VII defines "employer", in relevant part, as

    "a person engaged in an industry affecting commerce who has

    fifteen or more employees . . . and any agent of such a

    person." 42 U.S.C. 2000e(b) (West 1994). There is

    controversy over whether this language allows a corporate

    supervisor, such as Riley, to be sued as the "agent of such a

    person." Several circuits have held "No." See, e.g., Tomka ___ ____ _____

    v. Seiler Corp., 66 F.3d 1295, 1313-17 (2d Cir. 1995); but ____________ ___

    see id. at 1318-24 (Judge Parker's dissenting opinion). The ___ ___

    question has no very obvious answer.

    We decline to answer it here. The district court's

    ruling that Riley was liable under Title VII for pre-November



    -39-













    21, 1991 sexual harassment (Count I) has little or no actual

    impact on Riley that we can discern. Neither the Company nor

    Riley were or can be held answerable in damages for the pre-

    November 21, 1991 conduct, and it is not apparent that any

    other available type of federal relief can be applied against

    Riley notwithstanding the court's determination that he is

    liable under Title VII. In such circumstances, and given the

    absence of developed argument by the parties and of a

    reasoned disposition of this question by the court below, we

    are not inclined to seize this opportunity to create circuit

    precedent on this relatively complex issue.

    2. Individual Liability under the Maine Human Rights Act _____________________________________________________

    In finding Riley liable, together with his

    employer, under Maine state law for sexual harassment under

    Count I, the court imposed a $10,000 civil penalty.

    Authority for the penalty is found in the Maine Human Rights

    Act. 5 M.R.S.A. 4613(2)(B)(7) (West Supp. 1996). Riley's

    liability for that penalty is apparently joint and several

    with the Company's. The state law judgment against Riley,

    therefore, is not merely academic, as was the adverse Title

    VII finding, supra. _____

    Still, we are disinclined to rule at this time on

    whether or not Maine law allows individual liability. While

    arguably the different language of the Maine law more clearly

    allows individual liability than does Title VII, there is no



    -40-













    relevant state court precedent. A federal district court in

    Maine has construed the law as disallowing individual ___________

    liability, relying on the federal precedent that trends that

    way. Quiron v. L.N. Violette Co. Inc., 897 F. Supp. 18, 20- ______ ______________________

    21 (D. Me. 1995). Appellants' objection to allowing

    individual recovery here was not set out in the statement of

    issues in their brief, and consists of one sentence in a

    footnote, together with a citation to Quiron and a subsequent ______

    case. We have said that a party owes this court "developed

    argumentation." United States v. Caraballo-Cruz, 52 F.3d ______________ ______________

    390, 393 (1st Cir. 1995); cf. Kost v. Kozakiewicz, 1 F.3d __ ____ ___________

    176, 182 (3d Cir. 1993) (casual mention in footnote, without

    citation, not enough). See Wright, Miller, Cooper and ___

    Gressman, Federal Practice and Procedure, Vol. 16, 3974, ________________________________

    n.1 (West 1977 & Supp. 1996). The district court itself did

    not have occasion to discuss the issue, although appellee

    concedes that defendants raised it in one of their trial

    motions. Riley is represented by the same attorneys as the

    Company and, for all that appears, may never be required by

    his employer to share personally in the payment of the

    $10,000 penalty.

    Under these circumstances, we think the most

    satisfactory way to handle the issue is to vacate the

    individual judgment against Riley under Count I and remand

    with instructions that, if either party wishes, the court



    -41-













    shall reopen, and expressly rule upon, the issue of whether

    the Maine Human Rights Act provides for individual liability.

    In so doing, the court may, in its discretion, certify the

    question to the Supreme Judicial Court of Maine. This course

    will ensure either a reasoned decision or a dispositive

    ruling by Maine's highest court. It will also enable the

    parties and the court to drop the matter if, as the parties'

    casual treatment suggests, it is of no practical interest to

    them.

    The legal questions of individual liability under

    both Title VII and the Maine statute are significant ones.

    Precisely because this is so, we do not wish to decide them

    in the fragmented, undeveloped setting in which they appear.

    V.

    We affirm the district court's rulings on Counts I

    and II, except we vacate the finding against Riley under

    Count I. We reverse the jury's verdicts on Counts I and IV.

    We vacate the court's amended judgment and remand for further

    proceedings, and for the entry of a new judgment, not

    inconsistent with this opinion. Upon remand the district

    court shall reopen the question of back pay and any other

    available form of relief that may now be appropriate under

    the affirmed claims given our reversal of the jury's verdicts

    under Counts I and IV. The parties shall bear their own

    costs of appeal.



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    It is so ordered.



















































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