Sansone v. Jazz Casino Company ( 2021 )

Case: 20-30640 Document: 00516000499 Page: 1 Date Filed: 09/01/2021
United States Court of Appeals
for the Fifth Circuit United States Court of Appeals
Fifth Circuit
FILED
No. 20-30640 September 1, 2021
Lyle W. Cayce
Clerk
Kristina Sansone,
Plaintiff—Appellant,
versus
Jazz Casino Company, LLC
D/B/A Harrah’s Casino,
Defendant—Appellee.
Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Eastern District of Louisiana
USDC No. 2:18-CV-14093
Before Dennis and Engelhardt, Circuit Judges, and Hicks*, District
Judge.
Per Curiam:*
Plaintiff Kristina Sansone (“Sansone”) appeals a grant of summary
judgment in favor of her former employer, Defendant Jazz Casino Company,
*
Chief Judge of the Western District of Louisiana, sitting by designation.
*
Pursuant to 5th Circuit Rule 47.5, the court has determined that this
opinion should not be published and is not precedent except under the limited
circumstances set forth in 5th Circuit Rule 47.5.4.
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No. 20-30640
LLC d/b/a Harrah’s Casino (“Harrah’s”). We find that summary judgment
was proper on Sansone’s Title VII retaliation and ADA discrimination
claims, but genuine disputes of material fact remain as to her hostile work
environment claim.
I.
Beginning in September 2017, a Harrah’s customer began frequenting
Sansone’s baccarat table and making sexually charged gestures, remarks
about her appearance, and sexual propositions towards her. According to
Sansone, the customer engaged in this harassing behavior at least twice a
week until her termination on December 31, 2017. Id. Although Sansone
claims she verbally reported the customer to her floor supervisors several
times throughout this three-month period, a formal written report was not
made until December 22. Sansone was permitted to leave work early that day
and stay home the following day. She was also advised to inform her
supervisors if the customer returned, and when he did on December 25,
Sansone was removed from her table and once again permitted to leave early.
The customer never reappeared at Sansone’s table and surveillance footage
was unable to identify him. Id.
Meanwhile, on December 24 a time discrepancy arose when Sansone
failed to properly clock-in for work. Sansone’s response to a Human
Resources audit payroll email stated she “worked 11-7 that day, I honestly
think I walked in a min before not sure though… but no later than 11 i
believe.” Surveillance footage revealed Sansone entering work at 11:10 AM
and not attempting to clock-in. Sansone was found to be in violation of five
Harrah’s employee rules pertaining to honesty, clock in/out procedures, and
curiously, for improper use of a public entrance despite having permission to
use this handicapped amenity due to a foot injury. Id. Sansone was terminated
on December 31 for alleged misrepresentation of hours worked. Id.
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Sansone’s lawsuit claims Title VII retaliation, a hostile work
environment, disability discrimination, and related state law violations. In
granting summary judgment and dismissing all claims, the district court
issued a brief order stating Sansone failed to establish genuine disputes of
material fact that her termination resulted from anything other than her own
misrepresentations and with respect to her hostile work environment claim.1
We review a district court’s grant of summary judgment de novo. See Am. Int’l
Specialty Lines Ins. Co. v. Canal Indem. Co., 352 F.3d 254, 259-60 (5th Cir.
2003). After such review, we AFFIRM the district court’s dismissal of
Sansone’s Title VII retaliation and ADA discrimination claims. However, we
find genuine disputes of material fact remain as to Sansone’s hostile work
environment allegation, and accordingly REVERSE and REMAND this
claim alongside any related state law claims or arguments.
II.
To establish a prima facie case of retaliation, the plaintiff must
establish: (1) she participated in an activity protected by Title VII, (2) her
employer took an adverse employment action against her, and (3) a causal
connection exists between the protected activity and the adverse
employment action. See McCoy v. City of Shreveport, 492 F.3d 551, 556-57 (5th
Cir. 2007). If the plaintiff makes a prima facie showing, the burden then shifts
to the employer to articulate a legitimate, nonretaliatory reason for its
employment action. See Russell v. McKinney Hosp. Venture, 235 F.3d 219, 222
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Absent from the district court’s order is any analysis or reasoning supporting its
decision. While a district court need not make explicit findings of fact and conclusions of
law when appellate review is de novo, such findings and conclusions are often quite helpful.
See Thomas v. N.A. Chase Manhattan Bank, 994 F.2d 236, 241 n. 6 (5th Cir. 1993) (citing
Boazman v. Econ. Lab, Inc., 537 F.2d 210, 213 n. 5 (5th Cir. 1976)). Particularly when
summary judgment is granted and a case is dismissed, we urge the district court to
adequately explain its decision. See id.3
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(5th Cir. 2000). If a lawful reason is produced, the burden shifts back to the
plaintiff to demonstrate the proffered reason is a pretext for the real
retaliatory purpose. See id.Sansone argues a prima facie showing was present because (1) her
firing supervisor had given a deposition in another sexual harassment suit just
weeks prior to her termination, (2) her citation for using an approved
handicapped entrance was illogical, and (3) the language she used in her email
to Human Resources did not amount to a true falsification. First, the firing
supervisor’s deposition in an entirely unrelated matter is conclusory in
nature and cannot be relied upon as summary judgment evidence. Second,
the record evidence clearly indicates that Sansone was terminated for
misrepresenting her hours rather than for use of a public entrance. While her
termination letter does cite Sansone for failing to enter work through a proper
employee access point, the deposition testimony of Sansone’s supervisors
and key Harrah’s decisionmakers revealed her misrepresentation informed
their firing decision. Third, the precise language used by Sansone is
irrelevant, as it requires the Court to question the wisdom of Harrah’s
business decision. See LeMaire v. La. Dep’t of Transp. and Dev., 480 F.3d 383,
391 (5th Cir. 2007) (“Our job… is not to engage in second-guessing of an
employer’s business decisions. Our anti-discrimination laws do not require
an employer to make proper decisions, only non-retaliatory ones.”); Little v.
Republic Ref. Co., 924 F.2d 93, 97 (5th Cir. 1991) (“even an incorrect belief
that an employee’s performance is inadequate” is a legitimate reason).
Finally, Sansone’s briefing to this Court emphasizes the temporal
proximity between her report of harassment and her termination. However,
timing allegations standing alone cannot defeat summary judgment and do
not relieve the plaintiff of rebutting an employer’s lawful reason for
termination. See Strong v. Univ. Healthcare Sys., LLC, 482 F.3d 802, 808 (5th
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Cir. 2007); Swanson v. Gen. Servs. Admin., 110 F.3d 1180, 1188 (5th Cir.
1997).
Even assuming arguendo that Sansone did make a prima facie showing
of causation and a Title VII retaliation claim overall, she failed to rebut the
nonretaliatory reason produced by Harrah’s for her termination. In order to
demonstrate pretext, Sansone must show “both that the reason was false, and
that discrimination was the real reason.” Walton v. Bisco Indus., 119 F.3d 368,
370 (5th Cir. 1997) (emphasis in original). Harrah’s production of
employment records of other employees fired for misrepresenting hours,
coupled with Sansone’s failure to provide competent summary judgment
evidence that the true motive was retaliation, forecloses this claim.
III.
For similar reasons, Sansone failed to establish a genuine dispute of
material fact for her ADA discrimination claim. A prima facie disability
discrimination claim requires the plaintiff to prove: (1) she had a disability,
(2) she was qualified for the job she held, and (3) she was subject to an adverse
employment decision because of her disability. See Clark v. Boyd Tunica, Inc.,
665 F. App’x 367, 370 (5th Cir. 2016). ADA and Title VII claims relying on
circumstantial evidence follow the same burden-shifting framework. See
Adeleke v. Dall. Area Rapid Transit, 487 F. App’x 901, 903 (5th Cir. 2012).
Again, while Sansone’s termination letter does cite her use of a
handicapped public entrance as prohibited conduct, the evidence makes clear
she was terminated not for this action, but for misrepresenting her hours
worked. Bolstering this conclusion, throughout Sansone’s employment she
was accommodated multiple times in light of a cancer diagnosis and other
injuries. To accommodate Sansone’s foot injury, Harrah’s moved Sansone
to baccarat—the only table game at Harrah’s where the dealer sits—and
permitted her to park in a handicapped lot and use an entrance with a ramp.
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The evidence demonstrates Sansone’s disability was not the reason for her
firing.
IV.
In order to establish a hostile work environment claim, the plaintiff
must demonstrate: (1) she is a member of a protected group; (2) she was the
victim of uninvited sexual harassment; (3) the harassment was based on sex;
(4) the harassment affected a term, condition, or privilege of employment;
and (5) her employer knew or should have known of the harassment and
failed to take prompt remedial action. See Woods v. Delta Beverage Grp., Inc.,
274 F.3d 295, 298 (5th Cir. 2001). Here, only the fourth and fifth elements
are in dispute.
A.
To affect a term, condition, or privilege of employment, sexual
harassment must be sufficiently severe or pervasive so as to alter the
conditions of employment and create an abusive working environment. See
Stewart v. Miss. Transp. Comm’n, 586 F.3d 321, 330 (5th Cir. 2009). This
depends on the totality of the circumstances, including “the frequency of the
discriminatory conduct; its severity; whether it is physically threatening or
humiliating, or a mere offensive utterance; and whether it unreasonably
interferes with an employee’s work performance.” Harvill v. Westward
Commc’n, LLC, 433 F.3d 428, 434 (5th Cir. 2005) (quoting Harris v. Forklift
Sys., Inc., 510 U.S. 17, 23 (1993)). Importantly, the severe or pervasive
standard is stated in the disjunctive, as a plaintiff need not demonstrate both
are present. See id. at 434-35 (collecting cases). It follows logically that the
required showing of severity varies inversely with the pervasiveness of the
conduct. See Lauderdale v. Tex. Dep’t of Crim. Just., Inst. Div., 512 F.3d 157,
163 (5th Cir. 2007).
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The highly fact-intensive nature of these types of cases is reflected in
our jurisprudence on the subject, and the parties have engaged in the time-
honored tradition of citing to and distinguishing these cases, attempting to
place this matter on their preferred side of the spectrum between dismissal
and viability. Ultimately, we side with the latter. To survive summary
judgment, Sansone need not make it clear that she “was subject to actionable
harassment; she of course only needs to show that a jury could reach that
conclusion based on its view of the evidence.” See Gardner v. CLC of
Pascagoula, LLC, 915 F.3d 320, 325 (5th Cir. 2019). We feel she has done so.
In terms of both seriousness and frequency, the harassment
experienced by Sansone is analogous to the plaintiff in Farpella-Crosby, where
we held a hostile work environment was present. See Farpella-Crosby v.
Horizon Health Care, 97 F.3d 803, 806 (5th Cir. 1996). There, a supervisor
made comments two to three times per week attributing an employee’s large
number of children to a proclivity for sexual activity. See id. at 805. The
supervisor also joked at an office baby shower about the employee’s refusal
to use condoms, and on one occasion, entered a room and complained of a
“smell of fish.” Id. Lastly, the supervisor directly inquired about the
employee’s sex life, frequently asking where her and a coworker had been the
night before and whether they had “got any.” Id.The unidentified Harrah’s customer frequently asked Sansone about
her sex life and expressed his desire to sleep with her. He commented on her
breasts and physical appearance and directed sexual gestures towards her. Id.His comments were made in the presence of others and occurred at least two
times a week for a significant period of time. Id. This contrasts with instances
where we have held a smaller stint within a lengthy period of employment
was not sufficiently pervasive to support a hostile work environment claim.
See Peterson v. Linear Controls, Inc., 757 F.Appx. 370, 374 (5th Cir. 2019) (no
hostile work environment where the plaintiff worked for defendant for six
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years, but allegations concerned only one ten-day period). Drawing all
inferences in favor of Sansone, as the district court was required to do at this
stage, the fourth element of a prima facie hostile work environment claim was
met.
B.
Turning to the fifth and final element, this Court has long recognized
that in order to demonstrate an employer has failed to take prompt remedial
action, the employee must first show that she took “advantage of [the]
corrective opportunities provided by the employer.” May v. FedEx Freight E.,
Inc., 374 F. App’x 510, 512 (5th Cir. 2010) (citing Harvill, 433 F.3d at 437).
Relatedly, employers may raise an affirmative defense to a hostile work
environment claim when (1) the employer exercised reasonable care to
prevent and promptly correct any harassing behavior, and (2) the employee
unreasonably failed to take advantage of any preventative or corrective
opportunities provided to avoid harm. See Faragher v. City of Boca Raton, 524
U.S. 775, 807 (1998).
Significant factual disputes remain regarding whether Sansone’s
initial verbal complaints to her floor supervisors should have triggered a
response from Harrah’s. At this stage, these unanswered questions preclude
a summary judgment finding that Harrah’s took prompt remedial action, and
likewise, prohibit the successful raising of an affirmative defense.
According to Sansone, she was trained to report problems to her floor
supervisors who would then move any complaints up the chain of command.
She claims she followed this prescribed procedure multiple times throughout
the relevant three-month period, but her concerns were never addressed.
Instead, she was instructed to “ignore him” and “let it go,” with the
additional response that “this comes with the business.” Id. It remains
unclear whether the term “harassment” was used in these verbal complaints,
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as one supervisor stated she only described the customer’s behavior as
aggravating. Harrah’s position is that Sansone failed to take advantage of its
Anti-Harassment Policy because she did not file a complaint with Human
Resources or upper-level management. Once this did take place on
December 22, Harrah’s acted immediately to address the problem, sending
Sansone home and attempting to identify the customer when he reappeared
at the casino days later.
Viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to Sansone, she
complained about the harassment to her supervisors as early as September,
but these supervisors failed to take any action. Nothing was done to identify
the customer or remedy the situation until a formal complaint was filed
months after Sansone’s initial complaints. The remaining factual disputes on
whether Sansone properly activated the chain of command and whether
Harrah’s responded appropriately require us to REVERSE and REMAND
this claim for further proceedings. Any state law claims asserted by Sansone
related to her hostile work environment allegations must also be revived and
reviewed.
V.
For the aforementioned reasons, we AFFIRM the judgment of the
district court with respect to Sansone’s Title VII retaliation and ADA
discrimination claims, as well as any state law claims relating to retaliation
and disability discrimination. However, we REVERSE the dismissal of her
hostile work environment claim and any corresponding state law claims and
REMAND for further proceedings.
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