Floyd v. Geico Insurance Company
Filing
77
ORDER granting in part and denying in part Defendant's 62 Motion for Summary Judgment signed by U.S. District Judge John C Coughenour. (TH)
THE HONORABLE JOHN C. COUGHENOUR
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
WESTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON
AT SEATTLE
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JOHN ANDREW FLOYD,
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Plaintiff,
ORDER
v.
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CASE NO. C17-1154-JCC
GEICO INSURANCE COMPANY,
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Defendant.
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This matter comes before the Court on Defendant’s motion for summary judgment (Dkt.
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No. 62). Having thoroughly considered the parties’ briefing and the relevant record, the Court
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hereby GRANTS in part and DENIES in part the motion for the reasons explained herein.
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I.
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BACKGROUND
Plaintiff John Floyd was an employee of Defendant GEICO for nearly 30 years. (Dkt.
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No. 1-1 at ¶ 6.) Most recently, Plaintiff was a supervisor in Defendant’s Continuing Unit (“CU”)
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department. (Dkt. No. 72 at ¶ 4.) Plaintiff’s supervisor was Ms. Yvonne Obeng-Curwood. (Dkt.
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No. 72 at 2–3.) Defendant offers its employees medical insurance coverage through United
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Healthcare (“UHC”). (Dkt. No. 1-1 at ¶ 16.) Prior to his termination, Plaintiff had been
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struggling to obtain medical coverage for a procedure for his advanced vein disease that his
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doctor deemed necessary. (Dkt. Nos. 1-1 at ¶¶ 15, 16, 18; 72 at 2–3.) Plaintiff followed up about
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the procedure’s coverage with several of Defendant’s employees. (Dkt. Nos. 72 at ¶¶ 10–13, 72ORDER
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4, 72-5.) Ms. Obeng-Curwood was aware of Plaintiff’s efforts to obtain coverage for the
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procedure. (Dkt. Nos. 72 at ¶¶ 10–13, 72-4, 72-5.)
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Plaintiff believed UHC, not Defendant, was responsible for the decision about whether
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the procedure was covered. (See Dkt. No. 72-5 at 3.) However, several of Defendant’s
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employees and UHC made statements to Plaintiff indicating that Defendant did have some kind
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of decision-making power over the approval or denial of claims. (See Dkt. Nos. 72 at ¶¶ 10–13,
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72-4) UHC indicated that Plaintiff needed to discuss the issue with Defendant’s plan coordinator.
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(Dkt. No. 72-4 at 3.) Additionally, Defendant’s health plan states that Defendant has some
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discretionary authority over how the plan is interpreted. (Dkt. No. 71-3.)
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Plaintiff became increasingly frustrated with his inability to obtain coverage for the
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procedure. (Dkt. No. 72 at 2–3.) In February 2017, Plaintiff reached out to Mr. Joseph Byington,
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a Human Resources (“HR”) supervisor, and indicated that Plaintiff might pursue his legal
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options. (Dkt. No. 72-5.) In his email, Plaintiff did not clearly say he wanted to pursue legal
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options against Defendant; in fact, it appears that Plaintiff meant against UHC. (Id.) Ms. Obeng-
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Curwood received a copy of this email. (Id.) Around this same time, another employee of
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Defendant that Plaintiff was communicating with about his medical coverage, Ms. Debra Jarvis,
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called Plaintiff’s behavior “poisonous” (Dkt. No. 71-5) and an HR employee called Plaintiff
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“disgruntled” (Dkt. No. 71-6). Neither of these employees were decision-makers in Plaintiff’s
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termination, and the decision-makers were unaware of these comments. (Dkt. No. 65 at ¶ 36.)
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On March 2, 2017, Ms. Obeng-Curwood was notified that GEICO had received an
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irreversible default judgment against an insured, Timothy Ozog, for over $500,000 (the “Ozog
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claim”). (Dkt. No. 65 at ¶ 14.) Ms. Julia Brost-Clark was the claims adjuster responsible for
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handling the claim and Plaintiff was Ms. Brost-Clark’s supervisor. (See Dkt. No. 65-1 at 27–30.)
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Ms. Obeng-Curwood asked two supervisors, one of which was Mr. Joshua Subich, to investigate
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Ms. Brost-Clark’s and Plaintiff’s roles in the default. (Dkt. No. 65 at ¶ 15.) Mr. Subich
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determined that Plaintiff had either accessed the claim, had the ability to access it, or should have
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known to access it on multiple occasions. (See Dkt. No. 65-1 at 25–26.) Mr. Subich determined
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that Plaintiff ignored or missed time-sensitive demands. (Id.) After determining that Plaintiff’s
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supervision of the Ozog claim was insufficient, Mr. Subich recommended Plaintiff’s termination
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to Ms. Obeng-Curwood. (Id.)
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After receiving Mr. Subich’s recommendation, Ms. Obeng-Curwood asked Ms. Fiona
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Hunt to analyze the Ozog claim. (Dkt. No. 65 at ¶ 21.) Ms. Hunt identified two other claims of
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Ms. Brost-Clark’s that she deemed Plaintiff also did not properly supervise (the Mealing claim
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and the Musselman claim). (Id.)
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On March 6, 2017, Ms. Obeng-Curwood and Mr. Subich interviewed Plaintiff. (Id. at ¶
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22.) The parties dispute what transpired at this meeting, but agree that Plaintiff provided
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Defendant with a timeline of what he believed to be his activity on the Ozog claim. (See Dkt.
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Nos. 65 at ¶ 22, 72 at 5.) Later that day, Plaintiff sent an email to Mr. Byington about his
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continuing medical coverage problems and indicated in passing that he was pursuing his legal
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options. (Dkt. No. 72-6.) Ms. Obeng-Curwood knew about this email. (Id.) Ms. Obeng-Curwood
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attempted to conduct a second interview with Plaintiff, but he refused to participate because he
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had heard rumors that he would be fired. (Dkt. No. 65 at ¶ 26.) The next day, Plaintiff was
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terminated. (Dkt. No. 71-15.)
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Plaintiff sued Defendant alleging: (1) that he was terminated because of his age and his
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disability, in violation of Washington’s Law Against Discrimination (“WLAD”), Wash. Rev.
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Code § 49.60.180, (2) that he was terminated in retaliation for his threat to bring legal
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proceedings against Defendant, in violation of WLAD, Wash. Rev. Code § 49.60.210, and (3)
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that Defendant negligently inflicted emotional distress. (Dkt. No. 1-1 at 5–7.) Defendant now
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moves for summary judgment on all of Plaintiff’s claims. (Dkt. No. 62.)
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II.
DISCUSSION
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A.
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A court must grant summary judgment “if the movant shows that there is no genuine
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Summary Judgment Legal Standard
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dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Fed. R.
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Civ. P. 56(a). A dispute of fact is genuine if there is sufficient evidence for a reasonable jury to
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find for the nonmoving party. Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248 (1986). A
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dispute of fact is material if the fact “might affect the outcome of the suit under the governing
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law.” Id. At the summary judgment stage, evidence must be viewed in the light most favorable to
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the nonmoving party, and all justifiable inferences are to be drawn in the nonmovant’s favor. Id.
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at 255.
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B.
Age Discrimination, Disability Discrimination, and Retaliation Claims
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Under WLAD, it is unlawful for an employer to discriminate on the basis of several
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protected classes, including age and disability. Wash. Rev. Code § 49.60.180. It is also unlawful
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for an employer to retaliate against an employee for engaging in protected conduct. Wash. Rev.
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Code § 49.60.210. Washington courts use the McDonnell Douglas burden-shifting framework to
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analyze WLAD discrimination and retaliation claims. Hines v. Todd Pac. Shipyards Corp., 112
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P.3d 522, 529 (Wash. Ct. App. 2005) (discrimination); Short v. Battle Ground Sch. Dist., 279
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P.3d 902, 911 (Wash. Ct. App. 2012), overruled on other grounds by Kumar v. Gate Gourmet,
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Inc., 325 P.3d 193, 199–20 (Wash. 2014) (retaliation). Under this framework, the employee must
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first establish a prima facie case of discrimination or retaliation. 1 Hines, 112 P.3d at 529; Short,
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279 P.3d at 911. Once the employee establishes a prima facie case, the burden shifts to the
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employer to produce a legitimate, nondiscriminatory or nonretaliatory justification for its adverse
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employment decision. Hines, 112 P.3d at 529; Short, 279 P.3d at 911. If the employer provides
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such justification, the burden shifts back to the employee to prove that the employer’s
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justification is a mere pretext. Hines, 112 P.3d at 529; Short, 279 P.3d at 912.
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1. Legitimate, Nondiscriminatory or Nonretaliatory Reasons
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Defendant offers two justifications for its decision to terminate Plaintiff. First, Defendant
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Defendant concedes, for purposes of its motion for summary judgment, that Plaintiff has
established a prima facie case for all three of his WLAD claims. (Dkt. No. 62 at 21.)
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contends that it fired Plaintiff because of Plaintiff’s negligent or reckless supervision of Ms.
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Brost-Clark and her claims, which violated Defendant’s code of conduct. (Dkt. No. 62 at 21.)
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Second, Defendant argues that it fired Plaintiff because of his refusal to participate in
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Defendant’s investigation. (Id.)
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A supervisor’s negligent or reckless supervision of his employee, in violation of company
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policy, is a legitimate reason for termination. An employee’s refusal to participate in an
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investigation into alleged misconduct could also be a legitimate reason for termination. See
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Handson v. Overlake Hosp. Med. Ctr., 2017 WL 1438037, slip op. at 5 (W.D. Wash. 2017).
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Therefore, Defendant has met its burden of establishing a legitimate, nondiscriminatory, and
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nonretaliatory reason for terminating Plaintiff. Plaintiff must produce sufficient evidence to raise
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a genuine dispute of material fact on the issue of whether Defendant’s stated reasons are
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pretextual. See Hines, 112 P.3d at 529; Short, 279 P.3d at 912.
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2. Pretext
“The focus of a pretext inquiry is whether the employer’s stated reason was honest, not
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whether it was accurate, wise, or well-considered.” Shokri v. Boeing Co., 311 F. Supp. 3d 1204,
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1221 (W.D. Wash. 2018) (quoting Stewart v. Henderson, 207 F.3d 374, 378 (7th Cir. 2000)). A
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plaintiff satisfies his burden by offering sufficient evidence to create a genuine dispute of
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material fact that either (1) the defendant’s stated reason is false, or (2) although the defendant’s
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reason is legitimate, discrimination or retaliation was still a substantial factor motivating the
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adverse employment action. See Scrivener v. Clark Coll., 334 P.3d 541, 546 (Wash. 2014).
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a. Falsity
Plaintiff offers several theories to argue that Defendant’s justifications are false. First,
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Plaintiff argues that he had a diligent method of ensuring that claims were properly supervised,
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so his supervision was not negligent or reckless. (Dkt. No. 70 at 24.) Second, Plaintiff argues that
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Defendant’s investigation into Plaintiff’s wrongdoing was a sham. (Id. at 24–25.) Third, Plaintiff
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contends that comparator evidence shows that other supervisors who acted similarly were not
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punished like Plaintiff. (Id. at 25–27.) Fourth, Plaintiff argues that his method of supervision was
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common amongst supervisors in his office. (Id. at 23–24.)
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Regarding Plaintiff’s first theory, Plaintiff has put forth evidence that establishes a
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genuine dispute of material fact on the issue of whether his supervision method was sufficiently
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diligent. Plaintiff used a demand log to track the claims he was responsible for. (Dkt. Nos. 64-1
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at 17–70, 72 at 5.) The demand log shows that, although Plaintiff diligently used it in the past, its
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utilization decreased significantly in 2016 and 2017. (Dkt. No. 64-1 at 69–70.) Plaintiff claims
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that the demand log is missing entries, and is in fact reflective of missing discovery rather than
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decreased use. (Dkt. No. 70 at 24.) Plaintiff offers calendar invitations that he argues show that
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the demand log is missing entries (Dkt. No. 72-11) and a declaration that these invitations could
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not exist unless they were generated by the demand log (Dkt. No. 72 at 6–7). These calendar
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invitations, which are not reflected in the demand log, could lead a reasonable fact-finder to
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conclude that the demand log in the record may not accurately reflect Plaintiff’s supervision
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methods. They therefore support a finding of pretext.
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Regarding Plaintiff’s second theory, Plaintiff contends that the investigation into his
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alleged wrongdoing was a sham because he received a positive performance review shortly
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before his termination and because the investigators did not interview any other adjusters that
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Plaintiff supervised except Ms. Brost-Clark. Both arguments are irrelevant. Plaintiff’s prior
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positive performance reviews have no bearing on the allegation that Plaintiff was fired because
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he failed to adequately supervise certain claims, as Defendant was not aware of the failure when
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it made the positive performance assessments. Likewise, the investigators’ failure to interview
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other adjusters besides Ms. Brost-Clark is irrelevant because Plaintiff was fired for his failure in
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supervising Ms. Brost-Clark’s claims, not any other adjuster’s claims. Therefore, Plaintiff’s
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contention of a sham investigation does not support a finding of pretext.
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Plaintiff’s third theory concerns the dissimilar treatment of comparator employees. To be
relevant, comparators must be similarly situated in all material respects—the comparator
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employee must have (1) engaged in similar misconduct and (2) been disciplined by the same
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decision-maker. See Vasquez v. Cty. of L.A., 349 F.3d 634, 641 n.17 (9th Cir. 2003); Ankeny v.
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Napolitano, 2010 WL 4094687, slip op. at 2 (W.D. Wash. 2010). However, the comparator
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employee need not be identical to the plaintiff. See Rollins v. Mabus, 627 F. App’x 618, 619 (9th
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Cir. 2015).
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Plaintiff argues that the following employees are valid comparators: Mr. Dave Masterson,
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Ms. Hunt, and other CU supervisors who were responsible for a claim that resulted in a default
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judgment. (Dkt. No. 70 at 25–27.) Only Mr. Masterson and Ms. Hunt were also supervised by
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Ms. Obeng-Curwood, who supervised and was ultimately responsible for the decision to
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terminate Plaintiff; therefore, any other CU supervisors cannot be used as valid comparators. See
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Vasquez, 349 F.3d at 641 n.17. Ms. Hunt is also not a valid comparator because her misconduct
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was not similar to Plaintiff’s. Although Ms. Hunt accessed the Ozog claim multiple times and
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could have intervened to stop the impending irreversible default judgment, she was not
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responsible for doing so. (See Dkt. No. 65 at 13.) The Ozog claim was Ms. Brost-Clark’s
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responsibility, and Plaintiff supervised Ms. Brost-Clark. (See Dkt. No. 65-1 at 27–30.) In fact,
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Ms. Hunt’s accessing of the Ozog claim was actually prohibited and Ms. Hunt was punished for
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impermissibly accessing the claim. (Dkt. No. 65 at 13.) Because Ms. Hunt was not responsible
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for the supervision or handling of the Ozog claim, she is not similarly situated to Plaintiff.
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Defendant contends that Mr. Masterson is not similarly situated to Plaintiff for four
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reasons—(1) they work in different units, (2) Mr. Masterson was not a CU supervisor or working
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at the same level as Plaintiff, (3) the default judgment in Mr. Masterson’s case was less than five
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percent of the size of the default judgment in the Ozog claim, and (4) Mr. Masterson actively
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documented his case and supervised and instructed the adjuster. (Dkt. No. 76 at 7.) The first two
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reasons are irrelevant because both Plaintiff and Mr. Masterson were supervisors, in their
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respective units, who were obligated to follow the same code of conduct. (See Dkt. No. 72 at 2.)
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The third reason is irrelevant because Plaintiff was fired for a pattern of negligent or reckless
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supervision, not because of the result. (See Dkt. No. 62 at 21.) The fourth reason is relevant
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because Defendant contends that Mr. Masterson adequately supervised his claims, whereas
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Plaintiff did not. (Dkt. No. 65 at 13.) If that is true, Mr. Masterson would not be a proper
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comparator. But how Defendant’s supervisors normally supervised, instructed, and documented
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is disputed, as discussed below. Because Mr. Masterson may be a valid comparator, his different
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treatment may help support a finding of pretext.
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Plaintiff’s final theory is that the record indicates that other supervisors in Plaintiff’s
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office handled their supervisory duties exactly like Plaintiff did, but they were not terminated for
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their behavior. While it is true that a plaintiff’s subjective belief that he is not responsible for
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mistakes is legally insufficient to establish pretext, Griffith v. Scnhnitzer Steel Indus., Inc., 128
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Wn. App. 438, 447 (2005), Plaintiff here has provided evidence that his belief was not merely
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subjective because it was held by other supervisors in his office. Plaintiff’s evidence establishes
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that three other supervisors used the same supervisory and claims handling practices for which
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Plaintiff was allegedly terminated. (See Dkt. Nos. 73, 74, 75.) If three other supervisors handled
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their supervisory duties the same way as Plaintiff, it tends to show that the general office practice
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was to handle duties that way. Thus, the use of the same practices between the supervisors
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indicates that these were general practices. This evidence casts doubt on the veracity of
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Defendant’s claim that it fired Plaintiff for a pattern of negligent or reckless supervision.
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The allegedly missing demand log entries, Mr. Masterson’s treatment, and declarations of
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other supervisors that they handled supervisory duties in the same manner as Plaintiff all tend to
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cast doubt on whether Defendant did indeed terminate Plaintiff for a pattern of negligent or
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reckless supervision. Therefore, there is a genuine dispute of material fact regarding whether
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Defendant terminated Plaintiff for its proffered justifications.
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b. Discrimination or Retaliation as a Motivating Factor
Even if a plaintiff cannot produce evidence that tends to show the falsity of the
defendant’s proffered legitimate reason, a plaintiff can establish pretext by showing that
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discrimination or retaliation was nevertheless a motivating factor in the defendant’s adverse
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employment action. See Scrivener, 334 P.3d at 546.
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i.
Age discrimination
Defendant argues that Plaintiff cannot show that age discrimination motivated it to
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terminate him because (1) Plaintiff’s replacement was 40 years old and was the oldest applicant
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for the position, and (2) Ms. Brost-Clark, who was also fired for misconduct arising out of the
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same incident, was only 33 years old. (Dkt. No. 62 at 22–24.) Ms. Brost-Clark’s termination is
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irrelevant, as she was the employee directly responsible for the mistake, whereas Plaintiff
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contends he was fired despite the fact that he was not directly responsible. (Dkt. No. 62 at 22–
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24.) With regard to the first argument, Defendant argues that a 40-year-old replacement is not
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young enough to raise an inference of age discrimination, when the age difference is only 11
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years. (Id. at 23.) By itself, an 11-year age difference may not be sufficient to raise an inference
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of discrimination. However, as discussed above, Plaintiff has raised an inference of the falsity of
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Defendant’s justifications. The age difference between Plaintiff and his replacement further adds
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to the allegation that Defendant’s justifications are pretextual.
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ii.
Disability discrimination
Defendant argues that Plaintiff cannot show that disability discrimination motivated it to
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terminate Plaintiff because (1) Defendant did not deny any Family and Medical Leave Act
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(“FMLA”) requests and, in fact, allowed Plaintiff to take substantial leave, (2) Plaintiff never
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heard discriminatory comments by any of Defendant’s employees, and (3) Plaintiff’s disability
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did not cause performance issues. (Dkt. No. 62 at 24–25.) With regard to Defendant’s first
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argument, Plaintiff argues that, although Defendant did not deny FMLA requests, it suspended
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Plaintiff’s request. (Dkt. No. 72 at 2–3, 72-3.) The email that Plaintiff points to is insufficient to
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create a genuine dispute of material fact because the email just tends to indicate that Plaintiff’s
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request is on hold while he waits for approval from UHC. Moreover, the emails in the record
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tend to show that Defendant attempted to assist Plaintiff with his medical coverage issues. (See,
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e.g., Dkt. No. 66-1.) With regard to Defendant’s second defense, Plaintiff has put forward
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evidence that the day after Plaintiff was terminated, Mr. Subich, one of the supervisors involved
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in Plaintiff’s termination, “stated that [Defendant]’s decision to fire [Plaintiff] was similar to the
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need to ‘clean out’ the necrotic tissue from an infected wound.” (Dkt. No. 73 at 4.) Defendant’s
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third defense is irrelevant to the issue of Defendant’s discrimination toward Plaintiff. Mr.
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Subich’s comment further adds to the allegation that Defendant’s proffered reasons for
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termination were pretextual.
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iii.
Retaliation
Defendant argues that Plaintiff cannot show that Defendant retaliated against Plaintiff for
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engaging in protected conduct when it terminated Plaintiff because (1) timing alone is
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insufficient to establish retaliation, (2) UHC is a separate entity from Defendant, and thus,
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Defendant cannot fear litigation that Plaintiff threatened against UHC, and (3) Defendant’s
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employees’ comments that Plaintiff’s behavior was “poisonous” and that Plaintiff was
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“disgruntled” do not implicate Defendant because these employees were not involved in the
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termination decision. (Dkt. No. 62 at 25–26.)
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The Court agrees with Defendant’s last argument—comments by Defendant’s employees,
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though unprofessional, had no bearing on Plaintiff’s termination. The employees had no
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influence over Plaintiff’s termination and their comments were not known by Ms. Obeng-
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Curwood. (Dkt. No. 76 at 9.) With regard to Defendant’s second defense, whether Defendant had
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any authority to approve or deny Plaintiff’s medical insurance coverage is in dispute. Although
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Plaintiff said that he believed that Defendant and UHC were separate entities, (Dkt. No. 72-5),
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Ms. Obeng-Curwood, Ms. Summer Groves, Mr. Byington, and UHC all made statements to
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Plaintiff that insinuated that Defendant did have some authority to approve or deny Plaintiff’s
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coverage. (See Dkt. Nos. 72 at 3–4, 72-4, 72-6.) Moreover, a GEICO manual indicates that
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Defendant has the authority to “interpret” the insurance policy. (Dkt. No. 71-3 at 3.)
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If Defendant was at all responsible for the decision of whether to approve or deny
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coverage for Plaintiff’s procedure, then any threat of litigation Plaintiff may have made
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(regardless of whether it was made against UHC or Defendant) could have been perceived as a
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threat against Defendant. In mid-February 2017, Plaintiff emailed Mr. Byington indicating that
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he was considering legal action against UHC. (Dkt. No. 72-5.) This email was forwarded to Ms.
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Obeng-Curwood. (Id.) The day before Plaintiff’s termination, Plaintiff again indicated he was
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considering legal action, and this email was again forwarded to Ms. Obeng-Curwood. (Dkt. No.
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72-6.) Regardless of Plaintiff’s knowledge of who he should sue for improper denial of medical
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coverage, if Ms. Obeng-Curwood knew that Defendant had decision-making authority over the
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insurance plan and terminated Plaintiff shortly after his complaints, a reasonable trier of fact
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could find that Plaintiff was fired in retaliation for his threats of litigation.
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The Court finds that the facts in the record, particularly those included in the other
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supervisors’ declarations, (Dkt. Nos. 73, 74, 75), tend to show that Defendant’s proffered reasons
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for Plaintiff’s termination may be false. Although not as persuasive, Plaintiff has also put
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forward evidence that Defendant may have actually been driven by discriminatory or retaliatory
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motives. The Court finds that there is enough evidence in the record to create a genuine dispute
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of material fact as to whether Plaintiff was fired for nondiscriminatory and nonretaliatory
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purposes. Defendant’s motion for summary judgment with regard to the age discrimination,
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disability discrimination, and retaliation claims is DENIED.
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C.
Failure to Accommodate Claim
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The parties dispute whether Plaintiff asserted a claim that Defendant failed to
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accommodate his disability. (Dkt. Nos. 62 at 24, 70 at 22). There is nothing in the complaint that
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would put Defendant on notice that a reasonable accommodation claim is being made. (See
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generally Dkt. No. 1-1.) Moreover, during his deposition, Plaintiff admitted that such a claim
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does not exist. (Dkt. No. 63-1 at 35.) The Court finds that no failure to accommodate claim has
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been properly pled and any argument about such claim is not properly before the Court.
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//
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D.
Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress (“NIED”) Claim
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A plaintiff claiming NIED must prove the elements of negligence—duty, breach,
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causation, and damage—with the additional requirement of proving damages by objective
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symptomatology. Kloepfel v. Bokor, 66 P.3d 630, 634 (Wash. 2003). In the employment context,
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a plaintiff cannot bring a claim for NIED based on the employer’s disciplinary acts or a
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personality dispute. Chea v. Men’s Wearhouse, Inc., 932 P.2d 1261, 1264–65 (Wash. Ct. App.
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1997). Plaintiff’s claims in this case are based strictly on Defendant’s decision to terminate him,
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which is a disciplinary act. Plaintiff cannot bring an NIED claim without facts beyond that his
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allegedly impermissible termination. Therefore, Defendant’s motion for summary judgment on
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Plaintiff’s NIED claim is GRANTED.
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III.
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CONCLUSION
For the foregoing reasons, Defendant’s motion for summary judgment (Dkt. No. 62) is
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GRANTED in part and DENIED in part. Defendant’s motion for summary judgment on
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Plaintiff’s WLAD claims is DENIED. Defendant’s motion for summary judgment on Plaintiff’s
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NIED claim is GRANTED and the NIED claim is DISMISSED with prejudice.
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DATED this 29th day of November 2018.
A
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John C. Coughenour
UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE
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