Black v. Buffalo Meat Serv.

• Decision Date: 21 May 2021
• Docket Number: 15-CV-49S
• Parties: DARCY M. BLACK, Plaintiff, v. BUFFALO MEAT SERVICE, INC. d/b/a BOULEVARD BLACK ANGUS a/k/a BLACK ANGUS MEATS a/k/a BLACK ANGUS MEATS & SEAFOOD, ROBERT SEIBERT, DIANE SEIBERT, KEEGAN ROBERTS, Defendants.
• Court: U.S. District Court — Western District of New York

DARCY M. BLACK, Plaintiff, v. BUFFALO MEAT SERVICE, INC. d/b/a BOULEVARD BLACK ANGUS a/k/a BLACKANGUS MEATS a/k/a BLACK ANGUS MEATS & SEAFOOD, ROBERT SEIBERT,DIANE SEIBERT, KEEGAN ROBERTS, Defendants.

15-CV-49S

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT WESTERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK

May 21, 2021

DECISION AND ORDER

I. Introduction ............................................................................................................... 2

II. Background .............................................................................................................. 3

A. Facts and Pleadings .............................................................................................. 3

1. Causes of Action in the Complaint (Docket No. 1) .......................................... 5

2. Proceedings to Defense Motion for Summary Judgment ................................ 6

B. Motion for Summary Judgement (Docket No. 106) ............................................... 7

1. Facts Asserted in Motion ................................................................................ 7

a. Plaintiff's Bankruptcy ................................................................................... 8

b. Allegations of Hostile Work Environment and Constructive Discharge ........ 9

c. Plaintiff's Equal Pay Claims ....................................................................... 11

d. Plaintiff's EEOC Proceedings .................................................................... 11

2. Motion for Summary Judgment (Docket No. 106) and Defense Motion to Strike (Docket No. 114) .................................................................................................... 13

III. Discussion .............................................................................................................. 13

A. Applicable Standards ........................................................................................... 13

1. Summary Judgment ...................................................................................... 13

2. Failure to Identify a Claim in Bankruptcy ....................................................... 16

a. Potential Claim as Bankruptcy Asset ......................................................... 16

b. Standing .................................................................................................... 18

c. Judicial Estoppel ........................................................................................ 19

3. Limitations Period for Claims ........................................................................ 20

a. Title VII ...................................................................................................... 20

b. Equal Pay Act ............................................................................................ 21 4. Civil Rights Claims ........................................................................................ 22

a. Hostile Work Environment ......................................................................... 23

b. Individual Liability under Title VII ............................................................... 25

c. Constructive Discharge .............................................................................. 25

d. Section 1981 .............................................................................................. 27

e. Equal Pay Act ............................................................................................ 28

f. New York State Human Rights Law .............................................................. 29

B. Contentions ......................................................................................................... 29

1. Defense (Docket Nos. 106, 117)) .................................................................. 29

2. Plaintiff's Response (Docket Nos. 109-12) ................................................... 31

C. Effect of Claims Not Included in Bankruptcy Estate ............................................ 33

1. Standing ........................................................................................................ 34

a. Failure to Disclose and Standing ............................................................... 34

b. Capacity to Sue and Standing ................................................................... 34

2. Judicial Estoppel ........................................................................................... 37

3. Pre-Petition and Post-Petition Claims ........................................................... 44

D. Statutes of Limitations for Title VII and Equal Pay Claims ................................... 48

1. Title VII Timeliness ........................................................................................ 48

2. Equal Pay Act Timeliness ............................................................................. 51

E. Title VII ................................................................................................................ 53

1. Individual Defendants ................................................................................... 53

2. Hostile Work Environment at the Butcher Shop ............................................ 53

a. Offensive Comments and Conduct ............................................................ 54

b. Constructive Discharge Claims .................................................................. 56

F. Section 1981 Claim, Tenth Cause of Action ........................................................ 59

1. Plaintiff as Member of Protected Class ......................................................... 59

2. Plaintiff and a Prima Facie Case of Discrimination ....................................... 61

G. State Human Rights Law Claims ......................................................................... 65

IV. Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 66

V. Orders ..................................................................................................................... 67

I. Introduction

This is an employment discrimination action based upon sex and race by a former employee against an Amherst, New York, butcher shop and its principals. Plaintiff (or "Black"), a Caucasian female with mixed children, worked there from 2004-10, until she was constructively discharged due to the hostile work environment caused or allowed by Defendants.

Before this Court is Defendants' (Buffalo Meat Service, Inc. doing business as Boulevard Black Angus also known as Black Angus Meats & Seafood, referenced by defense counsel as "the Butcher Shop"; its owners Robert and Diane Seibert and Keegan Roberts (see Docket No. 1, Compl. ¶¶ 2, 5-6)) Motion for Summary Judgment (Docket No. 106). For the reasons stated herein, Defendants' Motion for Summary Judgment (id.) is granted.

II. Background

A. Facts and Pleadings

Plaintiff Darcy Black alleges sex and race discrimination from a hostile work environment. She claims she was discriminated against by Defendants under several federal and New York State civil rights and employment discrimination laws (Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. §§ 2000e-2000e-17; the Equal Pay Act, 29 U.S.C. §§ 206, et seq.; 42 U.S.C. § 1981; and the New York State Human Rights Law, N.Y. Exec. L. art. 15, §§ 290-301, 296), contending that her employer, Defendant Black Angus Meats & Seafood, created a hostile work environment and had constructively discharged her (Docket No. 1, Compl.).

As Plaintiff later summarized in one of her motions to compel, "the gravamen of Ms. Black's lawsuit is that Defendants created and permitted a hostile work environment on the basis of race and sex, discriminated against her with respect to wages on the basis of sex, and constructively discharged her" (Docket No. 69, Pl. Atty Decl. ¶ 3), Black v. Buffalo Meat Serv., No. 15CV49, 2021 WL 763723, at *1 (W.D.N.Y. Feb. 26, 2021) (Skretny, J.). She claims that male coworkers were paid more than she was and were afforded liberties from management that Plaintiff was not. She also alleges that hercoworkers made sexist and racist comments; that the shop rejected African American job applicants; and a coworker allegedly made comments regarding her biracial children, all creating a hostile work environment (see Docket No. 1, Compl.; see also Black v. Buffalo Meat Serv., No. 15CV49, 2016 WL 6962444, at *1 (W.D.N.Y. Nov. 29, 2016) (Scott, Mag. J.) (Docket No. 32)).

Plaintiff was employed by Defendant Black Angus Meats & Seafood on May 16, 2004 (Docket No. 1, Compl. ¶ 11, 2, Ex. C, EEOC Right to Sue Letter, Oct. 20, 2014, at 1), until May 25, 2010 (Docket No. 1, Compl. ¶ 13). Plaintiff worked as a "Wrapper-Packer-Cleaner," earning $10 per hour (id. ¶ 12). Defendants argue that the Butcher Shop does not have formal job titles and Plaintiff's designation of "Wrapper-Packer-Cleaner" was of her own invention for this case (Docket No. 106, Defs. Statement ¶ 28; Docket No. 106, Defs. Memo. at 22); Plaintiff concedes this was defense testimony (Docket No. 109, Pl. Counterstatement ¶ 28 (at page 52)).

Plaintiff claims she was constructively discharged by May 25, 2010, after an incident with Jamie LaPress, who called her children "niggers" (Docket No. 1, Compl. ¶¶ 45, 49 (hereinafter "n___")). After management mildly reprimanded LaPress, he intentionally avoided Plaintiff or assisting her (id. ¶ 46). Unable to bear what she considered a hostile work environment, on May 22, 2010, Plaintiff tendered her letter of resignation, which Defendants accepted on May 25 (id. ¶¶ 47, 48). On May 25, Defendant Robert Seibert initially accepted Plaintiff's two-week notice and stated that "stuff like that happens all the time" and, when Plaintiff said that working with LaPress made her uncomfortable, Seibert replied that calling her children "n___" "happen[ed] in sports andpolitics" and she just had to deal with it (id. ¶ 48). Seibert then said he was uncomfortable with the situation and Plaintif...