Collins v. Christopher

Decision Date25 May 1999
Docket NumberNo. 96 Civ 4719 BDP.,96 Civ 4719 BDP.
Citation48 F.Supp.2d 397
PartiesLoretta COLLINS, Plaintiff, v. Donald CHRISTOPHER, Robert Olson, William Cave, Gerald Curtis, Emil Cavorti, Edward Barrette, City of Yonkers, Defendants.
CourtU.S. District Court — Southern District of New York

Jonathan Lovett, Lovett & Gould, White Plains, NY, for plaintiff.

Bonnie Mussman, Mussman & Northey, New York City, for defendants.

MEMORANDUM DECISION AND ORDER

BARRINGTON D. PARKER, Jr., District Judge.

Plaintiff Loretta Collins, a female police officer with the Yonkers Police Department ("YPD"), brings this action against defendants Donald Christopher, Robert Olson, William Cave, Gerald Curtis, Emil Cavorti, Edward Barrette in their individual and official capacities, and the City of Yonkers ("City"), pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983, alleging violations of her First Amendment rights to free speech and to petition the government for the redress of grievances,1 and her Fourteenth Amendment right to equal protection, as well as retaliation and hostile environment sexual harassment in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-2, et seq. Collins also asserts parallel state law claim under the New York State Human Rights Law, N.Y.Exec. Law § 296, as well as a disability discrimination claim under New York State Human Rights Law, N.Y.Exec.Law § 290, et seq., pursuant to this Court's pendant jurisdiction. See 28 U.S.C. § 1367(a).2

Before this Court is defendants' motion for summary judgment, pursuant to Fed. R.Civ.P. 56(b). For the reasons stated below, defendants' motion is granted in part and denied in part.

BACKGROUND

Summary judgment may not be granted unless "the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law." Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c). On a motion for summary judgment, "[a]s a general rule, all ambiguities and references to be drawn from the underlying facts should be resolved in favor of the party opposing the motion, and all doubts as to the existence of a genuine issue for trial should be resolved against the moving party." Brady v. Town of Colchester, 863 F.2d 205, 210 (2d Cir.1988) (citing Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 330 n. 2, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 2556 n. 2, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986)). The following facts are construed accordingly.

In March of 1985, plaintiff Loretta Collins became a police officer in the YPD. Following her rookie year in the 3rd Precinct, Collins served as an officer in the Emergency Services Unit ("ESU") from 1986 to 1993 and then in the Inspectional Services Division of the Medical Control Unit ("MCU") from 1993 to 1997. Collins claims that during each of these assignments, she was subjected to ongoing sexual harassment by fellow officers, discrimination by the department, and retaliation against her when she complained about the harassment to YPD officials and ultimately to the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ("EEOC"). Collins claims that among other things, she and other women regularly were called vulgar and derogatory names and that they received inferior assignments compared to their male counterparts. Defendants deny these allegations of discrimination and claim that the alleged derogatory statements were made in jest. In addition, defendants assert that foul language was a regular but harmless part of interactions within the YPD and that Collins herself often participated in the name calling and vulgar joking.

Collins claims that during 1985, her rookie year at the Police Academy, she and other women were subjected to verbal abuse because of their gender. She claims that on two specific occasions, two different male rookies told her that women did not belong on the job, a third officer made similar comments, and all the male members of the training class stated that women were not capable of doing the job but that female officers should be retained for reproductive purposes. Collins says she expressed her concern about these statements to the instructor of the class. When she requested to be assigned to the ESU at the end of her rookie year, Collins says she was told that she wouldn't be assigned there and that "cunts" were not wanted in that unit.

After repeated requests to be placed there, in March of 1986, Collins became the only female officer assigned to ESU. She remained in that unit until May of 1993. Collins says her experience in ESU was marked by harassment. She alleges that male officers in ESU at times referred to her and other women in highly derogatory terms, but she does not name the antagonists. When she first joined ESU, men in the unit outright refused and "went nuts" when told they would ride with Collins, she says. As early as her first day, a rubber chicken with female genitalia drawn on it was hung from the rearview mirror of the ESU truck she was assigned to drive. When ESU moved from the 4th Precinct to a separate building, the unit built a separate locker room for Collins, but later male officers who resented her presence usurped part of that locker room and made it a weight room. Animal parts, including deer's legs, a dead bat and a dead mouse were placed outside of the women's locker room. During this time, plaintiff was also exposed to the male officers in underwear and towels and had to listen to their conversations regarding their sex lives. When using the common bathroom, she was told to "get the fuck out" at least five different times while male officers banged on the door. Collins also observed pornographic magazines and posters in the bathroom. Collins, who was pregnant twice during her assignment to ESU, was told that women only came on the job to get pregnant so they could receive the benefits but not do the job, and was demeaned for being pregnant.

In May of 1993, Collins was transferred to the Inspectional Services Division of the Medical Control Unit ("MCU"). During her tenure in MCU, she asserts that Sergeant Warren Cave (the twin brother of defendant William Cave), Captain Gerald Curtis, and Lieutenant Edward Barrette, among others, routinely called her and other women demeaning names. Collins says that Sgt. Cave was perhaps the worst offender — his derogatory sexual behavior and language continued consistently from 1993 to late 1995 and little was done about it. Sgt. Cave, according to Collins, placed Sesame Street dolls Ernie and Bert on top of his desk and open to public view in a position of anal intercourse. Sgt. Cave and Sgt. Gardner pretended in a highly offensive fashion to be homosexual lovers in plaintiff's presence on numerous occasions. Sgt. Cave discussed with plaintiff an explicit video of two YPD officers having sex and told her that the male officer in the video "was pounding the shit out of her." This behavior was offensive to Collins who avers that she expressed this belief to everyone in the unit.

Collins complained to her captain about Sgt. Cave but the captain did nothing to resolve or rectify the situation and treated the behavior dismissively. Sgt. Cave's behavior was dismissed as "being on the rag." Collins also told Capt. William Cave about his brother's actions and requested his intervention.

In addition to sexual harassment, Collins had other problems with the YPD during this time. She claims that in 1993 to 1994, Police Commissioner Robert Olson conspired with then Deputy Chief Donald Christopher to stop the lawful arrest of Joseph Celli, a man accused of stalking Collins' sister. Celli was a relative of a YPD detective. In 1994 Collins complained about this investigation, stating that it was "handled funny," meaning that the matter was not properly pursued. She contacted Commissioner Olson and the District Attorney's office and alleged cronyism, favoritism, and protection of an officer's relative from investigation. In response to her complaints, Collins says she was threatened with disciplinary action, skipped over for promotion, and followed by members of the YPD. Her superiors also advised her to retain a lawyer because disciplinary charges would in all likelihood be filed against her.

Collins alleges that the sexual harassment and use of foul language in MCU continued under Captain Gerald Curtis, who was the commanding officer of the Internal Affairs Division ("IAD") and MCU from March 1995 to September 1996. Sgt. Richard Bannetto; Collins alleges, referred to complainants in vulgar and extremely offensive terms. This affected plaintiff in that she felt "guilty" because the YPD was not helping the complainants and was "embarrassed" because Curtis displayed disrespect for women.

Collins alleges that Curtis had a particular disdain for women. Both he and Sgt. Cave stated to Collins that women should be "kept barefoot and pregnant." Collins told Curtis that this offended her, yet he continually made such remarks. Capt. Curtis told Plaintiff that gassing up a car is a good job for a woman, that if a police car was broken a woman must have been driving it, and that cleaning up vomit was a woman's job. Capt. Curtis referred to women police officers who were absent from work due to injury as "phonies" and "fakers," made them go to the doctor multiple times and had their houses watched. Capt. Curtis told plaintiff she should "diet," that she should run up and down the stairs to lose weight, and when she was eating he would state "don't you think you had enough?"

Collins alleges that she received inferior assignments and training, and that she was undermined in the performance of her duties because she is a woman. Collins claims, inter alia, that on patrol in the 3rd Precinct, where she worked during her rookie year, males with less seniority than her were assigned patrol cars while she was assigned to foot posts. In 1992...

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