Holt v. Pennsylvania

• Decision Date: 19 August 2015
• Docket Number: CIVIL ACTION NO. 10-5510
• Parties: DAVID HOLT II, Plaintiff, v. COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA, et al., Defendants.
• Court: U.S. District Court — Eastern District of Pennsylvania

DAVID HOLT II, Plaintiff,
v.
COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA, et al., Defendants.

CIVIL ACTION NO. 10-5510

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA

August 19, 2015

MEMORANDUM OPINION

DAVID R. STRAWBRIDGE UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE

David Holt II (alternately "Holt" or "Plaintiff"), an African American male and a Pennsylvania State Police ("PSP") Sergeant, filed this action against the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the PSP, retired Captain Steven Johnson ("Johnson"), retired Lieutenant Gerald Brahl ("Brahl"), retired Captain Kathy Jo Winterbottom ("Winterbottom"), and Lieutenant Kristal Turner-Childs ("Turner-Childs"); (collectively the "Defendants"). Through this lawsuit, he raised Fourteenth Amendment equal protection and First Amendment retaliation claims against the individual Defendants under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 ("Section 1983"). He also brought aiding and abetting discrimination and retaliation claims against the individual defendants under the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act, 43 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 951, et seq. ("PHRA"), and discrimination and retaliation claims against the PSP under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e, et seq., ("Title VII"). The case was initially tried before a jury in October and November of 2013. Following Defendants' Fed. R. Civ. P. 50(a) motion, we entered judgment in favor of Turner-Childs and dismissed her from the case. We also granted

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judgment as a matter of law under Fed. R. Civ. P. 50(a) in favor of Winterbottom and Brahl on the PHRA claims and in favor of the PSP on the Title VII claims, as they concerned the acts of those two officers. The remaining claims under Title VII and the PHRA against the PSP and Johnson and under Section 1983 equal protection and retaliation against Brahl and Winterbottom were presented to the jury.

The jury returned with a partial verdict. (Doc. No. 93.) It found Brahl liable under Section 1983 on two claims, finding that he had violated Holt's equal protection rights in making certain racially charged comments (hereinafter "roll call comments") and that he had violated Holt's First Amendment rights when he retaliated against him by initiating an Internal Affairs Division ("IAD") investigation for what counsel and the Court have referred to as the "day off" incident. The jury awarded Holt $25,000 in compensatory damages and $25,000 in punitive damages on these claims, attributing 100% of these awards to the roll call comments. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on the remaining claims. Defendants then pursued renewal of their Fed. R. Civ. P. 50 motion for judgment as a matter of law and, in the alternative, for a new trial under Fed. R. Civ. P. 59. (Doc. No. 95.) We granted judgment as a matter of law on a number of these claims, including the equal protection claim against Brahl for the roll call comments. (Doc. No. 134.) Accordingly, given the lack of a damage award as to the retaliation claim for the initiation of the investigation into the "day off" incident, Holt was awarded nominal damages of $1.00.¹

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The second trial took place between October 29, 2014 and November 5, 2014. In this trial, Holt pursued his remaining claims. He claimed that Johnson was liable under Section 1983 for violating his equal protection rights on three separate occasions: not assigning Holt to the Reading Patrol Sergeant position; reassigning him to Staff Services Sergeant; and not assigning him to the position of Station Commander at either Jonestown or Schuylkill Haven Stations. He also claimed that Johnson was liable under the PHRA for those same racially driven acts and further claimed that the PSP was liable for those same acts under Title VII for race discrimination. Holt next claimed that Brahl was similarly liable under Section 1983 for violating his equal protection rights when he initiated the IAD investigation into the "day off" incident. Plaintiff then claimed that Winterbottom was liable under Section 1983, again for violating his equal protection rights, by failing to assign him to the Station Commander position at King of Prussia Station in June 2011 and by later initiating an IAD investigation into Holt's use of less than tactful language in a communication to a superior in September 2011 (the "Schizophrenic Memo" IAD investigation).

Holt finally claimed that several acts of the Defendants were motivated by retaliatory animus for his filing of complaints with the PSP's internal Equal Employment Opportunity Office ("EEOO"), the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission ("PHRC"), or with this Court. Specifically, he pursued claims against the PSP, under Title VII, and Johnson, under the PHRA, claiming that Johnson's decisions to deny him either of the two Station Commander positions at Jonestown and Schuylkill Haven were made out of retaliation for his filing EEOO and PHRA complaints. He claimed that Winterbottom was liable under Section 1983 for

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retaliating against him for filing this lawsuit.

Following the close of Plaintiff's case, Defendants moved for judgment as a matter of law pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 50(a) (N.T. 11/3/2014, at 296.) We deferred ruling on that motion, allowing the case to proceed with the presentation of Defendants' evidence and then to be considered by the jury. (Id. at 317.) The jury found each of the Defendants liable, albeit under different statutory and factual predicates. It found that Johnson and the PSP were liable for retaliation under the PHRA and Title VII, respectively, for Johnson's decision to not assign Holt to either of the Jonestown or Schuylkill Haven positions. (Verdict Sheet- Liability, Doc. No. 170.) It found that Winterbottom was liable under Section 1983 for race discrimination for not assigning Holt to King of Prussia and for initiating the investigation into the "Schizophrenic Memo." (Id.) It also found that Winterbottom was liable under Section 1983 for First Amendment retaliation for her decision to initiate that same investigation. (Id.) Finally, it found that Brahl was liable under Section 1983 for race discrimination for his initiation of the IAD investigation into the "day off" incident. (Id.) The jury also found that neither Johnson nor the PSP were liable, under Title VII and the PHRA, respectively, for race discrimination as to any of the three actions that Johnson took while Holt was under his command (Id.)

The jury was asked to assess damages based on the adverse action underlying each of the claims for which it found the Defendants liable. (Verdict Sheet- Damages, Doc. No. 169.) As to Johnson's failure to assign Holt to the two positions at the Jonestown and Schuylkill Haven stations, the jury awarded compensatory damages of $250,000. (Id.) As to Winterbottom's failure to assign Holt to King of Prussia, the jury awarded $200,000 in compensatory and $300,000 in punitive damages and awarded identical compensatory and punitive damage sums

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regarding her later decision to initiate the "Schizophrenic Memo" IAD investigation. (Id.) As to Brahl's initiation of the IAD investigation into the "day off" incident, the jury awarded $300,000 in compensatory and $425,000 in punitive damages. (Id.) The aggregate award was $1,975,000, with $950,000 attributed to compensatory damages and $1,025,000 attributed to punitive damages.

Following the verdict, Defendants filed "Defendants' Post-Trial Motion Pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 50(b) and 59 for Judgment as a Matter of Law or, in the Alternative, for a New Trial" (Def. Motion, Doc. No. 176), as well as their brief in support. (Def. Br., Doc. No. 184.) Plaintiff then filed his opposition. (Def. Br., Doc. No. 192.) Oral argument was held on Defendants' Motions on June 4, 2015. Due to this Court's decision, under Fed. R. Civ. P. 59(d), to review the sum of as opposed to the mere entitlement to punitive damages, we invited and received additional briefing by the parties on that discrete issue. (Doc. No. 196, 198, 199, 200.) The matter is now ripe for resolution.

I. FACTUAL HISTORY

A. Troop L

Holt has been employed by the PSP since 1994 and was promoted to his current rank of sergeant in 2006. (N.T. 10/29/2014, at 36-37.) Throughout his employment, he was stationed at various locations and with different troops. As is relevant here, he was transferred to Troop L and its Reading station in March 2008. (Id. at 38.) During this time, Johnson was the Captain of that troop. (Id. at 39.)

Holt's initial position at Troop L was as Special Projects Coordinator. (Id. at 46; N.T. 10/30/2014, at 64-65.) This position focused on the execution of "Special Enforcement

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Programs" such as DUI checkpoints and the collection of data from the stations within Troop L. (N.T. 10/29/2014, at 46; N.T. 10/30/2014, at 109.) It involved some supervision, with Holt testifying that that he was "second in command" for 23 personnel, although Holt's testimony did not expand upon the extent of his supervisory responsibilities. (N.T. 10/29/2014, at 46; N.T. 10/30/2014, at 180-81.)

In the fall of 2008, Holt ran into a problem which became the opening event of the difficulties between him and his command. (N.T. 10/30/2014, at 50.) He testified that, at that time, he was approached by a young trooper about his mother, who had been charged with assaulting an elderly guest in a nursing home. (Id. at 51.) The trooper told Holt that the victim had later...