Filed: Jul. 14, 2000
Latest Update: Feb. 21, 2020
Summary: F I L E D United States Court of Appeals Tenth Circuit UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS JUL 14 2000 FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT PATRICK FISHER Clerk PENNY N. DOOLIN, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. No. 99-1492 (D.C. No. 98-S-35) MOFFAT COUNTY, BOARD OF (D. Colo.) COUNTY COMMISSIONERS, Defendant-Appellee. ORDER AND JUDGMENT * Before BALDOCK , McKAY , and BRISCOE , Circuit Judges. After examining the briefs and appellate record, this panel has determined unanimously to grant the parties’ request for a decision on
Summary: F I L E D United States Court of Appeals Tenth Circuit UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS JUL 14 2000 FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT PATRICK FISHER Clerk PENNY N. DOOLIN, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. No. 99-1492 (D.C. No. 98-S-35) MOFFAT COUNTY, BOARD OF (D. Colo.) COUNTY COMMISSIONERS, Defendant-Appellee. ORDER AND JUDGMENT * Before BALDOCK , McKAY , and BRISCOE , Circuit Judges. After examining the briefs and appellate record, this panel has determined unanimously to grant the parties’ request for a decision on ..
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F I L E D
United States Court of Appeals
Tenth Circuit
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
JUL 14 2000
FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT
PATRICK FISHER
Clerk
PENNY N. DOOLIN,
Plaintiff-Appellant,
v. No. 99-1492
(D.C. No. 98-S-35)
MOFFAT COUNTY, BOARD OF (D. Colo.)
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS,
Defendant-Appellee.
ORDER AND JUDGMENT *
Before BALDOCK , McKAY , and BRISCOE , Circuit Judges.
After examining the briefs and appellate record, this panel has determined
unanimously to grant the parties’ request for a decision on the briefs without oral
argument. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(f); 10th Cir. R. 34.1(G). The case is therefore
ordered submitted without oral argument.
*
This order and judgment is not binding precedent, except under the
doctrines of law of the case, res judicata, and collateral estoppel. The court
generally disfavors the citation of orders and judgments; nevertheless, an order
and judgment may be cited under the terms and conditions of 10th Cir. R. 36.3.
Plaintiff Penny N. Doolin appeals the district court’s entry of summary
judgment in favor of the Board of County Commissioners for Moffat County,
Colorado, on her claim brought pursuant to the Equal Pay Act, 29 U.S.C.
§ 206(d). Because plaintiff has not raised a material factual dispute whether her
position was substantially similar to that of her male coworkers, we affirm.
Since February 1989, plaintiff has been the maintenance supervisor for the
Shadow Mountain recreational facility in Moffat County, Colorado. Her duties
include maintaining the pool, hot tubs, building, and approximately one acre of
grounds, with basketball and volleyball courts and a playground; administering
the budget; and supervising two part-time lifeguards.
Steve Grandbouche, the Parks and Recreation Superintendent for Moffat
County, is currently plaintiff’s supervisor. Grandbouche’s administrative duties
include attending department head meetings; planning a budget for overall Parks
and Recreation operations and for capital outlay and improvements for the
Sherman Youth Camp and the 360-acre Loudy-Simpson recreational facility; and
managing contractors for Parks and Recreation construction and repair projects.
He is also responsible for the maintenance of the Youth Camp and for the Loudy-
Simpson facility, which includes an ice rink, four baseball fields, picnic facilities,
a playground, a gun range, nature trails, and concession stands. Grandbouche
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supervises three full-time employees, including plaintiff, and three seasonal
employees.
Bill Sixkiller is the Moffat County Fairgrounds Manager. He is responsible
for scheduling and expediting events at the fairgrounds, including an annual
county fair, rodeos, and events at the pavilion, which accommodates
approximately 500 people and which is rented over 300 days a year. Sixkiller is
also responsible for maintaining the 40-acre grounds and buildings, including the
pavilion, grandstands, a roping arena, barn, and racetrack; maintaining all
equipment and machinery; and using heavy equipment such as a grader,
snowplow, dump truck, and front-end loader.
Plaintiff brought an action against the County, alleging her work was equal
to that of her male coworkers, but that she was paid significantly less because of
her gender. Defendant moved for summary judgment on the Equal Pay Act claim,
arguing there was no genuine factual dispute whether plaintiff performed
substantially equal work to that of Grandbouche and Sixkiller, and that the three
did not work in the same “establishment.” The district court granted summary
judgment on both these grounds.
“We review the district court’s grant of summary judgment de novo,
applying the same legal standard used by the district court.” Charter Canyon
Treatment Ctr. v. Pool Co. ,
153 F.3d 1132, 1135 (10th Cir. 1998). A district
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court properly grants summary judgment if “there is no genuine issue as to any
material fact and . . . the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.”
Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c). The existence of a “scintilla of evidence” in favor of the
nonmoving party is not enough to create a genuine issue of material fact.
Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc. ,
477 U.S. 242, 252 (1986).
The Equal Pay Act, 29 U.S.C. § 206(d)(1), requires equal pay to both men
and women “for equal work on jobs the performance of which requires equal
skill, effort, and responsibility, and which are performed under similar working
conditions.” In support of its summary judgment motion, defendant submitted
affidavits by Grandbouche and Sixkiller, plaintiff’s deposition testimony, and the
County’s written job descriptions. This evidence demonstrates significant
differences in the size and scope of the recreational facilities maintained by the
three employees, and in the extent of their responsibilities. Plaintiff responded
with an affidavit describing the similarities between her job and those of
Grandbouche and Sixkiller. The comparisons were drawn broadly, i.e., all three
employees supervise recreational facilities, maintain grounds, and interact with
the public. See Appellant’s App. at 109-11. She did not contest the distinctions
between the positions as identified by defendant.
Plaintiff argues that she demonstrated a factual dispute whether her
“primary duties” are the same as those performed by Grandbouche and Sixkiller.
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See Appellant’s Br. at 10-13. The conclusory allegations in plaintiff’s affidavit
do not raise such an issue, however. Although plaintiff may have shown that her
duties are similar to those performed by the two men, she has not raised a genuine
issue whether their positions are “equal” in terms of skill, effort, responsibility,
and working conditions, and the undisputed evidence shows that they are not.
See Sprague v. Thorn Americas, Inc.,
129 F.3d 1355, 1364-65 (10th Cir. 1997)
(noting Equal Pay Act is not violated by failing to furnish equal pay for
“comparable work,” or “like jobs,” and holding evidence showed only that
plaintiff’s job functions were comparable to male assistant managers) (quotations
omitted). Therefore, summary judgment was appropriate on this issue, and we
need not consider whether the employees work in the same establishment.
The judgment of the United States District Court for the District of
Colorado is AFFIRMED.
Entered for the Court
Bobby R. Baldock
Circuit Judge
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