HOWELL W. MELTON, Senior District Judge.
This cause is before the Court on Defendant's Dispositive Motion for Summary Judgment (Doc. 33), filed June 1, 2010. Plaintiff's response thereto (Doc. 36) was filed on June 18, 2010. On July 28, 2010, the Court conducted a hearing on the motion. On July 29, 2010, Defendant filed supplemental authority in support of its motion (Doc. 41) and Plaintiff filed an additional document in support of her response in opposition (Doc. 42). For the reasons set forth below, the Court will grant in part and deny in part Defendant's motion for summary judgment.
Plaintiff began working for Defendant in 1997. Doc. 2 at ¶ 9. The relevant events with regard to Plaintiff's employment began in June 2007,
Plaintiff's supervisor, Division Sales Manager, Tom Long ("Long"), spoke to her about some overdue expense reports after he received a copy of an e-mail to Plaintiff dated June 12. Doc. 34-3 at Exh. 4. Plaintiff later submitted the expense reports and told Long it would not happen again. Doc. 34-3 at 80 and Exh. 5. She admits that throughout her tenure with Defendant, she had received numerous notices that her expense reports were overdue, but that "no one really cared" and she would simply submit them.
Plaintiff maintains that during this time period, she was being pressured by Long to obtain 100% conversion for her clients' use of the drug Mycamine in the 100mg dose as their formulary drug,
Long's supervisor, Regional Sales Director, William Sweeney ("Sweeney") and Long both acknowledge that certain off-label promotion is illegal. Docs. 36-1 at 14-15; 36-2 at 17, 25-26, 42 and 132-33. Defendant's internal policies recognize that sales representatives are prohibited from discussing or distributing certain promotional materials related to off-label uses with potential customers and are severely limited in their ability to use certain FDA approved materials regarding off-label uses. Doc. 34-4 at Exh. 21.
Plaintiff admits that she was never directly told to promote Mycamine illegally for off-label use by Long, and that in fact, human resources representatives affirmatively told her that she was not expected to use illegal means to increase her sales, but maintains that Long's insistence that she get the drug on formulary with all her clients and that she needed to "get the information out there to them" would have left no other option as she had exhausted all legal means to increase her sales. Doc. 34-3 at 118, 126-28, and 153. She claims Long provided her with articles that she was expected to be able to discuss with physicians, but it would have been illegal for her to do so. Doc. 34-3 at 118 and 160-61.
Elizabeth Gray ("Gray"), another medical center representative who reported to Long, indicated that she also felt pressure to increase her sales numbers by promoting Mycamine illegally. Doc. 36-7 at 33. She stated that despite the fact that hospitals in her sales territory would not consider using Mycamine as their formulary drug without an FDA indication, she was put on a performance improvement plan because of her low Mycamine sales. Id. at 34.
On June 13, Plaintiff gave a presentation about Mycamine to a potential customer. Long attended that presentation, gave her a negative review about her presentation skills afterward, and began requiring her to report to him weekly about her agenda, goals and progress for the sale of Mycamine. Docs. 34-3 at 146; 36-4 at Exh. 27. Plaintiff asserts that during that presentation, Long provided non-FDA approved information about off-label uses of Mycamine, both verbally and in the written form of an article, to a physician, and that she complained afterwards that he was "over the line" and that she would "not operate illegally." Docs. 36-4 at 104-106 and Exh. 22; 36-4 at 168-72. Plaintiff claims that Long previously had given her superior performance reviews and this negative review came after she had refused to utilize the inappropriate written information and objected to doing anything illegal. Doc. 36-4 at 104 and 168-71. Long testified that if an article was not one that had been approved for distribution,
On June 27, Long participated in a conference call with Sweeney and Kristine Koptchev ("Koptchev")
Plaintiff and another employee, Melissa Balogh ("Balogh"), had scheduled a drug presentation to potential clients in Gainesville, Florida, for July 20. Shortly before the presentation, Balogh agreed or volunteered to cover it rather than cancel it, so Plaintiff could make a presentation on Mycamine elsewhere. Doc. 34-3 at 211-13. Plaintiff agreed to cover the expenses for the presentation because she had already budgeted and paid for it and Balogh could not cover the expense from her budget, so that Defendant could have the benefit of both drug presentations. Id.
After the July 20 Gainesville drug presentation, Balogh contacted her supervisor, Karen Eubanks ("Eubanks"), claiming that she was uncomfortable because Plaintiff had contacted her and asked her not to let Eubanks know that Plaintiff was not present at the Gainesville presentation. Doc. 34-2 at 21. Balogh stated that Plaintiff specifically told her not to lie but also told her to not say anything to Eubanks to indicate she had not been there. Id. Eubanks memorialized her conversation with Balogh in an e-mail copied to Long and Sweeney dated July 27. Doc. 34-5 at Exh. 4. Plaintiff denies telling anyone that she was present at the Gainesville presentation or asking Balogh not to disclose that she did not attend. Doc. 34-3 at 213 and 219.
On August 6 and 13, Plaintiff and Long again received notices that Plaintiff was overdue to submit some expense reports. Doc. 34-3 at Exhs. 6 and 7. On August 12, Plaintiff electronically submitted expense report # 299 which included food and mileage expenses for the July 20 presentation in Gainesville. Doc. 34-4 at Exh. 34. Plaintiff claims that upon completion of her presentation she went through Gainesville on that date to check on how Balogh's presentation had gone, but that it was over when she arrived. Doc. 34-3 at 217. Her expense report # 300 claims expenses, but not mileage, for the same day in Orange Park. Doc. 34-3 at Exh. 38. On August 30, Long contacted Koptchev to discuss Plaintiff's expense reports and to discuss possible disciplinary action. Docs. 33-1 at ¶ 4 and 34-3 at Exh. 6. Koptchev's notes from that meeting indicate that they discussed Plaintiff's expense reports being consistently late and the probability that she would be placed on a performance improvement plan in September. Doc. 42. Plaintiff submitted supporting documentation for the reported expenses on September 4.
Plaintiff's sexual harassment complaint arose from an alleged incident that occurred
On Monday, September 10, Plaintiff left several phone messages and sent an e-mail to human resources asking to discuss "an escalating problem with [her] manager." Doc. 34-3 at 234 and Exh. 28. In her e-mail, she referred to "multiple issues that had occurred over the past months and two weeks" and to the alleged incident with Long on September 7 at the Las Vegas meeting as the "most unsettling." In response to her complaint to human resources, she describes speaking with both Michele Crocco
Meanwhile, having received the supporting documentation for Plaintiff's expense reports, Long, Sweeney, and Koptchev participated in a conference call to discuss them on September 12. Docs. 33-1 at ¶ 6; 36-5 at 26-27. They discussed Balogh's allegation that Plaintiff had asked her to lie about Plaintiff's attendance at the July 20 Gainesville presentation and possible falsification of her expense report # 299 regarding that presentation, agreed that an investigation was warranted, and that
Koptchev knew about Plaintiff's complaint to human resources, but had not yet spoken with Plaintiff, and intentionally did not mention Plaintiff's complaints about alleged sexual harassment or other complaints concerning Long at that September 12 meeting. Docs. 33-1 at ¶ 6; 36-5 at 29-30. Koptchev's notes reflect various options they considered to address Plaintiff's possible falsification of expense report # 299 and alleged request that Balogh not tell her supervisor that Plaintiff had not been at the presentation. Doc. 36-5 at Exh. 5. Possible termination was not one of the options considered. Plaintiff believes that Long was aware of her September 10 complaints against him at the September 12 meeting because shortly after she lodged her complaints, after approving two pending expense reports, he stopped approving her remaining pending expense reports, contrary to his usual practice of approving all her pending expense reports in a single batch. Doc. 36-4 at 232, 235 and 270.
On September 14, Koptchev interviewed Plaintiff about her complaints regarding Long's behavior at the Las Vegas meeting, and his alleged harassment for her to turn in her expense reports on time and increase her sales of Mycamine. Id. at 9. Contrary to Plaintiff's account of the conversation, Koptchev's notes do not reflect any discussion regarding Plaintiff feeling pressure to sell Mycamine off-label. Doc. 36-5 at Exh. 7.
On September 17, Plaintiff met Long at the Jacksonville, Florida airport to review her expense reports. Doc. 34-3 at 245. Long reported to Koptchev that during that meeting Plaintiff affirmatively stated she had attended the July 20 presentation in Gainesville. Doc. 33-1 at ¶ 10. Plaintiff denies that Long asked her whether she actually attended the presentation, and maintains he merely went over the various expenses asking her to explain to him what they were and if she had the required sign in sheets for certain expenses. Docs. 34-3 at 246; 36-4 at 247-48 and 252; 36-6 at 96. She claims that had he asked, she would not have had a problem saying she had not attended because it was a common practice. Doc. 36-4 at 249. Plaintiff's understanding was that as long as a qualified employee gave the presentation, there was no requirement that she actually be present, and that claiming the expense she actually incurred was not an uncommon practice, and, at most was only a minor technical violation of Defendant's policies.
On September 25, Koptchev discussed Plaintiff's complaints with Long, including the allegation of sexual harassment. Doc. 33-1 at ¶ 11. The first two items reflected in her notes were discussions about incidents
Plaintiff was terminated on September 27. Id. at ¶ 16. The record is unclear as to who made the decision to terminate Plaintiff. Koptchev's handwritten notes dated September 25, the same date she interviewed Long about Plaintiff's complaints to human resources, indicate that the decision to terminate was made by "all." Doc. 36-5 at Exh. 9. When asked who "all" were, Koptchev states that "the business," that is Long and Sweeney, made the decision based on her recommendation, because Plaintiff falsified her expense report, asked a co-worker to lie for her, and lied when confronted with the issue. Docs. 33-1 at ¶ 15; 36-5 at 47-48. Her handwritten notes indicate that falsification of expense reports was the reason for termination. Doc. 36-5 at Exh. 9. She states that Plaintiff's complaints to human resources were not mentioned during the discussion. Docs. 33-1 at ¶ 15; 36-5 at 47-48 and 51. Long denies making the decision and claims that he "provided information about what was going on and the issues at hand." Doc. 36-2 at 112-13. Sweeney stated that Koptchev made a strong recommendation to terminate Plaintiff which he took to be a clear direction and a decision that would have been very difficult to override. Doc. 36-1 at 58-59 and 63.
Summary judgment "should be rendered if the pleadings, the discovery and disclosure materials on file, and any affidavits show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the movant is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law." Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c). The Court's task is not "to weigh the evidence and determine the truth of the matter but to determine whether there is a genuine issue for trial." Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 249, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). The purpose of summary judgment is to dispose of unsupported claims or defenses which, as a matter of law, do not raise issues of material fact suitable for trial. Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322-23, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). In determining whether the movant is entitled to summary judgment, the Court must view all the evidence and factual inferences reasonably drawn from the evidence in the light most favorable to the non-moving party, and must resolve all reasonable doubts in favor of the nonmovant. See, e.g., Rioux v. City of Atlanta, Georgia, 520 F.3d 1269, 1274 (11th Cir. 2008) (citations omitted).
Plaintiff claims that she was terminated from her job as a medical center drug
Both parties agree that Plaintiff's retaliatory discharge claims under both the FWA and the FCRA are analyzed in the same familiar manner as retaliation claims under Title VII of the Federal Civil Rights Act. That is, Plaintiff first must establish a prima facie case of retaliatory discharge, then the burden shifts to Defendant to establish a legitimate business reason for her discharge, and if it does so, Plaintiff then bears the burden of establishing that the proffered reason was pretextual. See Docs. 33 at 17 and 19; 36 at 3, 10, 14 and 18.
Under the FWA, in order to establish a prima facie case, Plaintiff must show 1) that she objected to or refused to participate in any illegal activity, policy or practice of Defendant; 2) she suffered an adverse employment action; and 3) the adverse employment action was causally linked to her objection or refusal. See Fla.Stat. § 448.102(3): Bell v. Ga.-Pac. Corp., 390 F.Supp.2d 1182, 1187 (M.D.Fla. 2005). In order to overcome Defendant's proffered legitimate business reasons for termination, Plaintiff must provide sufficient evidence to allow a reasonable fact finder to conclude that the proffered reasons were not actually the motivation for discharge. Combs v. Plantation Patterns, 106 F.3d 1519, 1538 (11th Cir.1997), cert, denied, 522 U.S. 1045, 118 S.Ct. 685, 139 L.Ed.2d 632 (1998).
Plaintiff claims Long pressured or harassed her to provide information to potential customers about off-label uses of Mycamine that she was legally prohibited from providing, in order to increase her sales and meet the goal of 100% conversion of her clients' use as their formulary drug. She maintains that she complained to Long and to human resources (Crocco and Koptchev) about the pressure she was receiving to increase her sales despite the lack of FDA indication for certain uses, and was told simply that she had to increase her sales while being given no direction as what legal means she could use that she had not already employed.
She also claims that she witnessed her supervisor provide orally and in writing such information to potential customers during her presentation on June 13, and that she told him that he was over the line
Moreover, neither Long, Sweeney, or Koptchev admit to having made the decision to terminate her. As noted above, Long denied making the decision, Sweeney claims human resources made the decision, and Koptchev asserts "the business," that is Long and Sweeney made the decision.
The Court is of the opinion that Plaintiff has presented sufficient evidence to establish a prima facie case that she was terminated for objecting to or refusing to participate in illegal off-label promotion of Mycamine and to raise questions of fact regarding whether Defendant's proffered reasons for terminating her were pretextual.
The Court must view these and other disputed facts in the light most favorable to Plaintiff. Viewing them accordingly, and taking into account the fact that termination does not appear to have been considered as an option to deal with the issues concerning Plaintiff's employment performance until after Koptchev interviewed Long on September 25, regarding Plaintiff's complaints, the Court cannot find as a matter of law that Defendant is entitled to summary judgment on Plaintiff's FWA claim as it relates to her alleged complaints about alleged pressure to promote Mycamine illegally. Defendant's motion for summary judgment therefore must be denied as to that portion of Plaintiff's FWA claim in Count I.
In order to establish a prima facie case under the FCRA, Plaintiff must establish
The Court agrees with Defendant that the record does not demonstrate that Plaintiff subjectively believed that the single incident at the Las Vegas meeting that she complained of constituted illegal sexual harassment, or in any event, that such belief would be objectively reasonable. Plaintiff complained to human resources of the single incident in the context of complaining about "an escalating problem with [her] manager" and "multiple issues that had occurred over the past months and two weeks." While she did indicate in her e-mail to human resources that Long's alleged behavior on September 7 at the Las Vegas meeting was "the most unsettling," the focus of her complaints during her discussions with human resources representatives is clearly the numerous ways she believed Long was inappropriately pressuring or harassing her to submit her expense reports in a timely fashion and increase her sales of Mycamine. While she states in a conclusory affirmative response during her deposition that she believed Long's behavior was a sexual advance, when she described what she told Koptchev she stated, "no matter what sales I got, it still was not enough, and then, I go to a meeting and am being professional and I get pulled into a hug, not once, but twice. With this kind of behavior Tom Long didn't need to put his lips in my ear." Plaintiff obviously was upset by Long's alleged behavior on September 7, but "this kind of behavior" appears to be the focus of her complaints and to refer to the numerous other behaviors Plaintiff was upset by.
Moreover, she stated that she believed the alleged sexual harassment and alleged harassment to sell Mycamine off-label to be "one complaint" and "all part of the same thing." In addition, Plaintiff has offered no evidence to dispute the testimony of Long and Allen that Long also hugged others after the meeting and that hugging goodbye at the end of a meeting was not an unusual practice.
Plaintiff has offered two facts to provide context to support the subjective and objective reasonableness of her belief that Long's alleged behavior constituted illegal sexual harassment: 1) that before Long was her supervisor, it was known he was having a long term affair with her supervisor at that time; and 2) that during the time Long was her supervisor she witnessed Long making and allowing males to make "inappropriate comments." Doc. 36-6 at ¶¶ 4-5. She identifies the inappropriate comments by Long as "frequent comments regarding his ex-wife as well as generalizations toward women not knowing what they want, not being satisfied, and being unable to make their own decisions." Id. At ¶ 5. She claims he allowed males to make frequent comments "with regard to homosexual women and their personal sexual choices." id.
The Court finds that the record demonstrates Plaintiff's belief that Long had illegally sexually harassed her was neither subjectively, nor objectively reasonable, so she cannot establish a prima facie case under either the FWA or FCRA. As a result, the Court finds that Defendant is entitled to summary judgment on Plaintiff's claims that it violated the FWA and FCRA by discharging her in retaliation for her complaint of sexual harassment.
Defendant also argues that the record demonstrates that Plaintiff cannot establish entitlement to back pay because she has not made a reasonable effort to obtain comparable work and rejected unemployment benefits. Plaintiff claims that she did not seek comparable work in her field because it was widely known in the close-knit drug sales industry that she had been terminated for alleged fraud, and that at her age, it was highly unlikely that she would have been able to secure a comparable position. Doc. 36-6 at ¶¶ 9-11. She states that she decided to work in her husband's cabinet-making business without pay while taking courses to renew her nursing license. Doc. 34-3 at 260-263. She later decided to remain with the cabinet-making business on salary. Id.
The Court is of the opinion that questions regarding whether Plaintiff's efforts in obtaining employment were reasonable under the circumstances and the extent, if any, her claims for back pay should be eliminated or reduced as a result, are questions that should be determined by the finder of fact on the record in this case. Viewing the facts in the light most favorable to Plaintiff, the Court cannot find as a matter of law that Plaintiff is entitled to no award of back pay. Upon review of the matter, it is
That Defendant's Dispositive Motion for Summary Judgment (Doc. 33) is granted in part and denied in part as follows: a) it is granted as to Plaintiff's FCRA claim in Count II, and as to that portion of her FWA claim in Count I asserting that Defendant discharged her in retaliation for her complaint of sexual harassment; and b) is denied in all other respects as to her FWA claim in Count I.