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About the Firm

Attorney Brian H. Alligood provides top quality, aggressive legal representation to individuals and businesses throughout North Carolina. Mr. Alligood regularly represents parties in disputes arising from all aspects of the employer-employee relationship. Employment issues frequently litigated include claims of discriminatory hiring and employment practices, sexual harassment, retaliation and wrongful discharge, wage and hour violations, breach of contract and no-compete covenants, and employee benefits litigation. In addition to confronting claims of traditional employment discrimination, Mr. Alligood represents parties with respect to statutory rights and obligations imposed by the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Family Medical Leave Act.

Mr. Alligood regularly appears in all North Carolina state and federal courts and administrative agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the North Carolina Department of Labor, and the Office of Federal Contractor Compliance Programs (OFCCP).


Friday, July 11, 2014

Fourth Circuit Affirms Jury Verdict in Racial Harassment and Retaliation Action Despite Erroneous Causation Instruction



In E.E.O.C. v. A.C. Widenhouse, Inc. (06/24/2014), the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a substantial plaintiffs’ jury verdict in a case featuring claims of a racially hostile work environment, racially discriminatory discharge, and retaliatory discharge.  The lawsuit was brought first by the United States Equal Employment Commission (“EEOC”) on behalf of two black employees, and also included additional claims brought by Contonious Gill, one of the affected employees, after he intervened in the action.

Gill had worked for A.C. Widenhouse as a truck driver from May of 2007 until his termination in June of 2008.  During his employment, Gill was subjected to racial epithets, which included use of the “N” word and the term “porch monkey.”  He also heard racially charged jokes and witnessed displays of objects such as nooses and confederate flags.  Gill testified that he repeatedly reported these incidents to superiors, who did nothing to remedy the problem.  Gill was terminated in June of 2008 when he was unable to complete a delivery due to illness.  Gill alleged that the termination was due to racial discrimination as well as retaliation for his reporting the harassment.

The jury found Widenhouse liable on each claim and awarded Gill $105,000.00 in damages.  The judge, in turn, awarded Gill an additional $88,509 in back pay and prejudgment interest. The judge also ordered Widenhouse to pay $139,000 in attorneys’ fees and costs.

In its appeal to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, Widenhouse contended that the trial court erred by instructing the jury on the law applicable to the claim of retaliation.  On this point, the trial judge instructed the jury that it should find Widenhouse liable for violating Title VII's retaliation prohibition if the jury found that retaliation for Gill's protected activity of reporting racial discrimination was a motivating factor in his termination.  This instruction was contrary to recent United States Supreme Court precedent holding that a retaliation plaintiff must prove that the plaintiff’s protected conduct (here, Gill’s complaints of harassment) must have been the “but-for” cause of the retaliatory action.  

While acknowledging the erroneous instruction, the Court of Appeals nevertheless affirmed the verdict because Widenhouse failed to show that the erroneous instruction affected the outcome of the retaliation claim.  In its analysis on this point, the Court found significant the jury’s verdict sheet, which noted the jury’s finding that the termination was “because of” his opposition to unlawful harassment.  The Court also found that the jury’s finding of liability for the same conduct under a companion Section 1981 federal law theory to demonstrate further a lack of prejudice from the erroneous instruction.

In affirming the jury verdict despite the erroneous jury instruction, the opinion also demonstrates that the Supreme Court’s recent pronouncement of a “but-for” causation requirement really is not the significant change in the law that employers initially believed.  Other recent cases decided by other courts have previously noted that there can be more than one “but-for” cause, and the opinion here seems to confirm the point.  Other commentators have discussed how the traditional analytical framework for retaliation claims appears to have been altered little by the distinction between “motivating factor” and “but-for” causation. We tend to agree that the but-for causation requirement is unlikely to dramatically alter the danger presented by retaliation claims when termination decisions closely follow an employee’s complaints of work place discrimination or harassment.