Garrison v. Baker Hughes Oilfield OperationsGarrison v. Baker Hughes Oilfield Operations
Steven A. Broussard (William D. Fisher with him on the briefs) of Hall, Estill, Hardwick, Gable, Golden & Nelson, P.C., Tulsa, OK, for Defendant-Appellant.
W. Kirk Turner and Keith A. Wilkes of Newton, O‘Connor & Turner, P.C., Tulsa, OK, filed a brief for amici curiae.
Before SEYMOUR, Circuit Judge, BRORBY, Senior Circuit Judge, and LUCERO, Circuit Judge.
BRORBY, Senior Circuit Judge.
A jury awarded Tommy Garrison $3,580.36 under
BACKGROUND
Mr. Garrison applied for an assembly job in a Centrilift manufacturing plant. Shortly after, Centrilift offered Mr. Garrison the assembly position contingent upon the results of a medical examination conducted by Centrilift‘s physician. Centrilift required all entering employees in assembly positions to undergo the same medical examination. During the course of the medical examination, Centrilift required Mr. Garrison to complete a medical history form. Among other questions, the form asked whether Mr. Garrison had ever suffered: hearing loss; pain in the shoulder, arms, or hands; leg or foot problems; and back pain, strain, or surgery. Mr. Garrison untruthfully checked “no” in response to each of these questions. Centrilift‘s physician subsequently found no limitations on Mr. Garrison‘s physical abilities and recommended him for the position.
Centrilift‘s physician forwarded Mr. Garrison‘s medical history form to Centrilift‘s human resources department. The human resources department then obtained Mr. Garrison‘s past workers’ compensation records from the State of Oklahoma. Mr. Garrison had received workers’ compensation for several injuries arising from previous employment. He had suffered injuries to his hearing, neck, shoulder, elbow, hand, back, abdomen, lungs, knee, and feet. After learning of Mr. Garrison‘s previous injuries, Centrilift withdrew its conditional offer of employment.
Mr. Garrison telephoned Steven Wayne Brown, Centrilift‘s Manager of Human Resources for North American Operations, to inquire why Centrilift withdrew the job offer. Referring to Mr. Garrison‘s previous workers compensation claims, Mr. Brown explained:
So when we look at those kind of histories, we look at those in terms of where we are placing people for possible future injuries....
...
Well, the positions that we were looking at you for are those positions that would put you in a position to likely be injured again and we don‘t do that.
Mr. Garrison sued Centrilift in federal district court alleging he was “denied employment on the basis of a disability or a perceived disability ... in violation of the [Americans with Disabilities Act].” After an initial jury verdict in favor of Centrilift, Mr. Garrison appealed to this court. Garrison v. Baker Hughes Oilfield Operations, Inc., 1999 WL 1101221, at *1 (10th Cir. Dec.6, 1999) (unpublished opinion) (hereinafter Garrison I). We reversed the first jury verdict because of an incorrect jury instruction and remanded for a new trial on Mr. Garrison‘s “claim of violation of
In the second trial, the district court submitted a “mixed motive” instruction to the jury. On a special verdict form the jury found Centrilift withdrew its job offer in part for legitimate reasons. However, the jury also found Centrilift would have employed Mr. Garrison but for motives not job-related and inconsistent with business necessity. The jury awarded Mr. Garrison $3,580.36 in compensatory damages.
In post-verdict proceedings the district court also issued an injunctive judgment against Centrilift. The injunctive judgment ordered Centrilift to comply with the medical examination and inquiry provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Among other specific restrictions, the injunction ordered Centrilift “not to gain medical or workers’ compensation information except to convey it to appropriate medical personnel who are reviewing it to determine job applicants’ abilities to perform the offered jobs.” Centrilift now appeals the jury verdict and the district court‘s injunctive judgment.
DISCUSSION
I.
Centrilift argues there is insufficient evidence to support the jury verdict in favor of Mr. Garrison‘s Americans with Disabilities Act claim. Specifically, Centrilift argues it complied with
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act covered employers “may require a medical examination after an offer of employment has been made to a job applicant and prior to the commencement of ... employment duties.”
(A) all entering employees are subjected to such an examination regardless of disability;
(B) information obtained regarding the medical condition or history of the applicant is collected and maintained on separate forms and in separate medical files and is treated as a confidential medical record ... —
...
and
(C) the results of such examination are used only in accordance with this subchapter.
The results of a medical inquiry or examination may not be used to disqualify persons who are currently able to perform the essential functions of a job, either with or without an accommodation, because of fear or speculation that a disability may indicate a greater risk of future injury, or absenteeism, or may cause future workers’ compensation or insurance costs.
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Technical Assistance Manual on the Employment Provisions (Title I) of the Americans with Disabilities Act § 6.4 (1992) (hereinafter Equal Employment Opportunities Commission Technical Assistance Manual).3
The record on appeal shows substantial evidence Centrilift misused Mr. Garrison‘s entrance examination results. Mr. Brown, Centrilift‘s Manager of Human Resources for North American Operations, told Mr. Garrison his offer was revoked because of a risk of “possible future injuries,” and because “we don‘t do that.” Moreover, at trial when asked what concerned him about Mr. Garrison‘s examination results, Mr. Brown explained “it was just the multitude of injuries in a short period of time.” Under these circumstances, the jury could have determined Centrilift withdrew the job offer because of unsubstantiated speculation about future risks from a perceived disability.4 While Mr. Garrison admitted he falsely represented his medical history, it was within the province of the jury to ascribe withdrawal of the job offer to discriminatory use of medical exam results.5 Because substantial evidence supports this jury verdict, we leave it undisturbed.
II.
Centrilift argues the district court improperly enjoined lawful post-offer medical inquiries. Centrilift believes the district court exceeded its authority by enjoining review of entering employees’ workers’ compensation records by non-medical personnel. At issue is whether the confidentiality protections of
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, district courts may enjoin employers “from engaging in ... unlawful employment practice[s] ... or [grant] any other equitable relief as the court deems appropriate.”
Defining lawful practices in regard to employee entrance examinations,
maintained on separate forms and in separate medical files and be treated as a confidential medical record, except that —
(i) supervisors and managers may be informed regarding necessary restrictions on the work or duties of the employee and necessary accommodations;
(ii) first aid and safety personnel may be informed, when appropriate, if the disability might require emergency treatment; and
(iii) government officials investigating compliance with this chapter shall be provided relevant information on request....
[A]n employer should not place any medical-related material in an employee‘s personnel file. The employer should take steps to guarantee the security of the employee‘s medical information, including:
— keeping the information in a medical file in a separate, locked cabinet, apart from the location of personnel files; and
— designating a specific person or persons to have access to the medical file.
Equal Employment Opportunity Technical Assistance Manual § 6.5.
III.
Centrilift argues the Americans with Disabilities Act “does not provide for an award of compensatory damages based on a violation of section 12112(d)(3).” Centrilift asserts compensatory damages are only available under the Americans with Disabilities Act if the plaintiff alleges discrimination on the basis of disability. The availability of compensatory damages for
IV.
Centrilift argues the district court gave two improper jury instructions. “We review de novo legal objections to jury instructions, reading the instructions as a whole.” Rice v. Office of Servicemembers’ Group Life Ins., 260 F.3d 1240, 1247 (10th Cir. 2001). “‘We review the district court‘s decision to give a particular jury instruction for abuse of discretion.‘” United States v. McClatchey, 217 F.3d 823, 834 (10th Cir. 2000) (quoting United States v. Cerrato-Reyes, 176 F.3d 1253, 1262 (10th Cir. 1999)), cert. denied, 531 U.S. 1015 (2000).
At issue in this case was whether Centrilift withdrew the conditional job offer because Mr. Garrison was dishonest or because Centrilift used examination results in a discriminatory way prohibited by
Centrilift also argues there was insufficient evidence for the district court to submit a mixed-motive instruction to the jury. Once again, Centrilift relies on its contested assertion “[Mr.] Garrison never alleged any form of discrimination under the [American with Disabilities Act] to trigger a mixed-motive instruction.” Because Centrilift‘s argument concerns the district court‘s decision to give a particular instruction, we review for abuse of discretion. McClatchey, 217 F.3d at 834. “A mixed motive instruction is ... appropriate in any case where the evidence is sufficient to allow a trier to find both forbidden and permissible motives.” Medlock, 164 F.3d at 553 (quotation marks and citations omitted). The same allegations and evidence which justify the jury verdict also justify the mixed motive instruction. See supra note 1 and accompanying text. Mr. Garrison has alleged Centrilift used entrance examination results to discriminate on the basis of disability. Mr. Brown‘s stated reasons for withdrawing Mr. Garrison‘s job offer, both at trial and in a recorded telephone conversation, give rise to a sufficient inference of a discriminatory motive. Therefore, the district court did not abuse its discretion in giving a mixed motive instruction.
Notes
This instruction reads:
You are instructed that in order to recover on his claim under the [American with Disabilities Act], Plaintiff must prove the following elements:
- Defendant made Plaintiff an offer of employment conditioned upon Plaintiff‘s successful completion of a medical examination by Defendant‘s doctor; and
- Plaintiff successfully completed the medical examination by Defendant‘s doctor
A separate related instruction further explained:
To “successfully complete” a medical examination and/or inquiry means that the employer conducted a medical examination and/or inquiry of Plaintiff and from that concluded Plaintiff was capable in performing the work at Defendant‘s facility for which Plaintiff had been conditionally hired.
Plaintiff does not “successfully complete” a medical examination and/or inquiry if the conditional job offer is withdrawn based on the results of such examination and/or inquiry and the reasons for the withdrawal of the offer are job-related and consistent with business necessity.