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Gender Stereotyping Constitutes Sex Discrimination

Every once in a while, everything goes right for the employee in a fight to get employment claims heard by a jury. The case of Nancy Falco Chedid, M.D. vs. Children’s Hospital & others is one such example. Here’s what happened in this recent illuminating decision involving the hot issue of caregiver discrimination.

Facts Of The Case

Dr. Nancy Falco Chedid worked at Children’s Hospital and the Boston Plastic and Oral Surgery part time as a plastic surgeon beginning in 2005. At that time, she re-entered her practice after taking six years off for the birth and caretaking of her three children. 

In August of 2006, Chedid’s boss, and Chief of Plastic Surgery, was replaced by Dr. John Meara. Shortly after his arrival Chedid had a meeting with Meara.

At that time, Chedid stated that she worked a reduced hours position and had family responsibilities. Meara expressed displeasure with her part time status and told her that there were certain subspecialties -- like dermatology -- which were more amenable to a part-time arrangement than plastic surgery.

He also said that he wanted to rid the department of plastic surgery of all the “part timers.” According to Chedid, when she asked Meara if he was pushing her out he nodded “yes” and that he did so without getting to know her or her abilities.

Because of her concern regarding Meara’s intention to push her out, Chadid met with the hospital’s Director of the Office of the Faculty Development, Dr. Jean Emans. Part of Emans’ job was to act as a problem solver for faculty with issues related to career advancement.

Emans explained that Children’s had a large number of part-time physicians and that with regard to work and family balance some chiefs “get it” and others do not.  Chedid stated that she would be willing to increase her hours if it meant saving her job.

Chedid sent a letter to Meara on November 8, 2006 and met with him eight days later. They also exchanged e-mails. Chedid made a number of proposals and explained to him how she could fit into his vision for the department. He assured her that he was not pushing her out, but then stated his intention to hire a full time surgeon in 2007, which might mean that Chedid would have to leave. She reiterated her desire to stay including her willingness to work more hours.  Meara again stated that Chedid would not have an indefinite position given his vision and goals for the department. Without Chedid, the department would be all male.

In the months that followed, Chedid continued to address her concern to hospital administrators including the COO and Vice President of Human Resources --- specifically her concern that Meara was pushing her out because she was a woman with childcare responsibilities. They explained that they believed what she was saying, but stated that Meara, as department head, had a right to eliminate part-time positions from the department.

In March or 2007, Emans and Stewart informed Chedid that Meara would only allow her to work through June. Emans explained that Meara wanted someone with special pediatric training in the department and that Chedid should obtain the special training and reapply in the future.  She asked why she had to apply when a co-worker was invited to join the Foundation without an application and another doctor was hired with far less experience. In addition, Chedid, who had pediatric training, offered to work full time.

Stewart became exasperated and angry at Chedid’s offer, but said that she would draft a memo of the meeting and discuss matters with Meara. The memo was never circulated.

On March 23, 2007, Meara informed Chedid that her employment with the Foundation would end on June 30^th of that year. After learning that Chedid had been terminated, several of her colleagues circulated a petition to protest the termination.  As stated in the opinion, the record contains not a word of criticism about Dr. Chedid’s abilities as a physician and surgeon.

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Important Win for Employee in Fraud Case Against Employer

It's not often that employees sue their employers for fraud, but that's what Dan Rather did when he sued CBS in 2007. The news is that  he had a significant victory this week in his case. 

The Lawsuit

As some of you may recall, Rather filed a lawsuit claiming that his career was irreparably damaged because CBS intentionally mishandled a 2004 story about Bush's National Guard service.

The story had to do with Bush's allegedly going AWOL during his National Guard Service in 1972. The story was aired on CBS's Sixty Minutes II  during the 2004 election.

According to Rather's lawsuit, the broadcast reported that:

• political influence was used to get Bush into the TexANG so he wouldn't have to go to Vietnam
  

• after being trained as a fighter pilot in 1972, Bush failed to appear for a required physical examination
  

• high level political influence was again engaged to avoid military discharge from the military

As Jackson Williams from the Huffing ton Post put it:

[E]vidence (from the Boston Globe and others) strongly suggests that George W. Bush literally bailed on his Guard duty, got a transfer to Alabama, and then disappeared for at least the final 12 months of his military commitment, perhaps up to 17 months. Some have a lost weekend; he had a lost year.

After the story aired, according to the complaint, the broadcast was attacked by conservative political elements supportive of the Bush Administration. 

In turn, CBS announced that it was going to conduct a thorough independent investigation into the story of the broadcast and its production.

Instead, according to Rather:

Its intention was to conduct a biased investigation with controlled timing and predetermined conclusions in order to prevent further information concerning Bush’s TexANG service from being uncovered.

The complaint further alleges that CBS:

1.     planned to and did use Rather as a scapegoat to pacify the White House

2.     coerced Rather into publicly apologizing and taking personal blame for errors which were a )never established and b) not Rather’s fault

3.     breached its employment contract with Rather by terminating him as anchor on the CBS evening news and thereafter giving him few assignments, little staff, little air time, and basically nothing to do 

The Fraud Case

Generally speaking, in cases of fraud, an individual must prove:

1.  a material representation of a presently existing or past fact,
2.  made with knowledge of its falsity and
   
3.  with the intention that the other party rely on it,
   
4.  resulting in reliance by that party
5.  to his or her detriment

While there is no set way in which fraud claims come up in the employment setting, they are often seen when an employer lures an employee away from a secure position to a new job based on representations which turn out to be false.

They also come up when an employer makes false representations to employees to get them to stay on the job after they announce an intention to leave.

The meat of these cases show that representations were made (either spoken or written) which were known to be false with the purpose of inducing the person to rely on them.

The second part of the proof involves a showing that the person did in fact rely on the false statement(s), and that he or she was damaged as a result.

In Rather’s case, it is claimed that CBS, as well as individually named defendants, made false representations, which they knew to be false at the time they were made, and which they had no intention of fulfilling, including the following:

• CBS intended to conduct a fair and impartial investigation of the broadcast
  

• CBS would at all times take all necessary steps to preserve Rather’s reputation
  

• CBS intended to fully utilize Rather’s experience
  

• If Rather refrained from retained a private investigator to investigate the story underlying the broadcast, CBS would retain one and make the findings available to Rather 
  

• CBS was going to extend his contract

All of these representations were false, according to Rather, and made so that Rather would refrain from making public statements concerning the Bush broadcast in order to defend himself and preserve his reputation

As a result,  according to his compliant, his career were irreparably damaged, he was ostracized, and he gave up significant employment opportunities.

(There appears to be an amended complaint which may have more detail but that’s the gist of what’s I could find)

What happened this week is that the fraud claim, which was previously dismissed, was reinstated by the Court of Appeals in New York -- a big victory for Rather and his lawyers. It also, in theory, gives Rather the opportunity to get punitive damages awarded against the defendants.

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