Claims of sexual harassment typically involve the behavior of fellow employees.   But, an employer’s potential liability for sexual harassment also extends to conduct by a non-employee, such as a customer, client, or patient, that creates a hostile work environment.

The principle of employer liability for harassment by a non-employee third-party presents particular challenges to the long term care industry.   The problem occurs when the harasser is a resident or patient with dementia or other diminished mental capacity.   Physical violence or sexually inappropriate is sometimes associated with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia.   In many cases, courts have recognized behavior that might qualify as sexual harassment in other contexts does not create a hostile work environment for care facility employees directly caring for such patients, because the employee should reasonably expect it to occur.  The unique circumstances involved in caring for dementia patients essentially makes tolerating at least a certain level of bad behavior part of the job.

However, a recent case from the Fifth Circuit (covering Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi) shows that long term care employers do not always get the benefit of the doubt when it comes to a dementia patient’s alleged sexual harassment of a care center employee.   The case is Gardner v. CLC of Pascagoula, LLC, (5th Cir. 2-7-2019).  The plaintiff in Gardner was a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) at an assisted living facility.   She was experienced in working with mentally disabled patients, and was trained in de-escalation and defense tactics for aggressive patients.  Gardner often worked with patients who wither “either physically combative or sexually aggressive.”

The harasser was an elderly resident who lived at the facility for eight years.   Gardner worked with him for three of those years.  The resident had a reputation for groping female employees and becoming physically aggressive when reprimanded.   He was diagnosed with dementia, traumatic brain injury, personality disorder with aggressive behavior, and Parkinson’s Disease.   He was reported to have a “long history” of violent and sexual behavior toward both patients and staff.

Gardner alleged she experienced on a daily basis the resident physically grabbing her and repeatedly making sexual comments and requests.   She documented the resident’s behavior in his chart and routinely complained to supervisors about it. The resident was at one time transferred to a different wing of the facility because of his behavior, but the employer refused the Gardner’s request to be reassigned so she would not have to care for him.  When she attempted to discuss her concerns about the resident’s behavior with her supervisor, there was evidence Gardner’s supervisor laughed and told her to “put [her] big girl panties on and go back to work.”

The facility terminated Gardner after an incident that occurred while she was helping the resident in question attend a therapy session.   As Gardner was trying to help the resident out of bed, he tried to grope her, then punched and pushed her.  Although Gardner disputed it, the facility claimed she swung her fist over the resident’s head and her arm brushed the top of his head in the process.  As she left the resident’s room Gardner uttered an expletive about refusing to do anything else for the resident.  Gardner sustained serious enough injuries in the incident that she went to the ER and ended up missing three months of work. Shortly after returning from leave, the facility fired her for insubordination (refusing to work with the resident), attacking the resident, and violating his rights by swearing in front of him.

The trial court dismissed Gardner’s hostile work environment claims.  The court reasoned that the resident’s “harassing comments and attempts to grope and hit are [not] beyond what a person in Gardner’s position should expect of patients in a nursing home.”  However, the Court of Appeals reversed the grant of summary judgment, concluding that “the evidence of persistent and often physical harassment…is enough to allow a jury to decide whether a reasonable caregiver on the receiving end…would have viewed it as sufficiently severe or pervasive, even considering the medical condition of the harasser.”  The facts significant to the court of appeals seemed to be the frequency of the resident’s conduct (daily), its severity (physical sexual assault and violent outbursts), and its impact on Gardner’s employment (she was on medical leave for three months because of the injuries she sustained in the altercation).  It probably didn’t help that a supervisor was dismissive of Gardner’s concerns.

While the facts in Gardner may show extreme and unusual patient behavior, it nonetheless establishes a troubling precedent for long term care facilities where dementia patients live.   Unlike an employee who can be abruptly terminated, residents in care facilities, particularly those receiving Medicaid benefits, have rights that prevent them from being immediately discharged.   Sometimes such residents have the right to hearing before an administrative law judge, who may or may not agree the patient can be evicted, or who may delay the eviction.  In the meantime, these residents must be cared for.  Depending upon the size of the facility and the number of care giving employees, simply reassigning an employee away from the difficult resident on a permanent basis could be quite difficult.    Long term care facilities will have to be more attentive than ever to balancing the rights of caregiving employees to be free from harassing conduct while also providing adequate care for difficult residents whose bad behavior is often the result of their medical condition.

For an industry that already faces a challenging regulatory and legal environment, the prospect of more sexual harassment jury trials arising out of the behavior of dementia patients is not a welcome development.

How much extra leave is reasonable for an employee who has exhausted FMLA but is not yet capable of returning to work? Does an employer have to keep the absent employee’s job open?  What medical evidence is needed?   How much interactive dialogue is enough?  What about an employee is who is unreasonable and/or demanding?

A recent opinion from the Eighth Circuit provides helpful guidance about these and other problems employers face when deciding whether extended medical leave is a reasonable accommodation for an employee with a serious medical condition who is not yet capable of returning to work. See Brunckhorst v. City of Oak Park Heights, (8th Cir. 2/4/2019).

Continue Reading Eighth Circuit Case Provides Guidance on How to Handle the Vexing Problem of Extended Medical Leave as a Reasonable Accommodation

This is a question about which Iowa employers are increasingly concerned.  The probability your employees and applicants for employment have used marijuana in some form has substantially increased in recent years.    Medical marijuana use is now legal in 34 states and the District of Columbia.  Recreational use is legal in ten states.    But, marijuana is still classified as a “Schedule I” drug under the Federal Controlled Substances Act, making it illegal to possess, use, or sell.  The very fact that marijuana is classified as a Schedule I drug means the Food and Drug Administration has determined it has no currently accepted medical use, a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision, and a high potential for abuse.

Continue Reading Does Iowa’s Medical Marijuana Law Impact an Employer’s Right to Maintain a Drug-Free Workplace?

In 1990 Congress enacted the Older Workers Benefit Protection Act (OWBPA) out of concern that employees terminated  as part of a Reduction in Force (RIF) did not fully understand the rights they were giving up in exchange for the payment of severance benefits.   Under OWBPA, a severance agreement entered into with a terminated employee over age 40 is not valid unless the agreement contains certain provisions.   Among other things, the release is supposed to be written in easy to understand language rather than legal jargon; it must advise the employee to seek advice from an attorney; it must allows the employee adequate time to consider whether to sign the release (21 to 45 days, depending upon how many employees are part of the RIF); and, in the event the employee changes his mind after signing, the employee has seven days to revoke the agreement.  If the release does not comply in every respect, it is not valid, and an employee who signed and accepted the severance payments may still sue for age discrimination under the federal Age Discrimination is Employment Act (ADEA).   An employee who sues may not even  have to return the money received as part of the severance agreement.

Continue Reading Are You Facing a Reduction in Force? Make Sure the Release is Valid or You May Pay Severance and Still Get Sued for Age Discrimination.

Although many employers use progressive discipline policies, I am typically not a big fan.   In theory progressive discipline seems like a good idea:  it allows an employee to learn from their mistakes.  It puts the employee on notice that further discipline is going to have more serious consequences.    It is difficult for an employee who has gone through the steps to claim surprise when the termination arrives.

On the other hand, progressive discipline limits an employer’s flexibility.   Sometimes it is clear an employee isn’t working out, but the company feels bound to go through the steps before terminating.   In other cases, the circumstances may warrant giving an employee more chances that the policy allows.  In those situations, an employee may be terminated simply because they are on the last step, even though the company would rather keep the employee.

Continue Reading Employer’s Consistent Use of Progressive Discipline Defeats Discrimination Claim

Publisher’s Note:  Today’s guest post is provided by Brandon Underwood, one of my colleagues at Fredrikson & Byron, P.A.   Hopefully Brandon will catch the blogging bug and continue to post….

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) forbids medical examinations and inquiries in employment.  But not all of them.  Instead, an examination or inquiry’s permissibility, and scope, turns primarily on when it occurs.  Too early, and the examination violates the ADA.  Too late, and it may as well.

Continue Reading Court Finds Employer’s Inquiry about Health Conditions of New Employees Absorbed in Merger Complies with ADA

In the last two sessions, the Iowa legislature has amended Iowa’s private sector drug testing law to give employers additional tools to combat employee substance abuse.   In last year’s session, the legislature amended the law to allow employers to use hair follicle testing for pre-employment drug screens.  Prior to the amendment, the law allowed only testing using urine, blood, or oral fluid.

In the 2018 session, the legislature again amended the law to lower the threshold at which an employer may take action based upon an employee’s positive alcohol test.    Effective July 1, an employer may take action if the employee has a blood alcohol concentration of at least .02% .  The existing standard is .04%.

Continue Reading Iowa Legislature Toughens Drug Testing Law, But Legal Risks for Employers Remain

In the recent case of Jahnke v. Deere & Co. (May 18, 2018), the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that a Deere employee who was repatriated to the United States as discipline for engaging in sexual misconduct while on assignment at a Deere factory in China did not state a claim for discrimination under the Iowa Civil Rights Act (ICRA)

Jahnke sued Deere in Iowa State Court, alleging the decision to repatriate him from China to a lower paying job in Waterloo, Iowa was based on his age, sex, and national origin.    While on assignment as the manager of a Deere factory in China, Jahnke engaged in sexual relationships with two younger, Chinese women who were in his “span of control”, which violated Deere’s policies.   Jahnke claimed Deere violated the Iowa Civil Rights Act because his discipline was harsher than that imposed on the female employees with whom he had the relationships.

Continue Reading Iowa Civil Rights Act Protections Do Not Apply to Ex-Pat Employee

It is a truism that employers prefer to win discrimination cases on summary judgment rather than go to trial.    In most cases, winning on summary judgment means convincing the judge there is not enough evidence that would allow the plaintiff to prove “pretext.”   (Pretext: “a purpose or motive alleged or an appearance assumed in order to cloak the real intention or state of affairs.” Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary).    With pretext, the plaintiff goes to trial; without pretext, the plaintiff goes home and the employer wins.

Continue Reading Recent Ruling from Eighth Circuit Shows an Employer’s Shifting Reasons for Decision May Not Be Evidence of Pretext

As we have written here many times, summary judgment is an important tool for defendants in employment discrimination cases.   Studies have shown that in federal court, summary judgment is granted to defendants in employment discrimination cases more than in any other type of case.  These studies confirm the experience of most employment lawyers who try cases, whether they represent mostly plaintiffs or mostly defendants.

Continue Reading Summary Judgement in Employment Discrimination Cases May Be Making a Comeback in Iowa State Court