Texas appellate court rejects employee’s claim of age discrimination, affirming arbitrator’s award in favor of employer
On July 30, 2019, the Texas Court of Appeals for the Eighth District issued a written opinion in a Texas employment discrimination lawsuit discussing whether an arbitrator correctly determined that the employee’s claim was not filed on time. The case is important for Texas employees and employers because it illustrates the need to act in a timely manner, and the deference that courts give to arbitrators’ decisions.
According to the court’s opinion, the plaintiff was hired as a trainer for Xerox in 2009. In 2016, the plaintiff was laid off. The plaintiff filed an age discrimination claim against Xerox, claiming that younger trainers with less seniority were not laid off. He also claimed that, during his tenure with the company, younger workers were given pay raises, while he was not.
The plaintiff initially filed a claim with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Texas Workforce Commission. On November 3, 2016, the EEOC provided the plaintiff with a right to sue letter, and the next day, the plaintiff filed a lawsuit. Xerox responded by seeking to compel arbitration of the claim under the company’s “Dispute Resolution Procedure,” (DRP) which required all claims that were not informally resolved to be handled through arbitration.
First, the parties argued over whether the plaintiff was required to arbitrate his claim. However, on May 5, 2017, the plaintiff withdrew his case and submitted his claim to an arbitrator of his choice. Xerox, however, objected to the plaintiff’s choice of arbitrator, arguing that the DRP specified the arbitrators that must hear claims against the company. Finally, on August 16, 2017, the plaintiff submitted his case to one of the arbitrators in the DRP.
The DRP provided that a plaintiff who files a claim for arbitration must bring a claim “within the time allowed by applicable law.” If a plaintiff files a case in court rather than proceeding directly to arbitration, the plaintiff must file within “ninety days after the date a party is ordered by the court to arbitration … or ninety days after the date the parties agree to submit the dispute to arbitration under the DRP.” Additionally, under the Texas Labor Code, the plaintiff had to file his claim within 60 days of receiving the right to sue letter from the EEOC.
Xerox claimed that the plaintiff filed his claim too late. The plaintiff argued that he filed his initial complaint with his chosen arbitrator within 60 days of receiving the right to sue letter. However, Xerox argued that by withdrawing his case, the plaintiff “wiped the slate clean” because there was no longer an active case to base the 60-day time period. Additionally, there was never a court order or agreement to arbitrate the claim, making the 90-day time limits mentioned above inapplicable. Thus, Xerox argued that the plaintiff was required to file his claim within 60 days of November 3, 2016, the day he received the right to sue letter. Xerox argued that the plaintiff’s initial claim with his selected arbitrator did not constitute “filing” under the DRP because it was not with the correct arbitrator.
The arbitrator found in favor of Xerox, holding that the plaintiff failed to bring a case against Xerox in the appropriate amount of time. The plaintiff filed a motion in district court to set aside the arbitrator’s award based on the alleged bias and misconduct of the arbitrator. The trial court agreed with the plaintiff and reversed the arbitrator’s decision. However, an appellate court reversed the trial court’s decision, finding that there was no actual conflict of interest, and the arbitrator did not limit the plaintiff’s ability to present evidence. Thus, the court ordered that the arbitrator’s decision in favor of Xerox be reinstated.