Smith v. Northwest Financial Acceptance, Inc.
United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
129 F.3d 1408 (1997)
- Written by Caitlinn Raimo, JD
Facts
Debbie Smith (plaintiff) was employed at Norwest Financial Wyoming (Norwest) (defendant) under the supervision of Curtis Mangus (defendant). Smith shared a small, open space with Mangus and three other men. Over the course of 23 months, Mangus made offensive and sexually harassing comments directed at Smith on numerous occasions, including telling her to “get a little this weekend” so she would “come back in a better mood,” that she “would be the worst piece of ass that [he] ever had,” and that she “would find a decent man if [she] just quit dating Mexicans.” Smith filed a sexual-harassment hostile-work-environment claim pursuant to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII). Norwest and Mangus moved for judgment as a matter of law. At the hearing, Smith testified that she left her job at Norwest because she was unhappy and uncomfortable in the work environment. Two of Smith’s coworkers testified that Mangus’s remarks were inappropriate, were offensive, and affected both Smith’s work product and the office environment. The district court denied Norwest and Mangus’s motion. Norwest and Mangus appealed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (McKay, J.)
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