CELESTIA CHAPMAN v. BRENTLINGER ENTERPRISES - Articles

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CELESTIA CHAPMAN v. BRENTLINGER ENTERPRISES

Posted by: Azya Thornton on Dec 13, 2024

Court: 6th Circuit Court (Published Opinions)

Attorneys 1: ARGUED: Jason E. Starling, WILLIS SPANGLER STARLING, Hilliard, Ohio, for Appellant/Cross-Appellee.

Attorneys 2: ARGUED: Marion H. Little, Jr., ZEIGER, TIGGES & LITTLE LLP, Columbus, Ohio, for Appellee/Cross-Appellant

Attorneys 3: ON BRIEF: Jason E. Starling, WILLIS SPANGLER STARLING, Hilliard, Ohio, for Appellant/Cross-Appellee.

Attorneys 4: ON BRIEF: Marion H. Little, Jr., ZEIGER, TIGGES & LITTLE LLP, Columbus, Ohio, for Appellee/Cross-Appellant.

Judge(s): MOORE, KETHLEDGE, and BLOOMEKATZ, Circuit Judges

Court Appealed: United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio at Columbus

BLOOMEKATZ, Circuit Judge. Celestia Chapman requested time off under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to take care of her sister, who was dying of cancer. Her employer, Brentlinger Enterprises, d/b/a the Midwestern Auto Group (MAG), told her the statute did not provide leave to care for an adult sibling. Eventually, when she did not show up for work one day, MAG fired her. Then it lied and told workers’ compensation authorities she had quit. MAG also threatened to bring Rule 11 sanctions if she brought an FMLA lawsuit, and failed to provide her statutorily mandated notice of health insurance availability. After that, Chapman sued, claiming that her termination and the subsequent allegedly retaliatory actions violated the FMLA and other statutes. Both parties moved for summary judgment, both parties prevailed on some claims but lost on others, and both parties now appeal. We affirm in part and reverse in part, remanding to the district court to consider several statutory claims it erroneously dismissed.

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