Case: Dent v. St. Louis- San Francisco Railway Company

2:66-cv-00065 | U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama

Filed Date: Feb. 7, 1966

Clearinghouse coding complete

Case Summary

This case predates PACER, so we do not have a docket or many of the documents. Information from the case was found in reported court opinions and in the briefs uploaded below, which were donated to the Clearinghouse as part of the papers of Owen Fiss and Reuben Ortenberg.On September 10, 1965, an African-American employee filed a complaint with the EEOC alleging that his former railroad employer and railroad carmen union were violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Specifically, th…

This case predates PACER, so we do not have a docket or many of the documents. Information from the case was found in reported court opinions and in the briefs uploaded below, which were donated to the Clearinghouse as part of the papers of Owen Fiss and Reuben Ortenberg.

On September 10, 1965, an African-American employee filed a complaint with the EEOC alleging that his former railroad employer and railroad carmen union were violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Specifically, the complaint alleged that the railroad company had terminated the employment of the plaintiff and other African Americans on account of race, eliminated job classifications in which they were employed, excluded them from employment in other job classifications, and maintained racially segregated facilities, and that the railroad union maintained racially segregated local unions. The EEOC issued a decision in December 1965, finding that there was reasonable cause to believe the railroad company and union were violating Title VII. Because of the large number of complaints filed with the EEOC during the early months of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the EEOC had not been able to undertake formal conciliation efforts on this case and the railroad company and union did not achieve voluntary compliance. (Summarized in 406 F.2d 399). On February 7, 1966, the plaintiff filed this class action lawsuit against his former railway employer and union in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. He was represented by civil rights attorneys Oscar W. Addams, Jr., Jack Greenberg, and Leroy Clark (lawyers affiliated with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund). He sought injunctive relief to enjoin the defendants from continuing their practices which deprived the plaintiff and other similarly situated employees of equal employment opportunities.

In March and April 1966, the defendants each filed motions to dismiss, arguing that the plaintiff failed to exhaust administrative and contractual remedies, that the action was barred by the statute of limitations, and that the action was barred because the EEOC failed to complete "methods of conference, conciliation, and persuasion" within the time prescribed by Section 706 of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. (Memorandum in Opposition to Defendants' Motion to Dismiss). The EEOC then filed a motion to intervene to present its views on the motions to dismiss and the court granted its motion to intervene. On March 10, 1967, Chief Judge Seybourn H. Lynne dismissed the case, holding that EEOC conciliation was a jurisdictional prerequisite to filing a civil action under Title VII, and in this instance, formal conciliation efforts did not occur. 265 F. Supp. 56. The plaintiffs appealed. The Court of Appeals consolidated the appeal with Hyler v. Reynolds Metal Company (Case No. 24789), Muldrow v. H. K. Porter Company (Case No. 24811), Pearson v. Alabama By-Products (Case No. 24812), and Pettway v. American Cast Iron Pipe Company (Case No. 24813). On January 8, 1969, the Fifth Circuit reversed and remanded, holding that conciliation was not a jurisdictional prerequisite to filing a civil action under Title VII and that the action could be maintained even though the EEOC had not engaged in conciliation. (Circuit Judge James P. Coleman). 406 F.2d 399.

We do not know the outcome of the case on remand or the history of the case beyond this summary. Presumably, the case has been closed for many years.

Summary Authors

Emily Kempa (6/17/2019)

People


Judge(s)

Coleman, James Plemon (Louisiana)

Attorney for Plaintiff

Cashdan, David R. (District of Columbia)

Doar, John (District of Columbia)

Holbert, Kenneth F. (District of Columbia)

Expert/Monitor/Master/Other

Choppin, Gerald P. (District of Columbia)

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Documents in the Clearinghouse

Document

2:66-cv-00065

Memorandum in Opposition to Defendants' Motion to Dismiss

Aug. 21, 1966

Aug. 21, 1966

Pleading / Motion / Brief

2:66-cv-00065

Opinion

March 10, 1967

March 10, 1967

Order/Opinion

265 F.Supp. 265

24810

24813

Brief for the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

Aug. 18, 1967

Aug. 18, 1967

Pleading / Motion / Brief

2:66-cv-00065

Opinion

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

Jan. 8, 1969

Jan. 8, 1969

Order/Opinion

406 F.2d 406

Docket

Last updated Feb. 23, 2024, 4:23 a.m.

Docket sheet not available via the Clearinghouse.

Case Details

State / Territory: Alabama

Case Type(s):

Equal Employment

Special Collection(s):

Civil Rights Division Archival Collection

Key Dates

Filing Date: Feb. 7, 1966

Case Ongoing: No reason to think so

Plaintiffs

Plaintiff Description:

Former African American employee of railway company

Plaintiff Type(s):

Private Plaintiff

Attorney Organizations:

NAACP Legal Defense Fund

Public Interest Lawyer: Yes

Filed Pro Se: No

Class Action Sought: No

Class Action Outcome: Not sought

Defendants

St. Louis-San Francisco Railway Company, Private Entity/Person

Brotherhood of Railway Carmen of America, Union

Case Details

Causes of Action:

Title VII (including PDA), 42 U.S.C. § 2000e

Available Documents:

Any published opinion

Outcome

Prevailing Party: Unknown

Nature of Relief:

Unknown

Source of Relief:

Unknown

Issues

General:

Pattern or Practice

Discrimination-area:

Hiring

Other Conditions of Employment (including assignment, transfer, hours, working conditions, etc)

Promotion

Discrimination-basis:

Race discrimination

Race:

Black

EEOC-centric:

EEOC Intervened in Private Suit