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("$    ($$   1  ((' dxdP Pd'dxd<  9p`(Arial% Line 7 d,,,,7Border 1dd!#-C << G  !  #d#+  ""  +   YYY FILED+XOctober27,1997CecilW.CrowsonAppellateCourtClerk  PtPtHH(FG(HH(d'`Styl{WP}01  HH  2$HH  Geneva  <Px443!#4$*$$*$ KK  Geneva  Geneva .,6 Geneva   ion-F Geneva  ion-F Geneva ! . +   4   4     \RA'\  \RA'\7_XXdXXd7      @ INTHESUPREMECOURTOFTENNESSEE@ ATNASHVILLE̛̜       FORPUBLICATION TALMADGECARVER,etal.@ ) Filed: 򀀀October27,1997 @ ) PLAINTIFFS/RESPONDENTS,@ ) UnitedStatesDistrictCourt@ ) MiddleDistrictofTennessee,v.@ ) NortheasternDivision@ ) No.2:960048CITIZENUTILITIESCOMPANYd/b/a@ )CITIZENSTELECOMMUNICATIONS@ ) Hon.ThomasA.Wiseman,Jr.COMPANYOFTENNESSEE,@ ) UnitedStatesDistrictJudge@ ) DEFENDANT/PETITIONER.@ ) No.01S019609FD00183̜!R./-A1-j|py`  `@Rߛ̛̜FORPETITIONER:    FORRESPONDENTS:R.EddieWayland    RonaldC.KoksalM.KimVance    KnoxvilleJonathanG.Chance   JonEdwardJonesNashville     CookevilleFORAMICUSCURIAE,TENNESSEEMUNICIPALLEAGUERISKMANAGEMENT,THECITYOFKNOXVILLE,ANDKNOXVILLEMAYORVICTORASHE:PamelaL.ReevesKnoxville̜ HOLDER,J.@ OPINION  Thiscasecomestousonacertifiedquestionoflaw.Theplaintiffs,TalmadgeG.Carver,EverettL.Bolin,Jr.,EarleneG.Hart,andMelindaD.Robinson,filedsuitsintheUnitedStatesDistrictCourtfortheMiddleDistrictofTennesseeallegingviolationsoftheAgeDiscriminationandEmploymentAct(ADEA),theEmploymentRetirementIncomeSecurityAct(ERISA),andtheTennesseeHumanRightsAct(THRA).TheyseekpunitivedamagesundertheϜTHRA.Thedefendants,CitizensUtilitiesCompanyd/b/aCitizensTelecommunicationsCompanyofTennessee,filedmotionstodismisstheplaintiffs'claimsforpunitivedamages.Thedistrictcourthascertifiedthefollowingquestionforourresolution:whetherpunitivedamagesareavailableundertheTHRA?WeacceptedcertificationandholdthatpunitivedamagesareavailableundertheTHRAonlyforclaimsinvolvingdiscriminatoryhousingpracticesandmaliciousharassment. Theissuebeforeusispurelyamatterofstatutoryconstruction.ThecertifiedfactsrelevanttoouranalysisarethattherespondentsseekpunitivedamagesundertheTHRAforagediscrimination. TheTHRAisanantidiscriminationstatuteandiscodifiedatTenn.CodeAnn.421101to905(1991Repl.&1996Supp.).TheremediesforviolationsoftheTHRAareprovidedforinTenn.CodeAnn.421306&311.(1991Repl.&1996Supp.).Section421306embodiestheremediesthattheHumanRightsCommissionisauthorizedtoorder.Therelevantportionsof421306areasfollows:8 Affirmativeactionorderedunderthissectionmayinclude,butisnotlimitedto:8 ...8 (8)Suchotherremediesasshallbenecessaryandpropertoeliminateallofthediscriminationidentifiedbytheevidencesubmittedatthehearingorintherecord;Section421311setsforththeremediesavailabletoaclaimantelectingtopursueaTHRAclaimincourtandprovidesinpertinentpart:8 (a)Anypersoninjuredbyanyactinviolationoftheprovisionsofthischaptershallhaveacivilcauseofactioninchancerycourtorcircuitcourt.8 (b)Insuchanactionthecourtmayissueanypermanentortemporaryinjunction,temporaryrestrainingorder,oranyotherorderandmayawardtotheplaintiffactualdamagessustainedbysuchplaintiff,togetherwiththecostsofthelawsuit,includingareasonablefeefortheplaintiff'sattorneyofrecord,allofwhichshallbeinadditiontoanyotherremediescontainedinthischapter.8 (c)Incasesinvolvingdiscriminatoryhousingpractices,thecourtmayawardpunitivedamagestotheplaintiff,inadditiontotheotherreliefspecifiedinthissectionandthischapter.Inadditiontotheremediessetforthinthissection,allremediesdescribedin421306,exceptthecivilpenaltydescribedin421306(a)(9),shallbeavailableinanylawsuitfiledpursuanttothissection. Plaintiffsarguethatpunitivedamagesareavailableunderthe"catchall"provisioninTenn.CodeAnn.421306(8).Theymaintainthatpunitivedamagesare"necessaryandpropertoeliminatealldiscrimination."Thedefendants,however,assertthatthe"plainlanguageoftheTHRArestrictspunitivedamagestovictimsofhousingdiscrimination." Ourgoalistoadoptareasonableconstructionwhichavoidsstatutoryconflictandprovidesforharmoniousoperationofthelaws.Croninv.Howe,906S.W.2d910,912(Tenn.1996);Epsteinv.State,211Tenn.633,366S.W.2d914(1963).Statutesrelatingtothesamesubjectorsharingacommonpurposeshallbeconstruedtogether("inparimateria")inordertoadvancetheircommonpurposeorintent.Lyonsv.Rasar,872S.W.2d895,897(Tenn.1994). Punitivedamagesappeartobeimplicitlyavailableunder421306(8).When,however,421306(8)and421311(c)arereadinparimateria,theviabilityofpunitivedamagesunder421306(8)becomesquestionable.Thelegislaturehasexpresslyauthorizedpunitivedamagesin421311(c).Section421311(c),however,isapplicableonlyin"casesinvolvingdiscriminatoryhousingpractices."Moreover,421311(c)providesthatpunitivedamagesareavailable"[i]nadditionto...allremediesdescribedinϜ421306." Thelegislaturehasfurtherdemonstratedanabilitytoclearlyindicate,byexpresslanguage,whenpunitivedamagesareavailableundertheTHRA.BothTenn.CodeAnn.421311(c)and421312expresslyauthorizeawardsofpunitivedamagesincasesinvolvingdiscriminatoryhousingpractices.SeealsoTenn.CodeAnn.421701(1996Supp.)(statingexpresslythatpunitivedamagesareavailableformaliciousharassmentunderTHRA).Aruleofstatutoryconstructionisthatthementionofonesubjectinastatutemeanstheexclusionofothersubjectsthatarenotmentioned.Statev.Davis,940S.W.2d558,561(Tenn.1997);Mikev.PoGroup,Inc.,937S.W.2d790,794(Tenn.1996);Statev.Harkins,811S.W.2d79,82(Tenn.1991).Omissionsaresignificantwhenstatutesareexpressincertaincategoriesbutnotothers.Id. Wehaveread421306and421311inparimateriaandfindthatpunitivedamagesarenotavailableunder421306(8).Hadthelegislatureintendedpunitivedamagestobeavailablein421306(8),itwouldnothavereferredtopunitivedamagesasaremedyin"additionto"those"remediesdescribedin421306."WeholdthatpunitivedamagesundertheTHRAareavailableonlyincasesinvolvingdiscriminatoryhousingpracticesandmaliciousharassmentabsentexpressprovisionauthorizingpunitivedamagesinotherareas. TheclerkwilltransmitacopyofthisopinioninaccordancewithTenn.R.Supr.Ct.,Rule23(8).Thecostsinthiscourtshallbetaxedtotherespondents.&             JaniceM.Holder,Justice'  &  Concurring: Anderson,C.J.Drowota,Reid,andBirch,J.J.'  ԛ