Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca8-05-01964/USCOURTS-ca8-05-01964-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Rhonda K. Peterson
Appellant
Transystems Corporation
Appellee

Document Text:

*

The Honorable Theodore McMillian died on January 18, 2006. This opinion

is being filed by the remaining judges of the panel pursuant to 8th Cir. Rule 47E. The

opinion is consistent with the views expressed by Judge McMillian at the conference

following oral argument.

United States Court of Appeals

FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT

___________

No. 05-1964

___________

Rhonda K. Peterson, *

*

Plaintiff - Appellant, *

* Appeal from the United States

v. * District Court for the

* Western District of Missouri.

TranSystems Corporation, *

* [UNPUBLISHED] 

Defendant - Appellee. *

___________

Submitted: January 12, 2006

Filed: May 3, 2006

___________

Before LOKEN, Chief Judge, McMILLIAN*

 and MELLOY, Circuit Judges.

___________

LOKEN, Chief Judge.

Following her termination while on maternity leave, Rhonda Peterson

commenced this action alleging, inter alia, that her former employer, TranSystems

Corporation, violated the Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”) by interfering

with her right to be restored to her prior position and by retaliating against her for

exercising her FMLA leave rights. See 29 U.S.C. §§ 2614(a)(1), 2615(a). Applying

Appellate Case: 05-1964 Page: 1 Date Filed: 05/03/2006 Entry ID: 2040305
1

The HONORABLE HOWARD F. SACHS, United States District Judge for the

Western District of Missouri.

-2-

the proper standard of review, the district court1

 granted summary judgment

dismissing the complaint. Peterson appeals the dismissal of her interference and

retaliation claims. We affirm.

Correctly anticipating this court’s interpretation of the FMLA in Throneberry

v. McGehee Desha County Hosp., 403 F.3d 972, 976-81 (8th Cir. 2005), the district

court dismissed Peterson’s interference claim on the ground that TranSystems had

presented overwhelming unrefuted evidence satisfying its burden to show that

Peterson was not reinstated to her position because of her poor job performance prior

to taking paid pregnancy leave and her attitude toward her work following a previous

demotion. The district court dismissed Peterson’s retaliation claim on the ground that

Peterson failed to show any causal connection between the termination and her

exercise of FMLA rights -- TranSystems presented strong evidence of legitimate nondiscriminatory reasons for the termination, and Peterson presented no evidence of

retaliatory motive beyond some temporal proximity between the leave and the

termination. See Kipp v. Missouri Highway & Transp. Comm’n, 280 F.3d 893, 896-

97 (8th Cir. 2002). 

Having carefully reviewed the summary judgment record de novo, we agree

with the district court’s thorough analysis. Accordingly, we affirm for the reasons

stated in the court’s Order dated March 17, 2005. See 8th Cir. R. 47B.

______________________________

Appellate Case: 05-1964 Page: 2 Date Filed: 05/03/2006 Entry ID: 2040305