FI LED U. S . COURT OF AP PE ALS E L E V E N T H C IR C U IT A ugus t 23, 2006 T HOM AS K. KAHN CL E RK [ DO NO T P UB L I S H] I N THE UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS F O R T H E E L E V E N T H C IR C U IT

________________________ N o. 06- 11161 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ D . C. D o c k e tN o . 0 4 - 0 1 4 1 5 - CV - O RL- 2 8 - K RS G A R Y L . M O C K , P la in tif f - A p p e lla n t, v ersu s B E L L H E L I C O P T E R T E X T R O N , I N C ., D e f e n d a n t- A p p e lle e .

________________________ A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f orthe M i ddl e D i s tr i c tof F l or i da

_________________________ ( A u gu s t 23, 2006) B efo re T JO F L A T , B L A C K an d B A R K E T T , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M: T hi s i s an age-di sc ri m i nat i on -i n-em pl oym entca se . G ary M ock cl ai m s thatSee McD onnell Doug las Corp. v. Gre en, 411 U.S. 792, 93 S.Ct. 1817 (1973). 1 2 B e ll H e lic o p te rT e x tr o n , I n c . ( “B e ll” ) te rm in a te d h is e m p lo y m e n t o n a c c o u n t o f h is a ge i n vi ol a t i on of

the A ge D i s c r i m i na t i on i n E m pl oy m e ntA c t( “ A D E A ” ) , 29 U . S . C . § 6 23 . T he di stri ctcourtgrant ed B el l sum m ary j ud gm ent , and M ock ap p ea ls. H e c o n ten d s th at m ater ial i ss u es o f f ac t ex ist as to w h eth erB ell’ s l e gi t i m a t e , nondi s c r i m i na t ory r e a s on f orhi s t e rm i na t i on w a s apr e t e xtf ora ge d is c r im in a tio n . In addres si ng B el l ’ s m ot i on for s um m ary j ud gm ent , the di stri ctcourt pr ope r l y c ons i de r e d the e vi de nc e unde rthe M c D onne l l D ougl a s f r a m e w ork 1 b e c au s e M o c kw a s a tte m p tin g to e s tab lis h h is c la im w ith c ir c u m s ta n tia l e v id e n c e . W here , as i n thi s c as e, the pl ai nt i ff es t abl i shes a pri m a f

ac i e c as e, w hi ch m ea ns that the pl ai nt i ff

has c re at ed a pres um pt i on of un l aw ful di sc ri m i nat i on , the em pl oyer m ustre spon d w i th a l egi t i m at e, no nd i sc ri m i nat ory r ea son for the chal l enged em pl oym entdeci si on . C hapm an v. A I T ranspo rt , 22 9 F . 3d 10 12 , 10 24 (11th C i r. 20 00 ). If

the defendantso re spon ds, the pres um pt i on of di sc ri m i nat i on col l apse s and, t o avo i d d i sm i ss al of hi s c l ai m , the pl ai nt i ff m ustcom e f

orw ar d w i th evi dence (w hi ch, of course , i ncl ud es the evi dence thates t abl i shed the pri m a f ac i e c as e) suff i ci entt o p erm i ta r ea sonabl e tri erof fa ctt o fi nd thatthe re as on the em pl oyer g a v e w a s n o t th e r e a l r e a s o n f o rth e a d v e r s e e m p lo y m e n t d e c is io n , b u t, in s te a d ,3

w as a pre t extfor di sc ri m i nat i on , i . e. , w as “ a c ov erup for a. . . di sc ri m i nat ory deci si on . ” R oj as v. F l ori da, 28 5 F . 3d 13 39 , 13 42 (11th C i r. 20 02 ). If the pl ai nt i ff f a ils to d o th is , th e e m p lo y e ris e n title d to s u m m a ry ju d g m e n t. W e a r e s a t i s f

i e d tha tM oc k pr e s e nt e d s uf f i c i e nte vi de nc e t o c r e a t e age nui ne i s s ue of m a t e r i a l f

a c ta s t o w he the rB e l l ’ s r e a s on f orhi s t e rm i na t i on w a s apr e t e xt f ora ge di s c r i m i na t i on. T he r e i s adi s put e a s t o w he n B e l l i nf orm e d M oc k of

the r e a s on f orhi s t e rm i na t i on. A tthe t i m e B e l l i nf orm e d hi m tha the w a s be i ng f i r e d, he i nsi st ed thati tgi ve hi m the re as on for i t s dec i si on . B el l re fuse d t o d o that . It w a s notunt i l l a t e r , i n al e tt e r , tha ti tt ol d hi m tha the ha d be e n t e rm i na t e d f or u n a c c e p tab le p e r f

o rm a n c e . I n lig h t o f

B e ll’s r e f

u s a l to te ll M o c k–a t th e tim e it f ir e d h im –w h y h is e m p lo y m e n t h a d c o m e to a n e n d , atr ie ro f f a c t r e a s o n ab ly c oul d f i nd tha tthe l e tt e rc ons t i tut e d apr e t e xtf ordi s c r i m i na t i on. I n s u m , w e a g r e e w ith M o c kth a t ag e n u in e is s u e o f f a c t r e m a in s a s to w he the rB e l l ’ s a nnounc e d r e a s on f orhi s t e rm i na t i on w a s apr e t e xtf or di sc ri m i nat i on . S um m ary j ud gm entw as there fore i napp ropri at e. VA C AT E D an d R E MAND E D.