T hi s di s pos i t i on i s notappr opr i a t e f orpubl i c a t i on a nd i s notpr e c e de nt * e xc e pta s pr ovi de d by9th C i r . R . 36- 3. NOT F OR P UB L I CAT I ON UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS FOR T HE NI NTH CI RC UI T J AME S S AV I NA , P la in tif

f - A p p e lla n t, v. R O B E R T R E I S E R & C O M P A N Y , I N C ., D ef

endant- A pp el l ee . N o. 09- 15065 D . C . N o . 2 : 0 7 -cv -0 0 7 4 9 -F JM ME MOR AN DU M *

A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt

f orthe D i s tr i c tof

A r i z ona F r e de r i c k J . M a rt one , D i s tr i c tJ udge , P r e s i di ng A r gue d a nd S ubm i tt e d J a nua ry11, 2010 S a n F r a n c is c o , C a lif

o rn ia B efo re: W A L L A C E , H U G an d C L IF T O N , C i rcu i tJu d g es. S a v in aap p e a ls f

r o m th e d is tr ic t c o u rt’s s u m m a ryju d g m e n t in f a v o ro f h is form erem pl oyer , R ob ertR ei se r & C om pany, Inc. (R ei se r) . T he di stri ctcourthad j ur i s di c t i on pur s ua ntt o 28 U . S . C . § 1331, a nd w e ha ve j ur i s di c t i on pur s ua ntt o 28 U . S . C . § 1291. W e r e vi e w the di s tr i c tc ourt ’ s s um m a ryj udgm e ntde novo, 

# FI LED JAN 26 2 010 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS2

U ni v e rs al H e al th Se rvs . , I

nc . v . T hom ps on , 36 3 F . 3d 10 13 , 10 19 (9th C i r. 20 04 ), and w e r ever se . I n th is a c tio n , S a v in aa lle g e s th a t h e w a s te rm in a te d o n a c c o u n t o f h is a g e , in 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 . § 621 et. seq ., an d an an alo g o u s A rizo n a s tatu te (A rizo n a A ct), A .R .S . § 4 1 -1 4 6 3 . “ W e e va l ua t e A D E A c l a i m s tha ta r e ba s e d on c i r c um s t a nt i a l e vi de nc e of di s c r i m i na t i on byus i ng the thr e e - s t a ge bur de n- s hi f t i ng f r a m e w ork l a i d outi n McD onne l l D ouglas C orp. v. G re en . ” D ia zv . E a g le P r o du c e L td. P ’s h ip , 52 1 F . 3d 12 01 , 12 07 (9th C i r. 2008) ( c i t a t i ons om i tt e d) . U nde rthi s f r a m e w ork, S a vi nam us tf i r s te s t abl i s h a p r im af a c ie c a s e o f

d is c r im in a tio n . I

d. “[ T ]h e b u r d e n th e n s h if ts to [ R e is e r ] to art i cul at e al egi t i m at e non di sc ri m i nat ory r ea son for i t s e m pl oym entdeci si on . ” W al l is v . J . R . Si m plot C o. , 2 6 F .3 d 8 8 5 , 8 8 9 ( 9 th C ir . 1 9 9 4 ) ( c ita tio n o m itte d ) .

“ T he n, i n or de rt o pr e va i l , [ S a vi na ] m us tde m ons tr a t e tha t[ R e i s e r ’ s ] a l l e ge d r e a s on 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 is ap r e te x t f o ra n o th e rm o tiv e w h ic h is di sc ri m i nat ory. ” I

d. T he di s tr i c tc ourta s s um e d, w i thoutde c i di ng, tha tS a vi naha d e s t abl i s he d a pr i m af a c i e c a s e . T he di s tr i c tc ourta l s o de t e rm i ne d tha tR e i s e rha d of f e r e d a l egi t i m at e, no nd i sc ri m i nat ory j ust i fi ca t i on for S avi na’ s t erm i nat i on . T he di stri ct3

c o u rt c o n c lu d e d , f

in a lly , th a t S a v in ah a d f a ile d to s h o w th a t R e is e r ’s s ta te d b a s is f o rh is te rm in a tio n w a s p r e te x tu a l a n d g r a n te d s u m m a ryju d g m e n t to R e is e r . T o survi ve sum m ary j ud gm enthere , S avi na m ust“ i ntrodu ce evi dence suff i ci entt o rai se a genui ne i ss ue of m at er i al fa ctas t o w hether the re as on s [ R ei se r] art i cul at ed ar e pre t ext s f or age di sc ri m i nat i on . ” C ole m an v . Q uake rO at s C o. , 232 F . 3d 12 71 , 12 82 (9th C i r. 20 00 ). S avi na m aym ee tthi s burden ei ther

“ ( 1) i ndi r e c t l y , bys how i ng tha tthe e m pl oy e r ’ s pr of f e r e d e xpl a na t i on i s ‘ unw orthy of c r e de nc e ’ be c aus e i ti s i nt e rna l l yi nc ons i s t e ntorothe rw i s e notbe l i e vabl e , or ( 2) di r e c t l y , bys how i ng tha tunl a w f ul di s c r i m i na t i on m or e l i ke l ym ot i va t e d the em pl oyer . ” Ch u a n gv . U n iv . o f Ca l. D a v is , 225 F . 3d 1115, 1127 ( 9th C i r . 2000) (c i t at i on om i tt ed). B ec ause S avi na has produ ce d evi dence w hi ch coul d sho w that R e i s e r ’ s pr of

f e r e d e xpl a na t i on f

orhi s t e rm i na t i on l a c ks c r e di bi l i ty , w e r e ve r s e a nd r e m a n d . S avi na had b ee n em pl oyed as a s al es m an by R ei se r f or nearl y 10 years w hen he w a s t e rm i na t e d. R e i s e rs t a t e s tha ti tt e rm i na t e d S a vi nabe c aus e of poor pe r f orm a nc e . W he n S a vi naw a s t e rm i na t e d i n A pr i l 2006, how e ve r , he ha d m a de o v e r$ 1 .3 m illio n in s a le s d u r in g th e p r e v io u s 1 0 m o n th s a n d w a s o n tr a c kto ac hi eve one of the bestannu al sa l es perf orm ance s of hi s t enure w i th R ei se r.4

I n r e s pons e t o thi s e vi de nc e de m ons tr a t i ng tha tS a vi naw a s pe r f orm i ng co m p eten tl y a s a sa lesm an , R eise r p o in ts to altern ativ e m ea su re s o f S av in a’s pe r f orm a nc e : apa nopl yof

c om pl a i nt s r e ga r di ng S a vi na ’ s w ork. T he s e c onc e rns i n c l u d e d th a tSa v i n aw a s n o tr e s p o n s i b l e f o rma n yo f

th e s a l e s a ttr i b u t e d t o h i m, th a t h e f a ile d to r e a liz e th e s a le s p o te n tia l o f h is te rr ito ry , a n d th a t h e f a ile d to s e ll a v a r ie tyo f

R e is e r ’s p r o d u c ts . S a v in ad is p u te s R e is e r ’s lau n d rylis t o f a c c u s a tio n s . S a vi nar e l i e s notonl yon hi s ow n de t a i l e d t e s t i m ony , buta l s o on the de c l a r a t i ons of se vera l form ercust om er s and a f orm erco-w orker. In sum , there ar e s ever al g en u in e d isp u tes o f m ater ial fac t relatin g to R eise r’s c o m p lain ts ab o u t S av in a’s pe r f orm a nc e . T he s e di s put e s of f a c ts how tha tR e i s e r ’ s pr of f e r e d j us t i f

i c a t i on f or S a v in a ’s te rm in a tio n m a yb e p r e te x tu a l a n d th e s e d is p u te s o f f a c t a r e s u f

f ic ie n t to prec l ud e s um m ary j ud gm enti n favor of R ei se r. RE V E RS E D A ND RE MAND E D.