T hi s di s pos i t i on i s not ap p ro p ri at e fo r p u b l i cat i on a nd i s notpr e c e de nt * e xc e pta s pr ovi de d by N i nth C i r c ui tR ul e 36- 3.

T he pa ne l una ni m ous l y c onc l ude s t hi s c a s e i s s u i t a b l e f o r d e c i s i on ** w ith o u t o r a l a r g u m e n t. See F ed. R
. A pp . P
. 34 (a )( 2).

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. P ro, U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ct Judg e for the D i stri ct ** * of N e va da , s i tt i ng by de s i gna t i on. 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

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DE C 22 2010 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U
. S. C O U R T OF APPE ALST he on l y st at em ent that com es cl ose t o a l l egi ng cr i m i nal ac t i vi ty i s G ra y’s 1 F ebruary20 06 l ett erw hi ch st at es “ F orgery i s acr i m e. ” B u tthi s s t at em entdo es nothi ng t o a l e r tM ot or ol a tha tG r a y be l i e ve d Motor ola’s fa il u re t o i nform the ot her p a r ty o f th e f o r g e ry w a s a v io la tio n o f a n y la w . 2 D ori s G ra y ( “ G ra y” ) app ea l s the sum m ary j ud gm entgranti n favor of M ot orol a, I nc . ( “ M ot or ol a ” ) on he rc l a i m s of r e t a l i a t i on i n vi ol a t i on of the A r i z ona E m pl oy m e nt P r o te c tio n A c t ( “A E P A ” ) a n d /o rA r i z o n a p u b lic p o lic y , a n d a g e d is c r im in a tio n in
v i o l a t i o n o f

th e A g e D i s c r i mi n a t i o n i n Emp l o y me n tA c t( “ A D EA ” )
. W e a f f i r m. T he di s tr i c tc our tdi d not erri n gr a nt i ng s um m a ry j udgm e ntt o M ot or ol a on G r a y ’s r e ta lia tio n c la im . A s th e d i s t r ic t c o u r t n o te d , G r a y ’s c o m p la in ts to M o to r o la
appe a r e d s e l f

- m ot i va t e d (e. g . , w ant i ng he rna m e of f the c ontr a c t , notw a nt i ng the in c id e n t t o h u r t h e rla te rin h e rc a r e e r , e tc .) , a n d s h e n e v e rs u f f ic ie n tly id e n tif

ie d to M ot or ol a a ba s i s f

orhe rbe l i e f

tha ti t s a ct i o n s w e r e unl a w f ul
. E ve n a s s um i ng s he 1
s ubj e c t i ve l y be l i e ve d M ot or ol a ha d s om e e thi c a l obl i ga t i on t o i m m e di a t e l y i nf or m the
c o n tr a c tin g p a r ty th a t a f o r g e ry h a d o c c u rr e d , s h e la c k e d a n o b je c tiv e , g o o d f

a ith be l i e f tha tM ot or ol a ’ s c onduc t vi ol a t e d the l a w . M ot or ol a w a s a c tua l l y the vi c t i m of the forgery , w hi ch re sul t ed i n con tra ctt erm s m ore f avorabl e t o a third p arty than M o to r o la w o u ld o r d in a r ily a c c e p t. T h e c o m p a n y ’s c o n d u c t i n n o t im m e d ia te ly i nf orm i n g tha tpa r ty w a s notunl a w f ul ore ve n une thi c a l , a s M ot or ol a pos s e s s e d a l egi t i m at e def

ense t o the cont ra ctand w as ent i t l ed t o exp l ore i t s opt i on s. M oreover,W e ne e d notr e s ol ve w he the r , unde r A ri z ona l a w , a c l a i m f orw r ongf

ul 2 te r m in a tio n in v io la tio n o f p u b lic p o lic y s u r v iv e s a f te rth e e n a c tm e n t o f th e A E P A , se e G alat iv. A m er i ca W

es t A i rl i nes, Inc. , 6 9 P
. 3 d 1 0 1 1 , 1 0 1 5 (A ri z. A p p . 2 0 0 3 ), b ecau se to th e e x te n t it d o e s , it w o u ld f a il f o rth e s a m e r e a s o n s G r a y ’s A E P A c la im f a ils , i.e ., thatshe has no ti dent i fi ed a pub l i c pol i cy thatM ot o ro la v iol at ed no r di d she ever s u f f ic ie n tly id e n tif

y o n e to h e re m p lo y e r .

3 G r a y a ls o a d m itte d in d e p o s itio n te s tim o n y th a t s h e h a d n o r e a s o n to b e lie v e M o to r o la h a d a n y in te n tio n o f

n o t p e r f o r m in g u n d e r th e c o n tr a c t, w h ic h M o to r o la e v e n tu a lly
ra t i fi ed and re-e xecut ed on the sa m e t erm s. T he di stri ctcourtcorr ec t l y c on cl ud ed that G ray co u l d n o test ab l i sh an act i o n u n d er th e A E P A o r an y v i t al p u b l i c p o l i cy i n t erest i m p l i cat ed b y h er co m p l ai n t s t o th e co m p an y. See A
. R .S . § 2 3 -1 50 1(3)(c )( i i ); 2 Murcot t v. B es t W es t ern Int ’l

, Inc. , 9 P
. 3d 10 88 , 10 95 -99 (A ri z. A pp . 20 00 ). N o r d id th e c o u rt er r in g ra n ti n g su m m ar y ju d g m en t t o M o to ro la o n G ra y’s A D E A cl ai m . U nd er the A D E A , G ra y h ad t o es t abl i sh a p ri m a faci e cas e thatage w as t h e “ b u t - f

o r ” c a u s e o f

h e rte r m in a tio n . G r os s v . F B L F i n. Se r vs . , I

nc ., 1 2 9 S . C t. 23 43 , 23 51 ( 20 09 )
. A l tho ug h G r a y i s i n the pr ot e c t e d c l a s s a nd w as part of a
w o r k f o r c e r e d u c tio n , th e c ir c u m s ta n c e s o f h e rte r m in a tio n s im p ly d o n o t g iv e r is e to
an i n f eren ce th atag e w as a fa ct or i n the deci si on , l etal on e the bu t -f or cause of her t e r m i na t i on. S he doe s notde ny tha tM ot or ol a t e r m i nat ed o t h e rG ove rnm e nt E n t erp ri se M o b i l i ty S o l u t i o n s (“ G E M S ”) at t o rn eys w o rk i n g i n si n g l e p erso n o ffi ces,M ot orol a al l ow ed tw o of these att orneys t o re l ocat e t o a nearby l ar ger off i ce 3 w here other G E M S att orneys w orked– on e f rom H anov er , M aryl and, t o the D
. C
. offi ce and o ne fr om A nahei m , C al i forni a, t o the S an D ieg o o ff ice. O f the tw o em pl oyee s w ho w e r e a l l o w ed t o r e l oc a t e , one w a s y ounge rtha n f or ty , one w a s not . A s the di s tr i c tc our tc onc l ude d, i ti s “ ha r d t o s e e how M ot or ol a ’ s f a i l ur e t o of

f e rP l a i nt i f

f the sa m e opp ortun i ty, i
. e. , to m o v e, atl ea stpart -t i m e, t o an o ff i ce thatcont ai ned m ore G E M S att orneys , const i tut es age di sc ri m i nat i on w hen i tw as offe re d t o b oth a youn ger em pl oyee and an em pl oyee i n P l ai nt i ff’ s prot ec t ed cl as s. ” 4 and canno tpo i ntt o any si m i l ar l y- si tuat ed youn ger perso n w h o w as tre at ed m ore fav o rab l y th an o th ers i n th e p ro t ect ed cl ass. 3 A FFI R M ED
.