# U ni te d S ta te s Co ur t of A pp ea ls For the Eig hth Circu it

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__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ _ Ro dn ey F. Jac ks on

ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll l Pla in ti

ff - App el la nt

v.

Sco tt Green ; Kat hl een Pet rie ; Kei th Pet rie ; KPTOO, In c.

ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll l Defe nd

an ts - App el le es

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Uni te d S ta te s Di st ric t Co ur t fo r th e Nor th ern Dis tri ct of I owa - Sio ux Cit y

__ __ __ __ __ __ Su bm it te d: Apri l 1 6, 2 01 3 Fi le d: Apri l 2 4, 2 01 3 [Un pu bl is he d]

__ __ __ __ __ __ Befo re BYE, ARNOLD, and SHEPHERD, Circ ui t J ud ge s.

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PER CURI AM.R o d n e y Ja ck so n ap pe al s th e di st ric t co ur t’s ad ve rs e gr an t of su m m ar y 1 jud gm en t in hi s em

pl oym en t act io n. Ja ck so n, an Afri can Am e r i c a n , as se rte d th at de fen da nt s ret al ia te d ag ai ns t hi m an d te rm in at ed hi s em pl oym en t in vi ol at io n of Tit le VII. Afte r care fu l co ns id erat io n, we ho ld th at su m m ary jud gm en t was pr op er. See Glas co ck v. Lin n Cn ty. Em erg en cy Med ., PC, 69 8 F.3 d 69 5, 69 7 (8 th Ci r. 20 12 ) (d e

no vo st an da rd of rev ie w). Fi rs t, we co nc lu de th at th e ret al ia ti on cl ai m fai le d, as Ja ck so n di d no t sh ow th at he en ga ge d in pr ot ect ed act iv it y : al th ou gh hi s wor k ho ur s

were red uc ed aft er he rep or te d ha ras sm en t by co wor ke rs who were whi te , th e reco rd do es no t refl ect th at he co m m un ic at ed to hi s su pe rio rs fact s in di cat in g th e ha ras sm en t

was race ba se d. See Gui m arae s v. Su pe rVal u, In c., 67 4 F.3 d 96 2, 97 8 (8 th Ci r. 20 12 ) (p rima faci e cas e of Tit le VII ret al ia ti on re q u i r e s sh owi ng th at pl ai nt iff en ga ge d in
pr ot ect ed act iv it y an d s uf fere d a dv ers e em

pl oym en t ac ti on th at was c au sa ll y li nk ed
to th e p r ot ect ed act iv it y ; to be pr ot ect ed act iv it y , pl ai nt iff ’s co m pl ai nt to em

pl oyer

m us t in cl ud e su ffi ci en t fact s to rai se in fere nc e of , fo r ex am pl e, race di sc riminat io n)

.

Seco nd , ev en if Ja ck so n as se rte d a pr im a faci e cas e on hi s race -d is cri m in at io n cl ai m , se e Twy m on v

. W el ls Farg o & Co ., 46 2 F.3 d 92 5, 93 4- 35 (8 th Ci r. 20 06 ) (d es cri bi ng fram ewo rk of McDo nn el l Dou gl as Co rp

. v. Green , 41 1 U.S. 79 2 (1 97 3) ), de fen da nt s pr of

fere d a le gi ti m at e, no nd is cri m in at or y reas on fo r Ja ck so n’s di sc ha rg e: hi s m an ag er be li ev ed he ha d ab an do ne d hi s job whe n he di d no t sh ow up at wor k as

s h e ex pe ct ed an d di d no t cal l fo r al m os t a m on th , se e Jo ne s v. Uni te d Parc el Serv

. , In c., 46 1 F.3 d 98 2, 99 1- 92 (8 th Ci r. 20 06 ) (job ab an do nm en t is le gi ti m at e reas on fo r te rm in at in g em

pl oyee). W e co nc lu de th at th e ev id en ce, whe n ta ke n in th e li gh t m os t fav or ab le to Ja ck so n, rev eal s no tri ab le is su e of fact as to whe th er th e pr of f e r e d

reas on was a pr et ex t fo r race di sc riminat io n. See Twy m on , 46 2 F.3 d at 93 5 (to sh ow

The Hon or ab le Leo na rd T. St ran d, Uni te d St at es Mag is tra te Ju dg e fo r th e 1 Nor th ern Dis tri ct of Io wa, to who m th e cas e w a s r e f e r red fo r fin al di sp os it io n by

co ns en t o f th e p art ie s p ur su an t t o 2 8 U.S.C. § 63 6( c).

-2

-pr et ex t, pl ai nt iff m us t bo th di sc red it em

pl oyer’s pr of

fere d reas on fo r te rm in at io n an d sh ow ci rcu m st an ces pe rm it ti ng reas on ab le in fere nc e th at real reas on was ra ce).

Acco rd in gl y , we affi rm th e jud gm en t of th e di st ric t co ur t. See 8t h Ci r. R. 47 B. W e d en y Jac ks on ’s pen di ng m ot io n.

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