FILED U.S. COURT OF AP P EALS E LEVEN T HC IRC U IT DECEMBER 14, 2006 THOMAS K. KAH

N CLERK [ 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- 13615 N on -A rgum entC al endar

________________________ D . C . D ocketN o. 05 -002 36 -C V -W -E J A N I C E B R O W N , P la in tif f - A p p e lla n t, v ersu s C I T Y O F O P E L I K A , A L , 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 o rth e M i d d l e D i s tr i c to f A l ab a ma

_________________________ ( D e c e m b e r 14, 2006) B efo re T JO F L A T , B L A C K an d M A R C U S , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M: I n thi s c a s e , the di s tr i c tc our tgr a nt e d the C i ty of O pe l i kas um m a ry j udgm e nt o n J a n i c e Br o w n ’ s c l a i m u n d e rTi t l e V I I o f th e Ci v i l Ri g h t s A c to f 1 9 6 4 , 4 2 U . S. C.J aniceBrown is an African America n woman. In addition to assertinga claim under 1 Title VII , she sought relief f or the alleg ed retaliation under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. The district cour t denied her § 1983 claim on the theor y that Title VIIprovides the sole relief f or a c laim of retaliation. Brown doe s not challeng e that rulingin her a ppeal; wethere foredo not consider it. 2 § 2 0 0 0 e - 3 ( a ) , th a t th e C ity r e ta lia te d a g a in s t h e r , i.e ., te rm in a te d h e re m p lo y m e n t, be c aus e s he ha d m a de ac om pl a i ntof r a c i a l di s c r i m i na t i on, a c t i vi ty pr ot e c t e d by T itle V I I . T h e d is tr ic t c o u r t ru le d a g a in s t B r o w n o n th e g r o u n d th a t s h e f a ile d to 1 es t abl i sh the fi rs tpron g a pri m a f ac i e c as e f

or re t al i at i on . S he no w appeal s that ru lin g . T h e c o u r t’s ru lin g ap p e a r s in its o r d e ro f M a y 3 0 , 2 0 0 6 , a t p a g e s 5 - 8 . W e f in d n o e rr o rin th e ru lin g a n d th e r e f o r e a f f irm th e c o u r t’s ju d g m e n t.

“ [T ] o est abl i sh a pri m a f ac i e c as e of r et al i at i on un der T i t l e V II , a pl ai nt i ff m us tpr ove the f

ol l ow i ng e l e m e nt s : ( 1) s he pa r t i c i pa t e d i n a n a c t i vi ty pr ot e c t e d by T i t l e V II ; (2) s he suff

er ed an adverse em pl oym entac t i on ; and (3) there i s acausal co n n ect i o n b etw een th e p art i ci p at i o n i n th e p ro t ect ed act i v i ty an d th e ad v erse e m p lo y m e n t d e c is io n .” G u p tav . F lo r id aB d . o f R e g e n ts , 2 1 2 F .3 d 5 7 1 , 5 8 7 ( 1 1 th C i r . 2000) . A pl a i nt i f

f c a n s how pa r t i c i pa t i on i n apr ot e c t e d a c t i vi ty by dem on stra t i ng thatshe had a s ubj ec t i ve, go od -f ai th b el i ef

thather e m pl oyerw as e n g a g e d in u n la w f

u l e m p lo y m e n t p r a c tic e s a n d th a t h e rb e lie f w a s o b je c tiv e ly r e a s o n ab le in lig h t o f

th e f a c ts a n d r e c o r d p r e s e n te d . L ittle v . U n ite d T e c h s ., C arri erT ra nsi col d D i v. , 10 3 F . 3d 95 6, 96 0 (11 th C i r. 19 97 ).3

“ T o e s t abl i s h ac aus a l c onne c t i on, apl a i nt i f f m us ts how tha tthe de c i s i onm a ke r s w e r e a w a r e of

the pr ot e c t e d c onduc t , a nd tha tthe pr ot e c t e d a c t i vi ty a nd the advers e a ct i on w er e notw ho l l y unrel at ed. ” G up t a, 21 2 F . 3d at59 0 (i nt ernal c i t a t i on om i tt e d) . “ D i s c r i m i na t i on i s abouta c tua l know l e dge , a nd r e a l i nt e nt , not c ons truc t i ve know l e dge a nd a s s um e d i nt e nt . W he n e va l ua t i ng ac ha r ge of e m pl oy m e ntdi s c r i m i na t i on, the n, w e m us tf oc us on the a c tua l know l e dge a nd a c t i ons of

the de c i s i on- m a ke r . ” W a l ke rv. P rude nt i a l P r op. & C a s . I ns . C o. , 286 F .3 d 1 2 7 0 , 1 2 7 4 ( 1 1 th C ir . 2 0 0 2 ) ( in te rn a l c ita tio n s o m itte d ) . O n c e ap r im af

a c ie c a s e is e s tab lis h e d , th e b u r d e n s h if ts to th e d e f

e n d a n t to reb u tth e p resu m p t i o n o f ret al i at i o n b y p ro d u ci n g l eg i t i m at e reaso n s fo r th e ad v erse e m pl oy m e nta c t i on. S ul l i va n v. N a t ’ l R . R . P a s s e nge rC orp. , 170 F . 3d 1056, 1059 ( 11th C i r . 1999) . I f

the de f e nda ntof

f e r s l e gi t i m a t e r e a s ons , the pr e s um pt i on of re tali atio n d isap p ea rs . Id . T h e p lain ti ff m u st th en sh o w th at th e e m p lo ye r’s pr of f e r e d r e a s ons f

ort a ki ng the a dve r s e a c t i on w e r e a c tua l l y apr e t e xtf or p r o h ib ite d r e ta lia to ry c o n d u c t. I d . W e a f f i rm the di s tr i c tc our t ’ s j udgm e ntbe c aus e , a s the c our tc orr e c t l y not e d, the r e c or d c ont a i ne d no e vi de nc e tha tB r ow n e nga ge d i n apr ot e c t e d a c t i vi ty by m aki ng a c om pl ai ntabou tra ci al di sc ri m i nat i on or hara ss m ent . B row n adm i tt ed th at sh e n ev erm en ti o n ed th e w o rd “rac e” w h en sh e c o m p lain ed ab o u t K irb y’s4

behavi or, thatshe had no kn ow l edge of K i rby m aki ng any r ac i al l y der og at ory c o m m e n ts , a n dth a t K irb y to o ko u t h e ra n g e ro n e v e ry o n e , in c lu d in g th e w h ite o ffi ce assi st an t . M o reo v er, B ro w n d i d n o ten g ag e i n a p ro t ect ed act i v i ty b ecau se s he ne ve rvoi c e d ac om pl a i nttha tthe C i ty w a s e nga ge d i n a n unl a w f ul em pl oym entprac t i ce . E ven i f B row n h ad a s ubj ec t i ve bel i ef thatK i rby w as ha r a s s i ng a nd di s c r i m i na t i ng a ga i ns the ron the ba s i s of r a c e , thi s be l i e f

w a s not o b j e c t i v e l y r e a s o n ab l e i n l i g h to f th e f a c t s p r e s e n t e d . S p e c i f

i c a l l y , B r o wn conceded thatK i rby t oo k o uther a ng eron everyone, i ncl ud i ng the w hi t e off i ce a s s i s t a n t . T o th e e x t e n tth a tth e o f f i c e a s s i s t a n twa s tr e a t e d d i f f e r e n t l y , B r o wn c o n c e d e d th a t th e a s s is ta n t h a d d if f e r e n t r e s p o n s ib ilitie s th a n h e r s . AF F I RME D.