T hi s orderand j udgm enti s notbinding prece dentexceptunderthe doctrines of * law o f th e c a s e , res ju dica ta and col l aterales toppel . T he courtgeneral lydi s favor s the citati on of order s and j udgm ent s ; neverthel es s , an orderand j udgm entm aybe cited under the term s and conditi ons of 10th C ir . R . 36. 3. 

## F I LED United States C ourt of Appeals Tenth Circuit 

### N ove m b e r28,2006 Elisab eth A. Shumaker C l erk of C ourt UNI TED S TATES CO URT O F AP PEALS

T E N T H C IR C U IT J OH N V I GI L, P lain tiff-A p p e llan t, v. CI TY O F ALBU QU ERQ UE; S A N D R A D O Y L E , ind iv id u a llya n d in h e ro ffi c i a l c a p a c i t y, D efen dan t s- A pp el l ees. N o. 05- 2301 (D . N .M .) ( D . Ct . N o. CI V - 04 - 72 6 LFG / RH S)

ORDE R AND J UDGM EN T * B efor e M UR P HY , C ir c u it J u d g e , BROR BY , Seni orC i r cui tJ udge, and TY M KOVI CH , C i r cui tJ udge.

A p p ell an t Joh n V igil ap p ea ls th e d istri ct co u rt ’s gra n t of su m m ary j udgm enti n favorof A ppel l ee, t he C i t yof A l buquer que ( “t he C i t y ”) on di s cr i m i nat i on cl ai m s ar i s i ng underT i t l e V I I of t he C i vi l R i ght s A ctof 1964, as amended, 42 U . S. C . §§ 2000e t o 2000h- 6, as w el l as cl ai m s fi l ed pur s uantt o t he C i t y ’ s M er i tSy s t em O r di nance and Per s onnel R ul es and R egul at i ons forbr eac h ofInh i s c o mp l a int , M r . Vi g i la l s o a l l e g e dd i s c rimin ati o nc o n c e rn in gth e s ame 1 P urc h a sin gO f

f ice r p o sitio nw h ichin2 0 0 2 w a s aw ard e dto an o th e r m a le c an d id ate prom oted overM r . V i gi l ; eventual ly , the pos iti on opened up again, l eading to the ins tant d i s c rimin ati o nd i s p ute inwh i c hM r . Vi g i la g a inun s u c c e s s f u l lyap p l i e df

o rth e s ame p o sitio naye ar laterin2 0 0 3 . B e c au se h e d o e s n o t ap p e a l th e 2 0 0 2 c laim , w e a d dre ss o n ly h is c laimc o n c e rn in gth e 2 0 0 3 aw ardo f th e sam e p o sitio nto an o n -H isp an ic, f e m a le c an d id ate . M r . V i gi ldi d notfurni s h a copyof hi s depos iti on, the af fi davitof M s . M ontoya, 2 the compl aint , oranyexce rpt s therefromas partof the record on appeal . W e remind couns elthatiti s the appe l l ant ’ s respons ibi l ityto provi de usw ith a properrecord on appeal , and i f the appe l l ant ’ s appendix i s ins uffi ci entto perm itas s es s m entof cl aim s of e rr o r, w e mu s t a f

f irm . See Scott

v. Hern , 216 F. 3d 897, 912 ( 10th C ir . 2000) ; R iosv. B igler , 6 7 F . 3 d1 5 4 3 , 1 5 5 3 (10 th C ir . 1 9 9 5 ) (citingF ed . R . A p p . P . 1 0 (b)(2 )). H o w ev er, inth is c a se , b e c au se th e d istric t co urt' s o p in io nan do th e r p lea d in g s s u f f icie ntly -2- c o n tr a c t a n d g o o d fa ith a n d fa ir d e a lin g a n d th e N e w M e x ic o H u m a n R ig h ts A c t. T he crux of M r . V i gi l ’ s ci vi l r i ght s di s cr i m i nat i on s ui tcent er s on hi s cl ai m of di s par at e t r eatm enton t he bas i s of gende rand r ace ornat i onal or i gi n w hen t he C i t ypas s ed hi m overfora pos i t i on i n favorof a non- m i nor i t yfemal e empl oy ee. 1 W e e x e rc ise d isc re tio n u n d e r 2 8 U .S .C . § 1 2 9 1 a n d a ffirm su m m a ryju d g m e n t in favo r of t he D efen dan t s- A pp el l ees.

I . Factual B ackgr ound T h e d istri ct co u rtb ase d it s su m m aryjud g m en t determ ination o n M r. V igil ’s aff i davi t , depos i t i on and at t achment s ; Sandr a D oy l e’ s aff i davi t , s uppl ement al affidavi tand at t achm ents ; and JudyM on t oy a’s affidavi tand at t achm ents , cons t r ui ng t hem i n t he l i ghtm os tfavor abl e t o M r . V i gi l as t he par t yoppos i ng s um m ar yj udgm ent . M anyof t he r el evantfac t s ar e mai nl yundi s put ed, w i t h t he 2characteri ze orrefe rencethe content s of thos e document s , w e can procee d to as s es s the

m e rits o f M r. V ig il’s ap p e a l. Pri orto w orking as an InternalServi cesSupervi s or , M r . V i gi lw asa s eni orbuyer 3 for the C ityfor six yearsanddid purchasing for the C ityw arehou se; befo re that, he w as a w arehou sem an fo r tw o yearsw here he drove, l oad ed truck s, fi l l ed o rder s, andw as a m e mb e r o f

c e rt a inc o m m itte e s . -3- e x c e p tio n o f

c e rta in fa c ts w h ich th e d istric t co u rt e ith e r fo u n d im m a ter ial to its su m m aryjud g m en t determ ination o r w h ich M r. V igil g en era ll yall eg ed , b u t are n o t s u p p o rt e d in th e re c o rd , a s a d d re s s e d h e re a f te r.

T o begi n, M r . V i gi l i s a H i s pani c mal e w ho, att he t i m e i n ques t i on, w or ked fo r th e C ity a s a n In ter n a l S e rv ice s S u p e rv iso r. T h e In ter n a l S e rv ice s S e c tio n is 3 a par tof t he Pur chas i ng D i vi s i on and pr ovi des m at er i al s m anage m enti n addi t i on t o pr ocur ement and pur chas i ng funct i ons . M r . V i gi l ’ s j ob i ncl uded management of the Int ernal S ervi ces Sec t i on , i ncludi ng t he w arehou se; acqu i si t i on of b i ds, g o o d s a n d se rv ice s fo r su p p lyd istrib u tio n ; an d o v e rse e in g th e b u d g e t. In h is pos i t i on as I nt er nal Ser vi ces Super vi s or , M r . V i gi l w as r es pons i bl e fora $1 m ill io n b u d g e t; $ 1 .5 m ill io n in w a re h o u se in v e n to ry ; an d $ 5 m ill io n in pr ocur ement cont r act s , i ncl udi ng pr i nt i ng and copy i ng cont r act s and al l r ol l i ng s to c k s u c h a s fo rk lif

ts , v e h ic le s , e q u ip m e n t, fix tu re s , a n d fa c iliti e s .
W hi l e anothercomponent of M r . V i gi l ’ s j ob i ncl uded management of t he O ffi ce Servi ces Sect i on l ocat ed atC i t yH al l , he s pentt he maj or i t yof hi s t i m e at-4-

t he C i t yw ar ehous e – a s i t e fa rr emoved fr om C i t yH al l . M anage m entof t he O ffice S e rv ice s S e c tio n a c c o u n ted fo r a p p ro x im a telytw e n typ e rc e n t o f h is as s i gned dut i es , w hi ch i ncl uded a w eekl ym eet i ng and t i m e conduc t i ng s t aff t r ai ni ng and i m pl ement i ng new pr oces s es . O n occa s i on, i n t he abs ence of t he Pur chas i ng O ffi cer , M r . V i gi l al s o s er ved as A ct i ng Pur chas i ng O ffi cer , w hi ch gave hi m “D el egat i on of Si gnatur e A ut hor i t y , ” gr ant i ng hi m ful l oper at i onal c o n tr o l o f

th e P u rc h a s in g D iv is io n .
I n M ar ch 2003, M r . V i gi l appl i ed fort he pos i t i on of C i t yPur chas i ng O ffi cer. A no t her i n-hou se cand i date, D eena N oo nan , a no n-m i no ri t yfem al e, al so appl i ed fort he j ob and w as ul t i m at el ychos en. T he j ob announce m entfort he pos i t i on of Pur chas i ng O ffi cergave the fol l ow i ng “G ener al St at ement of D ut i es ”: T o pl an, di r ect , m anage and over s ee the ac t i vi t i es and oper at i ons of t he ce nt r al pur chas i ng offi ce of t he D epar t m entof Fi nance and A dm i ni s t r at i ve Ser vi ces i ncl udi ng pur chas i ng, w ar ehous i ng and offi ce s ervi ces act i vi t i es ; t o coor di nat e as s i gned ac t i vi t i es w i t h ot her d iv isio n s, d e p a rtm e n ts a n d o u tsid e a g e n c ies ; an d to p ro v id e h ig h ly r es pons i bl e and c om pl ex admi ni s t r at i ve s uppor tt o t he Fi nance D ir ec tor. R . , A pp. at32, 144. R equi r ement s al s o i ncl uded a ba chel or ’ s degr ee w i t h m aj or cour s e w or k i n bus i nes s admi ni s t r at i on, publ i c admi ni s t r at i on ora r el at ed fi el d, plus “ eight(

8) years of

centr alpur chas i ng and m at er i als m anagem entexpe r i ence t o i ncl ude fi ve ( 5) y ear s i n a di r ects uper vi s or yand/ oradmi ni s t r at i ve ca paci t y . ” Id . ( emphasi s added) . T he C i t yi nt ended ori nt erpr et ed t hi s s t at ement t o m ean-5-

t hatt he pos i t i on r equi r ed “a t ot alof ei ghty ear s of expe r i ence i n centr al pur chas i ng and/ orm at er i al s m anage m ent ” and s uch an i nt erpr et at i on w as “appl i ed to all app li ca n ts eq u all y . ” R . , A p p . at 33 , 4 9 -50 (¶ 2 2 ) (em p h asis ad d ed ).

A compar i s on of M r . V i gi l ’ s and M s . N oonan’ s appl i cat i ons r evea l t hey p o ss e ss e d th e sa m e lev e l o f e d u c a tio n – a b a c h e lo r’s d e g re e f ro m th e U n iv e rsity of N ew M exico, and bo t h served as Int ernal S ervi ces Su pervi sors . W hil e M s. N oonan w or ked i n t hatpos i t i on foral m os tt w o y ear s , M r . V i gi l hel d hi s pos i t i on forcl os e t o ei ghty ear s . H ow ever , M s . N oonan pr evi ous l yper for m ed ce nt r al p u rc h a s in g f

u n c tio n s in o th e r p o s itio n s fo r o v e r t w e lv e y e a rs .
A ccor di ng t o Sandr a D oy l e, t he D i r ect orof Fi nance and A dm i ni s t r at i ve S ervi ces for t he C i t y , t he H um an R esources D epart m ent fi rs tfou nd bo t h M s. N o o n a n a n d M r. V ig il q u a lifie d fo r th e p o sitio n . N e x t, a p a n e l o f six i nt er vi ew er s , cons i s t i ng of t w o H i s pani c mal es , one fe m al e and thr ee Caucas i an m a le s , ra n k e d M s . N o o n a n a t th e to p a n d re c o m m e n d e d h e r fo r t h e p o s itio n . T hereaft er, M s. D oy l e accep t ed the pan el ’s recom m end at i on and prom oted M s. N o o n an . M s. D o y le, w h o p rev iou slyserv ed in the p o sit ion o f P u rch asin g O fficer, bel i eved M r . V i gi l w as “mi ni m al l y , butnott he bes t , qual i fi ed fort he pos i t i on b ec au se h e h ad n o ce n tr al pu rch asin g ex p erien ce . ” R . , A p p . at 25 , 1 5 0 (¶ 7 ). I ns t ead, M s . D oy l e i ndi cat ed M s . N oonan w as t he bes tqual i fi ed fort he pos i t i on,-6-

poi nt i ng outM s . N oonan per for m ed ce nt r al pur chas i ng funct i ons for appr oxi m at el yt w el ve and one - hal f y ear s and par t i ci pat ed i n pur chas i ng oper at i ons i n t he amount of $250 m i l l i on w hi l e as s i gned t o t he Publ i c W or ks D epart m ent, t he C i t y ’s l argestdep artm ent, w here she han dled l arge accou nts , i ncludi ng on e i n w hich she dev el op ed an d m anag ed a n ew con t ract i ng process.

I n addi t i on, al t hough M s . N oonan and M r . V i gi l bot h s erved as A ct i ng Pur chas i ng O ffi cerfors ever al day s ata t i m e, M s . D oy l e poi nt ed outM s . N oonan perform ed all of the assi gn ed d uti es, w hil e M r. V i gil rem ai ned att he w arehou se a n d d e le g a te d m a n yo f th e re q u ir e d P u rc h a s in g O ffic e r d u tie s to M s . N o o n a n . M s. D o y le a lso n o ted M r. V ig il’s e x p e rie n c e , w h ile e x ten siv e , co n sis ted p rim a rily of i nvent or ypur chas i ng, w hi ch i s “s ubs t ant i al l ydi ffe r ent ” fr om t he ce nt r al pur chas i ng funct i ons M s . N oonan ca r r i ed out . R . , A pp. at25, 152 ( ¶ 13) . She sta ted M r. V ig il’s e x p e rie n c e c e n ter e d o n p ro c u rin g w a re h o u se su p p lies a n d th a t, i n cont r as tt o M s . N oonan, he di d notdemonst r at e an a bi l i t yt o engage i n t he d e c is io n m a k in g p ro c e s s e s n e c e s s a ry fo r t h e c e n tr a l p u rc h a s in g f u n c tio n . Speci fi cal l y , M s . D oy l e s t at ed: C e n tra l p u rc h a sin g in v o lv e s th e d e c isio n m a k in g p ro c e ss o f h o w to pur chas e i n r es pons e t o a pur chas e r eques t . D eci s i ons m us tbe made as t o w het hera r eques tforpr opos al s , bi d ors ol e s our ce pr ocee di ng i s t he bes tm et hod foracqui r i ng w hati s bei ng r eques t ed. T he Pur chas i ng O ffi ceri nt er act s w i t h t he ci t yat t or neyt o ens ur e t hat leg a l d e c isio n s a re b e in g m a d e . T h e w a re h o u se in v e n to ryf u n c tio n is one s m al l pi ece of t he pur chas i ng pr oces s . W ar ehous e pur chas i ng-7-

r equi r es pr i m ar i l yor der i ng s uppl i es , i ncl udes m aki ng pr ocur ement deci s i ons on a veryl i m i t ed bas i s , and i nvol ves no oronl ym i ni m al i nter act i on w i t h the l egal pr ocess. R . , A p p . at 25 -26 , 1 5 2 (¶ 1 4 ). I n addi t i on, M s . D oy l e expl ai ned t he Pur chas i ng O ffi ceri s i nvol ved i n t he pol i t i cal pr oces s atC i t yH al l , s o t he pos i t i on r equi r es pol i t i cal s ki l l s . I n t hat re g a rd , sh e n o ted M s. N o o n a n a tten d e d C ityC o u n c il m e e tin g s ro u tin e ly , w a s w e ll k n o w n to C ityC o u n c ilo rs a n d o th e rs a t C ityH a ll, a n d m a d e h e rse lf a v a ilab le to a ss ist M s. D o y le w h e n n e e d e d b e c a u se o f h e r p ro x im itya n d w ill in g n e ss to pr ovi de as s i s t ance . I n cont r as t , s he s t at ed M r . V i gi l r emai ned most l yatt he w ar ehous e w her e he w as noti m m edi at el yavai l abl e foras s i s t ance w hen nee ded, di d notoffe ras s i s t ance dur i ng per i ods w hen t he Pur chas i ng O ffi cerpos i t i on w as v a c a n t, a n d h a d n o in v o lv e m e n t in th e p o litic a l p ro c e s s .
A s f u rth e r su p p o rt fo r M s. N o o n a n ’s s e lec tio n fo r th e p o sitio n , M s. D o y le e x p lain e d sh e c o n sid e re d a n d c o m p a re d M r. V ig il’s jo b d e sc rip tio n d u ties in h is app l i cat i on w i t h those descri bed i n M s. N oo nan ’s app l i cat i on . A tt hat t i m e, M s. N o o n a n w a s re sp o n sib le fo r a ll as p e c ts o f $ 9 5 m ill io n in b u d g e tin g fo r th e P u b lic W o rks D ep artm en t, w h ich h as a su b stan ti all ylarge r bu d g et t h an M r. V igil ’s w ar ehous e budgetof $1 m i l l i on. M s . N oonan w as al s o r es pons i bl e forover s i ght and r evi ew of pur chas i ng funct i ons forcompl i ance w i t h C i t ypur chas i ng-8-

r egul at i ons , and per for m ed ea ch of the t as ks and r es pons i bi l i t i es per for m ed byt he C en tr al P u rch asin g P rog ram as sp ec ifi ed in the C ity ’s ap p rov ed b u d g et. In addi t i on, s he per for m ed mat er i al s m anage m entw hi l e att he W at erD epar t m ent w her e s he w as r es pons i bl e forpur chas i ng m at er i al s s uch as w at erm et er s . B as ed on al l of these consi derat i on s, M s. D oy l e deter m i ned M s. N oo nan w as best qual i fi ed fort he Pur chas i ng O ffi cerpos i t i on, r egar dl es s of hernat i onal or i gi n and g e n d e r.

I I . Pr ocedur al B ackgr ound F o llo w in g M s. N o o n a n ’s s e lec tio n fo r th e p o sitio n , M r. V ig il file d su it i n fede r al cour tunderT i t l e V I I of t he C i vi l R i ght s A cton gr ounds he r ece i ved di s par at e t r eatm enton t he bas i s of age , and r ace oror i gi n. Fol l ow i ng br i efi ng on the C ity ’s m o ti o n fo r sum m aryjud g m en t, the d istri ct co u rtg ran ted s u m m ary j udgm enti n favorof t he C i t yand aga i ns tM r . V i gi l fort he r eas ons ar t i cul at ed h e r e a f t e r . Th i s a p p e a l fo l l o we d , i n wh i c h M r . Vi g i l r a i s e s ma n yo f t h e s a me co n tention s co m p reh en sive lyad d resse d b ythe d istri ct co u rtin it s su m m ary jud g m en t dec isi o n . In a d d it ion , M r. V igil co n tend s the d istri ct co u rt m i s under s t ood one of hi s ar gum ent s on w hyM s . N oonan w as notqual i fi ed for pr om ot i on t o t he pos i t i on of Pur chas i ng O ffi cer . Speci fi cal l y , he as s er t s t he di s t r i ctcour ti ncor r ect l yper cei ved hi s ar gum entt o be t hatt he pos t ed announce m ent , r equi r i ng appl i cant s t o have “ ei ght( 8) y ear s of ce nt r al pur chas i ng-9-

and mat er i al s m anage m entexper i ence , ” meantt he pos i t i on r equi r ed b o th ei ght y ear s of ce nt r al pur chas i ng exper i ence pl us ei ghty ear s of m at er i al s m anage m ent e x p e rie n c e . R ., A p p . at 3 2 ; A p t. B r. at 5 (e m p h a sis a d d e d ). In ste a d , M r. V ig il sa y s h is a rg u m e n t w a s th a t th e e ig h t y e a rs o f e x p e rie n c e re q u ire d b o th m a ter ials m anag em ent and p urchasi ng exp eri ence, and M s. N oo nan w as unq uali fi ed b ecause s he l acke d s uffi ci entm at er i al s m anage m entexper i ence .
I I I . D i s cus s i on A . St andar d of R evi ew and D i s cr i m i nat i on L aw I n a r t i c u l a t i n g t h e s t a n d a r d o f r e v i e w a n d a p p l i c a b l e d i s c r i mi n a t i o n l a w, we r el yl ar gel yon ourdeci s i on i n Ja ra m il lo v. C o lo. Jud . D ep ’t , 4 2 7 F .3 d 1 3 0 3 (1 0 th C ir . 2 0 0 5 ) ( en banc ) ( percur i am ) . We r e v i e w de novo the d istri ct co u rt ’s sum m aryj ud gm ent deci si on , and “con si der t he ev i den ce i n the l i gh tm ost favor abl e t o t he nonmovi ng par t y , dr aw i ng al l r eas onabl e i nfer ence s fr om t he avai l abl e under l y i ng fac t s . ” Id. at1307. Sum m ar yj udgm enti s appr opr i at e i f t he r ecor d s how s “t her e i s no genui ne i s s ue as t o anym at er i al fac tand t hatt he m o v in g p a rt yis e n title d to a ju d g m e n t a s a m a tte r o f la w .” F e d . R . C iv . P . 5 6 (c ). I n r evi ew i ng s um m ar yj udgm entm ot i ons , m ovant s fors um m ar yj udgm entbear t he i ni t i al bur den of de m ons t r at i ng t he abs ence of a ge nui ne i s s ue of mat er i al fac t a n d e n title m e n t to ju d g m e n t a s a m a tte r o f la w . See A dlerv. Wal-MartStores , Inc. , 1 4 4 F . 3 d 6 6 4 , 6 7 0 -71 (10 th C ir . 1 9 9 8 ).-10-

If th is in iti a l b u rd e n is c a rrie d , the n o n m o v a n t m a yn o t re st s o lelyo n h is p lea d in g s, b u t m u st s e t o u t sp e c ific fa c ts in su p p o rt o f h is c laim s, b yre fe re n c e to a ffid a v its , d e p o s itio n tr a n s c ri p ts , o r o th e r e x h ib its in c o rp o ra te d th e re in . Id. at 6 7 1 . W h ile w e v iew th e e v id e n c e a n d d ra w in fe re n c e s in th e lig h t m o st fa v o ra b le to th e n o n -m o v in g p a rty , tha t p a rtym u st id e n tifysu fficie n t ev id e n c e w h ich w o u ld re q u ir e s u b m is s io n o f th e c a s e to a ju ry. S e e id . at671- 72 and n. 1. W e have r epea t edl yhel d t hateven w hen an a ffi davi ti s bas ed on per s onal know l edge a nd s w or n, i tm aybe i ns uffi ci entt o cr eat e a tr i abl e i s s ue of facti f i ti s nons peci fi c or o th e rw is e n o n re s p o n s iv e , v a g u e , c o n c lu s o ry, o r s e lf-s e rv in g . S e e Sa lg u e ro v . C ity o f C lo v is , 3 6 6 F .3 d 1 1 6 8 , 1 1 7 7 n .4 (1 0 th C ir. 2 0 0 4 ); G arret tv. Hew l et t -Pa ckard C o ., 3 0 5 F .3 d 1 2 1 0 , 1 2 1 3 (1 0 th C ir. 2 0 0 2 ); A dl er , 144 F. 3d at671- 72 and n. 1; Mur r ay v. C i t

y of Sapul pa , 4 5 F . 3 d 1 4 1 7 , 1 4 2 2 (10 th C ir . 1 9 9 5 ).

T o p re v a il o n a d isp a ra te tre a tm e n t cla im u n d e r T itl e V II o f th e C iv il R i ght s A ct , t he empl oy ee musts how t he empl oy eri nt ent i onal l ydi s cr i m i nat ed a g a in s t h im fo r a re a s o n p ro h ib ite d b yth e A c t. Jar am i l l o, 427 F. 3d at1306. I f, as her e, t he empl oy ee r el i es on ci r cumst ant i al evi dence , “w e appl yt he bur dens hi ft i ng fr amew or k out l i ned i n McD onnel lD ougl as C or p. v. G r een , 411 U . S. 792

. . . ( 1973) . ” Id. “ [ T ]h e th re e -p a rt McD onnel lD ougl as b u rd e n -sh if tin g a n a ly sis is l i m i t ed t o t he s um m ar yj udgm entcont ext . ” K endr i ck v . P ens ke Tr a n s p . S e r v s ., Inc. , 2 2 0 F . 3 d 1 2 2 0 , 1 2 2 6 (10 th C ir . 2 0 0 0 ). U n d er Mc D o n n e ll , t he empl oy ee-11-

m ust est abli sh a pri m a facie cas e of d i scr i m i nati on byshow i ng : “(1) he is a m ember of a pr ot ect ed cl as s ; ( 2) he appl i ed forand w as qual i fi ed fort he par t i cul arpos i t i on; ( 3) he w as notpr om ot ed des pi t e hi s qual i fi cat i ons ; and ( 4) t he pos i t i on w as fi l l ed orr emai ned open a ft erhe w as r ej ect ed. ” Jar am i l l o, 427 F. 3d at1306- 07 ( quot at i on m ar ks and ci t at i on om i t t ed) . T hi s t hr ee- par tbur denshi ft i ng analy si s i s m od i fi ed w hen , as here, a m al e al l eges ge nd er orrever se d is c ri m in a tio n . S ee No tari v. D en ve r Wa ter D ep ’t , 9 7 1 F .2 d 5 8 5 , 5 8 8 -8 9 (1 0 th C i r . 1992) . W e have hel d t hati n s uch ca s es , i n l i eu of s how i ng t hatone bel ongs t o a pr ot ect ed gr oup, he ors he must“es t abl i s h backgr ound ci r cumst ance s t hat s uppor tan i nfer ence t hatt he defendanti s one of thos e unus ual empl oy er s w ho di s cr i m i nat es agai ns tt he maj or i t y . ” Id.

I f t he empl oy ee e s t abl i s hes a pr i m a fa ci e ca s e, t hen “a pr es um pt i on of d isc rim in a tio n a rise s” re su lti n g in th e b u rd e n sh if tin g to th e e m p lo y e r “ to ar t i cul at e a l egi t i m at e, non- di s cr i m i nat or yr eas on fort he adve r s e empl oy m ent act i on. ” J

a r a m illo , 427 F. 3d at1307. I f t he empl oy er“ca r r i es i t s bur den of pr oduct i on, t he pr es um pt i on of di s cr i m i nat i on dr ops outof t he ca s e, ” and “ [t ] he bur den t hen s hi ft s back t o t he [e m pl oy ee] , w ho m us tpr ove bya pr eponder ance of t he evi dence t hatt he empl oy er ’ s r eas ons ar e a pr et extforunl aw ful di s cr i m i nat i on. ” Id.A s an exc epti on, w e haves ai d thats om etim es“a succe s s fulattack on partof the 4 emp loyer’s leg itim ate, no n -discrim inato ryexp lanati o nis en o u g hto surviv e sum m ary j udgm enteven i f one orm ore of the proffe red reas ons hasnotbeen di s credited. ” -12- A n empl oy ee l i ke M r . V i gi l can de m ons t r at e pr et ext“bypr oduci ng evi dence of s uch w eakne s s es , i m pl aus i bi l i t i es , i ncons i s t enci es , i ncoher enci es , or c o n tra d ictio n s in th e e m p lo y e r’s p ro ffe re d leg iti m a te r e a so n s fo r its a c tio n th a t a r eas onabl e fa ct fi ndercoul d r at i onal l yfi nd t hem unw or t hyof cr edenc e and he nce i nfert hatt he empl oy erdi d notactfort he as s er t ed non- di s cr i m i nat or yr eas ons . ” Id. at1308 ( quot at i on m ar ks and ci t at i on om i t t ed) . W e have s ai d “[e ] vi dence of pr et extm ayi ncl ude pr i ort r eatm entof [the empl oy ee] ; t he empl oy er ’ s pol i cyand pr act i ce r egar di ng m i nor i t yempl oy m ent( i ncl udi ng s t at i s t i cal dat a) ; di s turbi ng proced ural i rr egu l ari t i es ( e. g. , fal si fy i ng or m anipul at i ng . . . cri t eri a); and t he u se of s ubj ect i ve cr i t er i a. ” Id. ( quot at i on m ar ks and ci t at i on om i t t ed) . I n s o doi ng, w e have pr ocee ded w i t h caut i on i n cons i der i ng t he r el at i ve mer i t s of i ndi vi dual empl oy ees , gi ven t hi s cour t“maynotactas a s uperper s onnel depar t m entt hat s econd gue s s es empl oy er s ’ bus i nes s j udgm ent s . ” Id. ( quot at i on m ar ks and ci t at i on om i t t ed) . W e have expl ai ned “mi nordi ffe r ence s bet w een [ an e m p lo y e e ’s] q u a lific a tio n s a n d th o se o f a su c c e ss f

u l ap p lica n t ar e n o t su fficie n t to s how pr et ext , ” and i ns t ead “ t he di s par i t yi n qual i fi cat i ons m us tbe

‘ over w hel m i ng. ’ ” Id. at1308- 09 ( ci t at i ons om i t t ed) . G ener al l y , “an e m pl oy ee m u st pro ffer e v iden ce that sh o w s ea ch o f th e e m p loy er’s justi fica ti o n s are p re te x tu a l.” Id. at1309- 10 ( quot at i on m arks and ci t at i ons om i t t ed) . I n m aki ng a

4J

a ra m illo , 427 F. 3d at1310. Ins tance s s uffi ci entto create a genuine i s s ue of f actoccur w hen: (1) the reasons are so intertw inedthat a s ho w ing of p retext asto o ne rai ses a genuine ques ti on w hetherthe remaining reas on i s val i d; ( 2) the pretextual characterof one e xpl anati on i s s o fi s hyand s us pi ci ous thata j urycoul d find thatthe empl oyer( orit s deci s i onm aker) l acksal lcredibi l ity ; ( 3) the empl oyeroffe r s a pl ethora of reas ons , and the [e mpl oyee] rai s ess ubs tanti al doubtabouta numberof them; ( 4) the [e mpl oyee] di s credit s eac h of the e mp lo ye r’s o b

jec tiv e e xp lan atio n s, le av in go n lysub jec tiv e re a so n s to j us ti fyit s deci s i on; or( 5) the empl oyerhaschange d it s expl anati on under circumstance s thats ugges tdi s hones tyorbad faith. I d. ( quotati on m arks and citati ons om itted) . N one of thes e circumstance s have be en demonstrated in thi s cas e. -13- pr et extdet er m i nat i on, a cour tl ooks att he fa ct s as t heyappea r ed t o t he per s on m a k in g th e e m p lo y m e n t d e c is io n , s ee Kendri ck. , 2 2 0 F .3 d a t 1 2 3 1 , b e c a u se it i s t he empl oy er ’ s “‘ per cept i on t hati s r el evant , nott he [e m pl oy ee’ s ] s ubj ect i ve eval uat i on of hi s ow n r el at i ve per for m ance . ’ ” K el l ey v . G oodyearTi r e & R ubber C o. , 2 2 0 F .3 d 1 1 7 4 , 1 1 7 7 -7 8 (1 0 th C ir. 2 0 0 0 ) (q u o ting Fur rv. Seagat e Tech, Inc. , 8 2 F .3 d 9 8 0 , 9 8 8 (1 0 th C ir . 1 9 9 6 )) .
B . D isc rim in a tio n C laim H aving co nsi dered t he ap pli cable s t and ards of revi ew and l egal pr i ncipl es, w e tu rn to th e d istric t co u rt’s d e c isio n , w h ich is e x tre m e lyth o ro u g h , w e lla rticu late d , an d w e ll-re a so n e d . F o r ju d icia l ec o n o m y , w e fin d it u n n e c e ss a ryto r ecounti ti n i t s ent i r et yand pr ovi de i ns t ead a s um m ar ys uffi ci entt o expl ai n our a ffir m a n c e .-14-

In ru lin g in fa v o r o f

th e C ity , the d istric t co u rt first d e ter m in e d M r. V ig il fai l ed to m eet his bu rden of proof on his cl ai m of g end er bi as i n a reverse di s cr i m i nat i on cl ai m . W e agr ee. A s t he di s t r i ctcour texpl ai ned, t he fa ctt he hi r i ng offi cerw as femal e and hi r ed a femal e appl i cantovera mal e i s i ns uffi ci ent t o m eetM r . V i gi l ’ s bur den. H ow ever , beca us e M r . V i gi l al s o br oughta cl ai m of n a tio n a l o rig in d isc rim in a tio n , the d istric t co u rt p ro c e e d e d to a f u ll Mc D o n n e ll D ougl as analy si s and d et erm i ned t hat even if M r. V i gil st at ed a p ri m a facie cas e o f d isc rim in a tio n , the C ityp ro v id e d leg iti m a te, n o n -d isc rim in a to ryre a so n s fo r its s e le c tio n o f

M s . N o o n a n o v e r M r. V ig il fo r t h e p o s itio n o f P u rc h a s in g O ffic e r. W e agr ee. Fi r s t , even i f t he di s t r i ctcour tm i s i nt erpr et ed M r . V i gi l ’ s ar gum ent t hatt he pos i t i on r equi r ed ei ghty ear s of ce nt r al pur chas i ng exper i ence pl us ei ght y ea rs of m aterial s m an ag em en t exp erien ce , itesse n ti all yco n clud ed n eit h er M r. V i gi l norM s . N oonan w oul d have be en qual i fi ed undert hati nt erpr et at i on, and t hat the C i t y ’s act ual i nterpret at i on of the requi rem ent – t hat the ap pli cant possess a t ot al of ei ghty ear s of ce nt r al pur chas i ng and mat er i al s m anage m entexper i ence

– w a s a p p lie d e q u a lly to b o th c a n d id a te s .
N e x t, w ith re sp e c t to M r. V ig il’s c laim M s. N o o n a n lac k e d m a ter ials m anage m entexper i ence , M s . D oy l e cl ear l yexpl ai ned M s . N oonan per for m ed m aterial s m an ag em en t w h il e a t th e W ater D ep artm en t, an d , as th e d istri ct co u rt expl ai ned, s he w as r es pons i bl e foral l as pect s of budget i ng fort he Publ i c W or ks-15-

D e p a rtm e n t, so M r. V ig il’s o th e rw ise u n su p p o rte d sta tem e n ts s h e lac k e d c e rta in m at er i al s orfi s cal m anage m entand budgetexper i ence di d notr ai s e an i s s ue of fa c t.

W ith resp ec t t o the issu e o f c en tr al pu rch asin g ex p erien ce , the d istri ct co u rt a lso e x p lain e d in g re a t d e tail th a t M s. N o o n a n h a d m u c h m o re e x p e rie n c e in per for m i ng centr al pur chas i ng funct i ons t han M r . V i gi l , w hos e expe r i ence w as p rim a rilyin m a ter ials m a n a g e m e n t, w ith o n lya p p ro x im a telytw e n typ e rc e n t o f h is t i m e s penti n O ffi ce Servi ces funct i ons . O urr evi ew of t he vac ancyannounce m ent and r ecor d s ugges t s t hatw hi l e bot h centr al pur chas i ng and mat er i al s m anage m ent exper i ence w er e r equi r ed, t he pos i t i on of Pur chas i ng O ffi cerpr i m ar i l yi nvol ved c e n tra l p u rc h a sin g d u ties , the re b yre in fo rc in g th e d istric t co u rt’s d e c isio n th e C ity pr ovi ded l egi t i m at e, non- di s cr i m i nat or yr eas ons fori t s s el ect i on of M s . N oonan o v er M r. V igil fo r t h e p o sit ion o f P u rch asin g O fficer.

O n appea l , M r . V i gi l al s o cont ends M s . N oonan ac tual l yonl ys er ved as an

“ A s s is ta n t A c tin g P u rc h a s in g O ffic e r” a n d n o t th e “ A c tin g P u rc h a s in g O ffic e r,” and t hatnot hi ng i n t he r ecor d s how s he and M s . N oonan ac t ed i n t he pos i t i on of P u rc h a s in g O ffic e r fo r t h e s a m e a m o u n t o f tim e fo r c o m p a ri s o n p u rp o s e s . H ow ever , as t he di s t r i ctcour tpoi nt ed out , t he t er m i nol ogyr efe r enci ng w het her M s . N oonan w as t he A ct i ng Pur chas i ng O ffi cerort he A s s i s t antA ct i ng-16-

P urchasi ng O ffi cer i s not m at eri al t o the i ssue of co m parat i ve q uali fi cat i on s, gi ven bot h candi dat es per for m ed t he dut i es of Pur chas i ng O ffi cer , r egar dl es s of w hatt hei rt empora r ypos i t i on w as t i t l ed, and M r . V i gi l does notdi s put e t he fa ct he oft en del egat ed hi s “ac t i ng” dut i es t o M s . N oonan. I n addi t i on, t he di s t r i ct c o u rt e x p lain e d th a t th e re c o rd e sta b lish e d b o th in d iv id u a ls s e rv e d in th e c a p a c ity of A ct i ng Pur chas i ng O ffi cerfors ever al day s atvar i ous t i m es , s o i n fac t , t hey s er ved i n t hatcapa ci t yfort he s ame or s i m i l arappr oxi m at e per i ods of t i m e for c o m p a ri s o n p u rp o s e s . (Id. ) W e fi nd M r . V i gi l ’ s uns uppor t ed cont ent i on t o t he cont r ar yi ns uffi ci entt o s how ot her w i s e. For t hes e r eas ons , t oget herw i t h t he o t h e rr e a s o n s a r t i c u l a t e d b yt h e d i s t r i c tc o u r twh i c h a r e n o tr e c o u n t e d h e r e , we a g re e th e C itya m p lyc a rrie d its b u rd e n o f a rticu latin g leg iti m a te, fa c ially nondi s cr i m i nat or yr eas ons fornotpr om ot i ng M r . V i gi l t o t he pos i t i on of P u rch asin g O fficer.

H avi ng det er m i ned t he C i t ym eti t s bur den, w e tur n t o M r . V i gi l ’ s ar gum ent o f p re tex tu a l d isc rim in a tio n in w h ich h e c laim s th e d istric t co u rt o v e rlo o k e d h is evi dence of pr et ext . I n s uppor t , he s ugges t s t he C i t yel i m i nat ed ce r t ai n exam and interview q u esti o n s w h ich w ere u sed w h en the p o sit ion w as o p en the y ea r be fo re and w oul d have hi ghl i ght ed M s . N oonan’ s abs ence of m at er i al s m anage m ent exper i ence . H e ar gues t hatw hi l e t he C i t yi s notpr ohi bi t ed fr om changi ng t he i nt er vi ew pr oces s , i tpurpos el ychange d i t s us ual pr oces s i n a mannert hatgave-17-

“ a n u n fa ir a d v a n tag e to a n u n q u a lifie d c a n d id a te.” A p t. B r. at 1 1 . H e su g g e sts this ev iden ce o f p retex tual d iscri m ination is sufficien t t o o v erc o m e the C ity ’s ar gum enti tchange d t he ques t i ons t o r emove an unfai radvant age t o t hos e w ho had previ ou sl yapp l i ed fo r the p osi t i on t he y ear before. H e al so con t end s M s. D o y le’ s a ffid a v it d e m o n stra tes sh e g a v e h ig h lyv isib le, fa v o ra b le a ss ig n m e n ts to M s. N oo nan , and t hen i m properl ybased h er pr om oti on on t he ex peri ence M s. N o o n a n g a in e d th ro u g h th o se sa m e a ss ig n m e n ts. A c c o rd in g ly , h e a rg u e s th is is e v id e n c e o f

p re te x tu a l d is c ri m in a tio n .
In a d d re ss in g M r. V ig il’s a ss e rtio n s, th e d istric t co u rt p o in ted o u t th e C ity w a s o b lig a ted to o ffe r a fa ir a n d lev e l p layi n g field to th e c a n d id a tes , w h ich it d id i n pr ovi di ng t he s ame ques t i ons t o al l t he ca ndi dat es , and thatbeca us e t he qual i fi cat i ons fort he Pur chas i ng O ffi cerpos i t i on change d bet w een 2002 a nd 20 03 , i tw as r easona ble t o ask the 20 03 cand i dates differ ent quest i on s t han t ho se as ked of the 2002 ca ndi dat es . W e agr ee. M or eover , beca us e M s . N oonan o b t a i n e d ma t e r i a l s ma n a g e me n te x p e r i e n c e wh i l e a tt h e Wa t e rDe p a r t me n t , we di s agr ee w i t h M r . V i gi l ’ s uns uppor t ed pr emi s e t hatcer t ai n el i m i nat ed ques t i ons w oul d have hi ghl i ght ed M s . N oonan’ s abs ence of m at er i al s m anage m ent e x p e ri e n c e .
A s to M r. V ig il’s a rg u m e n t M s. D o y le g a v e h ig h lyv isib le a n d fa v o ra b le-18-

as s i gnm ent s t o M s . N oonan w hi ch bene fi t t ed herfort he purpos e of pr om ot i on, t he d i st ri ct cou rtdeter m i ned M s. D oy l e’s favo rabl e con si derat i on of M s. N o o n a n ’s a v a ilab ili tya n d w ill in g n e ss to h e lp w a s n o t im p ro p e r a n d d id n o t, s t andi ng al one, cons t i tut e di s cr i m i nat i on. I n addi t i on, t he di s t r i ctcour tpoi nt ed o u t itw a s u n d isp u ted M r. V ig il sp e n t eig h typ e rc e n t o f h is tim e a t th e C ity w ar ehous e, w as l es s avai l abl e t han M s . N oonan, and di d nots t ep i n t o as s i s tas r eadi l yas M s . N oonan. W e fur t hernot e M s . D oy l e’ s favor abl e cons i der at i on of M s . N oonan bas ed on heravai l abi l i t yand w i l l i ngnes s t o hel p w as onl yone of m anycons i der at i ons w hi ch pl ace d M s . N oonan ahe ad of M r . V i gi l , t hus w eake ni ng M r . V i gi l ’ s ar gum entt hats uch fa vor abl e cons i der at i on al one s how ed p re te x t s u ffic ie n t fo r a s u c c e s s f u l d is p a ri ty cl a im .
I n s um , undert he ci r cumst ance s pr es ent ed, M r . V i gi l has notdemonst r at ed pret ext “byprodu ci ng evidence o f such w eakn esses , i m plausi bil i t i es, i ncons i s t enci es , i ncoher enci es , orcont r adi ct i ons i n t he empl oy er ’ s pr offe r ed l egi t i m at e r eas ons fori t s act i on t hata r eas onabl e fa ct fi ndercoul d r at i onal l yfi nd t hem unw or t hyof cr edenc e and he nce i nfert hatt he empl oy erdi d notactfort he as s er t ed non- di s cr i m i nat or yr eas ons . ” Jar am i l l o, 427 F. 3d at1308. I n addi t i on, no “di s par i t yi n qual i fi cat i ons ” exi s t s t hati s s uffi ci ent l y“‘ over w hel m i ng’ ” fort he p u rp o s e o f

s h o w in g p re te x t. Id. at1309 ( ci t at i on om i t t ed) . For t hes e r eas ons and t he addi t i onal r eas ons pr ovi ded byt he di s t r i ctcour ti n i t s s um m ar yj udgm ent-19-

deci s i on, w e conc l ude M r . V i gi l cl ear l ydi d notcarr yhi s bur den of s how i ng p re te x t w ith re g a rd to th e a p p lie d -fo r p o s itio n . C. S t a t e La w Cl a i ms O n a p p e a l, M r. V ig il also a ss e rts th e d istric t co u rt e rre d in d ism iss in g h is br eac h of contr actcl ai m , covena ntof good fa i t h and fa i rdeal i ng cl ai m , and N ew M ex ico H u m an R igh ts A ct claim . F ir st, M r. V igil su g g ests the d istri ct co u rt in c o rre c tlyfo u n d n o m a ter ial iss u e s o f fa c t ex ist w ith re sp e c t to h is c o n tra c t cla im b e c a u s e “ [ M s .] N o o n a n fa ile d to m e e t [ th e ] m in im u m q u a lific a tio n s ” re q u ir e d . A pt . B r . at13. A s a r es ul t , he cont ends “herpr om ot i on cons t i tut ed a br eac h of c o n tr a c tu a l o b lig a tio n s ” a ri s in g u n d e r t h e M e ri t S y s te m s O rd in a n c e . Id. In s uppor tof hi s cl ai m , M r . V i gi l s i m pl yr efe r s t hi s cour tt o per s onnel rul es w hi ch gener al l yr equi r e t he C i t yt o s el ectt he bes tqual i fi ed ca ndi dat es t o fi l l vaca nt pos i t i ons and t hats uch s el ect i on be made “on t he bas i s of educ at i on, exper i ence , t r ai ni ng, s ki l l s and ot herabi l i t i es . ” A pt . B r . at14- 15, 19- 20.

N e x t, M r. V ig il su g g e sts th e d istric t co u rt e rre d , firs t in fa ili n g to s peci fi cal l yaddr es s hi s i m pl i ed cove nantof good fa i t h and fa i rdeal i ng cl ai m , and th e n su m m a rilyd ism iss in g it. L a st, in c laim in g th e d istric t co u rt e rre d in d ism issi n g h is N ew M ex ico H u m an R igh ts A ct claim , h e a rgu es th e C ity ’s pr offe r ed non- di s cr i m i nat or yr eas ons forpr om ot i ng M s . N oonan vi ol at ed N ewB ecaus e the di s tri ctcourtconcluded M r . V i gi l ’ s contractcl aimw ass ubj ectto a 5 sum m aryju d g m e nt d e term in atio no nth e se g ro un d s, it didn o t ad dre ss w h e th e r M s. D o yle w a s ap ro p e r d e f

e n d ant, th e a lleg e dc o ntra c t w a s e xp re ss o r imp lied , o r M r. V ig il e xh au s te dh is a dm in is trativ e re m e d ie s . B e c au se th e d istric t co urt d e term in e dth at, as am atter o f law , n e ith e r M s. D o yle 6 northe C ityvi ol ated the A ct , itdi d nots peci fi cal lyaddres s the i s s ue of w hetheran in d iv idu a l s u c ha s M s . D o yle w a s ap ro p e r d e f e n d ant inas u it b ro u g ht un d e r th e A c t. -20- M exi co publ i c pol i cy , buthe fa i l s t o expl ai n exac t l yhow s uch pol i cyw as v io la te d .
I n addr es s i ng M r . V i gi l ’ s s t at e cl ai m s , t he di s t r i ctcour tfound as a mat t er of l aw t hatM r . V i gi l w as pas s ed overforpr om ot i on on t he bas i s of l egi t i m at e, nondi s cr i m i nat or yr eas ons , and t hathe fa i l ed t o r ai s e a ge nui ne i s s ue of fact s h o w in g th e C ity’s re a s o n s fo r p ro m o tin g M s . N o o n a n o v e r h im w e re p re te x tu a l. A s a cons equenc e, t he di s t r i ctcour tconcl uded t he C i t ydi d notbr eac h any c o n t r a c t u a l c o m m i t m e n t n o rv i o l a t e t h e N e w Me x i c o H u m a n R i g h t s A c t . We 5 6 a g re e , a n d , lik e th e d is tr ic t c o u rt , fin d n o re a s o n to d is c u s s th e s e is s u e s f u rt h e r.

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