FILED U.S. COURT OF AP P EALS E LEVEN T HC IRC UIT DECEMBER 21, 2007 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

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________________________ D . C . D ocketN o. 05 -018 73 -C V -J E O -W L I N D A C A S H M A N , P la in tif f
- A p p e lla n t, v ersu s U N I V E R S I T Y O F A L A B A M A B O A R D O F T R U S T E E S , L Y N D A G I L B E R T , B I L L M C R E Y N O L D S , C H A R L O T T E H A R R I S , D R . R O B E R T E . W I T T , in th e iro f

f ic ia l a n d in d iv id u a l c ap a c itie s , D e f e n d a n ts - A p p e lle e s .

________________________ 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 N o rth e rn D i s tr i c to f A l ab a ma

_________________________ ( D e c e m b e r 21, 2007)2

B efo re T JO F L A T , A N D E R S O N an d B A R K E T T , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P E R C U R I A M: L i nd a C as hm an appeal s the di stri ctcourt ’ s ordergrant i ng sum m ary j ud gm enti n favor of her former em pl oyer , the U ni vers i ty of A l abam a, on her c la im s o f g e n d e rd is c r im in a tio n , r e ta lia tio n , a n d v io la tio n o f h e rF o u rte e n th A m e ndm e ntr i ghtt o pr oc e dur a l due pr oc e s s , br oughtpur s ua ntt o T i t l e V I I of the C i vi l R i ght s A c tof

1964, 42 U . S . C . §§ 2000e - 2( a ) , 3( a ) ( “ T i t l e V I I ” ) , a nd 42 U .S .C . § 1 9 8 3 . T he di stri ctcourtdeni ed her gender di sc ri m i nat i on cl ai m because s he fa i l ed t o m ake outa pri m a f

ac i e c as e, and, al t ernat i vel y, because s he coul d n otshow that the U ni vers i ty of A l abam a’ s l egi t i m at e, no n-di sc ri m i nat ory r ea son for her term in atio n w as a p re tex t fo r d iscr im in atio n . T h e d istrict co u rt d en ied C as h m an ’s re tali atio n claim b ec au se sh e c o u ldn o t sh o w th at th e U n iv er sity o f A lab am a’s l e gi t i m a t e , non- di s c r i m i na t ory r e a s on f orf a i l i ng t o hi r e he rf

orthe pos i t i on of A s s oc i a t e D i r e c t orof

H ous i ng O pe r a t i ons w a s apr e t e xtf ordi s c r i m i na t i on. T he d is tr ic t c o u rt d e n ie d C a s h m a n ’s d u e p r o c e s s c la im b e c au s e s h e w a s a n a t- w ill e m p lo y e e a n d , th u s , h a d n o p r o p e rtyin te r e s t in h e rc o n tin u e d e m p lo y m e n t. W e a f f i rm. W e n e e d n o ta d d r e s s th e q u e s t i o n o f w h e th e rCa s h ma n e s t ab l i s h e d ap r i ma3

f a c ie c a s e o f

g e n d e rd is c r im in a tio n b e c au s e th e d is tr ic t c o u rt d id n o t e rrin co n cl u d i n g th atsh e d i d n o test ab l i sh th atth e reaso n fo r h er t erm i n at i o n w as a pr e t e xtf orge nde rdi s c r i m i na t i on. H e r e , the de f e nda nt s pr of

f e r e d al e gi t i m a t e , nond is c r im in a to ry r e a s o n f

o rte rm in a tin g C a s h m a n , n a m e ly , th a t th e yw a n te d to o u ts o u r c e h e rin te r io rd e s ig n d u tie s to a n o u ts id e c o n tr a c to rin o r d e rto s a v e c o s ts and achi eve s t andardi za t i on ac ross the ca m pu s. C as hm an di d n otprov i de evi dence show i ng thatthi s r ea son w as a pre t extfor gender di sc ri m i nat i on . T he fa ctthat C a s hm an’ s i m m e di a t e s upe rvi s ori ni t i a l l ys upport e d a n upgr a de i n he rpos i t i on d o es n o t sh o w th at th e U n iv er sity’s u lt im ate d ec isio n to o u tso u rc e C as h m an ’s d u tie s w a s ap r e te x t f

o rg e n d e rd is c r im in a tio n . W e a ls o f

in d n o e rr o rin th e S u m m a ryJ u d g m e n t g r a n te d to th e d e f e n d a n ts o n C a s h m a n ’s r e ta lia tio n c la im . T h e d e f e n d a n ts p r o v id e d s e v e r a l le g itim a te r e a s ons f ornothi r i ng C a s hm a n f orthe A D H O pos i t i on a ti s s ue w hi c h i nc l ude d the f a c ttha tthe i ndi vi dua l ul t i m a t e l yhi r e d ha d pa rt i c i pa t e d i n al a r ge c ons truc t i on p r o je c t, w h ile C a s h m a n d id n o t d e m o n s tr a te k n o w le d g e o f th e c o n s tru c tio n a s p e c ts of new re si dence hal l s. C as hm an’ s app l i canthi st ory s heeti nd i ca t ed thatshe w as nothi r e d be c aus e s he ha d “ l e s s r e l e va nte xpe r i e nc e ” tha n the othe rc a ndi da t e a nd C a s hm an di d notpr oduc e e vi de nc e tha tthe pr of f e r e d r e a s on w a s apr e t e xtf or r e t a l i a t i on. A l though C a s hm a n w a s m or e e xpe r i e nc e d i n i nt e r i orde s i gn tha n the4

pe r s on w ho w a s hi r e d, the A D H O pos i t i on di d noti nvol ve s i gni f i c a nti nt e r i or de s i gn f unc t i ons . I ns t e a d, the A D H O pos i t i on r e qui r e d ( 1) know l e dge of
m e c ha ni c a l s y s t e m s a nd c ons truc t i on c ode s ; ( 2) know l e dge of f urni tur e type s a nd s t a nda r ds f

ora dhe r e nc e t o f

e de r a l f i r e s a f e tyc ode s ; ( 3) know l e dge of c l e a ni ng t e c hni que s a nd c he m i c a l appl i c a t i ons ; ( 4) pr of i c i e nc yi n da t aba s e m a na ge m e nta nd i nv ent ory s ys t em m anagem ent ; and (5) excel l entcom m un i ca t i on ski l l s. C as hm an di d n otshow thatshe w as m ore qual i fi ed as t o h erkn ow l edge of m ec hani ca l syst em s an d co n stru ct i o n co d es, cl ean i n g t ech n i q u es an d ch em i cal ap p l i cat i o n s, a n d d a tab a s e m a n a g e m e n t a n d in v e n to rys y s te m m a n a g e m e n t. F i n al l y, w e fi n d n o erro r i n th e d i sp o si t i o n o f C ash m an ’ s d u e p ro cess cl ai m s. C a s hm an di d note s t abl i s h tha ts he w a s a“ pe rm a ne nt ” e m pl oy e e a nd thus pos s e s s e d apr ope rty i nt e r e s ti n he re m pl oy m e ntunde rA l aba m al a w . T he U ni ve r s i ty of

A l aba m aS t a f

f H a ndbook c ont a i ns the f ol l ow i ng pr ovi s i on: T h e S ta te o f

A lab a m ais a n e m p lo y m e n t a t- w ill s ta te . T hi s ha ndbook s houl d notbe c ons true d a s , a nd doe s not c o n s titu te a n o f

f e ro f e m p lo y m e n t f

o ra n ys p e c if

ic dur a t i on, nori s i ti nt e nde d t o s t a t e a nyt e rm s of e m p lo y m e n t. A lth o u g h it is d e s ir ab le f o re m p lo y e e s to ha ve al ong t e rm e m pl oy m e ntr e l a t i ons hi p w i th the U ni vers i ty, ei ther the em pl oyee or the U ni vers i ty m ay t e rm i na t e the r e l a t i ons hi p a ta nyt i m e , f ora nyr e a s on, w i th o r w i tho utno t i ce . A c c or di ngl y , upon r e vi e w of the r e c or d on appe a l a nd c ons i de r a t i on of the5

p ar ti es ’ b rief

s, w e d isce rn n o re v er sib le erro r, an d w e a ff irm th e d istrict co u rt’s g r a n t o f th e d e f e n d a n ts ’ m o tio n f

o rs u m m a ryju d g m e n t. A F F I R M E D .