Opinion ID: 615269
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Falsity of HBC's Reason for the Termination

Text: Kathy Sade, the manager in Twigg's department who made the ultimate decision to fire Twigg, claims that she terminated Twigg because Twigg failed to report to work or notify HBC of her absences for three consecutive working days, in violation of the company's Rules of Conduct. Twigg contends that a reasonable jury could find this explanation false for three reasons: (1) before Twigg's surgery on February 20, 2008, Cindy Ealey, Twigg's immediate supervisor, approved Twigg's out-of-office auto reply message for her e-mail account that stated, I will be out of the office until approximately April 28, 2008; (2) on March 4, 2008, Amber Cotton, the HR assistant, told Twigg that her FMLA leave was taken care of and that she (Cotton) would call Twigg if any problems arose; and (3) on March 18, 2008, Twigg sent an e-mail to the employees in her department (including her two supervisors) that provided an update on her status and included a closing line stating, Take care all, I will see you in about a month. The problem with Twigg's argument is twofold. First, and most fundamental, Twigg does not explain how the alleged falsity of Sade's justification for terminating Twigg directly reflects Sade's motive to retaliate against Twigg for her complaints about race discrimination. Falsity evidence is useful in discrimination and retaliation cases because it is one means of establishing pretext. See Kendrick v. Penske Transp. Servs., Inc., 220 F.3d 1220, 1230 (10th Cir.2000). In other words, [i]n appropriate circumstances, the trier of fact can reasonably infer from the falsity of the explanation that the employer is dissembling to cover up a discriminatory [or retaliatory] purpose. Reeves v. Sanderson Plumbing Prods., Inc., 530 U.S. 133, 147, 120 act 2097, 147 L.Ed.2d 105 (2000). Thus, evidence of the falsity of an employer's legitimate, nonretaliatory reason for its action may help a plaintiff prove retaliation indirectly, but such evidence does not directly establish that an employer was motivated by retaliatory animus. Second, Twigg does not attempt to explain how the evidence that she relies on even shows that Sade's reason for terminating her was false. There is no apparent connection between Twigg's three pieces of evidence and the alleged falsity of Sade's reason for terminating Twigg.