Opinion ID: 194852
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Victor M. Guadalupe Bobonis

Text: Guadalupe was dismissed for the second time from his transitory position, as a municipal guard, in October 1985. In January 1985, the occasion of the first dismissal, the only justifications defendants offered were that his transitory appointment had already lapsed and the position was deemed expendable under the austerity program. Mayor Aponte abruptly rescinded the first dismissal letter on January 25, 1985. In June 1985, however, Aponte sent another letter of dismissal, asserting that Guadalupe did not meet the minimum qualifications for the position, and that his original appointment therefore had been illegal. As there was no evidence that Guadalupe did not meet the minimum job qualifications, the jury reasonably could have concluded that defendants' shifting justifications for Guadalupe's dismissal amounted to pretextual posturing. Furthermore, Guadalupe testified that twelve or fifteen more policemen were hired after his dismissal. See Nereida- Gonzalez, 990 F.2d at 706 (noting that evidence suggesting that defendants' reorganization was a sham may be considered probative of discriminatory animus); Ferrer, 914 F.2d at 311 (over- staffing defense undermined by competent evidence from which jury could conclude that defendants later hired replacements to perform same functions entailed by plaintiff's position); see also supra note 12.