Opinion ID: 688105
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Gender-Based Discrimination

Text: 11 To survive a motion for summary judgment, a plaintiff must establish a prima facie case of discrimination by a preponderance of the evidence. Texas Dep't of Community Affairs v. Burdine, 450 U.S. 248, 252-53 (1981); Moore v. Charlotte, 754 F.2d 1100, 1105 (4th Cir.), cert. denied, 472 U.S. 1021 (1985). The burden then shifts to the defendant to articulate some legitimate, non-discriminatory reason for the adverse employment action. Burdine, 450 U.S. at 253. If the employer meets that burden, plaintiff then must prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the reasons offered by the employer are a mere pretext for discrimination. 12 The plaintiff may establish a prima facie case of discrimination by showing that: (1) he is a member of a protected class; (2) he was qualified for his job and his job performance was satisfactory; (3) he suffered an adverse employment action; and (4) the position remained open to similarly qualified applicants after his dismissal. McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, 411 U.S. 792, 802 (1973); Williams v. Cerberonics, Inc., 871 F.2d 452, 455 (4th Cir.1989). Plaintiff may establish a prima facie case by presenting evidence which creates a reasonable inference that he was terminated for reasons prohibited by Title VII. McDonnell Douglas, 411 U.S. at 802 n. 13; Lawrence v. Mars, Inc., 955 F.2d 902, 905-06 (4th Cir.), cert. denied, 61 U.S.L.W. 3257 (U.S.1992). 13 The district court properly found that White established a prima facie case of discrimination. White, a male 1 , was qualified for his job and received several satisfactory job evaluations. Despite his qualifications and performance, however, White was discharged while certain female workers were not. Therefore, White created a presumption that Defendant unlawfully discriminated against him, see St. Mary's Honor Ctr. v. Hicks, 61 U.S.L.W. 4782, 4785 (U.S.1993), and the burden shifted to Defendant to articulate some legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason for the discharge. 14 We agree with the district court that Defendant offered several legitimate, non-discriminatory reasons for White's discharge. White failed to perform certain clean up tasks properly, which was a major portion of his job. Next, White failed to keep the meat cases properly stocked, failed to assist customers in a timely manner, and was generally slow. Moreover, White's incessant complaints affected his relationship with his co-workers and supervisors. Finally, White was insubordinate on several occasions when asked to perform certain duties. 15 Because the Defendant met his burden of production, the burden then shifted back to White to prove, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the reasons offered by Defendants were a pretext for discrimination. Such evidence might include affidavits, depositions, or other filings which suggest that there was a genuine triable fact. Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322-23 (1986). The district court properly found that White failed to produce such evidence. 16 First, White failed to show that Defendant treated him less favorably than other employees because of his gender. See International Bhd. of Teamsters v. United States, 431 U.S. 324, 335 n. 15 (1977). White asserted that he was forced to perform clean up while the four women working in the meat department were not. However, White failed to show that he and the women were all similarly situated. Three of the four female employees were German nationals; as such, they were governed by a different set of guidelines regulating the terms and conditions of their employment. Moreover, the German nationals' job description does not include clean up in the list of duties. Consequently, White was not similarly situated to the three German national females. 17 Furthermore, the record reveals that the female American employee in the meat department performed clean up as a new employee and progressed to more desirable jobs as her skill level increased. White failed to show that this female's promotion was not based upon her advanced skill or that White's assignment to clean up duties was due to gender-based animus. Thus, White could not establish that he was similarly situated to the female American employee. 2 18 Thus, White's only evidence of disparate treatment based upon gender was his own opinion that Defendants discriminated against him because he is a male. The district court correctly found that such a subjective belief cannot serve as the basis for judicial relief. Elliott v. Group Medical & Surgical Serv., 714 F.2d 556, 567 (5th Cir.1983), cert. denied, 467 U.S. 1215 (1984). Because White failed to show that Defendant's legitimate, non-discriminatory reasons for his discharge were pretextual, his claim of gender discrimination failed. Accordingly, the district court properly granted summary judgment to Defendant on that claim. _________________________________________________________________