Opinion ID: 2973336
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Repayment of Overtime

Text: Jones was forced to repay overtime that was erroneously paid to him in April 2002 for time spent going to the doctor’s office during a time when he was on disability leave and unable to work. The error was discovered in May 2002; Jones had been deposed and was scheduled to testify before the City Commission regarding the Madrigal matter when he was asked to repay the $233.60, making the action temporally proximate to the testimony. The defendants argue that there was an unwritten policy in place regarding overtime pay in these circumstances that was subsequently reduced to writing. While the existence of a policy is a disputed fact, the district court found and the record establishes that the money had in fact been improperly paid to Jones, and that Jones failed to provide any evidence that Dobson’s demand that it be repaid was motivated by any retaliatory animus. Indeed, our review of the record persuades us that Jones’s union agreed that the money had been improperly paid to him, and should be repaid. Jones has failed to establish the causation element of a prima facie case of retaliation with regard to the overtime pay.