Opinion ID: 166623
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Inconsistent Explanations for Mr. Sandoval's Promotion

Text: 15 Ms. Jaramillo dismisses the CJD's non-discriminatory reasons for Mr. Sandoval's promotion as ex post facto rationalizations. The main thrust of her argument is that Ms. Donovan initially provided a false reason for the promotion; therefore, her subsequent explanation was necessarily pretextual. When Ms. Jaramillo first asked for an explanation of the CJD's decision, Ms. Donovan told her that Mr. Sandoval's examination score was higher than hers. In fact, she had scored a fraction of a point higher than Mr. Sandoval. After Ms. Jaramillo filed an internal complaint, Ms. Donovan explained that Mr. Sandoval was promoted because he was better qualified for the job, the same reason the CJD has advanced throughout this litigation. Appellant's App. at 156. 16 The fact that one of the CJD's explanations turned out to be incorrect does not necessarily create a genuine issue of fact concerning pretext. A plaintiff demonstrates pretext by showing that the employer's proffered explanation is unworthy of credence. Reeves, 530 U.S. at 143, 120 S.Ct. 2097 (quoting Tex. Dept. of Community Affairs, 450 U.S. at 256, 101 S.Ct. 1089). [O]nce the employer's justification has been eliminated, discrimination may well be the most likely alternative explanation, especially since the employer is in the best position to put forth the actual reason for its decision. Id. at 147, 120 S.Ct. 2097; see Miller v. Eby Realty Group LLC, 396 F.3d 1105, 1113 (10th Cir.2005) (affirming jury verdict of age discrimination where plaintiff show[ed] multiple false explanations were given, and once [the employer's] explanation is rejected there is no apparent alternative legitimate justification for [the plaintiff's] termination). In the most straightforward cases, the plaintiff's showing of pretext completely displaces the employer's legitimate, non-discriminatory explanation, leaving no explanation for the decision. This is not such a case: even without Ms. Donovan's initial explanation, the CJD can readily demonstrate a legitimate reason for promoting Mr. Sandoval. 17 The CJD has consistently explained that it promoted Mr. Sandoval because he was more highly qualified than Ms. Jaramillo. Ms. Jaramillo concedes that there is a legitimate basis for the CJD's explanation. The record is therefore not silent with respect to the employer's motivation. On the contrary, the CJD's legitimate, non-discriminatory explanation is supported by the evidence. 18 Ms. Jaramillo has not produced evidence sufficient for a jury to find that the CJD's legitimate, non-discriminatory explanation — that Mr. Sandoval was better qualified — is also unworthy of credence. [A]s a general rule, an employee must proffer evidence that shows each of the employer's justifications are pretextual. Tyler v. RE/MAX Mt. States, Inc., 232 F.3d 808, 814 (10th Cir.2000); Ghosh v. Ind. Dep't of Envtl. Mgmt., 192 F.3d 1087, 1091-92 (7th Cir.1999); Combs v. Plantation Patterns, 106 F.3d 1519, 1539 (11th Cir.1997); see also Reeves, 530 U.S. at 148, 120 S.Ct. 2097 (explaining that a prima facie case and proof of pretext are not sufficient to create a genuine issue of fact if the record conclusively reveal[s] some other, nondiscriminatory reason for the employer's decision). Debunking one of the employer's explanations defeats the case for summary judgment only if the company has offered no other reason that, if that reason stood alone (more precisely if it did not have support from the tainted reason), would have caused the company to take the action of which the plaintiff is complaining. Russell v. Acme-Evans Co., 51 F.3d 64, 69 (7th Cir.1995). 19 In some cases, however, a successful attack on part of the employer's legitimate, non-discriminatory explanation is enough to survive summary judgment even if one or more of the proffered reasons has not been discredited. Something less than total failure of the employer's defense is sufficient to create a genuine issue of fact when (1) the reasons are so intertwined that a showing of pretext as to one raises a genuine question whether the remaining reason is valid, see id. at 70; (2) the pretextual character of one explanation is so fishy and suspicious, id., that a jury could find that the employer (or its decisionmaker) lacks all credibility, Chapman v. AI Transport, 229 F.3d 1012, 1050 (11th Cir.2000) (en banc) (Birch, J., concurring and dissenting); (3) the employer offers a plethora of reasons, and the plaintiff raises substantial doubt about a number of them, Tyler, 232 F.3d at 814; (4) the plaintiff discredits each of the employer's objective explanations, leaving only subjective reasons to justify its decision, see Aka v. Wash. Hosp. Ctr., 156 F.3d 1284, 1298-99 (D.C.Cir.1998) (en banc); or (5) the employer has changed its explanation under circumstances that suggest dishonesty or bad faith, Cole v. Ruidoso Mun. Schs., 43 F.3d 1373, 1380-81 (10th Cir.1994). None of these exceptions apply to Ms. Jaramillo's case. 20 First, Ms. Donovan's erroneous statement that Mr. Sandoval had a higher test score is not so intertwined with the CJD's contention that he was better qualified that it raises a genuine question of pretext. Because the examination was one of many factors in the promotion to PO II, an applicant could be considered better qualified even if he did not have the highest test score. The CJD's legitimate explanation is therefore not dependent upon the initial rationale offered by Ms. Donovan. 21 Second, the showing of pretext was not so strong that it destroyed the CJD's credibility. To raise an inference of pretext in the face of the employer's legitimate, nondiscriminatory explanation, the plaintiff must undermine the employer's credibility to the point that a reasonable jury could not find in its favor. See Russell, 51 F.3d at 70. This exception is based on the common-sense notion that if a person is shown to be a liar in an outrageous manner ..., the inference that the person is non-credible, and should not be believed as to other issues, is a reasonable one. Chapman, 229 F.3d at 1050 (Birch, J., concurring and dissenting). While Ms. Donovan's initial explanation was factually incorrect, a reasonable jury could find that she confused the two test scores (which were separated by less than one point) or that she wanted to spare Ms. Jaramillo's feelings. Accordingly, Ms. Donovan's isolated statement simply is not outrageous enough to undermine the CJD's legitimate explanation for its decision. 22 Third, Ms. Jaramillo has not shown that the CJD offered a significant number of pretextual reasons. An employer who pursues a shotgun approach under McDonnell Douglas runs a risk of destroying its own credibility because the factfinder's rejection of some of the defendant's proffered reasons may impede the employer's credibility seriously enough so that a factfinder may rationally disbelieve the remaining proffered reasons. Fuentes v. Perskie, 32 F.3d 759, 764 n. 7 (3d Cir.1994); see also Smith v. Chrysler Corp., 155 F.3d 799, 809 (6th Cir.1998). The CJD has not thrown out a bagful of legitimate reasons. Fuentes, 32 F.3d at 764 n. 7. With the exception of a single comment by Ms. Donovan, it has offered the same explanation from the beginning. 23 Nor has Ms. Jaramillo eliminated all objective explanations of the CJD's decision. In Aka, the employer proffered two reasons for its decision not to hire the plaintiff as a pharmacy technician: (1) the successful candidate was better qualified, and (2) the successful candidate was more enthusiastic about the position. The court determined, however, that a jury could find that the plaintiff was markedly better qualified for the position, Aka, 156 F.3d at 1298, leaving the employer with its subjective assessment of the applicants' enthusiasm. Because this determination involved an assessment of credibility, the court found that the plaintiff raised a genuine question of fact regarding pretext. Id. at 1299. By contrast, the CJD's explanation is supported by the evidence, which is sufficient to support a good faith belief that Mr. Sandoval was better qualified than Ms. Jaramillo. 24 Finally, the mere fact that the CJD has offered different explanations for its decision does not create a genuine question of pretext. Courts have looked to two factors to evaluate a change in the employer's explanation for an employment decision: (1) the timing of the change in position and (2) the evidentiary basis for the new rationale. See Perfetti v. First Nat'l Bank, 950 F.2d 449, 456 (7th Cir.1991) (If at the time of the adverse employment decision the decision-maker gave one reason, but at the time of the trial gave a different reason which was unsupported by the documentary evidence, the jury could reasonably conclude that the new reason was a pretextual after-the-fact justification.). The timing of the change has been found to support the inference of pretext when it occurs after significant legal proceedings have occurred. In Zaccagnini v. Chas. Levy Circulating Co., 338 F.3d 672 (7th Cir.2003), the employer argued that it only hired individuals recommended by the union, and the union did not recommend the plaintiff. Id. at 676. However, during discovery, and in its initial briefing to the district court, the employer argued that it had a policy against rehiring workers who had been laid off. It did not advance the second explanation until its reply brief on summary judgment. Id. at 676-78. The court found that the employer's change of position late in the proceedings was fishy and might allow a jury to find pretext. See id. at 678. Similarly, in Cole, the school district stated that it terminated the plaintiff, a school principal, because of budgetary constraints. After she filed an EEOC complaint, however, the district relied on the plaintiff's alleged inability to maintain a cohesive faculty. Cole, 43 F.3d at 1381. 25 A change in position also supports a finding of pretext when the new rationale is unsupported by the evidence. In Zaccagnini, the plaintiff introduced evidence that undermined both of the employer's rationales. See Zaccagnini, 338 F.3d at 678-79. Likewise, in Cole, the record revealed glaring contradictions in the school district's alternative rationale. Cole, 43 F.3d at 1380. The district claimed that faculty conflict began immediately after the plaintiff started as principal; however, the record included glowing evaluations indicating that she maintained positive faculty relations, as well as affidavits from teachers stating that Ms. Cole's predecessor faced similar problems with the faculty. Id. at 1380, 1381 n. 6. 26 While the timing of the change in the CJD's explanation could raise some suspicion, the record supports its contention that Mr. Sandoval was better qualified for the position. Ms. Jaramillo alleges that the CJD did not rely on Mr. Sandoval's qualifications until after she filed a grievance. This is somewhat similar to Cole, where the employer raised a different explanation after the plaintiff filed an EEOC complaint. Even assuming an internal grievance to be as significant as a formal EEOC complaint, however, the CJD's rationale is supported by the record. The CJD's early change of position does not raise a genuine question whether its reliance on Mr. Sandoval's documented qualifications was an attempt to mask an illegitimate motive.