Opinion ID: 622802
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Retaliatory Discrimination Claim

Text: Anthony’s final claim is that her temporary reassignment was in retaliation for her previous EEO complaint and her letter to Senator Mary Landrieu. “There are three elements to a prima facie case of retaliation under Title VII: (1) that the plaintiff engaged in activity protected by Title VII, (2) that an adverse employment action occurred, and (3) that a causal link existed between the protected activity and the adverse action.” Raggs v. Miss. Power & Light Co., 278 F.3d 463, 471 (5th Cir. 2002). The burden-shifting framework of McDonnell Douglas continues to apply to retaliatory discrimination claims. Id. at 468. Under Title VII, an employee has engaged in a protected activity if she has either (1) “opposed any practice made an unlawful employment practice” by Title VII or (2) if she “made a charge, testified, assisted, or participated in any manner in an investigation, proceeding, or hearing” under Title VII. 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-3(a). “‘The proper standard of proof . . . [for] a Title VII retaliation claim is that the adverse employment action . . . would not have occurred ‘but for’ [the] protected conduct.” Strong v. Univ. Healthcare Sys., L.L.C., 482 F.3d 802, 806 2 There is also no evidence that Anthony’s age was the but-for cause of her temporary reassignment. See Moss v. BMC Software, Inc., 610 F.3d 917, 922 (5th Cir. 2010). 7 Case: 11-30664 Document: 00511757080 Page: 8 Date Filed: 02/13/2012 No. 11-30664 (5th Cir. 2007) (quoting Septimus v. Univ. of Houston, 399 F.3d 601, 608 (5th Cir. 2005)) (emphasis in original). In Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Co. v. White, 548 U.S. 53 (2006), the Supreme Court explained that an adverse employment action in the Title VII retaliation context depends on whether the act was materially adverse, meaning that it would “have dissuaded a reasonable worker from making or supporting a charge of discrimination.” Id. at 68 (internal quotation marks and citation omitted). “Whether a particular reassignment is materially adverse depends upon the circumstances of the particular case, and should be judged from the perspective of a reasonable person in the plaintiff's position, considering all the circumstances.” Id. at 71 (internal quotation marks and citation omitted). Even under this broader definition, Anthony still fails to demonstrate that her temporary reassignment was an adverse employment action. Her reassignment to sort mail at Port Allen was temporary and due to emergency circumstances. After the hurricane, many other USPS employees were similarly reassigned to locations and responsibilities different from their normal employment. She was not demoted and experienced no change to her salary or her benefits. Under all the circumstances of Anthony’s case, a reasonable person would not conclude that her reassignment to Port Allen would have dissuaded a reasonable worker from making charges of discrimination. Burlington, 548 U.S. at 68. Furthermore, even assuming that her temporary assignment to process mail in Port Allen was an adverse employment action, there is no evidence that Anthony’s May 2008 EEO complaint and her letter to Senator Landrieu was the but-for cause in Anthony’s reassigment. Anthony’s May 2008 EEO complaint was filed prior to the arrival of Weisiger and based on a dispute with a different manager. Weisiger testified that she had no knowledge of the complaint and 8 Case: 11-30664 Document: 00511757080 Page: 9 Date Filed: 02/13/2012 No. 11-30664 that it did not impact her decision to reassign Anthony in the wake of the hurricane. The letter from Senator Landrieu only came to the attention of her supervisors after her reassignment. Anthony has produced no evidence showing that Weisiger knew of the letter or that it led Weisiger to assign Anthony to the Port Allen facility. Anthony has failed to make out a prima facie case of retaliatory discrimination under Title VII. We affirm the district court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of USPS on this ground.