Opinion ID: 170111
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Objective standard of materially adverse action

Text: Appellants' primary argument comes into play regarding the second prong. The second element, altered by Burlington Northern, requires that the subsequent or contemporaneous actions taken against the individuals who engaged in the protected activity would be considered by a reasonable employee to be material and adverse, thereby dissuading them from making a complaint about discrimination. It is clear from the record that these Appellants were not dissuaded by the alleged material and adverse retaliatory conduct by the Defendants. They did not cease attempting to remedy what they perceived to be acts of discrimination. Thus, the alleged retaliation attempted has apparently been unsuccessful. The Supreme Court made clear that the test for the second prong of a retaliation claim is an objective one. Burlington Northern, 126 S.Ct. at 2415. The Court stated: In our view, a plaintiff must show that a reasonable employee would have found the challenged action materially adverse, which in this context means it might well have dissuaded a reasonable worker from making or supporting a charge of discrimination. We speak of material adversity because we believe it is important to separate significant from trivial harms. Title VII, we have said, does not set forth a general civility code for the American workplace. Burlington Northern, 126 S.Ct. at 2415 (emphasis in original and internal citations and quotation marks omitted). This reading is confirmed by our precedent in Williams v. W.D. Sports, N.M., Inc., where we rejected the argument that a plaintiff alleging a retaliation claim must show some tangible, subjective psychological or monetary injury. Such a requirement would make no sense of [ Burlington Northern v.] White 's emphasis on the need for an objective test . . . 497 F.3d at 1090. We again reiterated that the focus of the question is on whether a reasonable employee would have found the defendant's conduct sufficiently adverse that he or she well might have been dissuaded by such conduct from making or supporting a charge of discrimination . . . Id. Moreover, the fact that an employee continues to be undeterred in his or her pursuit of a remedy, as here was the case, may shed light as to whether the actions are sufficiently material and adverse to be actionable. We now apply these principles as spelled out in Burlington Northern to the instant case. [1]
Appellants indicate that they were both offended by comments and actions of various individuals at a department meeting in late February 2003. Appellants claim that they were subjected to extreme public humiliation. Aplt. Br. at 24. This meeting concerned hiring decisions within the department. Appellant Bornstein-Gómez described the humiliation in her deposition as individuals rolling their eyes and laughing at her opinion on the proper standards for making decisions. Aplt.App. 403. Appellant Somoza testified similarly, indicating that he was laughed at, snickered at, and individuals made comments to one another while he spoke at the meeting. Appellants also contend that they endured continued hostility by other individuals. Conduct such as this, if pervasive enough, may in fact rise to the level of a materially adverse action. Medina v. Income Support Div., New Mexico, 413 F.3d 1131, 1136 (10th Cir.2005) (citing Gunnell v. Utah Valley State College, 152 F.3d 1253, 1264 (10th Cir.1998)). However, our precedent tempers this by holding that unruly behavior during a meeting and derogatory e-mails are unlikely to deter a reasonable employee from making a charge of discrimination. Mickelson v. New York Lift Ins. Co., 460 F.3d 1304, 1318 (10th Cir.2006) (citing Burlington Northern). Moreover, the Supreme Court cited the EEOC manual in Burlington Northern when it reasoned that a lack of good manners will not create such deterrence necessary to constitute material adverse action capable of dissuading a reasonable employee from making a complaint about discrimination. Burlington Northern, 126 S.Ct. at 2415 (citing 2 EEOC 1998 Manual § 8, p. 8-13) (internal quotation marks omitted). [2] Therefore, without more, Appellants have not thereby met the standard of the second prong to this point.
Appellants also indicate that they have been stripped of various powers within the Department. They claim that their initial recommendation regarding the suspension of the search committee's suggestion, which ultimately led to the hiring of Susan Walter, was reversed. The search began in 2003 and the committee evaluating the qualifications of the candidates consisted of Appellant Somoza, Professor O'Neil, and Chair Beaudoin. Aplt.App. 1112, 57: 5-18. In Appellants' brief, they claim that Chair Beaudoin allowed another junior professor, Javier Torre, to be disrespectful towards them. Also, Appellants claim that roughly 10 days after they expressed their position on the lack of qualifications of applicants, a lecturer position was taken away and their recommendation was reversed by a department vote. The initial search committee, which recommended suspension of the search, included one of the Appellants, Professor Somoza. The decision, at the departmental meeting which both Appellants attended, was overturned by a majority vote, and the vote reversed the recommendation of the search committee,' not that of the Appellants individually or together. Thus, since the department vote reversed the decision of the committee, and not that of the Appellants, this particular action is insufficient to meet the standard of Burlington Northern because the Appellants were not specifically and individually affectedthe entire search committee's decision was reversed. There are no facts produced that indicate Appellants were targeted specifically. Moreover, the subjective injuries, like a bruised ego, allegedly sustained by Appellant Somoza do not rise to the level of dissuading a reasonable worker from making or supporting a charge of discrimination. See also Mitchell v. Vanderbilt Univ., 389 F.3d 177, 182 (6th Cir.2004) (professor's bruised ego due to revocation of his mentor status is not an adverse action). [3] After the departmental vote, the search committee reconvened, including the same members of the committee, and was instructed to either vote for one of the two candidates or vote for neither. Aplt. App. 1193-94. Ultimately, the reconvened search committee voted unanimously to hire Susan Walter. Again, this unanimous vote was an action taken by the search committee as a whole rather than a decision made by the. Appellants individually. Further, Professor Somoza sat on both search committees and exercised a vote which both times corresponded to the ultimate decision of the committee. It is difficult to see how Appellants were singled out or targeted in these instances; Appellants have produced no evidence indicating that they were individually targeted in some fashion on these committees, nor have they explained how serving on both committees and exercising a vote represents a diminution of their decision-making powers. Appellants take issue with the search process initiated in 2004. They claim that Chair Beaudoin convened no search committee, thereby denying them a right to participate in the selection of a Spanish lecturer. However, Appellant Somoza testified that [t]here was a meeting at some point, and we were asked if we would accept Wendy for the position. I said yes. Aplt.App. 1132. Professor Bornstein-Gómez testified that there was no committee but that she was asked if she would accept Ms. Mendez for the position; she also said that the hiring decision was one of consensus and that a meeting took place. Aplt.App. 1131-32. Regardless of whether the presence or absence of a formal or informal search committee violates Departmental procedure or by-laws, any action did not target Appellants specifically as individualsit affected them as members of the Spanish Section. Furthermore, the Appellants testified that their opinions were considered. Thus, Appellants have failed to provide facts that satisfy the second prong of the prima facie test relating to their treatment while on the search committees. Appellants also allege that Dean Kvistad removed a lecturer position from the Spanish Section on February 26, 2003. This claim, Appellants argue, impacts both their workload and their decision-making power. While touching on workload, this claim is not waived by the Appellants because their argument centers on whether they might have been deterred due to the fear of an increased workload. Primarily, this claim involves the hiring of Wendy Mendez into the temporary lecturer position formerly held by Susan Walters. Specifically, the Appellants contend that the funding for the non-temporary position, previously occupied by Wendy Mendez, was eliminated by Dean Kvistad. The record indicates that at various times there was some confusion as to the character of Ms. Mendez's position. Indeed, it seems as though she was hired at three different times. However, the basis of Appellants's claim is the elimination of funding. As depositions from both Prof. Somoza and Prof. Bornstein-Gomez make clear, Ms. Mendez was shuffled through various temporary and non-temporary positions well after the alleged removal date of February 26, 2003. There are two issues: whether Appellants have shown that the funding was lost and whether the funding lost was for a temporary or non-temporary position. This is because, as the record shows, temporary position funding is lost by attrition whereas non-temporary position funding is lost by a departmental decision. If the funding lost was due to Ms. Mendez being hired into a new position, rather than a departmental decision, then Appellants's claim fails. Furthermore, even if the funding lost stemmed from a non-temporary position, Appellants would have to show that they were targeted specifically by this action. On its face, a departmental decision to remove a nontemporary lecturer position would affect the entire Spanish Section as a whole, not just the Appellants. Thus, Appellants would have to show that this conduct sought them out individually. From various statements made byProf. BornsteinGomez and by Chair Beaudoin, the record bears out that the position in question was temporary and may not have been lost at all. Appellants provide no clear evidence indicating that the position was lost in February of 2003 nor do they show that it was non-temporary. Thus, since the position allegedly lost was a temporary one it therefore occurred due to attrition and consequently, Appellants's claim fails. Finally, with regard to allegations of intentionally diminishing Appellants' decision-making authority, Appellants argue that Professor BornsteinGómez was precluded from selecting the Basic Language Coordinator for the Spanish Section. Ms. Zulema Lopez was selected as the temporary coordinator when Susan Walter was on parental leave. Appellants contend that long-standing practice in the department mandates that the Section Coordinator, a position held by Appellant BornsteinGómez at this time, be consulted in making these decisions. It is clear from the record that Professor BornsteinGInez did not have the determinative opinion on who should fill the basic language coordinator position. In her testimony, she stated that it was correct that her voice would have been one of several in the department taken into consideration. Furthermore, in an e-mail referencing the decision concerning a language coordinator, Appellant BornsteinGómez put forward three possible solutions for assigning the duties of the coordinator. One of these possibilities was Zulema López, and Professor BornsteinGómez said in the same e-mail that she was not advocating any particular person but was most interested in maintaining a quality program. Aplt.App. 1154. Thus, it would seem BornsteinGómez did in fact offer her opinion in accordance with long-standing departmental practice. However, the fact that her suggestion was not ultimately followed does not establish that she suffered a diminution of her powers that might well dissuade a reasonable faculty member from making or supporting a charge of discrimination.
Appellants argue that Professor Javier Torre, an untenured junior colleague, harassed them in retaliation for their protected activities. Appellants cite an affidavit provided by another colleague, Professor Ralph DiFranco. Professor DiFranco states that Professor Torre displayed an air of superiority, associated with faculty other than Appellants, wrote critical e-mails, was rude and failed to interact collegially at meetings or even greet them in the department. Aplt.App. 620. Also, Appellants provide confirmatory accounts of Professor Torre's unprofessional behavior in an affidavit from Wendy Mendez. She referred to Professor Torre's behavior as disrespectful, defensive and disregarding and said that he was uncooperative at Spanish section meetings and in other situations. Aplt. App. 643, Appellants may have had to withstand colleagues that do not like them, are rude, and may be generally disagreeable people. However, this court's obligation is not to mandate that certain individuals work on their interpersonal skills and cease engaging in inter-departmental personality conflicts. Furthermore, Professor Torre is in terms of seniority, junior to the Appellants and his conduct would be less likely to deter a reasonable employee from making a complaint for fear of repercussions. We do not wish to trivialize the difficulty that may have been subjectively felt by the Appellants. However, the conduct described is not indicative of the pervasively hostile work environment necessary to survive the objective test of the second prong of the prima facie case standard. See Gunnell v. Utah Valley State College, 152 F.3d 1253, 1264 (10th Cir.1998); MacKenzie v. City & County of Denver, 414 F.3d 1266, 1280 (10th Cir.2005) (stating that courts should filter out complaints attacking the ordinary tribulations of the workplace); Heno v. Sprint/United Mgmt. Co., 208 F.3d 847, 857-58 (10th Cir.2000) (affirming dismissal of hostile environment claim because co-worker acting chilly toward plaintiff was not sufficiently severe or pervasive). [4]
Appellant BornsteinGómez argues that she was disparately denied compensation for taking on the duties of section coordinator. She testified that these duties were voluntary, but she fails to show that other section coordinators within the department were provided compensation for those same duties. Aplt.App. 1129. Appellant BornsteinGómez specifically states that the French section, also within the same department as the Spanish section, has a section coordinator that is not compensated for assuming those extra responsibilities. This statement is confirmed in an affidavit by Chair Beaudoin. Aplt.App. 1151. Similar to the circumstance in Williams v. W.D. Sports, N.M., Inc., where the plaintiff made a claim of economic loss, our record does not indicate any monetary loss. 497 F.3d at 1088. Therefore, there is no actionable disparate treatment here.
Appellants next contend that the Spanish section was abolished by Chair Beaudoin. In an affidavit, Chair Beaudoin stated that he explained to Professor BornsteinGómez that the Spanish section did not exist as its own entity, but was simply one unit within a department of Languages and Literatures. I never said that the Spanish section did not exist. That would be an illogical statement since the Spanish program exists at [the University of Denver] even today. Aplt.App. 1151. With respect to any changes in the Spanish section, any section-wide alterations would be felt by all members of the section, faculty, administrative staff, and lecturers. Thus, changes such as these would be insufficient to meet the second prong of the prima facie case test because they did not target the Appellants specifically. [5]
Finally, the Appellants argue that, as suggested in Stover v. Martinez, the aggregation of actions may rise to the level of being material and adverse. 382 F.3d at 1071. At the outset, however, we note that a number of claims affect the Spanish section as a whole rather than affecting specifically the Appellants. They are therefore similarly situated with other members of the Spanish section, not all of whom are members of a protected class. We do not foreclose the possibility that an employer action which affects an entire group, composed of both members of a protected class and non-protected class members, may be retaliatory towards a single individual who is a member of a protected class. However, it is quite possible that such an argument may indeed be more difficult to prove. In the instant case, the employer's actions were typical of those in an academic environment and therefore not materially adverse under Burlington Northern. Appellants have waived the issues of increased workload and low merit salary increases, as noted earlier. We have no doubt that having to address the individual personalities in a work environment may be daunting at times. However, it cannot be said that negative comments, condescending looks, perceived exclusion from hiring and firing decisions, and a reduction in the administrative authority within the department aggregate to produce material and adverse actions against these Appellants. Therefore, we find that the Appellants have failed to satisfy their burden under Burlington Northern of presenting a prima facie case of employment retaliation.