Opinion ID: 482051
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: National Origin Claims

Text: 10 Yartzoff alleges that the EPA discriminated against him on the basis of his Russian national origin under 42 U.S.C. Sec. 2000e-2(a) (1982). His complaint states claims for disparate treatment, not disparate impact. The Title VII analysis set forth in McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, 411 U.S. 792, 802-05, 93 S.Ct. 1817, 1824-25, 36 L.Ed.2d 668 (1973), follows three steps: 11 [A] plaintiff must first establish a prima facie case of discrimination. If the plaintiff establishes a prima facie case, the burden then shifts to the defendant to articulate a legitimate nondiscriminatory reason for its employment decision. Then, in order to prevail, the plaintiff must demonstrate that the employer's alleged reason for the adverse employment decision is a pretext for another motive which is discriminatory. 12 Lowe v. City of Monrovia, 775 F.2d 998, 1005 (9th Cir.1985), amended, 784 F.2d 1407 (9th Cir.1986). 13 To establish a prima facie case of disparate treatment, the plaintiff must offer evidence that give[s] rise to an inference of unlawful discrimination. Texas Dep't of Community Affairs v. Burdine, 450 U.S. 248, 253, 101 S.Ct. 1089, 1094, 67 L.Ed.2d 207 (1981). A common way to establish this inference is to show that the four factors set forth in McDonnell Douglas are present: (1) the plaintiff belongs to a class protected by Title VII, (2) the plaintiff applied and was qualified for a job for which the employer was seeking applicants, (3) the plaintiff, despite being qualified, was rejected, and (4) after the plaintiff's rejection, the position remained open and the employer continued to seek applications from persons of comparable qualifications. Satisfaction of these criteria is sufficient to establish a prima facie case. Williams, 792 F.2d at 1485; Lowe, 775 F.2d at 1005. But failure to allege specific facts sufficient to establish the existence of a prima facie case renders a grant of summary judgment appropriate. Palmer v. United States, 794 F.2d 534, 536-39 (9th Cir.1986); see Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, --- U.S. ----, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 2552-53, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986); Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(e). 14 Each of Yartzoff's five allegations of national origin discrimination fails because there is insufficient evidence to establish a prima facie case. The parties agree that Yartzoff falls within a class protected by Title VII. The claim based on his supervisor's refusal to perform a desk audit in March 1979, however, overlooks the fact that the EPA was then carrying out a reduction-in-force program. The program, announced in July 1978, imposed a freeze on promotions between February and July 1979. The second element of a prima facie case is absent because the EPA neither sought applicants nor was able to give promotions. See Palmer, 794 F.2d at 537-38. 15 The two claims concerning the EPA's failure to hire Yartzoff for one of the six openings in April 1979 and its refusal to promote him in April 1980 both fail for the same reason. Whether or not we agree with the district court's assessment that Yartzoff had not produced sufficient evidence on which a factfinder could infer that he was qualified for the positions he sought, Yartzoff admits that he failed to complete applications and otherwise comply with proper hiring and reclassification procedures. In unusual circumstances, failure to apply for a position may not vitiate a Title VII action. See International Bhd. of Teamsters v. United States, 431 U.S. 324, 367-68, 97 S.Ct. 1843, 1870-71, 52 L.Ed.2d 396 (1977) (holding that a nonapplicant may pursue a Title VII action on a showing that he was deterred from applying by the employer's discriminatory practices). The record in this case, however, to say the least, does not show that Yartzoff was discouraged from applying. He simply failed to do so. 16 The claim concerning the denial of Yartzoff's request for a self-improvement training program fails because the Las Vegas personnel director lacked authority to implement unilaterally such a program. A prima facie case in this setting should include evidence that the employer's agent was in fact authorized to grant the request. Although the personnel director informed Yartzoff that a training program had to be developed by Yartzoff and his supervisor, Yartzoff did not further pursue an attempt to arrange one of the programs available at Corvallis. 17 Finally, Yartzoff's claim that the EPA's Office of Civil Rights delayed acting on his complaints because of ethnic animus is meritless. The record shows that the office had a substantial backlog of cases to handle, and Yartzoff did not allege that his legal rights were prejudiced in any way by the timing of the administrative determinations. When the agency did not act within 180 days, Yartzoff availed himself of his statutory right to file suit in district court. See 42 U.S.C. Sec. 2000e-16(c) (1982). On these pleadings, we hold that Yartzoff failed to state a claim. 18 The district court also correctly disposed of the national origin claims if construed to advance a disparate impact theory. The complaint does not allege that otherwise neutral practices of the EPA had a substantial, adverse impact on a group protected by Title VII. See Lowe, 775 F.2d at 1004. Even if the pro se complaint is construed liberally to state a claim under a disparate impact theory, the record does not contain evidence of a substantial, adverse impact sufficient to survive summary judgment. Therefore, the EPA was entitled to summary judgment on all of the national origin claims.