Opinion ID: 785761
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Discharge Claim

Text: 42 Subsection 825.220(c) of the FMLA regulations provides: 43 An employer is prohibited from discriminating against employees or prospective employees who have used FMLA leave. For example, if an employee on leave without pay would otherwise be entitled to full benefits (other than health benefits), the same benefits would be required to be provided to an employee on unpaid FMLA leave. By the same token, employers cannot use the taking of FMLA leave as a negative factor in employment actions, such as hiring, promotions or disciplinary actions; nor can FMLA leave be counted under no fault attendance policies. 44 It is apparent from the face of § 825.220(c) that to be successful on this claim, Conoshenti must show that (1) he took an FMLA leave, (2) he suffered an adverse employment decision, and (3) the adverse decision was causally related to his leave. 9 There is no dispute that Conoshenti took an FMLA leave and that PSE & G discharged him on April 17, 1999. The issue for decision, accordingly, is whether the summary judgment record reflects a material dispute of fact as to whether there was a causal connection between the two. 45 PSE & G insists that Conoshenti was discharged because he violated the LCA. In support of his claim that his FMLA leave was responsible for that decision, Conoshenti points primarily to three documents: (1) the April 17th termination letter which assigned as the reason for the discharge all 92 days of his absence from work; (2) the draft termination letter dated December 20th stating that Conoshenti would be terminated because of his absence from work from December 6th to December 16th; and (3) Wasser's December 27th note indicating that Conoshenti would be discharged upon his return to work. 46 The District Court concluded, and PSE & G does not contest, that these documents were sufficient direct evidence of Conoshenti's FMLA leave having been a factor in the discharge decision to give Conoshenti the benefit of the Supreme Court's decision in Price Waterhouse v. Hopkins, 490 U.S. 228, 109 S.Ct. 1775, 104 L.Ed.2d 268 (1989). See Walden v. Georgia-Pacific Corp., 126 F.3d 506 (3d Cir.1997); Woodson v. Scott Paper, 109 F.3d 913 (3d Cir.1997) (both recognizing that Price Waterhouse may properly be applied in a retaliation case when there is direct evidence of retaliatory animus). Under the Price Waterhouse framework, when an FMLA plaintiff alleging unlawful termination presents `direct evidence' that his [FMLA leave] was a substantial factor in the decision to fire him, the burden of persuasion on the issue of causation shifts, and the employer must prove that it would have fired the plaintiff even if it had not considered [the FMLA leave]. Fakete, 308 F.3d at 338 (applying the direct evidence analysis to a claim under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act). 10 Justice O'Connor explained that this burden requires the employer: 47 To convince the trier of fact that it is more likely than not that the decision would have been the same absent consideration of the illegitimate factor. The employer need not isolate the sole cause for the decision; rather it must demonstrate that with the illegitimate factor removed from the calculus, sufficient business reasons would have induced it to take the same employment action. This evidentiary scheme essentially requires the employer to place the employee in the same position he or she would have occupied absent discrimination. 48 Price Waterhouse, 490 U.S. at 276-77, 109 S.Ct. 1775. 11 49 The District Court held that there [was] no genuine issue of material fact regarding the proposition that [PSE & G] would have discharged [Conoshenti] for reasons not related to the FMLA leave. App. at 15-16. We agree. 50 Even when viewed in a light most favorable to Conoshenti, the record clearly indicates that Conoshenti would have been discharged absent any consideration of his twelve weeks of FMLA-protected leave. Conoshenti himself conceded to the District Court, as well as in his brief on appeal, that any violation of the LCA would be deemed automatic just cause and he would be fired. Pl.'s Mem. Supp. Summ. J. at 2; Appellant's Br. at 7. Here, there is no question that Conoshenti exceeded his twelve weeks of protected leave and, under the LCA, he was subject to immediate discharge on the very first workday that he was both absent from work and no longer protected by the FMLA. 51 Ironically, the evidence that Conoshenti relies upon, while permitting an inference that his absence from work during the twelve weeks following December 6th was a substantial factor in the decision to discharge him on April 17th, also demonstrates that he would have been discharged on April 17th had that prior absence not occurred. The December 20th draft termination letter, the Wasser December 27th note, and the fact that the draft termination letter was not sent demonstrate that PSE & G was determined both to respect Conoshenti's right to FMLA leave and to discharge him under the LCA as soon as it could legally do so. While the reference to 92 days in the April 17th termination letter might, in isolation, support an inference that the protected leave was considered in connection with the discharge decision, it would not support a finding that Conoshenti would not have been discharged on April 17th in the absence of having taken 12 weeks of protected leave. 52 Because a rational trier of fact could not find in Conoshenti's favor, summary judgment in favor of PSE & G on this claim was appropriate. 12