Opinion ID: 719642
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Merits of ADEA Claim

Text: 13 Aucutt next contends that the district court erred in determining that he had failed to present a prima facie case of age discrimination in violation of the ADEA 2 or, alternatively, that he had failed to show that the legitimate reason for his discharge articulated by Six Flags was a pretext for age discrimination. See Op. at 1318. We disagree. 14 The burden-shifting framework set forth in McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, 411 U.S. 792, 802-04, 93 S.Ct. 1817, 1824-25, 36 L.Ed.2d 668 (1973), for Title VII discrimination cases also governs age discrimination claims under the ADEA. Holley v. Sanyo Mfg., Inc., 771 F.2d 1161, 1164 (8th Cir.1985) (Holley ). The plaintiff must first establish a prima facie case of age discrimination. In order to establish a prima facie case, an age-discrimination plaintiff such as Aucutt, who was dismissed pursuant to a RIF, must show that: (1) he or she was at least 40 years old at the time of discharge; (2) he or she satisfied the applicable job qualifications; (3) he or she was discharged; and (4) provide some additional showing that age was a factor in the termination. Nitschke v. McDonnell Douglas Corp., 68 F.3d 249, 251 (8th Cir.1995) (Nitschke ) (quoting Holley, 771 F.2d at 1165). If the plaintiff establishes a prima facie case, the employer has the burden of producing evidence that the plaintiff was discharged for a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason. St. Mary's Honor Center v. Hicks, 509 U.S. 502, 507, 113 S.Ct. 2742, 2747, 125 L.Ed.2d 407 (1993) (quoting Texas Dep't of Community Affairs v. Burdine, 450 U.S. 248, 254, 101 S.Ct. 1089, 1094, 67 L.Ed.2d 207 (1981)). The burden then shifts to the plaintiff to prove that the reason articulated by the employer was a pretext for age-based discrimination. Nitschke, 68 F.3d at 251; Hutson v. McDonnell Douglas Corp., 63 F.3d 771, 777 (8th Cir.1995). 15 We will assume for purposes of this appeal that Aucutt has established a prima facie case of age discrimination. Even granting him this assumption, the district court properly entered summary judgment in favor of Six Flags on the issue of pretext. Six Flags submits that it discharged Aucutt pursuant to a RIF caused by a decline in business in the 1992 season. According to Chilovich, the Manager of Security at the Six Flags in Eureka, Aucutt was selected for termination because of his failure to correct his negative work attitude after repeated admonitions, including a corrective counseling session in February 1992. Chilovich Aff. p 12. Noting that Aucutt had conducted unauthorized searches of patrons' cars in the parking lot, had made park guests perform push-ups on at least one occasion, and had often criticized Six Flags' procedures, Chilovich stated that he had recommended Aucutt for termination, and the General Manager had agreed, because Aucutt's behavior was inconsistent with the company's public relations and safety policies. Chilovich Aff. pp 7, 12. 16 Because Six Flags presented a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason for Aucutt's termination, the burden shifted to Aucutt to demonstrate the existence of a factual issue as to whether this explanation was a pretext for age-based discrimination. Although Aucutt questions Chilovich's personal knowledge of the push up incident, 3 he does not deny having engaged in any of the militaristic conduct described by Chilovich. Rather, he merely alleges pretext on the basis that Six Flags retained two younger security officers who had inferior job performance evaluations. Yet we note that these officers were only ranked below Aucutt in one category; nor did they demonstrate the negative work attitude for which Aucutt had often been admonished. More importantly, however, Aucutt has not presented any evidence that Six Flags harbored age-based discriminatory animus. This court may not second-guess an employer's personnel decisions, unless such decisions are based upon unlawful discrimination. See Walker v. AT & T Technologies, 995 F.2d 846, 850 (8th Cir.1993). Upon careful de novo review, we hold that the district court correctly determined that Aucutt has not presented sufficient evidence to create a genuine issue of material fact that Six Flags' articulated reason for his discharge was a pretext for age-based discrimination.