Opinion ID: 3191373
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Gender and Age Discrimination

Text: Employment discrimination claims all require proof of discriminatory intent. See Vessels v. Atlanta Indep. Sch. Sys., 408 F.3d 763, 767 (11th Cir. 2005). 18 Case: 15-11709 Date Filed: 04/05/2016 Page: 19 of 31 When, as here, a Title VII or ADEA plaintiff’s employment discrimination claim is based on circumstantial evidence, courts apply the burden-shifting framework set out in McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, 411 U.S. 792, 93 S. Ct. 1817 (1973). Kidd v. Mando Am. Corp., 731 F.3d 1196, 1202 (11th Cir. 2013) (Title VII); Kragor v. Takeda Pharms. Am., Inc., 702 F.3d 1304, 1308 (11th Cir. 2012) (ADEA). Under the McDonnell Douglas framework, a plaintiff must first create an inference of discrimination through her prima facie case. Vessels, 408 F.3d at 767. “Once the plaintiff has made a prima facie case, a rebuttable presumption arises that the employer has acted illegally.” Alvarez v. Royal Atl. Developers, Inc., 610 F.3d 1253, 1264 (11th Cir. 2010). “The employer can rebut that presumption by articulating one or more legitimate non-discriminatory reasons for its action.” Id. “If it does so, the burden shifts back to the plaintiff to produce evidence that the employer’s proffered reasons are a pretext for discrimination.” Id. On appeal, the plaintiffs argue that they established a prima facie case for gender and age discrimination with respect to two discrete adverse employment actions: (1) their non-selection for the PACT pharmacist positions, and (2) the denial of their requests for an advanced scope and associated training. We address each argument in turn. 19 Case: 15-11709 Date Filed: 04/05/2016 Page: 20 of 31
In a typical failure-to-hire scenario, the plaintiff establishes a prima facie case of unlawful discrimination by demonstrating that: “(1) she was a member of a protected class; (2) she applied and was qualified for a position for which the employer was accepting applications; (3) despite her qualifications, she was not hired; and (4) the position remained open or was filled by another person outside of her protected class.” EEOC v. Joe’s Stone Crabs, Inc., 296 F.3d 1265, 1273 (11th Cir. 2002). To demonstrate that she was qualified for the position at the prima facie stage, a plaintiff must show that she satisfied an employer’s objective qualifications. Vessels, 408 F.3d at 769. “[S]ubjective evaluations play no part in the plaintiff's prima facie case.” Id. “Rather, they are properly articulated as part of the employer’s burden to produce a legitimate race-neutral basis for its decision, then subsequently evaluated as part of the court’s pretext inquiry.” Id. Here, the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate that they were objectively qualified to fill the PACT pharmacist positions, which is fatal to their prima facie case. It is undisputed that one of the objective hiring criteria for the PACT pharmacist positions was the possession of an advanced scope. Because the PACT initiative required the PACT team pharmacist to function as a mid-level provider who managed chronic disease sates, made critical decisions about the patient’s care, and 20 Case: 15-11709 Date Filed: 04/05/2016 Page: 21 of 31 prescribed medications, a PACT pharmacist needed to function under an advanced scope so that he or she could independently prescribe medication. This objective requirement was made abundantly clear by Bay Pines’ PACT pharmacist selections, all of whom had previous experience independently prescribing medication under an advanced scope. The plaintiffs presented copious amounts of evidence establishing that they were very experienced clinical pharmacists who consistently received outstanding performance reviews. We have no doubt that the plaintiffs were proficient module pharmacists at Bay Pines. That said, the plaintiffs did not have advanced scopes and had no experience providing mid-level care with independent prescription authority. Despite the subjective factors supporting their qualifications to function as PACT pharmacists, the plaintiffs did not possess the objective qualifications necessary to fill the position. Because the plaintiffs were not objectively qualified to perform the duties of a PACT pharmacist, they failed to establish an element of their prima facie failure-to-hire case. See Vessels, 408 F.3d at 769; Joe’s Stone Crabs, Inc., 296 F.3d at 1273. 2. Denial of Requests for Advanced Scopes and Related Training To establish a prima facie case for disparate treatment in an employment discrimination case, the plaintiff must show that: “(1) she is a member of a protected class; (2) she was subjected to an adverse employment action; (3) her 21 Case: 15-11709 Date Filed: 04/05/2016 Page: 22 of 31 employer treated similarly situated employees outside of her protected class more favorably than she was treated; and (4) she was qualified to do the job.” BurkeFowler v. Orange Cty., 447 F.3d 1319, 1323 (11th Cir. 2006). With respect to the third prong of the prima facie case, the plaintiffs and the employee they identify as a comparator must be similarly situated in all relevant respects. Wilson v. B/E Aerospace, Inc., 376 F.3d 1079, 1091 (11th Cir. 2004). The comparator must be “nearly identical” to the plaintiffs to prevent courts from second-guessing a reasonable decision by the employer. Id. Thus, in order for the plaintiffs in this case to establish a prima facie case for unlawful disparate treatment, they must show that a similarly-situated individual outside of their protected class applied for an advanced scope and received it. See Maynard v. Bd. of Regents, 342 F.3d 1281, 1289 (11th Cir. 2003). The plaintiffs’ sole proffered comparator is Dr. Steele, a young male who received an advanced scope and the associated training due to his participation in the Lakeside PACT pilot program. But, compared to the plaintiffs, Dr. Steele was not a “similarly-situated individual.” While Dr. Steele was also a module pharmacist, he did not even work in the same building as the plaintiffs. The acting Chief of Primary Care and members of the Bay Pines PACT executive council chose Lakeside as the site for the PACT pilot program. Dr. Steele received an advanced scope and the associated training because he happened to work at 22 Case: 15-11709 Date Filed: 04/05/2016 Page: 23 of 31 Lakeside, the chosen pilot program site. The plaintiffs did not work at that location. Dr. Steele was already a module pharmacist at Lakeside and worked with many of the providers selected to participate in the pilot program. Thus, Dr. Steele was a natural choice for serving as a pharmacist in the Lakeside PACT pilot program. Once selected to participate in the pilot program, Dr. Steele’s job duties required that he train for and obtain an advanced scope. Conversely, prior to the implementation of PACT, the plaintiffs’ jobs never required that they train for or obtain an advanced scope. As such, Dr. Steele and the plaintiffs were dissimilar in several critical respects, and were a far cry from being “nearly identical.” Wilson, 376 F.3d at 1091. Simply put, the plaintiffs were module pharmacists in Bay Pines’ pre-PACT main campus whose jobs did not require possession of an advanced scope, while Dr. Steele was a pilot-program-participant whose job did require the possession of an advanced scope. Thus, Dr. Steele was not a valid comparator. The plaintiffs proffered no comparator other than Dr. Steele. In fact, the plaintiffs presented no evidence that any other Bay Pines module pharmacist ever applied for an advanced scope so that he or she would qualify for a PACT position. Because the plaintiffs did not demonstrate that a similarly situated comparator outside of their protected class was given an advanced scope, they failed to 23 Case: 15-11709 Date Filed: 04/05/2016 Page: 24 of 31 establish a prima facie case for unlawful disparate treatment. 3 See Maynard, 342 F.3d at 1289. Not only did the plaintiffs fail to identify a valid comparator, which is fatal to their prima facie case, but the VA came forward with undisputed evidence that Bay Pines had actually selected Dr. Rolston, a female in her mid-50s, to fill one of the PACT pharmacist positions. For this reason and others, we find no “convincing mosaic of circumstantial evidence” giving rise to an inference of age or gender discrimination. See Smith v. Lockheed-Martin Corp., 644 F.3d 1321, 1328 (11th Cir. 2011).