Opinion ID: 1057314
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The McDonnell Douglas Standard

Text: ¶ 12. Plaintiff's first claim of error is that the trial court failed to consider certain evidence pertinent to the third step in the so-called McDonnell Douglas burden-shifting framework, which we have applied in analyzing Vermont Fair Employment Practices Act (FEPA) claims. See McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, 411 U.S. 792, 802-04, 93 S.Ct. 1817, 36 L.Ed.2d 668 (1973); Gallipo v. City of Rutland, 2005 VT 83, ¶ 15, 178 Vt. 244, 882 A.2d 1177. Under the McDonnell Douglas framework, a plaintiff must first establish, by a preponderance of the evidence, a prima facie case of retaliation. Gallipo, 2005 VT 83, ¶ 15, 178 Vt. 244, 882 A.2d 1177. The elements of a prima facie case are: (1) the plaintiff engaged in a protected activity; (2) the employer was aware of the activity; (3) the plaintiff suffered adverse employment consequences as a result of the activity; and (4) there was a causal connection between the activity and the consequences. Id. If the plaintiff makes out a prima facie case, the burden of production shifts to the defendant, who must state legitimate, nonretaliatory reasons for the adverse employment action. Robertson v. Mylan Labs., Inc., 2004 VT 15, ¶ 26, 176 Vt. 356, 848 A.2d 310. If the employer meets this burden, the burden is again on the plaintiff to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the articulated reasons are pretextual. Id. ¶ 27; Boulton v. CLD Consulting Eng'rs, Inc., 2003 VT 72, ¶ 15, 175 Vt. 413, 834 A.2d 37. This third step is similar to, and may require analysis of the same evidence as, the first step. ¶ 13. Here, the trial court concluded that Griffis had not met her burden of proving either (1) that the reasons given for her termination were pretextual, or (2) that the real reason for her termination was that the managers of Cedar Hill wanted to retaliate against her for disclosing perceived problems. [3] The court noted that Griffis was fired after complaining while two other employees who raised similar concerns about the social services director's qualifications were not. The court explained that [c]onsideration of the entire record supports the conclusion that Cedar Hill fired Griffis for insubordination, and not for reporting her concerns about possible violations of the law, or her concerns about improper . . . patient care. Further, the court went on, strong evidence supports the conclusion that Cedar Hill fired [Griffis] for legitimate, nonretaliatory reasons. ¶ 14. While the court might have been more explicit in supporting its conclusion with more specific findings, we have no difficulty affirming based on the entire record. See Gilwee v. Town of Barre, 138 Vt. 109, 111, 412 A.2d 300, 301 (1980) (this Court may affirm the trial court on any proper basis revealed by the record). There was ample support in the record for the conclusion that Griffis' termination was caused by her insubordination, and not by her engaging in protected activities. See Gallipo, 2005 VT 83, ¶ 15, 178 Vt. 244, 882 A.2d 1177. As noted above, the court found that Griffis: (1) had multiple confrontations with her supervisors over the management hierarchy at Cedar Hill, (2) acted without regard to that hierarchy in several instances, (3) confronted a coworker about her supposed underqualification despite having no supervisory authority over the coworker, (4) failed to keep up with her original responsibilities in the Health Care Center, and (5) refused to invite or notify her supervisor to attend certain meetings in which the supervisor had expressed an interest. ¶ 15. Griffis' arguments regarding causation are directed at the trial court's assessment of credibility and weight. As credibility and weight are the province of the trial court, these arguments are no impediment to affirming the trial court's decision. See In re Route 103 Quarry, 2008 VT 88, ¶ 12, ___ Vt. ___, 958 A.2d 694 ([I]t was the trial court's prerogative to assess the credibility of witnesses and weigh the evidence.). The question before us on appeal is not whether there was a basis upon which the court might have reached a different conclusion, but whether there was a basis in the record upon which the court could reach the conclusion it did. Gilwee, 138 Vt. at 111, 412 A.2d at 301.