Opinion ID: 2968317
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Claim Three—Retaliation

Text: Finally, Francis argues that BAH retaliated against her in violation of § 4311(b) by terminating her after she informed BAH on August, 29, 2003, that she believed that her USERRA rights were being vio- 6 Though Francis’ opinion on the matter is not dispositive, we note that Francis herself, at deposition, acknowledged the reasonableness of the expectations that BAH had concerning her conduct and its relation to the Core Values. J.A. at 544-46. 16 FRANCIS v. BOOZ, ALLEN & HAMILTON lated. In order to succeed on this claim, Francis must demonstrate that her exercise of her USERRA rights was a motivating factor in [BAH’s] action, unless [BAH] can prove that the action would have been taken in the absence of Francis’ USERRA complaints. § 4311(c)(2). Francis relies exclusively on the temporal proximity between her August 28 complaint and November Notice of Probation to prove that her exercise of USERRA rights was a motivating factor in the decision to terminate her. While temporal proximity between a complaint and an adverse employment action can, in some cases, be used to survive summary judgment, it does not suffice here. See Sheehan v. Dep’t of the Navy, 240 F.3d 1009, 1014 (Fed. Cir. 2001) (noting that temporal proximity is one of a variety of factors that courts can use to determine improper motivation under USERRA). The actions that led to Francis’ probation and termination began before her protected activity, belying the conclusion that a reasonable factfinder might find that BAH’s activity was motivated by Francis’ USERRA complaints. Where timing is the only basis for a claim of retaliation, and gradual adverse job actions began well before the plaintiff had ever engaged in any protected activity, an inference of retaliation does not arise. Slattery v. Swiss Reinsurance Am. Corp., 248 F.3d 87, 95 (2d Cir. 2001); see also Frazier v. Fairhaven Sch. Comm., 276 F.3d 52, 67 (1st Cir. 2002) (noting that conduct that occurs both before and after the event leading to the alleged retaliation cannot form the basis of a Title IX retaliation claim). In short, no reasonable factfinder could conclude, based solely on the evidence in the record, that BAH’s actions against Francis were taken in retaliation for the exercise of her rights under USERRA. Accordingly, we affirm the district court’s grant of summary judgment to BAH on the retaliation count.