Opinion ID: 29749
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: James Pastor’s Title VII Claim

Text: This Court evaluates racial discrimination claims based solely on circumstantial evidence under the burden-shifting framework established in McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, 411 U.S. 792, 802805 (1973). To establish a prima facie case for discriminatory discharge under Title VII, the plaintiff must show that: (1) he is a member of a protected class; (2) he is qualified for the position; (3) he suffered an adverse employment action; and (4) the employer replaced him with someone outside the protected class. Price v. Federal Express Corp., 283 F.3d 715, 720 (5th Cir. 2002) (citing St. Mary’s Honor Ctr. v. Hicks, 509 U.S. 502, 506 (1993)). If the plaintiff successfully establishes a prima facie case, the burden shifts to the defendant 4 to produce a legitimate, nondiscriminatory justification for its actions. McDonnell Douglas, 411 U.S. at 802. To meet its burden of production, the defendant must “introduce evidence, which taken as true would permit the conclusion that there was a nondiscriminatory reason for the adverse action.” Hicks, 509 U.S. at 509 (emphasis in original). If the defendant meets its burden, the plaintiff’s prima facie case drops out, and the plaintiff has the burden of showing that the defendant’s proffered reason is merely a pretext for intentional discrimination. Id. at 507-08. The plaintiff retains the “ultimate burden of persuading [the trier of fact] that [he] has been the victim of intentional discrimination.” Id. at 508. Even assuming, arguendo, that Mr. Pastor established a prima facie case of race discrimination, he has failed to rebut CSISD’s legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason for terminating him. On three separate occasions, CSISD wrote up Mr. Pastor for violating its policies. Specifically, Mr. Pastor left work without notifying a supervisor or “punching out,” he failed to complete a task as directed, and he disobeyed instructions to not talk to or interfere with an outside contractor’s employees working at a CSISD campus. Mr. Pastor fails to persuade the Court that CSISD’s reasons for terminating him were merely pretext; “a reason cannot be proved to be a ‘pretext for discrimination’ unless it is shown both that the reason is false, and that discrimination was the real reason.” Hicks, 509 U.S. at 513 (emphasis in original). Because Mr. Pastor fails to advance any evidence showing that CSISD’s reasons were either false or that racial discrimination was likely the real reason for his termination, his claim of wrongful termination based on race fails.