Opinion ID: 1276632
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Summary judgment was appropriate on Nagle's race and age discrimination claims.

Text: Nagle claims that the defendants discriminated against him on the basis of his race and age by suspending him without pay in August 2004 and assigning him to less desirable job duties than younger, non-white employees at the same job level. [2] Nagle proceeds on his Title VII and ADEA claims under both the direct and indirect methods of proof. [3] A plaintiff proceeding under the direct method survives summary judgment by creating triable issues as to whether discrimination motivated the adverse employment action of which he complains. Lewis v. Sch. Dist. # 70, 523 F.3d 730, 741 (7th Cir.2008). Under the direct method, a plaintiff can establish discriminatory intent by relying on direct or circumstantial evidence. Id. Direct evidence is evidence which, if believed by the trier of fact, will prove the particular fact in question without reliance upon inference or presumption. Rudin v. Lincoln Land Cmty. College, 420 F.3d 712, 720 (7th Cir.2005) (citing Eiland v. Trinity Hosp., 150 F.3d 747, 750 (7th Cir.1998)). This evidence usually requires an admission from the decisionmaker about his discriminatory animus, which is rare indeed, but a plaintiff can also establish an inference of discrimination under the direct method by relying on circumstantial evidence such as: (1) suspicious timing, ambiguous oral or written statements, or behavior toward or comments directed at other employees in the protected group; (2) evidence, whether or not rigorously statistical, that similarly situated employees outside the protected class received systematically better treatment; and (3) evidence that the employee was qualified for the job in question but was passed over in favor of a person outside the protected class and the employer's reason is a pretext for discrimination. Hemsworth v. Quotesmith.Com, Inc., 476 F.3d 487, 491 (7th Cir.2007); see also Atanus v. Perry, 520 F.3d 662, 671 (7th Cir. 2008) (stating that under the direct method, a plaintiff can establish discrimination under Title VII and the ADEA through circumstantial evidence which suggests discrimination through a longer chain of inferences) (internal citation omitted). Whether the plaintiff proceeding according to the direct method relies on direct evidence or circumstantial evidence, [he] can avoid summary judgment for the other party by `creating a triable issue of whether the adverse employment action of which [he] complains had a discriminatory motivation.'  Rudin, 420 F.3d at 721 (citation omitted). There is no admission from Chief Davis that he suspended Nagle or assigned Nagle to less desirable job duties because of his race or his age. The defendants also point out that the discriminatory remarks upon which Nagle relies lack temporal proximity to the adverse employment actions of which Nagle complains. Nagle argues, however, that he is not relying exclusively on evidence of suspicious timing to establish discrimination under the direct method. Instead, he points to our decision in Paz v. Wauconda Healthcare & Rehab. Ctr., LLC, 464 F.3d 659, 666 (7th Cir.2006), where we held that a district court cannot view the record in small pieces that are mutually exclusive of each other, but must consider evidence of discriminatory remarks, despite being attenuated from the adverse employment action, in conjunction with all of the other evidence of discrimination to determine whether the plaintiff's claim can survive summary judgment. See also Sylvester v. SOS Children's Vills. Ill., Inc., 453 F.3d 900, 903 (7th Cir.2006) (A case of discrimination can likewise be made by assembling a number of pieces of evidence none meaningful in itself, consistent with the proposition of statistical theory that a number of observations each of which supports a proposition only weakly can, when taken as a whole, provide strong support if all point in the same direction.). Therefore, Chief Davis's age and race-based comments, in some cases occurring months before or after the alleged discriminatory act and in others at unspecified times, can still be considered under the direct method. See Paz, 464 F.3d at 666 (It is worth mentioning that the district court and [the defendant] were under the mistaken belief that [the plaintiff] cannot proceed under the direct method because some of [the defendant's] comments were made two months prior to [the plaintiff's] firing. Yet, how recent the comments were, how extreme, and who made the remarks are pieces of evidence that inform whether there was a `mosaic of discrimination.' ). Comments can still be made at a time that is too distant from when the adverse action occurred to suggest that discrimination motivated the action. See Conley v. Vill. of Bedford Park, 215 F.3d 703, 711 (7th Cir.2000) (finding that a comment made more than two years before the adverse employment action is too far removed to constitute evidence of discriminatory animus); Hemsworth, 476 F.3d at 491 (one year). Determinations must be made by considering all the facts, rather than by relying on a specific cut-off date by which comments must be made in order to support a finding of discriminatory intent. Paz, 464 F.3d at 666. Here, we have Chief Davis's reference to Nagle and his peers as those old white motherf___ers approximately fifteen times over a three-year period; his inquiry at an officer's August 2002 retirement party about Nagle's retirement plans; and his suggestion that Nagle was getting too old for the job when he allowed a prisoner to escape. Nagle argues that these comments have to be considered in conjunction with his arguments that: (1) Chief Davis has hired primarily younger, non-white officers since his tenure began, and (2) Chief Davis treats younger, nonwhite officers more favorably than older, white officers. Nagle's conclusory statement that Chief Davis hired younger, non-white officers since his tenure began, without more, is insufficient to establish discriminatory intent under the direct method. See Yong-Qian Sun v. Bd. of Tr's., 473 F.3d 799, 813 (7th Cir.2007) (After all, [we have recognized] pattern evidence of disparate treatment `whether or not rigorously statistical.' We do not hold, however, that a questionable pattern of promotion, standing alone, is sufficient evidence to withstand summary judgment.) (citation omitted). He provides no evidence, statistical or otherwise, to corroborate his belief that Chief Davis has hired primarily from these two demographics. In fact, in December 2002, Chief Davis appointed Susan Rockett, a 48-year-old white woman, as Assistant Chief of Police. Additionally, Chief Davis continued to hire older, white officers over the course of his tenure. Nagle also points to various instances of differential treatment between older white officers and young, nonwhite officers. Nagle argues that white officers were assigned to strip mall detail at the Raceway Shopping Plaza and non-white officers were not assigned to this less-than-desirable job duty. Nagle also maintains that in October 2003, he was reassigned from patrol duty to the evidence locker. Nagle claims that this is an undesirable position because no one applied for it. Nagle also points to his assignment in March 2005 to be the department's senior liaison and his September 2005 assignment to strip mall detail as other incidents in which he was given less-than-desirable job duties. Nagle has not shown that any of these assignments were adverse employment actions. While adverse employment actions extend beyond readily quantifiable losses, not everything that makes an employee unhappy is an actionable adverse action. Nichols v. S. Ill. Univ.-Edwards-ville, 510 F.3d 772, 780 (7th Cir.2007) (citing O'Neal v. City of Chicago, 392 F.3d 909, 911 (7th Cir.2004)). As we have previously noted, for purposes of Title VII, there are three general categories of actionable, materially adverse employment actions: (1) cases in which the employee's compensation, fringe benefits, or other financial terms of employment are diminished, including termination; (2) cases in which a nominally lateral transfer with no change in financial terms significantly reduces the employee's career prospects by preventing her from using her skills and experience, so that the skills are likely to atrophy and her career is likely to be stunted; and (3) cases in which the employee is not moved to a different job or the skill requirements of her present job altered, but the conditions in which she works are changed in a way that subjects her to a humiliating, degrading, unsafe, unhealthful, or otherwise significantly negative alteration in her workplace environment. Id. Neither the evidence locker, senior liaison, or strip mall duties involved a change in the terms or conditions of employment nor has Nagle shown that any of these positions significantly reduced his career prospects. See Atanus, 520 F.3d at 675 (although the `definition of an adverse employment action is generous,' an employee `must show some quantitative or qualitative change in the terms or conditions of his employment' or some sort of `real harm') (citation omitted). In fact, Nagle admitted that the senior liaison was a good program, that he enjoyed the position, and that he had received an earlier commendation for assisting an elderly Calumet Park resident. The only indication that any of these positions are undesirable, other than a lack of applicants, is Nagle's contention that he didn't like being stuck at the mall. But someone has to do it, and others have done it. Furthermore, Nagle has not shown that younger, non-white officers were assigned more desirable duties. His subjective impression about the desirability of these positions, without more, is insufficient to show discriminatory intent under the direct method. See Johnson v. Nordstrom, Inc., 260 F.3d 727, 733 (7th Cir.2001) (noting that the plaintiff's personal belief carries no weight in summary judgment analysis). Nagle also claims that younger, non-white officers are systematically treated better than white officers. He points to a February 2006 incident in which Mark Smith, a non-white officer under 40, shot an unarmed suspect while Smith was still on probationary status, but he was not placed on administrative leave. This evidence falls short of establishing discriminatory intent. Nagle does not point to any similar incidents involving white, older officers; he is not arguing that white officers who committed less severe actions were more severely disciplined; nor does he explain how Smith's situation compares to his own. See Hemsworth, 476 F.3d at 491-92 (finding no direct evidence of discrimination where 84% of the employees laid off by the defendant in 2001 were over the age of forty because the plaintiff failed to show how these other employees compared to his situation). Nagle also points to the removal of a white instructor by Commander Davis after two laterals, presumably young and/or non-white, failed the shooting qualification course. However, there is no comparative evidence that Nagle or any other white officer was disciplined for failing to pass the shooting qualification course, or that a non-white officer or one under 40 was not similarly removed from a supervisory position. See id. The remaining incidents on which Nagle relies to try to show that younger, non-white officers were treated better are similar to the incidents in which he was disciplined and punished. In August 2004, Nagle was issued a three-day suspension for failing to assist Sergeant Rigoni with an arrest. Nagle maintains that Officer Vaughn, a non-white, younger officer who was also present, also failed to assist in the arrest, but unlike Nagle, he was not disciplined. There are, however, several issues that doom Nagle's claim. Sergeant Rigoni, who recommended that Nagle be terminated and Vaughn not be disciplined for the incident, was not the final decision-maker. Chief Davis suspended Nagle based on a recommendation by Assistant Chief Rockett, who was also not a final decisionmaker but conducted an investigation into the incident. Although Assistant Chief Rockett and Sergeant Rigoni are both white and older, Nagle is arguing that both Rigoni or Rockett are conduits for Chief Davis's discriminatory animus because they [do] anything and everything that the Chief tells [them] to do. Nagle has not presented any evidence, direct or otherwise, that Assistant Chief Rockett has any bias against him directly, or that she was furthering Chief Davis's discriminatory animus by suspending him. See Kormoczy v. Sec'y, United States Dep't of Hous. & Urban Dev. ex rel. Briggs, 53 F.3d 821, 824 (7th Cir.1995) (Direct evidence is that which can be interpreted as an acknowledgment of the defendant's discriminatory intent.). After her investigation, Rockett determined that Nagle's behavior warranted suspension. Nagle questions the investigation, contending that it was a sham because Vaughn was not interviewed; however, Vaughn later filled out a report at Nagle's request indicating that Vaughn had taken part in the arrest, and that Nagle did not assist during the incident. Vaughn wrote in his report that Nagle said that he did not want to have anything to do with this one and did not enter the house. Nagle stood outside of the front screen door, and later called for an ambulance at Sergeant Rigoni's request, but that was the extent of his involvement. It is difficult to view Assistant Chief Rockett's investigation as being a sham when there is some validity to the allegations for which Nagle was ultimately suspended. With regard to Sergeant Rigoni, Nagle testified in his deposition that Chief Davis's secretary, Linda Krezwicki, told Nagle that Chief Davis instructed Sergeant Rigoni to write Nagle up for any and everything. However, Nagle has presented no evidence that Chief Davis's decision to suspend Nagle was in any way influenced by Sergeant Rigoni. Cf. Ezell v. Potter, 400 F.3d 1041, 1051 (7th Cir. 2005) (where employer relied on the advice of a supervisor who was arguably motivated by race and gender bias, plaintiff survived summary judgment). In fact, Chief Davis refused to follow Sergeant Rigoni's recommendation to terminate Nagle for the incident, opting to suspend Nagle instead. Furthermore, the statement attributed to the Chief's secretary contains no reference to Nagle's race or age. The August 2004 suspension also does not constitute direct evidence of discrimination under the ADEA because Nagle does not specify Officer Vaughn's age. He refers to him as a younger, non-white officer, but it is clear from the record that Officer Vaughn has been a police officer with Calumet Park since 1982 so it is likely that his age is comparable to Nagle's age. In any event, it is Nagle's burden to establish that his comparator is substantially younger than he for purposes of the ADEA. See Balderston v. Fairbanks Morse Engine Div. of Coltec Indus., 328 F.3d 309, 321 (7th Cir.2003). We have described `substantially younger' as generally ten years younger, id. at 322, and this threshold is not met here by simply referring to the comparator as being younger than the plaintiff. Next, Nagle maintains that his May 24, 2004, reprimand for allowing a prisoner to escape with handcuffs on is comparable to the situation of Officer Mario Smith (to be distinguished from Officer Mark Smith discussed above), who was not disciplined after he allowed a prisoner he arrested to escape from the back of the car. This argument must also fail. Similar to Officer Vaughn, Nagle refers to Mario Smith as younger, and this comparison fails for the same reason. Under the direct method, the inference that the employer acted based on the prohibited animus has to be substantially strong. Rudin, 420 F.3d at 721. The fact that the incident involved differential treatment between two older officers would certainly require a much longer chain of inferences in order to conclude that discrimination was the reason for this action. Here, the chain is too long, and we find that Nagle cannot prevail on his claims based on the direct method. Given Nagle's uncompelling comparative evidence, all that we are left with are Chief Davis's discriminatory remarks which, given that these comments were not made in the same temporal proximity as the allegedly discriminatory acts, are insufficient to establish discrimination under the direct method. Accordingly, Nagle has not established a prima facie case of discrimination under the direct method.
Under the indirect method, a plaintiff must show that he is a member of a protected class; he was meeting his employer's legitimate performance expectations; he suffered an adverse employment action; and he was treated less favorably than similarly situated individuals who are not white or over 40. Ineichen v. Ameritech, 410 F.3d 956, 959 (7th Cir.2005). With regard to Nagle's race discrimination claim, where members of the majority group believe that they have been subjected to discrimination, rather than showing that they are members of a protected class, they must show `background circumstances' that demonstrate that a particular employer has `reason or inclination to discriminate invidiously against whites' or evidence that `there is something fishy about the facts at hand.' Phelan v. City of Chicago, 347 F.3d 679, 684 (7th Cir.2003) (quoting Mills v. Health Care Serv. Corp., 171 F.3d 450, 455 (7th Cir. 1999)). While Chief Davis and Commander Davis's discriminatory comments might be sufficient to establish the requisite background circumstances, Nagle cannot establish a prima facie case of discrimination because, as discussed above, he cannot show that similarly situated individuals were treated better. Furthermore, the reassignments do not constitute adverse actions. Accordingly, we find that summary judgment was appropriate on Nagle's age and race discrimination claims.