Opinion ID: 460110
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Disparate Impact on the Basis of Race

Text: 10 Lowe alleges that the City's policy of using eligibility lists that have delayed effective dates and that expire automatically, along with its reliance on lateral-hire employees to fill entry-level positions, has a disparate impact on Blacks. In order to prevail in a Title VII case on a disparate impact theory, a plaintiff must show that a business practice, neutral on its face, has a substantial adverse impact on a group protected by Title VII. Griggs v. Duke Power Co., 401 U.S. 424, 431, 91 S.Ct. 849, 853, 28 L.Ed.2d 158 (1971). Once the plaintiff establishes a prima facie case of disparate impact, the burden shifts to the defendant to show that the practice is justified by business necessity. Gay v. Waiters' and Dairy Lunchmen's Union, Local No. 30, 694 F.2d 531, 537 (9th Cir.1982); Contreras v. City of Los Angeles, 656 F.2d 1267, 1275-80 (9th Cir.1981). The district court concluded that Lowe failed to establish a prima facie case of disparate impact. We agree. 11 A disparate impact plaintiff, unlike a plaintiff proceeding on a disparate treatment theory, may prevail without proving intentional discrimination. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) v. Washington, 770 F.2d 1401, 1405 (9th Cir.1985); Gay, 694 F.2d at 537. However, the requirements a disparate impact plaintiff must meet are in some respects more exacting than those of a disparate treatment case. A disparate impact plaintiff 'must not merely prove circumstances raising an inference of discriminatory impact; he must prove the discriminatory impact at issue.'  Moore v. Hughes Helicopters, Inc., 708 F.2d 475, 482 (9th Cir.1983) (citing Johnson v. Uncle Ben's, Inc., 657 F.2d 750, 753 (5th Cir.1981), cert. denied, 459 U.S. 967, 103 S.Ct. 293, 74 L.Ed.2d 277 (1982) ). This is usually done by establishing that an employment practice selects members of a protected class in a proportion smaller than their percentage in the pool of actual applicants. Id. 12 Lowe does not question the validity of the tests that are used to rank the applicants on the eligibility lists. Rather, she claims that the use of eligibility lists that have delayed effective dates and that expire automatically, combined with the practice of lateral hiring, has a disparate impact on Blacks. She contends that these practices, regardless of the City's motivation, result in a disproportionately low number of job offers to Blacks. 13 Assuming arguendo that Lowe asserted a cognizable disparate impact claim, her claim did not survive the City's motion for summary judgment. Lowe did not offer affidavits or documentary evidence sufficient to support her claim; her assertions are made primarily in memoranda of law, not by way of proferred facts. 3 Thus, the district court correctly concluded that Lowe failed to establish a prima facie case of disparate impact.