Opinion ID: 2973168
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Education and Background

Text: Plaintiff alleges that a jury could reasonably infer that Defendant’s reliance on Brewer’s educational attainment was pretextual in light of Plaintiff’s extensive experience. Plaintiff alleges that no reasonable hiring official could find Brewer more qualified than Plaintiff. Plaintiff 15 No. 04-3465 misconstrues the evidence before this Court. Christie does not assert that Brewer’s experience is more extensive than Plaintiff. Rather, Christie notes that Brewer far exceeded the minimum requirements for the position, given his experience and educational attainments, and further noted, by comparison, Plaintiff’s high school diploma. The City never represented that it would hire the most experienced candidate without consideration of other factors. Rather, education and experience were only two of a number of factors considered by Christie. Plaintiff has not introduced any evidence, beyond Plaintiff’s own opinion, that Brewer was not qualified for the position. This Court has consistently held that it will not second-guess the business acuity underlying management’s personnel decisions. See Smith, 220 F.3d at 763.