Opinion ID: 2328929
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: the discrimination and retaliation claims

Text: The essence of Sutherland's discrimination and retaliation claims was that Young failed to promote her because she was a woman, and that after she complained about this discriminatory treatment, Young retaliated by declaring the loan in default and pursuing its legal remedies against the collateral. It is beyond dispute that such acts, if proven by a preponderance of the evidence to be discriminatorily motivated, violate District of Columbia law. The DCHRA proscribes discriminatory employment practices based on an employee's race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, family responsibilities, physical handicap, matriculation, or political affiliation.... D.C.Code § 1-2512(a) (1992); see generally RAP, Inc. v. District of Columbia Commission on Human Rights, 485 A.2d 173 (D.C.1984). The statute specifically prohibits firing or otherwise discriminat[ing] against any individual, with respect to [her] compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, including promotion.... D.C.Code § 1-2512(a)(1). In addition, the statute makes it unlawful to coerce, threaten, retaliate against, or interfere with any person in the exercise or enjoyment of ... any right granted or protected under this chapter. D.C.Code § 1-2525(a) (1992); see, e.g., Passer v. American Chemical Society, 290 U.S.App.D.C. 156, 166, 935 F.2d 322, 332 (1991); Ravinskas v. Karalekas, 741 F.Supp. 978, 980 (D.D.C.1990).
Proof of discrimination in violation of the DCHRA proceeds in three steps. First, the employee must make a prima facie showing of discrimination by a preponderance of the evidence. E.g., United Planning Organization v. District of Columbia Commission on Human Rights, 530 A.2d 674, 676-677 (D.C.1987); Atlantic Richfield Co. v. District of Columbia Commission on Human Rights, 515 A.2d 1095, 1099 (D.C.1986); RAP, Inc. v. District of Columbia Commission on Human Rights, supra, 485 A.2d at 176-177. Once that has been done, a rebuttable presumption arises that the employer's conduct amounted to unlawful discrimination. E.g., Shaw Project Area Committee v. District of Columbia Commission on Human Rights, 500 A.2d 251, 254 (D.C.1985) (citing cases). The burden then shifts to the employer to rebut this presumption by articulating some legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason for the employment action at issue. Atlantic Richfield Co., supra, 515 A.2d at 1099 (citations omitted); see generally St. Mary's Honor Center v. Hicks, ___ U.S. ___, ___, 113 S.Ct. 2742, 2746-2747, 125 L.Ed.2d 407 (1993) (describing shift in burden of proof under corresponding federal statute). [17] Finally, if the employer has articulated some legitimate, non-discriminatory reason for the disputed conduct, the burden shifts back to the employee to prove, again by a preponderance of the evidence, that the employer's stated justification for its action was not its true reason but was in fact merely a pretext to disguise a discriminatory practice. Atlantic Richfield Co., supra, 515 A.2d at 1100 (citations omitted). A prima facie case of discrimination in the denial of a promotion normally consists of proof (1) that the plaintiff was a member of a protected class, (2) that he or she was qualified for the promotion, (3) that he or she was rejected upon seeking the promotion, and (4) that a substantial factor in that rejection was the plaintiff's membership in the protected class. See United Planning Organization, supra, 530 A.2d at 677 n. 3; Thompson v. International Ass'n of Machinists, 614 F.Supp. 1002, 1011-1012 (D.D.C.1985) (citing McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, 411 U.S. 792, 93 S.Ct. 1817, 36 L.Ed.2d 668 (1973)). In addition, since Sutherland was not fired but resigned from her position, to establish a prima facie case she also had to establish that she was constructively discharged by Arthur Young. E.g., Katradis v. Dav-El of Washington, D.C., 270 U.S.App.D.C. 23, 26, 846 F.2d 1482, 1485 (1988). The reason for this additional requirement is that, absent constructive discharge, a worker suffering from discrimination in the workplace has a duty to stay on the job and mitigate damages. Hopkins v. Price Waterhouse, 263 U.S.App.D.C. 321, 336, 825 F.2d 458, 473 (1987), rev'd in part on other grounds, 490 U.S. 228, 109 S.Ct. 1775, 104 L.Ed.2d 268 (1989), on remand, 287 U.S.App.D.C. 173, 920 F.2d 967 (1990); Clark v. Marsh, 214 U.S.App.D.C. 350, 355, 665 F.2d 1168, 1173 (1981); Bourque v. Powell Electrical Mfg. Co., 617 F.2d 61, 66 (5th Cir.1980); Halbrook v. Reichhold Chemicals, Inc., 735 F.Supp. 121, 125 (S.D.N.Y.1990) (citing cases). A constructive discharge occurs when the employer deliberately makes working conditions intolerable and drives the employee into an involuntary quit. Atlantic Richfield Co., supra, 515 A.2d at 1101. There is, however, no requirement that the employer intend to force the employee to leave. Id. (citations omitted). Working conditions rise to the requisite level of intolerableness if they would lead a reasonable person to resign. Id.; accord, e.g., Hopkins v. Price Waterhouse, supra, 263 U.S.App.D.C. at 335, 825 F.2d at 472; [18] Clark, supra, 214 U.S.App.D.C. at 355, 665 F.2d at 1173; Parrett v. City of Connersville, 737 F.2d 690, 694 (7th Cir. 1984); Goss v. Exxon Office Systems Co., 747 F.2d 885, 888 (3d Cir.1984); Pena v. Brattleboro Retreat, 702 F.2d 322, 325 (2d Cir.1983); Bourque, supra, 617 F.2d at 65; Rosado v. Garcia Santiago, 562 F.2d 114, 119 (1st Cir.1977). Thus proof of constructive discharge does not require evidence that the employer intended to force the employee to quit. Hopkins, supra, 263 U.S.App.D.C. at 335, 825 F.2d at 472. Nor is there any requirement that an employee remain in an intolerable workplace for a particular period of time. Atlantic Richfield Co., supra, 515 A.2d at 1101 (citing cases). Whether working conditions are so intolerable that a reasonable person is forced to resign, as Sutherland asserted here, is a question for the trier of fact. E.g., Simpson v. Federal Mine Safety & Health Review Commission, 268 U.S.App. D.C. 457, 467, 842 F.2d 453, 463 (1988). However, case law demonstrates that intolerable conditions sufficient to support a finding of constructive discharge commonly, though not invariably, fall into two broad categories. The first involves working conditions in which the employee is subjected to a continuous barrage of derogatory comments about ... appearance, behavior, and morality. Atlantic Richfield, supra, 515 A.2d at 1101. [19] The second involves working conditions in which the employee reasonably expected ... opportunities for advancement, but the employer's discriminatory actions or omissions essentially locked [her] into a position from which she could apparently obtain no relief. Clark, supra, 214 U.S.App.D.C. at 356, 665 F.2d at 1174; see Hopkins, supra, 263 U.S.App.D.C. at 335-336, 825 F.2d at 472-473 (finding a constructive discharge where the denial of a promotion was reasonably viewed as a career-ending action). At trial Sutherland asserted that the evidence supported a finding of constructive discharge under either of these two theories. The jury found that she had in fact been constructively discharged and awarded her $175,000 in damages for lost income, representing the difference between what she would have earned at Young had she stayed on and been promoted and what she actually earned after resigning. [20] Young argues on appeal that the evidence was insufficient to support Sutherland's claim of constructive discharge and that the trial court improperly instructed the jury on the law of constructive discharge. We are unpersuaded by either contention.
Young argues that Sutherland presented insufficient evidence to prove that her resignation amounted to a constructive discharge, and that the trial court should therefore have granted its motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict. We review the denial of such motions deferentially. Reversal is warranted only if no reasonable person, viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prevailing party, could reach a verdict in favor of that party. Oxendine v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 506 A.2d 1100, 1103 (D.C.1986) (citations omitted); accord, e.g., Sorrells v. Garfinckel's, Brooks Brothers, Miller & Rhoads, Inc., 565 A.2d 285, 291 (D.C.1989) (citing cases). Applying this standard, we hold that there was sufficient evidence from which a reasonable juror could find that Sutherland was constructively discharged. Stephen Greer, Sutherland's supervisor in Houston, told her a year before she resigned that her chances for promotion to principal the following year were excellent. He based this opinion on the fact that she was already performing at a level commensurate with what was expected of a principal. In fact, she was told before she left Houston that the main reason she was not promoted to principal in Houston was that she had not been with Young long enough. When she was interviewed by Messrs. Wilson and Camardese for the job in the Reston office, she told them that she had expected to be promoted that year, and they said nothing in reply to suggest that such an expectation was unrealistic. Thus there was evidence that Sutherland subjectively had an expectation that she would be promoted. A trier of fact could find that, viewed objectively, this expectation was not unreasonable. In addition, there was sufficient evidence from which a jury could find that Young's actions essentially locked her into a position from which she could reasonably expect no relief in the form of a promotion at any time in the foreseeable future. The essence of a claim of constructive discharge is a showing that working conditions (including opportunities for advancement) are such that an employee's only reasonable choice is to resign. The evidence before the jury established at least two plausible reasons for Sutherland to conclude that she had no future with Arthur Young. First, she received a performance rating from Mr. Camardese which was usually reserved for people who were on their way out. Second, when the office moved back to Virginia from the District of Columbia, she learned that her group would be made part of a larger division headed by Camardese, who in the past had failed to provide her and her staff with necessary logistical support and training. In addition, she offered evidence of efforts by Mr. Wilson to undermine her quest for a promotion ( e.g., by soliciting negative comments about her work even though he testified that her performance merited a promotion to principal). When Sutherland told Wilson that she felt the firm did not want her around any more, he did not disagree, as he himself admitted in his testimony. Sutherland also asserted that she was constructively discharged as a result of aggravating conditions in the workplace which would lead a reasonable person to resign. Atlantic Richfield Co., supra, 515 A.2d at 1101. It is not necessary to prove that the employer deliberately created such conditions with an intent to coerce the employee into resigning; it is sufficient if the employer simply tolerates discriminatory working conditions that would drive a reasonable person to resign. Hopkins, supra, 263 U.S.App.D.C. at 335, 825 F.2d at 472. She testified about numerous sexist comments by Wilson and Camardese directed toward her and other female employees, as well as the going-away party with the cake in the shape of a woman and the derogatory comments about women which were made at that party by the guest of honor. Finally, she introduced statistical evidence showing that there were significantly fewer women principals than women managers. [I]ntolerableness of working conditions is very much a function of the reasonable expectations of the employee, including expectations of promotion or advancement. Hopkins, supra, 263 U.S.App.D.C. at 335, 825 F.2d at 472. Thus, while a discriminatory failure to promote, without more, is insufficient to establish a constructive discharge, see id. at 336, 825 F.2d at 473; Irving v. Dubuque Packing Co., 689 F.2d 170, 172 (10th Cir.1982), [21] it may be the basis for a finding of constructive discharge if the employee can show that she reasonably expected ... opportunities for advancement and that the employer's discriminatory actions or omissions essentially locked [her] into a position from which she could apparently obtain no relief. Clark, supra, 214 U.S.App.D.C. at 356, 665 F.2d at 1174. In Hopkins the court held that the employer's discriminatory failure to promote the plaintiff could be reasonably viewed by a person in her position as a career-ending action, and that the failure to promote her, given other indicia of discriminatory animus, therefore amounted to a constructive discharge. Hopkins, supra, 263 U.S.App.D.C. at 336, 825 F.2d at 473. Considering the record in this case, we hold likewise. We hold, specifically, that there was sufficient evidence from which a jury could reasonably find (1) that Arthur Young's failure to promote Sutherland was discriminatory, and (2) that the failure to promote her was a career-ending action, so that her resignation, viewed in context with the other evidence of discriminatory animus, was actually a constructive discharge. We therefore conclude that the trial court did not err in denying Young's motion for judgment n.o.v.
One of Young's principal arguments is that the trial court erred when it instructed the jury on the law of constructive discharge. In the challenged instruction, the court said: By constructive discharge the law means that the employer tolerates discriminatory working conditions that would cause a reasonable person to resign. In deciding whether working conditions would cause a reasonable person to resign, you determine whether Ms. Sutherland reasonably expected opportunity for advancement and whether her employer locked her in a position where she could expect no advancement. That is, you determine whether a reasonable person in Ms. Sutherland's position would view it as a career-ending situation. Constructive discharge does not require an employer to have specific intent to force the employee to quit. It is sufficient if the employer tolerates discriminatory working conditions that would drive a reasonable person to resign. Constructive discharge in the context of a promotion occurs where an employee has reasonable expectations of opportunity to advance and the employer's action essentially locked the employee into the situation from which there is apparently no relief. ... [T]he mere fact of discrimination in promotion is not enough to prove constructive discharge. There must be proof not only of the discriminatory failure to promote, but other indications of a discriminatory animus, that is, an intention of ill will that would cause a reasonable person to see that lack of promotion as a career-ending action. Young maintains that this instruction, much of which is taken almost verbatim from Hopkins, is flawed in several respects. First, Young argues that it misstates the law by failing to require a finding of intolerable conditions in the workplace. We disagree. As the Court of Appeals observed in Hopkins, a plaintiff may establish intolerable working conditions by proving that the employer simply tolerates discriminatory working conditions that would drive a reasonable person to resign. 263 U.S.App.D.C. at 335, 825 F.2d at 472. The instruction given here says precisely that. More importantly, in a constructive discharge case based on failure to promote, intolerable conditions are principally shown by proof that the employee had a reasonable expectation of advancement and that the employer engaged in some discriminatory conduct which established the lack of promotion as career-ending. See Clark, supra, 214 U.S.App.D.C. at 356, 665 F.2d at 1174; see also Parrett, supra, 737 F.2d at 694. This instruction, viewed as a whole, sufficiently conveys that aspect of the law as well. Second, Young asserts that the instruction is confusing because it fails to explain what intolerable conditions are and because it confuses the law of discrimination and constructive discharge. We are mystified by this first objection because the instruction does not even use the phrase intolerable conditions; thus a definition of that phrase was unnecessary. As to the latter objectionthat the instruction confuses the concepts of discrimination and constructive dischargewe again find no infirmity. The instruction clearly states that Sutherland could not establish that she was constructively discharged solely by proving that the denial of her promotion was the result of discrimination. This is an accurate statement of the law. It makes sufficiently clear that proof of discrimination cannot, by itself, be a plaintiff's sole basis for contending that she was constructively discharged. See Hopkins, supra, 263 U.S.App.D.C. at 336, 825 F.2d at 474. Finally, Young contends that the instruction improperly asked the jury to determine whether Sutherland was constructively discharged from Sutherland's subjective standpoint, rather than the standpoint of a reasonable person in her position. See, e.g., Bristow v. Daily Press, Inc., 770 F.2d 1251, 1255 (4th Cir.1985), cert. denied, 475 U.S. 1082, 106 S.Ct. 1461, 89 L.Ed.2d 718 (1986); Halbrook, supra, 735 F.Supp. at 125-126; Nobler, supra, 702 F.Supp. at 1030. This contention is meritless. The first quoted paragraph of the instruction makes clear that the operative viewpoint is that of a reasonable person, and each paragraph thereafter reiterates that requirement through the use of the word reasonable. We fail to see what more the trial judge could have said.
In the trial court Young sought partial summary judgment on Sutherland's retaliation claim. Young maintained that this claim was decided adversely to Sutherland in the New Hampshire foreclosure proceedings and that she was therefore barred from relitigating it. In addition, Young argues that summary judgment was appropriate because it had a legal right to foreclose, and that the fact that it did so could not, as a matter of law, constitute unlawful retaliation under the DCHRA. The court denied Young's motion on both grounds. [22] The jury found that Young violated the DCHRA by bringing the foreclosure action in retaliation for Sutherland's complaint to Young's chairman and for filing the instant suit. It awarded Sutherland $34,300 in damages, consisting of $25,000 for the loss in value of the New Hampshire property caused by Young's institution of the foreclosure proceedings, plus $9,300 for the attorneys' fees she incurred in defending the New Hampshire foreclosure suit and the Virginia suit for a constructive trust. [23] Young renews here the arguments it made below, and argues in addition that the court erroneously instructed the jury on the law of retaliation. We address each of these contentions in turn.
Young argues that the trial court erred in denying its motion for partial summary judgment because the issue of retaliation was litigated and decided by the New Hampshire court. To support this contention, Young points to the fact that Sutherland raised the issue in her New Hampshire petition to enjoin the foreclosure, that a copy of the complaint in the instant case was admitted into evidence by the New Hampshire court, and that the court made note of her argument in its order. [24] Under the doctrine of res judicata, a prior judgment on the merits raises an absolute bar to the relitigation of the same cause of action between the original parties or those in privity with them. Goldkind v. Snider Brothers, Inc., 467 A.2d 468, 473 (D.C.1983) (citations omitted). Moreover, this doctrine bars relitigation of not only those matters actually litigated but also those that might have been litigated in the first proceeding. Id. at 473 n. 10 (citations omitted; emphasis in original); accord, e.g., Laufer v. Westminster Brokers, Ltd., 532 A.2d 130, 136 n. 16 (D.C.1987). We therefore must determine whether Sutherland's efforts to interject retaliation as an equitable defense to Young's New Hampshire foreclosure suit precluded her from asserting it as a claim under the DCHRA in this case. We conclude that it did not. A review of the New Hampshire pleadings, the transcript of the hearing held on Sutherland's petition, and the court's order reveals that the DCHRA retaliation claim was not addressed in the New Hampshire court. Sutherland attempted to argue, solely by way of an equitable defense, that Young's foreclosure was retaliatory and therefore should be enjoined as a matter of equity. [25] However, at no point did Sutherland contend that Young's efforts to foreclose on the New Hampshire property gave rise to a claim under the DCHRA. In fact, the New Hampshire trial judge made it abundantly clear that, even were Sutherland so inclined, he would not allow her to litigate her DCHRA claims in the foreclosure proceeding. [26] Thus, since her retaliation claim was not reduced to a judgment in New Hampshire, and since it cannot be said that permitting her to litigate it below impermissibly `undercut the validity of the [New Hampshire] judgment ... and permit[ted her] to relitigate the case de novo, ' [27] this claim was not barred by res judicata. Similarly, Young argues that the New Hampshire court's refusal to enjoin the foreclosure implied that the court found, as a factual matter, that the attempted New Hampshire foreclosure was not retaliatory. Therefore, Young says, Sutherland was collaterally estopped from relitigating that factual question in this case, and her DCHRA retaliation claim should have been dismissed because she was estopped from asserting the factual predicate to that claim: that the filing of the foreclosure suit was a retaliatory act. We disagree. The New Hampshire court refused to hear any evidence on this question, and its order contains no findings on the issue. It is hornbook law that the doctrine of collateral estoppel is applicable only when issues or facts [have been] actually litigated and necessarily decided in an earlier proceeding based upon a different cause of action. Goldkind, supra, 467 A.2d at 473 (citations omitted). Since the retaliation issue was not actually litigated in New Hampshire, we hold that it is not barred now by collateral estoppel. Even assuming that there may be some doubt about whether the issue was actually litigated, we hold further that Young did not meet its considerable burden of demonstrating that it was in fact decided in the New Hampshire proceeding. See Halicki v. United States, 614 A.2d 499, 502 (D.C. 1992).
Young argues next that, since it had a legal right to foreclose on the property which served as collateral for the loan, its efforts to do so could not, as a matter of law, constitute retaliation prohibited under the DCHRA. We reject this argument as well. D.C.Code § 1-2525(a), part of the DCHRA, makes it unlawful to coerce, threaten, retaliate against, or interfere with any person in the exercise or enjoyment of ... any right granted or protected under [the DCHRA]. See Schoen v. Consumers United Group, Inc., 670 F.Supp. 367, 373-377 (D.D.C.1986). The statute contains no safe harbor for otherwise lawful acts done for an improper retaliatory purpose. See Atlantic Richfield Co., supra, 515 A.2d at 1101 (threatening employee that she would never work in the District of Columbia again if she pressed her discrimination claim amounted to unlawful retaliation under section 1-2525(a)). Federal courts interpreting the analogous anti-retaliation provisions of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, [28] to which we look for guidance in interpreting our local statute, [29] have held that the employer's filing of a lawsuit in retaliation for an employee's complaints of discrimination violates the anti-retaliation provisions of Title VII. E.g., EEOC v. Levi Strauss & Co., 515 F.Supp. 640, 643 (N.D.Ill.1981) (A literal reading of the [anti-retaliation] statute obviously outlaws all retaliatory acts including lawsuits filed in state tribunals (citations omitted)); EEOC v. Virginia Carolina Veneer Corp., 495 F.Supp. 775, 777-778 (W.D.Va.1980), appeal dismissed sub nom. Cassidy v. Virginia Carolina Veneer Corp., 652 F.2d 380 (4th Cir.1981). Under these Title VII decisions, [30] the fact that the employer may have a valid legal claim does not preclude the employee from establishing that the employer's motive in asserting the claim was impermissible retaliation. Levi Strauss, supra, 515 F.Supp. at 644 (even though employer had a legal right to bring the lawsuit, allegation of employer's retaliatory motive is sufficient to defeat employer's motion to dismiss). We agree with these federal cases and apply their rationale here to the DCHRA. We hold, specifically, that the employer's filing of a lawsuit in retaliation for the employee's complaints of discrimination is a violation of D.C.Code § 1-2525. Whether the employer had such a retaliatory motive is a question of fact for the jury (or the judge in a non-jury trial), and, like other types of claims in which motive or intent is in issue, is not well suited to disposition on a motion for summary judgment. See Spellman v. American Security Bank, 504 A.2d 1119, 1122 (D.C.1986); Willis v. Cheek, 387 A.2d 716, 719 (D.C. 1978); Attorney General v. Irish People, Inc., 254 U.S.App.D.C. 229, 233, 796 F.2d 520, 524 (1986). For these reasons we affirm the trial court's denial of Young's motion for partial summary judgment on the retaliation claim.
A plaintiff establishes a prima facie case of retaliation under D.C.Code § 1-2525(a) by showing (1) that he or she was engaged in a statutorily protected activity, (2) that his or her employer took an adverse action, and (3) that there was a causal relationship between the protected activity and the adverse action. See McKenna v. Weinberger, 234 U.S.App.D.C. 297, 304, 729 F.2d 783, 790 (1984) (footnote omitted) (stating applicable law under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act); Goos, supra note 28, 715 F.Supp. at 3 (applying Title VII analysis to the DCHRA). The causal connection... may be established by showing that the employer had knowledge of the employee's protected activity, and that the adverse personnel action took place shortly after that activity. Mitchell v. Baldrige, 245 U.S.App.D.C. 60, 66, 759 F.2d 80, 86 (1985) (footnote omitted). [31] Young is correct in asserting that, once the plaintiff presents a prima facie case of retaliation, the burden shifts to the employer to show a legitimate, non-retaliatory reason for the contested action. Goos, supra note 28, 715 F.Supp. at 3. It is undisputed that Young presented evidence of a legitimate business reason for its decision to foreclose on the New Hampshire property. Since Young made this showing, the burden shifted back to Sutherland to prove, by a preponderance of the evidence, that Young's explanation for its action was merely a pretext for what was really a retaliatory act. The trial court instructed the jury on the evidence necessary to support a claim of retaliation. It then gave the following instruction: Now, as in the discrimination claim, Ms. Sutherland in this case may prove retaliation by direct or circumstantial evidence. Therefore, you may consider the nature of the acts themselves, the timing of the action, that is, how close it was in time to the exercise of protected rights and the claimed retaliation, and you may consider the reasons given for taking the action. You decide whether Arthur Young knew about the discrimination claim before it sought to collect. You decide if the plaintiff has proved that Arthur Young was collecting a legal debt for the purpose or because she exercised a protected right. In dealing with ... causal connection, I would instruct you that ... causation means something was a substantial contributing factor. The law recognizes more than one reason for an action. You, however, determine if protected activity, that is, the discrimination claim, was a substantial contributing factor in Arthur Young's decision to collect the debt. It follows, therefore, that even though Arthur Young had a legal right to collect the note, plaintiff may establish her retaliation claim if she proves by a preponderance of the evidence that retaliation was a substantial factor in the decision. Therefore, you are determining if in this case has Ms. Sutherland proved by a preponderance of the evidence that she was engaged in a protected activity under the Human Rights Act when she claimed discrimination and filed suit. Second, that Arthur Young took action which disadvantaged her. And third, there was a causal connection between the protected activity and the foreclosure action which Ms. Sutherland [ sic ] took. If she has proved those things by a preponderance of the evidence, you would be able to respond on the verdict form with a verdict for Ms. Sutherland. If, however, she has failed to prove any one of these essential parts of her proof, you would enter a verdict for Arthur Young & Company. On appeal Young argues that this instruction was inaccurate because (1) it erroneously permitted the jury to find retaliation even if Young had a legitimate business reason for foreclosing, and (2) it failed to require Sutherland to bear the ultimate burden of proving that its proffered business reason was merely pretextual. [32] We see no basis for either complaint. As we have already discussed, the fact that Young had a legitimate business reason for its decision to foreclose on the New Hampshire property did not necessarily insulate it from liability for retaliation under section 1-2525(a). Thus Young's first objection to the trial court's instruction is plainly without merit because the legal premise upon which it relies is incorrect. Young's second objection, suggesting infirmity in the court's explanation of the respective burdens of proof, is not supported by the language of the instruction. The judge told the jury: You, however, determine if the protected activity, that is, the discrimination claim was a substantial contributing factor in Arthur Young's decision to collect the debt. It follows, therefore, that even though Arthur Young had a legal right to collect the note, plaintiff may establish her retaliation claim if she proves by a preponderance of the evidence that retaliation was a substantial factor in the decision. [Emphasis added.] This language was sufficient to explain that Sutherland bore the ultimate burden of proving, by a preponderance of the evidence, that Young's efforts to foreclose were improperly motivated, i.e., that, more likely than not, a desire to penalize the assertion of rights protected under the DCHRA was a substantial contributing factor in Arthur Young's decision to engage in the challenged acts. The purpose of the instruction, after all, was simply to provide guidance in evaluating the claim. No magic words were required so long as the instruction fairly and accurately informed the jury of the applicable law and the requirements of proof. See Texas Department of Community Affairs v. Burdine, 450 U.S. 248, 255 n. 8, 101 S.Ct. 1089, 1094 n. 8, 67 L.Ed.2d 207 (1981) (the allocation of burdens and the creation of a presumption by the establishment of a prima facie case is intended progressively to sharpen the inquiry into the elusive factual question of intentional discrimination); Furnco Construction Corp. v. Waters, 438 U.S. 567, 577, 98 S.Ct. 2943, 2949, 57 L.Ed.2d 957 (1978) (method of analyzing discrimination claims by shifting burdens of proof was never intended to be rigid, mechanized, or ritualistic [but was] merely a sensible, orderly way to evaluate the evidence in light of common experience as it bears on the critical question of discrimination); cf. Wisconsin Avenue Nursing Home v. District of Columbia Commission on Human Rights, 527 A.2d 282, 290 (D.C.1987) (Commission's erroneous imposition of burden of persuasion on respondent was harmless because the record established that the proffered non-discriminatory reason was adequately weighed by the fact-finder). We conclude that the instruction was clear enough to serve its purpose and that the trial court was not obliged in addition (or instead) to give the instruction requested by Arthur Young.