Opinion ID: 815285
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: ADEA Retaliation

Text: Next, Mr. Rangel contends the district court erred in ruling he did not establish a prima facie claim of ADEA retaliation. To establish a prima facie case of ADEA retaliation, Mr. Rangel must show that (1) he “engaged in protected opposition to discrimination, (2) a reasonable employee would have considered the challenged employment action materially adverse, and (3) a causal connection existed between the protected activity and the materially adverse action.” Hinds, 523 F.3d at 1202. The district court ruled that Mr. Rangel failed to show a prima facie case of ADEA retaliation because all of the performance factors and negative evaluations that led to his inclusion in the S-A’s RIF criteria were in place many months before he filed his discrimination complaint with the KHRC. Thus it ruled there was no causal connection between any ADEA protected activity and Mr. Rangel’s inclusion in the RIF. On appeal, Mr. Rangel argues his December 2008 termination occurred three months after his September 2008 KHRC age-discrimination complaint. But he did not dispute S-A’s evidence that its RIF criteria were uniform and that his inclusion therein was based on performance events and reviews that occurred many months before he filed his KHRC complaint: the below-expectations performance rating he -9- received in his 2007 year-end review, and the May 2008 issuance of a FWP, which meant he would automatically receive a below-expectation year-end review for 2008. Instead, he points to evidence that he complained internally to S-A supervisors about the negative performance memos and reviews issued by Ms. Soupir, and he argues these complaints constituted protected activity that preceded his KHRC complaint. But his evidence shows only that he complained that Ms. Soupir’s critiques were unfair and harsh. He presented no evidence that he ever asserted a belief prior to his KHRC complaint that he was being discriminated against in any way because of his age or other protected classification. Although “protected activity” can include voicing informal complaints to supervisors, see Hertz v. Luzenac Am., Inc., 370 F.3d 1014, 1015 (10th Cir. 2004), “to qualify as protected opposition, the employee must convey to the employer his or her concern that the employer has engaged in [an unlawful] practice.” Hinds, 523 F.3d at 1203. “A vague reference to discrimination and harassment without any indication that this misconduct was motivated by age does not constitute protected activity and will not support a retaliation claim.” Id. at n.13 (brackets and internal quotation marks omitted). An employer cannot engage in unlawful retaliation if it does not know that the employee at least in part is engaging in protected activity. See Petersen v. Utah Dept. of Corr., 301 F.3d 1182, 1188 (10th Cir. 2002). Thus, there is no evidence Mr. Rangel engaged in protected activity prior to September 2008, many months after his negative performance review and FWP. The district court correctly - 10 - ruled that Mr. Rangel failed to present evidence establishing a prima facie ADEA retaliation claim.