Opinion ID: 28989
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Title VII Discharge Claims

Text: Perez next makes two Title VII claims related to his discharge. First, he argues that he was discharged in retaliation for filing his complaint of discrimination with the EEOC. Second, he contends that he was discharged on account of No. 01-50591 -8- his Hispanic national origin. Title VII prohibits retaliation against employees who engage in protected conduct, such as filing a complaint of discrimination. See 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-3(a) (2000). To make out a prima facie case of retaliation, Perez must show: (1) he engaged in a protected activity; (2) he suffered an adverse employment action; and (3) a causal nexus exists between the protected activity and the adverse employment action. Gee v. Principi, 289 F.3d 342, 345 (5th Cir. 2002). Once this prima facie burden is met, retaliation claims utilize the same burdenshifting approach as do failure to promote claims. Id. Both parties agree that Perez satisfied the first two elements of a prima facie case by providing evidence that Perez filed a complaint with the EEOC (a protected activity) and that he was terminated on July 1, 1999 (an adverse employment action). Region 20 disputes that Perez provided sufficient evidence of the third element, causation. The district court found that Perez provided sufficient evidence of a causal connection. It recognized that timing can constitute evidence of a causal connection between a protected activity and termination and looked to see whether Region 20 had articulated a legitimate, non-discriminatory reason for the termination. The court then found that the reason proffered by Region 20, poor work performance, was adequate to shift the burden back to Perez to disprove the proffered reason. We again assume that Perez made out his prima facie case. Perez's claim nonetheless fails because he has not provided No. 01-50591 -9- evidence to refute Region 20's proffered explanation for his discharge. Perez points to the failure by Region 20 to meet with him to set performance goals as evidence of pretext. Such a failure may be a management lapse, but it does not amount to evidence of retaliation. See Mayberry v. Vought Aircraft Co., 55 F.3d 1086, 1091 (5th Cir. 1995) (The question is not whether an employer made an erroneous decision; it is whether the decision was made with discriminatory motive.). Perez also suggests that the fact that he received a low performance review within months of his complaint shows pretext. The negative August 1998 performance review, however, is substantiated by other evidence in the summary judgment record; Perez provides no evidence that challenges the accuracy of his performance review. Merely disagreeing with an employer's negative performance assessment is insufficient to show pretext. See Shackelford v. Deloitte & Touche, LLP, 190 F.3d 398, 408 (5th Cir. 1999). Perez has thus failed to produce sufficient evidence of pretext. The district court properly granted summary judgment on Perez’s retaliation claim. Perez also claims that Region 20 discharged him due to his Hispanic national origin. Again, even assuming that Perez could make out a prima facie case of discrimination, he simply provided insufficient evidence that his termination was due to anything other than his poor work performance. Poor work performance is a legitimate, non-discriminatory reason for discharge. See, e.g., Shackelford, 190 F.3d at 408. The district court properly granted summary judgment for Region 20 on this claim. No. 01-50591 -10-