Opinion ID: 2998787
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Bernard Dubois

Text: In addition to firing Brown, Thompson Distribution fired Dubois. In his deposition testimony, Thompson explained that Thompson Distribution fired Dubois because sales of hydraulic heating equipment—Dubois’s area of sales—were very low. This satisfied Thompson Distribution’s burden of production. The burden then shifted to Dubois to present evidence that Thompson Distribution’s rationale was pretextual. Dubois, however, like Brown, admits to the underlying deficiency—Dubois acknowledges that his sales were low. Instead, Dubois claims that low sales of hydronic systems were not “attributable to any failure on his part,” but rather because Thompson had neither the inventory nor a vendor for these systems. However, “simply shifting the blame for a problem does not establish pretext.” Wohl v. Spectrum Mfg., Inc., 94 F.3d 353, 357 (7th Cir.1996) (citing Schultz v. General Elec. Capital Corp., 37 F.3d 329, 334 (7th Cir. 1994)). That is because, as explained above, “in determining whether an employer’s proffered reason for an employment action was pretextual, we are not concerned with the correctness or desirability of reasons offered for employment decisions, but rather the issue of whether the employer honestly believes in the reasons it offers.” Grayson v. O’Neill, 308 F.3d 808, 820 (7th Cir. 2002). Dubois did not present “specific evidence from which the finder of fact may reasonably infer that the proffered reasons do not represent the truth,” Collier v. Budd Co., 66 F.3d 886, 893 (7th Cir. 1995). Therefore, Thompson Distribution was entitled to No. 05-1654 15 6 summary judgment on Dubois’s § 1981 claim.