Opinion ID: 551844
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Racial Discrimination Under 42 U.S.C. Sec. 1981

Text: 17 Summary judgment was also an appropriate mechanism for disposing of Spiller's Sec. 1981 claim. Spiller claimed that Dalia Harrelson, a Hispanic American, discharged her because Spiller is a Caucasian. On 15 June 1989 the United States Supreme Court decided Patterson v. McLean Credit Union, 491 U.S. 164, 109 S.Ct. 2363, 105 L.Ed.2d 132 (1989). Patterson stripped conduct occurring after the formation of a contract from the ambit of Sec. 1981. Id. 109 S.Ct. at 2374. The Court's holding indicates that a claim for discriminatory discharge of an at-will employee is no longer cognizable under Sec. 1981. Reeves, 909 F.2d at 145; Lavender v. V & B Transmissions & Auto Repair, 897 F.2d 805, 808 (5th Cir.1990). This circuit has also held that the Patterson decision applies retroactively. Lavender, 897 F.2d at 807. Therefore, summary judgment was appropriate. 18 Spiller's Sec. 1981 claim would be ripe for summary judgment even if Patterson had not foreclosed it. 4 Spiller attempted to prove discrimination by traveling the well-worn path first blazed by McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, 411 U.S. 792, 93 S.Ct. 1817, 36 L.Ed.2d 668 (1973), which set forth the four requirements to establish a prima facie case of discrimination under Sec. 1981. Under McDonnell Douglas, Spiller had to show that she belonged to a protected group, was qualified for a position, was discharged from that position, and was replaced by a nonminority. McDonnell Douglas, 411 U.S. at 802, 93 S.Ct. at 1824; Jatoi v. Hurst-Euless-Bedford Hospital Authority, 807 F.2d 1214, 1219 (5th Cir.1987), cert. denied, 484 U.S. 1010, 108 S.Ct. 709, 98 L.Ed.2d 660 (1988). 19 Spiller was unable to meet McDonnell Douglas' fourth criteria because she was not replaced by a Hispanic American. She could have still established a prima facie case if she could have proven that it was more likely than not that the employer's actions were based on illegal discriminatory criteria. Jatoi, 807 F.2d at 1219. The trial court, however, found that the Center discharged Spiller because of her poor work performance, and this determination is amply supported by the record. The Center documented numerous instances of Spiller's negligent behavior both at that facility and at other health care complexes. The Center employed a heterogenous assortment of nurses of different races, and there was simply no credible evidence that Dalia Harrelson discriminated against Spiller. This court agrees with Judge Black that racial motivations did not prompt Spiller's discharge.