Opinion ID: 70738
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: facts

Text: Louise Moore was the chief juvenile probation officer in the Reeves/Loving County Juvenile Probation Department (the “Department”). She was appointed to her position by the Reeves/Loving County Juvenile Probation Board (the “Board”). In her role, Moore directed and supervised the juvenile services program. The Board holds the ultimate responsibility of supervising and managing the Department, including decisions about whether to terminate employees. In late 2005, a dispute arose between Moore and a subordinate juvenile probation officer, Mary Ann Acosta. In December 2005, Moore prepared a critical evaluation of Acosta that prevented Acosta from receiving her maximum compensation under the Department’s new incentive pay program. In response, Acosta filed a formal grievance with the Board. In January 2006, the Board heard Acosta’s grievance. However, instead of taking formal action on the grievance, a member of the Board agreed to meet personally with Moore and Acosta on a regular basis in an effort to resolve the conflicts between Moore and Acosta and improve the performance of the Department. Moore and Acosta both agreed with this plan. However, in July 2006, Acosta notified Moore that she intended to submit another grievance to the Board. In response, Moore discharged Acosta for “insubordination.” Acosta appealed Moore’s decision to the Board, and the Board reversed the discharge and reinstated Acosta at a meeting on August 8, 2006. 2 Case: 09-50466 Document: 00511000454 Page: 3 Date Filed: 01/11/2010 No. 09-50466 At an “emergency meeting” on August 18, 2006, the Board hired a consultant, Nancy Baird, to evaluate the Department’s problems and make findings and recommendations to the Board. The Board informed employees, including Moore, about the steps it was taking to resolve the problems within the Department. After reviewing the Department in August 2006, Baird presented findings and recommendations which the Board adopted at its meeting on September 1, 2006. These recommendations included specific actions that Moore and Acosta should take to improve communications and resolve conflict. Specifically, Baird recommended that Moore attend management training; prepare a plan of action to improve communication in the Department; and meet individually with the Department staff to review their professional development plans. Baird also recommended that Acosta develop a plan of action to improve communication with Moore. To follow-up on these recommendations, Baird was to complete a subsequent evaluation and report for the board forty-five days later. After conducting her follow-up evaluation, Baird presented her findings and recommendations to the Board on October 20, 2006. In her November 5, 2006, written report detailing these findings, Baird noted that Moore had not followed several of her recommendations. Specifically, Baird determined that Moore had attended some training sessions, but she had not attended appropriate training; Moore had developed an insufficient plan of action to improve Department communications because the plan did not include specifics, measurable goals, or timelines; Moore had neither delivered professional development plans to all Department staff as recommended nor reviewed professional development plans individually with all Department staff; and Moore had not met with Acosta to discuss Acosta’s professional development plan. Further, Baird found that Acosta had complied with her recommendations because she had developed a detailed plan of action, which she provided to Baird. 3 Case: 09-50466 Document: 00511000454 Page: 4 Date Filed: 01/11/2010 No. 09-50466 Based on these findings, the Board voted to terminate Moore at its October 20, 2006, meeting. Moore properly exhausted administrative remedies, received her right to sue letter, and filed suit in federal court on July 17, 2008, alleging race and sex discrimination under Title VII and § 1981. The Board and Reeves County filed their motion for summary judgment in March 2009. The district court granted summary judgment in favor of the Board and Reeves County on April 30, 2009, and entered final judgment in favor of the defendants the same day. Moore now appeals the grant of summary judgment on her race discrimination claims.