Opinion ID: 625603
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Race Discrimination and the Direct Method of Proof

Text: Mr. Hanners contends that he has demonstrated that race was a motivating factor in the decisions to suspend him for thirty days and to lower his promotion rating. In his view, the district court failed to apply the proper standard in evaluating whether he had produced sufficient evidence to avoid summary judgment under the direct method. A plaintiff proceeding under the direct method must demonstrate a triable issue as to whether discrimination motivated the adverse employment action. Davis v. Time Warner Cable of Se. Wis., L.P., 651 F.3d 664, 672 (7th Cir.2011); see also Sheehan v. Daily Racing Form, Inc., 104 F.3d 940, 940 (7th Cir.1997). A plaintiff proceeding according to the direct method may rely on two types of evidence: direct evidence or circumstantial evidence. Rudin v. Lincoln Land Cmty. Coll., 420 F.3d 712, 720 (7th Cir.2005). Direct evidence is evidence which, if believed by the trier of fact, will prove the particular fact in question without reliance upon inference or presumption. Eiland v. Trinity Hosp., 150 F.3d 747, 751 (7th Cir.1998) (internal quotation marks omitted). [13] Circumstantial evidence of discrimination. . . allows the trier of fact `to infer intentional discrimination by the decisionmaker.' Rudin, 420 F.3d at 720 (emphasis in original) (quoting Rogers v. City of Chi., 320 F.3d 748, 753 (7th Cir.2003)); see also Montgomery v. Am. Airlines, Inc., 626 F.3d 382, 393 (7th Cir.2010). We have explained that [t]he relevant circumstantial evidence in discrimination cases ordinarily consists of indicators showing what may be `the real motivating force for employment decisions.' Montgomery, 626 F.3d at 393 (quoting Coffman, 578 F.3d at 563). We further have described the circumstantial evidence capable of sustaining a jury verdict as a convincing mosaic of circumstantial evidence . . . that point[s] directly to a discriminatory reason for the employer's action. Davis v. Con-Way Transp. Cent. Express, Inc., 368 F.3d 776, 783 (7th Cir.2004) (alterations in original) (internal quotation marks omitted). Mr. Hanners challenges the district court's reliance upon this language and asserts that, by using it, the court applied a heightened standard to the evidence a plaintiff must offer under the direct method in order to avoid summary judgment. In Sylvester v. SOS Children's Villages Illinois, Inc., 453 F.3d 900 (7th Cir.2006), we clarified that the mosaic language, first used by this court in Troupe v. May Department Stores Co., 20 F.3d 734, 737 (7th Cir.1994), was not intended to promulgate a new standard. Sylvester, 453 F.3d at 904. Indeed, we consistently have employed this language to articulate the principle that, for a plaintiff proceeding under the direct method to defeat summary judgment using circumstantial evidence, [a]ll that is required is evidence from which a rational trier of fact could reasonably infer that the defendant had [taken an adverse employment action against] the plaintiff because the latter was a member of a protected class. Troupe, 20 F.3d at 737. We therefore cannot accept Mr. Hanners's argument that the district court incorrectly identified and applied the standard for evaluating a plaintiff's proffered circumstantial evidence. With this background, we turn to an evaluation of the evidence upon which Mr. Hanners relies. First, Mr. Hanners submits a list of other ISP employees who had been disciplined by the ISP. He contends that a comparison between himself and the eighteen listed individuals demonstrates that other employees received less severe punishment despite engaging in misconduct that Mr. Hanners believes to be similar to or worse than his own. However, Mr. Hanners has failed to provide evidence that any of the listed individuals are non-Caucasian. [14] Nor does Mr. Hanners provide any evidence that non-Caucasians had sent emails containing similar content on the ISP computer system and had received less severe punishment. We therefore conclude that he has failed to demonstrate that individuals outside the protected class received systematically better disciplinary treatment. Absent such circumstantial evidence, Mr. Hanners's assertion that he would not have been suspended for thirty days had he been an African American amounts to mere speculation, which this court consistently has held is insufficient to avoid summary judgment. See, e.g., Karazanos v. Navistar Int'l Transp. Corp., 948 F.2d 332, 337 (7th Cir.1991). Furthermore, Mr. Hanners did not demonstrate that the individuals listed were directly comparable to [him] in all material respects. Patterson v. Avery Dennison Corp., 281 F.3d 676, 680 (7th Cir.2002) (internal quotation marks omitted). Therefore, he has failed to establish that the listed individuals were in fact similarly situated to him. We have held that [a]n employee is similarly situated to a plaintiff if the two employees deal with the same supervisor, are subject to the same standards, and have engaged in similar conduct without such differentiating or mitigating circumstances as would distinguish their conduct or the employer's treatment of them. Fane v. Locke Reynolds, LLP, 480 F.3d 534, 540 (7th Cir.2007). Therefore, when a plaintiff alleges that he received harsher discipline than other employees, it is necessary for the court to consider whether the employees engaged in the same conduct for which the plaintiff was disciplined. Here, only three of the individuals listed were disciplined for actions involving the improper use of ISP equipment (two incidents involving pornographic material and one incident involving an email containing a video about the F-word). [15] In addition, there is no evidence that any of the listed individuals were disciplined for conduct involving the sort of racial and gender stereotyping involved here. Moreover, Mr. Hanners has not shown that any of the individuals whom he offers as comparators had the same leadership responsibilities as he had. It is also noteworthy that Mr. Hanners did not provide evidence regarding the disciplinary measures taken against the three other ISP employees who had been reprimanded for disseminating the Barbie Doll email. Nor did he provide evidence regarding whether any of the listed individuals similarly had refused to accept settlement offers from the Board. [16] A plaintiff also may show discrimination by establishing ambiguous statements or behavior toward other employees in the protected group that taken together allow an inference of discriminatory intent. Montgomery, 626 F.3d at 393 (internal quotation marks omitted). Here, Mr. Hanners provides statements made by Colonel Nelson, Lieutenant Colonel Adams, Commander Woods and Lieutenant Colonel Stallworth, who said that they found some of the content in the email to be racially offensive. [17] Although the defendants' descriptions of the email pertain to race, they are merely probative of the fact that certain individuals found aspects of the email to be offensive and do not point to any racial animus against Mr. Hanners himself. Mr. Hanners has failed to identify a single instance where the defendants engaged in behavior or made comments that suggested a discriminatory attitude against Caucasians generally or against him because he is a Caucasian. [18] There is evidence that Colonel Nelson, Lieutenant Colonel Adams, Commander Woods and Lieutenant Colonel Stallworth were upset by the content of Mr. Hanners's email and adamant that he should be disciplined harshly because of it. However, there is no evidence to suggest that the focus of the defendants' comments or actions were related to Mr. Hanners's race as opposed to the inappropriate nature of his conduct. Although Mr. Hanners may believe that the defendants' statements are evidence of racial animus, the subjective beliefs of the plaintiff . . . are insufficient to create a genuine issue of material fact. McMillian v. Svetanoff, 878 F.2d 186, 190 (7th Cir.1989). Mr. Hanners next contends that the atypical handling of his investigation is evidence of discrimination. In particular, he asserts that the ISP's deviation from its internal policy as stated in PER-032 is circumstantial evidence of racial discrimination. ISP policy PER-032, III.B.1 provides: When an employee, supervisor, or manager reports allegations of discrimination, harassment or retaliation to the EEO Office, the EEO Office will send the employee reporting such discrimination, harassment, or retaliation an EEO Complaint Intake Questionnaire, form ISP1-36, within 5 calendar days of receiving the report. R.29-2 at 17. Mr. Hanners asserts that no complaint was filed and that no one completed an intake form. He admits, however, that Captain Fidler, as his supervisor, submitted a CADM upon concluding that the email indeed originated from Mr. Hanners. Suzanne Bond, Chief of the ISP EEO office, stated during her deposition that there are two ways in which an EEO investigation may be initiated. She acknowledged that an employee may file a complaint directly with her office and, in doing so, must complete an intake questionnaire. However, she also confirmed that a supervisor may initiate an EEO investigation with a signed CADM or by writing a memorandum to the Chief of EEO requesting an investigation. Therefore, as the district court concluded, the fact that an intake questionnaire never was completed is immaterial given the submission of Fidler's CADM. R.38 at 32. The evidence shows, and Mr. Hanners does not refute, that despite the language in PER-032, his investigation was initiated in accordance with ISP policy. Significant, unexplained or systematic deviations from established policies or practices can no doubt be relative and probative circumstantial evidence of discriminatory intent. In Giacoletto v. Amax Zinc Co., 954 F.2d 424, 427 (7th Cir.1992), we held that a jury reasonably could have concluded that, because the employer had neglected to follow the procedures for helping employees to overcome their deficiencies, [it] had fired [the plaintiff] . . . to retaliate for his refusal to retire. There, the employer had not counseled the employee that his work had fallen below acceptable levels, had not developed a plan to bring his performance up to acceptable levels and had kept no written records of any counseling sessions with him. See id. In reaching our conclusion, we explained that, despite the fact that the defendant's witnesses claimed that the company never applied these procedures to managerial personnel, the express language of the corporate policy statement indicated that the policy applied to [the plaintiff]. Id. Similarly, in Rudin, we concluded that the employer's departure from its stated hiring policies constituted circumstantial evidence of discrimination. 420 F.3d at 721. However, Rudin is different from the present case because, in addition to the employer's deviation from hiring policy, a Caucasian plaintiff had demonstrated that the deviation had resulted in the hiring of an African-American candidate, who ranked second to last of all of the applicants and had been reinserted into the candidate pool after previously having been eliminated. Further, the reinsertion followed a committee chairperson's repeated statements regarding pressure to hire a minority. See id. at 722-24. Here, as the district court noted, the fact that Captain Fidler submitted the CADM to DII appears to be in accordance with ISP policy. R.38 at 32. Mr. Hanners correctly asserts that the usual procedure of having a complainant complete an intake questionnaire was not followed. However, the ISP has offered an explanation for this seeming deviation from its procedures by noting that the procedures followed were appropriate when a supervisor initiates the process. Indeed, as we noted earlier, Mr. Hanners offers no explicit contradiction for that explanation. See James v. Sheahan, 137 F.3d 1003, 1007 (7th Cir.1998) (declining to consider a deviation of regular practice relevant and probative of discrimination when plaintiff offered nothing to refute defendant's explanation); see also Briggs v. Potter, 463 F.3d 507, 516 (6th Cir.2006). Moreover, here the ISP's deviation from its procedures is hardly offered as a justification for the ultimate action taken against Mr. Hanners. The deviation is far more tangential and involves simply the manner in which the charge was initiated. See Randle v. City of Aurora, 69 F.3d 441, 454 (10th Cir.1995). Indeed, a good deal of the concern about Mr. Hanners's conduct was based on the fact that, as a supervisor, he had special obligations to the ISP and its employees to maintain an atmosphere of even-handedness and trust in the ISP. Under these circumstances, a senior officer initiating a disciplinary process in a manner different from that employed in other employee complaints is not indicative of racial animus. Additionally, we must consider the deviation, along with other circumstantial evidence, in order to determine whether there is sufficient evidence that Mr. Hanners was discriminated against on account of his race such that it warrants submission of the issue to a trier of fact. Rudin, 420 F.3d at 724. Here, given the lack of circumstantial evidence supporting Mr. Hanners's claim of racial discrimination, we conclude that the minor deviation from written policy is insufficient to avoid summary judgment. Mr. Hanners also points to another alleged procedural discrepancy. He notes that DII initially asked Captain Fidler to investigate the email incident, but later referred the matter to EEO. According to Mr. Hanners, the investigation was taken away from Captain Fidler and Lieutenant Anderson-Martin because they were not going to impose the desired discipline. Appellant's Br. 24. Again, Mr. Hanners's mere speculation, without more, is insufficient to avoid summary judgment. Karazanos, 948 F.2d at 337. Mr. Hanners submits no evidence that suggests that the decision to refer the matter to the EEO office was motivated by any type of racial animus. Rather, Captain Fidler testified in his deposition that he believed that removing the investigation from his work unit was in keeping with other decisionmaking processes within the ISP. He explained that, although such a transfer of an investigation often causes confusion within the unit, it is not out of the ordinary. R.32-6 at 1 (Fidler Dep. 42). Moreover, given the fact that the subject matter of the investigation was well within the purview of the EEO office, we agree with the district court's conclusion that the series of events that led to the EEO investigation was indeed unremarkable. R.38 at 32. Finally, Mr. Hanners argues that ISP policy was not followed in the promotion ratings process because Lieutenant Anderson-Martin, his supervisor, was not permitted the requisite discretion in rating Mr. Hanners, nor was she permitted to respond to Mr. Hanners's challenge in a manner that she deemed appropriate. Mr. Hanners does not provide any written or oral ISP policy that supports this assertion. However, it is clear from the evidence presented that Lieutenant Anderson-Martin was under pressure with regard to the handling of Mr. Hanners's promotion and challenge to the proposed disciplinary action. The district court correctly identified that it was Lieutenant Anderson-Martin's conduct, as the decisionmaker, that was relevant with respect to this aspect of Mr. Hanners's discrimination claim. See, e.g., Rogers, 320 F.3d at 754 (explaining that [a] decisionmaker is the person responsible for the contested decision (internal quotation marks omitted)). Here, the contested decision is the lowering of Mr. Hanners's promotion rating to reflect the email incident. Therefore, at the outset, Mr. Hanners must demonstrate that Lieutenant Anderson-Martin ultimately lacked the authority to determine his promotion rating. See Venturelli v. ARC Cmty. Servs., Inc., 350 F.3d 592, 600 (7th Cir.2003). We also must evaluate whether the ratings process was a sham or conduit for [the defendants'] alleged racial animosity. Willis v. Marion Cnty. Auditor's Office, 118 F.3d 542, 547 (7th Cir.1997). The fact that Commander Woods, Lieutenant Colonel Stallworth and Lieutenant Colonel Adams did not order Lieutenant Anderson-Martin to lower Mr. Hanners's grade does not necessarily mean that they did not act as decisionmakers or exert undue influence over her decision. See, e.g., Wallace v. SMC Pneumatics Inc., 103 F.3d 1394, 1400 (7th Cir.1997) (concluding that a formally subordinate employee should be treated as a decisionmaker because he was the real cause of the adverse employment action). However, even if we were to assume that, given the influence they exerted over Lieutenant Anderson-Martin, Commander Woods, Lieutenant Colonel Stallworth and Lieutenant Colonel Adams were indeed the decisionmakers with regard to the handling of Mr. Hanners's promotion rating, Mr. Hanners has failed to provide any evidence to support his assertion of racial animus on the part of these defendants. The evidence presented with regard to the ratings session instead demonstrates a strong response on the part of the defendants based upon the content of the email sent by Mr. Hanners and their belief that he should be disciplined severely. In addition, Captain Fidler and Lieutenant Anderson-Martin ultimately joined Lieutenant Colonel Stallworth's rejection of Mr. Hanners's challenge to his grade.