Opinion ID: 22996
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: plaintiff survives summary judgment

Text: Evans argues that because he made out a prima facie case of discrimination and illustrated that Bishop’s proffered reasons were pretextual, he has presented a genuine issue as to Bishop’s discriminatory motives. He asserts further that Reeves v. Sanderson Plumbing Products, Inc., 120 S. Ct. 2097 (2000), explicitly did not require evidence beyond a prima facie case and pretext as a prerequisite for a plaintiff to survive summary judgment. Bishop responds that although Evans put forth a prima facie case, Reeves does not alter the result of the previous panel decision because no rational trier of fact could conclude that its actions were motivated by discriminatory animus. We do not agree. We find that Evans fulfilled his duty under Reeves to demonstrate genuine issues of material fact as to his discrimination claims, and thus, the case should proceed to trial.7 7 Bishop repeatedly asserts on appeal that “a subjective belief of discrimination, however genuine, . . . [may not] be the basis of judicial relief.” Elliott v. Group Med. & Surgical Serv., 714 F.2d 556, 567 (5th Cir. 1983). However, as we have explained in Portis v. First National Bank, in “the Elliott line of cases, the plaintiffs’ testimony failed because it alone stood against unimpeached and uncontradicted opposing testimony.” 34 F.3d 325, 330 n.10 (5th Cir. 1994). Thus, when the plaintiff challenges the defendant’s assertions and testimony, the “fact that [the plaintiff’s] case-in-chief consists solely of [his] own testimony does not prevent [him] from establishing intentional discrimination.” Id. (emphasis added); see also Vance v. Union Planters Corp., 209 F.3d 438, 442 & n.3 (5th Cir. 2000) (citing Portis with approval). In this case, Evans has challenged Bishop’s claims and has put forth other evidence (in addition to his subjective belief). 7 In McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, 411 U.S. 792 (1973), the Supreme Court specified a burden-shifting approach to establishing proof of intentional discrimination via circumstantial evidence.8 First, Evans made out his prima facie case by showing that (1) he is an African-American male over sixty years old; (2) he was qualified for the job; (3) he was not hired; and (4) a Hispanic woman under forty years was subsequently hired for that position. See id. at 802. The burden then shifted to Bishop to articulate a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason for its decision. See id. at 802-03; see also Tex. Dep’t of Cmty. Affairs v. Burdine, 450 U.S. 248, 255-56 (1981) (stating that defendant’s burden is only one of production and not persuasion). Bishop claimed that economic factors and qualifications motivated its choice of Villarreal. Rogers stated that he had previously considered combining the municipal court judge and administrative assistant positions because neither position required full-time attention and because such a consolidation would cut costs. Rogers further maintained that he believed Villarreal was the best-qualified applicant. Because Bishop produced non-discriminatory reasons, the “presumption of discrimination [created by Evans’s prima facie case] drops out of the picture.” Reeves, 120 S. Ct. at 2106 8 This circuit has acknowledged that the McDonnell Douglas framework applies to both Title VII and ADEA claims. See Russell v. McKinney Hosp. Venture, --- F.3d ----, 2000 WL 1785541, at  n.3 (5th Cir. 2000). 8 (internal quotations and citation omitted). However, the fact finder “may still consider the evidence establishing the plaintiff’s prima facie case ‘and inferences properly drawn therefrom . . . on the issue of whether the defendant’s explanation is pretextual.’” Id. (quoting Burdine, 450 U.S. at 255 n.10). The district court found that a trier of fact could conclude that both of Bishop’s proffered reasons were pretextual.9 The court noted that the fact that combining the two positions would save money did not address why Villarreal was chosen over Evans. Furthermore, Evans contests the timing of this consolidation decision, pointing out that it was not made until after Villarreal submitted her application (as the original posting was for a different position, and Villarreal herself did not know of the modification until the city council meeting). We thus find that Evans has, at the very least, created a jury issue as to pretext on this proffered justification. See Russell v. McKinney Hosp. Venture, --- F.3d ----, 2000 WL 1785541, at  (5th Cir. 2000) (reiterating that it is the province of the jury to choose among conflicting versions and make credibility determinations). 9 Although the district court found that Evans had established a prima facie case and pretext, the court stated that Evans failed to create a fact question about Bishop’s discriminatory animus. As we discuss infra in the text, this analysis was in error. 9 Evans also adduced evidence to support a finding of pretext regarding the qualification justification. He points to a contrary statement by Rogers in his deposition that qualification was not his main priority. Evans also questions how Villarreal could be deemed the most qualified when Rogers did not interview any other candidates and when he stated that he did not compare Evans’s and Villarreal’s qualifications.10 We agree with the district court that sufficient evidence exists for a jury to find that this justification is also pretextual. Thus, Evans has established a prima facie case of discrimination and put forth sufficient evidence for a fact finder to find Bishop’s proffered reasons to be pretextual. Reeves instructs that this showing is usually sufficient for a plaintiff’s case to survive summary judgment: [O]nce the employer’s justification has been eliminated, discrimination may well be the most likely alternative explanation, especially since the employer is in the best position to put forth the actual reason for its decision. . . . . Thus, a plaintiff’s prima facie case, combined with sufficient evidence to find that the employer’s 10 Bishop argues that Evans does not make a showing that Rogers’s statement of Villarreal’s superior qualifications was untrue. Even assuming without deciding that Evans’s case is lacking in this regard, Bishop’s argument is without merit. Pretext can be illustrated via circumstantial evidence, as has been done here, and does not require direct evidence. See United States Postal Serv. Bd. of Governors v. Aikens, 460 U.S. 711, 714 n.3 (1983) (stating that the district court erred in requiring the plaintiff to submit direct evidence). 10 asserted justification is false, may permit the trier of fact to conclude that the employer unlawfully discriminated. Reeves, 120 S. Ct. at 2108-09. In this case, Evans has also put forth evidence beyond that of the prima facie case and pretext. Evans stated that one11 city council member made racially derogatory comments directed against African Americans. Reeves emphatically states that requiring evidence of discriminatory animus to be “in the direct context” of the employment decision is incorrect. See id. at 2111; see also Russell, --- F.3d ----, 2000 WL 1785541, at - (5th Cir. 2000) (emphasizing that our “stray remarks” jurisprudence must be viewed with caution in light of Reeves). Thus, it would be proper for a jury to take this evidence into account. In addition, Evans claimed that this same council member worked to defeat him in his reelection. The district court stated that this was outside the realm of the dispute at hand. However, again, the same Reeves principle applies: any evidence that could shed light on an employer’s true motive must be considered. The district court applied a now-disallowed legal standard to analyze Bishop’s summary judgment motion. The Supreme Court 11 The Reeves facts are analogous here — derogatory remarks also could not be attributed to all of the individuals responsible for making the employment decision in Reeves. However, the Supreme Court stated that “although [that was] relevant, [it was] certainly not dispositive” and went on to find the remarks of one decisionmaker to further support plaintiff’s case of discrimination. See 120 S. Ct. at 2111. 11 in Reeves emphasized the importance of jury fact finding and reiterated that evidence of the prima facie case plus pretext may, and usually does, establish sufficient evidence for a jury to find discrimination. See Reeves, 120 S. Ct. at 2109. Thus, considering all of the evidence and taking all reasonable inferences in favor of the nonmovant Evans, a genuine issue exists as to whether Bishop intentionally discriminated against Evans.