Opinion ID: 779803
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Motion as a Matter of Law

Text: 22 We review de novo the district court's denial of a Rule 50(b) motion for judgment as a matter of law. Smith v. Leggett Wire Co., 220 F.3d 752, 758 (6th Cir.2000). We grant the motion only if, in viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the non-moving party, there is no genuine issue of material fact for the jury, and reasonable minds could only find in favor of the moving party. Gray v. Toshiba Am. Consumer Prods., Inc., 263 F.3d 595, 598 (6th Cir.2001). In making our determination, we review all of the evidence in the record, drawing all reasonable inferences in favor of the non-moving party, making no credibility determinations, and weighing no evidence. Id. at 600 (citing Reeves v. Sanderson Plumbing Prods., Inc., 530 U.S. 133, 150-51, 120 S.Ct. 2097, 147 L.Ed.2d 105 (2000)). 23 Besides this standard, Reeves directs courts to disregard all evidence favorable to the moving party that the jury is not required to believe. Reeves, 530 U.S. at 150, 120 S.Ct. 2097. Further, we give credence to the evidence favoring the non-movant, as well as that evidence supporting the moving party that is uncontradicted and unimpeached, where the evidence comes from disinterested witnesses. Id. Finally, the jury is entitled to treat a party's dishonesty about a material fact as evidence of culpability. Id. at 147, 154, 120 S.Ct. 2097.
24 Title VII prohibits retaliation by an employer where an individual has engaged in protected activity. 42 U.S.C § 2000e-3(a). The anti-retaliation provision provides in pertinent part: 25 It shall be an unlawful employment practice for an employer to discriminate against any of his employees ... because he has opposed any practice made an unlawful employment practice by this subchapter, or because he has made a charge, testified, assisted, or participated in any manner in an investigation, proceeding, or hearing under this subchapter. 26 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-3(a). 27 A plaintiff can establish retaliation under Title VII without proof by direct evidence. In such cases, we have adopted the burden shifting approach initially identified in McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, 411 U.S. 792, 93 S.Ct. 1817, 36 L.Ed.2d 668 (1973). See, e.g., Hollins v. Atl. Co., 188 F.3d 652, 658 (6th Cir.1998). 28 Under this standard, White must first establish a prima facie case of retaliation. She must show: 1) she engaged in an activity protected by Title VII; 2) the defendant knew of the exercise of her civil rights; 3) the defendant took an employment action adverse to the plaintiff; and 4) there was a causal connection between the protected activity and the adverse employment action. Hollins, 188 F.3d at 661 (citing Christopher v. Stouder Mem'l Hosp., 936 F.2d 870, 877 (6th Cir.1991)). 29 If White establishes a prima facie case of retaliation, the burden of production shifts to Burlington Northern to articulate a legitimate, non-discriminatory reason for taking the adverse employment action. Burlington Northern's burden is one of producing an explanation to rebut the prima facie case — i.e., the burden of `producing evidence' that the adverse employment actions were taken `for a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason.' St. Mary's Honor Ctr. v. Hicks, 509 U.S. 502, 507, 113 S.Ct. 2742, 125 L.Ed.2d 407 (1993) (internal citation omitted). Once the employer produces such evidence, the burden shifts to the plaintiff to show that the reasons the employer offered were a pretext for retaliation. See id. The plaintiff at all times retains the burden of persuading the trier of fact that the employer intentionally retaliated in violation of Title VII. See id. at 507-08, 113 S.Ct. 2742.
30 On appeal, Burlington Northern says White did not establish that the reassignment of the forklift responsibilities and her temporary suspension were adverse employment actions. [A] plaintiff must identify a materially adverse change in the terms and conditions of his employment to state a claim for retaliation under Title VII. Hollins, 188 F.3d at 662 (citing Kocsis v. Multi-Care Mgmt., Inc., 97 F.3d 876, 885 (6th Cir.1996) and Crady v. Liberty Nat'l Bank & Trust Co. of Indiana, 993 F.2d 132, 136 (7th Cir.1993)). A material adverse change includes a termination in employment, a demotion evidenced by a decrease in wage or salary, a less distinguished title, a material loss of benefits, significantly diminished material responsibilities, or other indices that might be unique to a particular situation. See Kocsis, 97 F.3d at 886 (adopting factors described in Crady, 993 F.2d at 136); see also Hollins, 188 F.3d at 662. Importantly, a change in employment conditions `must be more disruptive than a mere inconvenience or an alteration of job responsibilities.' Kocsis, 97 F.3d at 886 (quoting Crady, 993 F.2d at 136). 31
32 Burlington Northern says White did not suffer an adverse employment action when Brown took her off forklift duty because this reassignment was a non-actionable lateral job transfer. 33 We have stated that [r]eassignments without salary or work hour changes do not ordinarily constitute adverse employment decisions in employment discrimination claims. Kocsis, 97 F.3d at 885. Further, we have held that where a job transfer has the same duties, pay, and grade level but requires an additional 20-minute commute, the plaintiff did not satisfy the adverse employment action element. Darnell v. Campbell County Fiscal Court, 731 F.Supp. 1309, 1313 (E.D.Ky. 1990), aff'd, 924 F.2d 1057 (6th Cir.1991). Finally, we have held that a sales representative did not suffer an adverse employment action when her employer reassigned her to territory 80 to 100 miles from her home where she had previously worked the same territory between 30% and 40% of the time. Policastro v. Northwest Airlines, Inc., 297 F.3d 535, 539 (6th Cir.2002). 34 Other courts have also held that a lateral job transfer is usually not an adverse employment action. See, e.g., Bradford v. Norfolk S. Corp., 54 F.3d 1412, 1420 (8th Cir.1995) (job transfer with poor working conditions was not an adverse employment action); Flaherty v. Gas Research Inst., 31 F.3d 451, 457 (7th Cir.1994) (job transfer without loss in salary benefits or responsibilities was not adverse action though the plaintiff had to report to a former subordinate); Murphy v. Yellow Freight Sys., Inc., 832 F.Supp. 1543, 1550-51 (N.D.Ga. 1993) (no adverse employment action found where plaintiff did not receive as high of a pay raise as she thought she deserved, she received night and weekend shifts where that was a normal alternating assignment for all employees, employer told her that her clothing violated the company's dress code, and plaintiff complained that her supervisor documented their conversations in writing and put his notes in her personnel file); Steiner v. Showboat Operating Co., 25 F.3d 1459, 1465 (9th Cir.1994), cert. denied, 513 U.S. 1082, 115 S.Ct. 733, 130 L.Ed.2d 636 (1995) (transferring female employee to another shift was not an adverse employment action); Harlston v. McDonnell Douglas Corp., 37 F.3d 379, 382 (8th Cir.1994) (reassigning plaintiff to more stressful job was not an adverse action). 35 Finally other courts have noted that a plaintiff's subjective perception that one position is more desirable than another is not controlling. Kelleher v. Flawn, 761 F.2d 1079, 1086 (5th Cir.1985). 36 Here, Burlington Northern argues that White's reassignment to track labor duties did not materially disadvantage White. First, White maintained her position as a track laborer throughout her employment with the railroad. Even when assigned responsibility for operating the forklift, White also worked on track maintenance tasks. Further, White never suffered a termination, a demotion evidenced by a wage or salary decrease, a less distinguished job title, a material loss of benefits, or significantly diminished material responsibilities. 37 White does not dispute that most lateral transfers are not adverse employment actions. Instead, she says the district court properly found that White suffered an adverse employment action because of the unique circumstances language in Hollins. 4 188 F.3d at 662 (quoting the Crady factor that a materially adverse change in employment might be indicated by other indices that might be unique to a particular situation). Specifically, the district court held that White presented sufficient evidence to show that Brown's reassignment of her to the physically demanding track work from the light forklift duty was an adverse action. White also contends that finding Brown's action to transfer Ms. White does not qualify as an adverse employment action would have a chilling effect on reporting discrimination. 38 We disagree. The fact that forklift duty is less physically demanding than track maintenance work does not make White's reassignment a cognizable adverse employment action. The railroad hired White as a track maintenance worker. One of her explicit job responsibilities was to maintain the railroad tracks. We fail to see how White suffered an adverse employment action by being directed to do a job duty for which Burlington Northern hired her. Moreover, contrary to the dissent's assertion, a job transfer that involves heavy lifting and more physically demanding tasks is not a demotion. In fact, in a disability discrimination case, we held that a nurse's reassignment from a nurse supervisor position to a unit nurse position was not a materially adverse change in employment although the new duties involved more physically demanding tasks. We made this holding because the nurse did not lose any pay, benefits, or prestige. Kocsis, 97 F.3d at 886-87. We find Kocsis applicable here because cases involving disability and age discrimination are instructive in Title VII cases. Kocsis, 97 F.3d at 885. 39 Therefore, we find that White's reassignment away from forklift responsibilities is not an adverse employment action. 40
41 Next, Burlington Northern says that the district court erred when it found that White's suspension constituted an adverse employment action. Burlington Northern argues that White's suspension was not the final employment decision required for an adverse employment action because the railroad reinstated White with full back pay, including overtime pay, and full benefits. Burlington Northern primarily relies on Dobbs-Weinstein v. Vanderbilt University as support for this proposition. 42 In Dobbs-Weinstein 5 we held that a suspension was not an adverse employment action. Dobbs-Weinstein v. Vanderbilt Univ., 185 F.3d 542, 545-46 (6th Cir.1999). Moreover, a reinstatement which puts the plaintiff in the position she would have been in absent the suspension, constitutes the ultimate employment decision thereby negating a potentially adverse intermediate employment decision. Id. 43 In Dobbs-Weinstein, a professor sued Vanderbilt University under Title VII for an allegedly discriminatory denial of tenure. Id. at 543-44. The philosophy department initially recommended tenure be given, but the Dean rejected the department's recommendation, and denied plaintiff's tenure. Id. at 543. Through an internal grievance process, Vanderbilt reversed the Dean's decision. Id. at 544. The university promoted plaintiff to associate professor with tenure retroactive to the date the Dean should have granted tenure. Id. The university also gave the professor all back pay retroactive to the date the Dean should have promoted her. Id. Despite the favorable result she received, the professor sued Vanderbilt for the interim emotional distress she suffered, potential damage to her reputation, and interest on the back pay. Id. 44 The trial court in Dobbs-Weinstein granted the defendant summary judgment, and this Court affirmed. Id. at 545. Although the review process of the tenure denial lasted eighteen months, this Court held that the professor was not entitled to recover because she did not suffer an ultimate adverse employment decision as the university ultimately gave tenure. Id. at 545-46; see also Jackson v. City of Columbus, 194 F.3d 737, 752 (6th Cir.1999) (holding that the thirty-day suspension of an African American police chief did not constitute an adverse employment action because the decision did not ultimately constitute a termination of employment, a change in salary, demotion, loss of benefits, decreased work hours, or significantly diminished material responsibilities.). We reasoned that employees should not challenge intermediate employment decisions when the ultimate employment decision is not adverse to the plaintiff. Dobbs-Weinstein, 185 F.3d at 546. We further elaborated: 45 Dobbs-Weinstein has not created a claim for employment discrimination by suing Vanderbilt before the final decision on her promotion and tenure was made. She argues that her claims for emotional distress and professional reputation damages mean that her claim is viable, but that argument places the cart before the horse. A claim for potentially recoverable damages does not transform Venable's decision into an adverse employment action. Dobbs-Weinstein succeeded in the grievance process, and Vanderbilt's final decision was to grant her tenure. She has not here suffered a final or lasting adverse employment action sufficient to create a prima facie case of employment discrimination under Title VII. To rule otherwise would be to encourage litigation before the employer has an opportunity to correct through internal grievance procedures any wrong it may have committed. 46 Id. (emphasis added). 47 Other courts have also held that an adverse employment action must be based on an ultimate employment decision by an employer. See, e.g., Mattern v. Eastman Kodak Co., 104 F.3d 702, 707 (5th Cir. 1997), cert. denied, 522 U.S. 932, 118 S.Ct. 336, 139 L.Ed.2d 260 (1997); Page v. Bolger, 645 F.2d 227, 233 (4th Cir.) ( en banc ), cert. denied, 454 U.S. 892, 102 S.Ct. 388, 70 L.Ed.2d 206 (1981) (holding that Title VII prohibits only ultimate employment decisions which are retaliatory and not interlocutory or mediate decisions.); see also Hopkins v. Baltimore Gas & Elec. Co., 77 F.3d 745, 755 (4th Cir.), cert. denied, 519 U.S. 818, 117 S.Ct. 70, 136 L.Ed.2d 30 (1996). 48 The district court sought to distinguish Dobbs-Weinstein. The district court noted that the Dobbs-Weinstein professor never stopped working and never suffered a break in payment. 6 Here, White lost all pay and benefits immediately upon her suspension. The district court also found crucial the fact that White faced permanent termination in contrast to the professor. 49 We reject these arguments. First, although the professor continued to work during the appeals process, she did lose the increased pay and benefits associated with tenure. In fact, when the university granted the professor's tenure, it also gave her retroactive back pay to the date that it should have granted tenure. This period was 18 months long. By contrast, White waited only thirty-seven days before the railroad reinstated her and gave her back pay. We also reject White's arguments that the fact that her suspension occurred during the Christmas holiday season makes her suspension unique. White misplaces this argument. While emotional injuries may be affected by the season, it does not make the suspension a sufficiently adverse employment action. 50 We also note that contrary to the district court's assertion, the Dobbs-Weinstein plaintiff also faced termination if she did not affirmatively appeal the tenure denial. At the time the university notified the professor of the tenure denial, it also informed the professor of her termination, effective at the end of the academic year. The fact that the Dobbs-Weinstein plaintiff bore the onus of initiating the review process did not alter our conclusion there that the professor had not suffered an adverse employment action. We fail to see why the result should be any different here. Further, the employment action complained of must be the ultimate employment decision. Here, the review process resulted in White's reinstatement. Therefore, her suspension was not the ultimate employment decision. 51 More important, the Dobbs-Weinstein professor did lose pay for approximately three months from August, 31, 1995 to November 1995. Dobbs-Weinstein, 185 F.3d at 544 (noting that in November 1995 after the university reversed the tenure denial, the professor was given full pay for the period after August 31, 1995, when payment for her previous contract had ended.). Following the tenure denial, the professor's appointment expired in August 1995, the end of the academic year. The university reversed the denial of the tenure in November 1995. Therefore, the Dobbs-Weinstein plaintiff received no pay from the university for three months. Yet, we found that the reinstatement with back pay and benefits stopped the original tenure decision from being an adverse employment action. 52 Additionally, the district court's reasoning ignores the inescapable fact that Burlington Northern ultimately reversed White's suspension and reinstated her with full back pay and overtime. Burlington Northern's suspension of White was the first step in the employment decision making process. But, it was only an interim decision. The railroad had a grievance process available to challenge such decisions. The internal investigation was the next step in the chain. The railroad timely completed this investigation and reinstated White with full back pay and benefits thirty-seven days after her suspension. Therefore, White's appeal of her suspension prevented Burlington Northern's interim decision from becoming final. The dissent in Dobbs-Weinstein supports this position: 53 Unlike the majority, I am not concerned that permitting Dobbs-Weinstein to go forward with her action will encourage premature litigation concerning adverse initial employment decisions. As long as an employer's appeal or grievance process operates in a timely fashion, the employee generally will not suffer a materially adverse action. This is particularly true if the employer refrains from terminating the employee in the interim, but, even if the employee is wrongfully terminated, voluntary reinstatement and provision of back pay will limit or possibly even obviate the recovery of compensatory damages. 54 Id. at 548 (Moore, J., dissenting) (emphasis added). 55 The cases White cites in support of her contention that temporary suspensions are adverse employment actions are distinguishable. The employer upheld all of the suspensions in those cases. See Gribcheck v. Runyon, 245 F.3d 547, 549 (6th Cir. 2001) (upholding fourteen day suspension); McKethan-Jones v. Ohio Dept. of Health, 7 Fed.Appx. 475 (6th Cir.2001); Dowell v. Rubin, 234 F.3d 1268 (6th Cir. Oct.31, 2000) (upholding five day suspension without pay). Therefore, the employee did not recover lost wages and benefits. 56 White's final argument is that Dobbs-Weinstein is limited to academic tenure cases. We disagree. In fact, we cited to Dobbs-Weinstein in a racial discrimination claim outside the tenure setting, for the proposition that a police chief did not suffer an adverse employment action where he suffered no final or lasting harm. See Jackson, 194 F.3d at 752. 57 Additionally, the dissent says that Dobbs-Weinstein is inapplicable outside the tenure setting because we relied exclusively on tenure decisions in making our determination in Dobbs-Weinstein. Again, we disagree. In fact, we cited a non-tenure case as support for our conclusion that a Title VII plaintiff must suffer an `ultimate employment decision.' Dobbs-Weinstein, 185 F.3d at 545 (stating we are not alone in focusing on whether Dobbs-Weinstein can present a case based on an `ultimate employment decision' and citing Page v. Bolger, 645 F.2d 227, 233 (4th Cir.1981) (postal discrimination case)). 58 Finally, we also disagree with the dissent's assertion that a suspension for a university professor does not have as severe an impact as a suspension for a blue collar employee. The dissent ignores the adverse impact that a suspension or denial of tenure has on a professor's academic reputation. This reputational consequence, which exists to a lesser degree in the blue collar setting, can be more damaging in the long-term to a university professor than a temporary suspension for a blue collar worker. Accordingly, we find that White failed to show an adverse employment action sufficient to make out a Title VII retaliation claim.
59 Next, Burlington Northern says that the jury had insufficient evidence to find in favor of White on her retaliation claim. Since we find that White did not meet her prima facie case of retaliation, this issue is moot.