Opinion ID: 194852
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Ada N. Perez Colon

Text: 22 Ms. Perez was dismissed from her regular position, as an Executive Officer I, in September 1985. Defendants contended that she was not qualified, and alleged that she had taken an unauthorized medical leave, without pay, to undergo surgery. The Executive Officer I position requires a four-year college degree and administrative or supervisory experience, or an equivalent combination of academic background and experience. Perez, who was a member of the former mayor's advance team, had attended college for two years, and had worked for the City since 1980 as an officer for the CETA program and a coordinator at the Human Resources Department. Thus, the jury reasonably could have determined that her five-year City work experience was sufficient to offset the two-year deficit in education. See supra note 7. The jury therefore was free to conclude that both justifications for her dismissal were pretextual.