Opinion ID: 1454051
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Michael's placement on paid administrative leave

Text: As mentioned above, Michael attended a meeting with Rezaii and Sweeney on January 22, 2004, at which time Michael was placed on two days of paid administrative leave and was required to turn in her laptop computer. Rezaii explained in her deposition that this action was taken due to the pending investigation of the complaints by both Gooden and Henry concerning Michael's management style and professionalism. This proffered explanation finds strong support in the record. First, Michael concedes that Sweeney was, in fact, investigating several complaints against Michael at that time. Rezaii would clearly have known of the complaints against Michael and the pending investigation at the time of Michael's suspension because Gooden had complained directly to Rezaii, Rezaii had spoken with Henry, and Rezaii had directed Sweeney to begin an investigation. Because Caterpillar articulated legitimate, nondiscriminatory reasons for imposing the challenged disciplinary action, the burden shifted to Michael to demonstrate that Caterpillar's proffered reasons were actually a pretext to hide unlawful retaliation. See Carter, 349 F.3d at 273. To meet [her] burden on pretext, the plaintiff must produce evidence sufficient that a reasonable finder of fact could reject the employer's proffered reason. Haughton v. Orchid Automation, 206 Fed. Appx. 524, 531 (6th Cir.2006). Michael can demonstrate pretext by showing that the proffered reason (1) has no basis in fact, (2) did not actually motivate the defendant's challenged conduct, or (3) was insufficient to warrant the challenged conduct. Hopson v. DaimlerChrysler Corp., 306 F.3d 427, 434 (6th Cir.2002) (quoting Dews v. A.B. Dick Co., 231 F.3d 1016, 1021 (6th Cir.2000)). Michael essentially concedes the basis in fact for Caterpillar's actionsSweeney's then-pending investigation of the various complaints against Michael. Regarding whether the pending investigation was sufficient to warrant Michael's brief placement on paid leave, this court has upheld the employer's action in numerous cases in which employees have been placed on paid leave pending investigations of complaints against them. See, e.g., Scott v. Metro. Health Corp., Nos. 05-1948, 05-2642, 06-1122, & 06-1652, ___ Fed.Appx. ___, ___, 2007 WL 1028853, at  (6th Cir. Apr.3, 2007) (holding that an employee's placement on paid administrative leave pending an investigation did not amount to retaliation); Peltier v. United States, 388 F.3d 984, 988-89 (6th Cir.2004) (concluding that the placement of an employee on paid leave during a pending investigation, even if adverse, was not pretextual). No genuine issue of material fact arises in connection with Michael's placement on leave because Caterpillar's proffered reason, as expressed by Rezaii in her deposition, focused solely on the pending investigation of the accusations raised against Michael, not the results thereof. Rezaii explained that placing Michael on leave was necessary to avert any potential retaliation by Michael against Gooden, her subordinate who had lodged the complaints that initiated the investigation. Michael asserts two principal courterarguments aimed at establishing that Caterpillar's proffered justification for placing her on administrative leave was pretextual: (1) her recent positive performance review, and (2) the fact that Caterpillar did not similarly place Henry on paid leave despite Michael's complaint against her. Michael's positive performance review, however, occurred prior to the events that Caterpillar proffers as justification for placing Michael on leave. That review, therefore, could not have encompassed the events primarily at issue. This leaves to be explained the justification for Caterpillar's treatment of the accusations against Michael in light of its nonreaction to her accusations against Henry. On this latter point, Rezaii correctly pointed out in her deposition that the nature and extent of the complaints that Gooden and Henry filed against Michael differed from Michael's complaint against Henry. Rezaii, at the time of the January 22, 2004 meeting, was aware that Michael (1) worked from home on January 16 without prior notification, (2) had been accused by Gooden of managing her subordinates in a degrading manner by calling them at odd hours and having them perform personal tasks, and (3) had been accused by Henry of showing up late as well as acting inappropriately and insubordinately at a meeting held to discuss the above matters. Sweeney, who also attended the meeting at which Michael was placed on paid leave, had begun her investigation and had already substantiated some of the allegations concerning Michael's management problems. The only allegations against Henry, in contrast, came from Michaelherself the subject of several pending complaints and involved just one incident in which Henry had allegedly berated Michael after she had shown up late for a meeting. Furthermore, given that Michael was to be placed on administrative leave, no concerns of retaliation by Henry against Michael would require placing Henry on leave as well during the investigation. Even drawing all inferences in favor of Michael, these significantly different circumstances fully rebut Michael's argument that Caterpillar's failure to place Henry on leave demonstrates that its proffered justification for placing Michael on leave was pretextual.