Opinion ID: 456430
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Prima Facie Case of Reverse Discrimination

Text: 18 The general standard for establishing a prima facie case in disparate treatment cases under Title VII is set forth in the seminal racial discrimination in hiring case, McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, 411 U.S. 792, 93 S.Ct. 1817, 36 L.Ed.2d 668 (1973): 19 The complainant in a Title VII trial must carry the initial burden under the statute of establishing a prima facie case of racial discrimination. This may be done by showing (i) that he belongs to a racial minority; (ii) that he applied and was qualified for a job for which the employer was seeking applicants; (iii) that, despite his qualifications, he was rejected; and (iv) that, after his rejection, the position remained open and the employer continued to seek applicants from persons of complainant's qualifications. 20 411 U.S. at 802, 93 S.Ct. at 1824 (footnote omitted). As the Court noted, this standard provides an analytical framework which should be modified to accommodate different employment discrimination contexts. Id. at 802 n. 13, 93 S.Ct. at 1824 n. 13. Thus, courts have modified the McDonnell Douglas standard to address disparate treatment cases involving all discrimination prohibited by the Act in promotion, firing, compensation or other conditions of employment. 21 Accordingly, the district court in the case at bar adopted a McDonnell Douglas standard modified to address reverse discrimination claims under the Act: 22 In reverse discrimination cases, the first prong of the McDonnell Douglas standard has been interpreted to allow a majority plaintiff to establish a prima facie case of intentionally disparate treatment when background circumstances support the suspicion that the defendant is that unusual employer who discriminates against the majority. Parker v. Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, 652 F.2d 1012, 1017 (D.C.Cir.1981). The remaining elements of the test are modified to reflect the requirement that the plaintiff demonstrate he was treated differently than other similarly situated employees who were not members of the protected group. 23 Murray v. Thistledown Racing Club, Inc., 603 F.Supp. at 483. The court determined that Murray's initial proof was insufficient to demonstrate either background circumstances or racially discriminatory disparate treatment. The district court held that since Murray's prima facie proof had failed to establish a rebuttable presumption of racial discrimination or genuine issues of material fact, the defendants were entitled to summary judgment. We agree. The premise underlying the varied McDonnell Douglas standards remains unchanged. It stems from Congressional efforts to address this nation's history of discrimination against racial minorities, a legacy of racism so entrenched that we presume acts, otherwise unexplained, embody its effect. Furnco Construction Corp. v. Waters, 438 U.S. 567, 577, 98 S.Ct. 2943, 2949, 57 L.Ed.2d 957 (1978); Parker v. Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Co., 652 F.2d 1012, 1017 (D.C.Cir.1981). As stated by the McDonnell Douglas Court, the primary purpose of Title VII is to assure equality of employment opportunities and to eliminate those discriminating practices and devices which have fostered racially stratified job environments to the disadvantage of minority citizens. 411 U.S. at 800,, 93 S.Ct. at 1823. 24 Title VII, of course, prohibits racial discrimination against all groups. McDonald v. Santa Fe Trail Transportation Company, 427 U.S. 273, 276, 279, 96 S.Ct. 2574, 2576, 2578, 49 L.Ed.2d 493 (1976). As with the minority plaintiff, the majority plaintiff who asserts a claim of racial discrimination in employment does so within the historical context of the Act. Reverse discrimination claims require application of a McDonnell Douglas standard modified to reflect this context as well as the factual situation of the claim. 25 In our view, the reverse discrimination complainant bears the burden of demonstrating that he was intentionally discriminated against despite his majority status. Lanphear v. Prokop, 703 F.2d 1311, 1315 (D.C.Cir.1983) (quoting Texas Department of Community Affairs v. Burdine, 450 U.S. 248, 253, 101 S.Ct. 1089, 1093, 67 L.Ed.d 207 (1981)). We agree with the district court that a prima facie case of reverse discrimination is established upon a showing that background circumstances support the suspicion that the defendant is that unusual employer who discriminates against the majority, Parker v. Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Co., 652 F.2d at 1017, see also Daye v. Harris, 655 F.2d 258 (D.C.Cir.1981); and upon a showing that the employer treated differently employees who were similarly situated but not members of the protected group. See id; see also Bundy v. Jackson, 641 F.2d 934, 951 (D.C.Cir.1981). 26
27 We find no error in the district court conclusion that Murray failed to establish a prima facie case of reverse discrimination. The court first noted that Murray proffered no background circumstances suggesting the defendants are the unusual employers who discriminate against the majority: To the contrary, it is undisputed that the majority of mutuel clerks at the track were white. Neither does Murray even hint that practices grounded in an affirmative action program are at issue here. Clearly, she has not met the first prong imposed for establishing a prima facie case. 603 F.Supp. at 483 (footnote omitted). 28
29 Next, the district court addressed the question of whether, notwithstanding the absence of background circumstances, discrimination was evident from the defendants' different treatment of black mutuel clerks who allegedly incurred similar shortages but were not required to sign a statement. The district court found two factors which differentiated Murray from the black mutuel clerks: Murray's persistent record of large shortages and risk created to the employer by her last shortage. 30 Kansas Murray's attempt to compare herself to the four black mutuel clerks fails when the relevant facts are examined. She had the largest and most frequent cash shortages among the five clerks for both the 1979 and 1980 racing seasons. Her individual shortages in 1980 exceeded the combined shortages of three of the black mutuel clerks and almost doubled the shortages of the clerk with the second highest shortages in the group. This was virtually a replay of the 1979 season, when her total shortages exceeded the combined shortages of three of her black co-workers and doubled the shortages of the black clerk who incurred the second highest shortages. 31