Opinion ID: 797939
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Standard of review for a claim of discrimination

Text: 36 As a preliminary matter, Jones argues that the district court erred in deferring to the decision of the EEOC administrative law judge, thereby denying Jones a trial de novo in a district court. To be sure, the district court did note at the end of its opinion that, although it is not bound to do so, this Court will grant due deference to these independent adjudicators [the arbitrator and the ALJ], who, after hearing live testimony and assessing credibility of witnesses, found that the United States Postal Service had a legal, rational basis for imposing discipline upon Eric Jones. We need not rule on the merits of Jones's argument, however, because we must engage in the de novo inquiry that Jones complains the district court failed to conduct. He is therefore assured of receiving the review that he alleges his claim is due. Furthermore, Jones's insistence that he was specifically entitled to a trial de novo before a jury is misplaced because summary judgment, Rule 12(b)(6) dismissals, and all other accepted forms of pretrial disposition are specifically designed to weed out claims that lack merit as a matter of law. 37 The Rehabilitation Act, not the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), constitutes the exclusive remedy for a federal employee alleging disability-based discrimination. See 42 U.S.C. § 12111(5)(B)(i) (defining employers covered by the ADA, but excluding the United States or a corporation wholly owned by the U.S. government); Peltier v. United States, 388 F.3d 984, 989 (6th Cir.2004) ([T]he Rehabilitation Act . . . provides the remedy for federal employees alleging disability discrimination.). Under the Rehabilitation Act, [n]o otherwise qualified individual with a disability . . . shall, solely by reason of her or his disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance . . . . 29 U.S.C. § 794(a). 38 To recover on a claim of discrimination under either the ADA or the Rehabilitation Act, which in this circuit share the same substantive standard, a plaintiff must show that: 1) he is an individual with a disability; 2) he is `otherwise qualified' to perform the job requirements, with or without reasonable accommodation; and 3) he was discharged solely by reason of his handicap. Monette v. Elec. Data Sys. Corp., 90 F.3d 1173, 1178 (6th Cir.1996); see also Macy v. Hopkins County Sch. Bd. of Educ., 484 F.3d 357, 363 n. 2 (6th Cir. 2007) (explaining that, unlike every other circuit save one, the Sixth Circuit continues to subject claims brought under either the ADA or the Rehabilitation Act to the same substantive standard despite the linguistic differences between the two acts). 39 Because Jones attempts to meet this burden by presenting circumstantial, as opposed to direct, evidence of discrimination, we apply the familiar three-step burden-shifting framework originally articulated in McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, 411 U.S. 792, 93 S.Ct. 1817, 36 L.Ed.2d 668 (1973), and later refined in Texas Department of Community Affairs v. Burdine, 450 U.S. 248, 101 S.Ct. 1089, 67 L.Ed.2d 207 (1981). The initial burden rests with the plaintiff to establish a prima facie case of discrimination. Monette, 90 F.3d at 1186. If the plaintiff establishes a prima facie case, the burden shifts to the employer to articulate a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason for the challenged employment decision. Burdine, 450 U.S. at 253, 101 S.Ct. 1089. Should the employer carry this burden, then the burden returns to the plaintiff to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the employer's proffered reason was in fact a pretext designed to mask illegal discrimination. See id. Jones can defeat summary judgment only if his evidence is sufficient to create a genuine dispute at each stage of the McDonnell Douglas inquiry. See Macy, 484 F.3d at 364.