Opinion ID: 4553045
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: James’s Declaration

Text: A non-conclusory affidavit which complies with Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56, even if self-serving and uncorroborated, can create a genuine dispute concerning an issue of material fact. United States v. Stein, 881 F.3d 853, 858-59 (11th Cir. 2018). Affidavits submitted in support of a summary judgment motion must be based on personal knowledge, show that the affiant or declarant is competent to testify, and set out facts that would be admissible under the Federal Rules of Evidence. Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c)(4). Conclusory allegations have no probative value unless supported by specific facts. Leigh v. Warner Bros., Inc., 212 F.3d 1210, 1217 (11th Cir. 2000). Here, the district court stated that it disregarded as conclusory her allegation about white detectives not requiring doctor’s notes and that four white men had transferred into the Homicide Bureau without letters of transfer; it disregarded her allegation that a less qualified white man received additional training to join the 6 Case: 19-13044 Date Filed: 08/04/2020 Page: 7 of 16 Homicide Bureau as speculation not supported by the evidence. James argues that the district court improperly disregarded these statements because they were neither conclusory nor speculative. We conclude that the district court did not err in disregarding these statements. Those statements were conclusory allegations that had no probative effect because they were not based on specific facts. See Leigh, 212 F.3d at 1217. She alleged that her 2015 written reprimand was retaliatory without identifying times she had previously called in sick without being reprimanded or the white officers who called in sick far more often or the circumstances under which they called in sick. Her allegations regarding the Homicide Bureau were seemingly contradictory, as she simultaneously alleged that she was provided no explanation for her transfer being denied and that she was told that her transfer was denied because of a letter-of-transfer policy. James provided no specific facts regarding her denial of transfer, such as how many times she requested transfer, when she requested transfer, and who made the decision to deny her request. Her allegations that four white men had transferred to the Homicide Bureau without letters of transfer or that a lesser qualified white male detective was receiving additional training so he could join the Homicide Bureau were conclusory and not supported by any evidence, and indeed, were in tension with her testimony that no one transferred to the Homicide Bureau while she was working at the Robbery Bureau. 7 Case: 19-13044 Date Filed: 08/04/2020 Page: 8 of 16 On balance, we conclude that these statements were conclusory in nature and therefore had no probative value; the district court properly disregarded them.