Opinion ID: 613904
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Termination Decision

Text: On January 14, 2008, Simpson, now the director of C1's North Little Rock location, instructed Barber to administer drug tests to the students. The weekly drug testing was usually a two-person task but Barber completed the work alone. On January 15, 2008, Barber and Simpson had a meeting during which Barber told Simpson that he thought she had made him perform the drug tests alone in retaliation for his having filed an EEOC charge. Simpson denied this, explaining that she had been too busy to assist with the testing. Barber recalls telling Simpson that a person could have the right to refuse an order from their supervisor if they believed it to be discriminatory or retaliatory. (App. 90) Barber testified that Simpson asked whether he had told other C1 employees and students about his wife's EEOC charge. He explained that he had discussed it with other employees. Simpson then asked Barber how his job was going or if there were any issues preventing him from doing his job effectively. Barber answered that there were no issues and Simpson told him that she would be watching his job performance closely. (App. 448-50) Barber responded that this could be construed as retaliation. Simpson testified that she merely meant to say that, as a new director, she would be working with each instructor to see how they did their job and learn their jobs. On January 16, 2008, Barber and Simpson met again. Barber told Simpson that he was feeling ill because of their meeting the previous day  from being harassed for filing a charge  and that he wanted to see a doctor. Simpson told him he could take paid time off, but that she needed to call Megard first. Simpson called Megard who spoke with Barber on speaker phone. Megard wrote the following description in an e-mail to Carroll: Tami [Simpson] called me this [morning] at about 7:20 as I was driving to the office. She had Ray [Barber] in her office along with Althea and another C1 staff member as a witness. Ray wanted to talk to me on speaker about his issues. He claimed that he was ill after yesterday and wanted to ... see a doctor. He stated that he was dehydrated, couldn't sleep or eat after the day he had on Tuesday. He cited that Tami had asked him why he was telling students that C1 had wronged his wife and that she had taken action against us. He said that we had been served on December 20th papers on his lawsuit and he had also filed with EEOC yesterday after work I guess. He wanted to start arguing and I told him that I was not going to argue with him. I had him pick up the phone earlier in the conversation because I couldn't hear him. Once I told him I was not going to argue he seemed to get more irritated. I told him that I couldn't tell him what to do or not do but that C1 had hired him to be a classroom instructor and him being able to perform his duties did concern me. Once he could tell that I wasn't going to argue and make a scene about it, he hung up[,] and Tami said he walked out. I am going to have Tami and others present also write a statement on Ray's behavior. I called back after relaying to Matt [Carroll] that Ray blew up and I feel he is trying to do anything to get us to fire him. Maybe after talking to a lawyer and EEOC, he feels the only way to better his position is if we actually fire him. I guess we need to decide today what Tami should tell him if and when he comes back. I am having Tami also get statements from any students that Ray talked to about Karmen. (App. 137) Barber was absent on January 16 and 17, 2008. On January 17, he saw a doctor. Simpson requested that Barber provide a doctor's note. Before producing the note, Barber questioned Simpson's authority to require the submission of a note, citing a provision of C1's policy manual that requires a doctor's note before an employee may return to work after missing more than two consecutive days. (App. 169) On January 23, 2008, Barber received a final written warning for insubordination. The warning describes the conversations of January 15 and 16, and states that future insubordination will result in termination: On January 15, 2008 Ray [Barber] met with Tami Simpson. In the meeting Ray was rude and disrespectful toward Tami. Ray told Tami that she should not have gotten the director[']s position. He also told her that he could do whatever he wants because he is covered by the EEOC based on his wife filing a claim against C1. This behavior is intolerable. Tami is Ray Barber's supervisor and there is no excuse for speaking to anyone in the company this way let alone his supervisor. It is also insubordination to tell his supervisor that she cannot supervise him because if she does, he will go to the EEOC and say that he was retaliated against because of his wife's prior EEOC claim. Future insubordination will result in termination. On January 16, 2008 Ray spoke in a loud and rude manner to both Tami Simpson and Tim Megard. He then stormed out of the office saying he had to go to the doctor immediately. Upon returning to work on January 20th, Tami told Ray that he would need to get a doctor[']s excuse. Ray told Tami that per [the] handbook he did not have to which is insubordination. Tami had to again tell Ray that he must get a doctor[']s excuse. After following up with the doctor's office, Tami found out that Ray never went to the doctor on the 16th. He went the following morning[,] but he got the doctor's office to write an excuse beginning on the 16th. Rude speech toward your supervisor and other employees is grounds for termination. Leaving work in the middle of the day and lying about the necessity of doing so is grounds for termination. Similar behavior in the future will result in termination. What is also apparent after the two discussions on the 15th and 16th and some follow up with other employees is that Ray talks about C1 to other employees in a very negative way. We promote a positive work environment for our employees and cannot tolerate an employee that has nothing but negative things to say. If Ray continues to talk negatively to others about C1, it will result in termination. Ray has also discussed company matters with at least one other employee. Specifically, he discussed his wife's EEOC claim against C1 with a fellow employee. He also attempted to talk said employee into lying to help his wife win her claim.[ [4] ] Discussing company matters with unauthorized persons is prohibited by company policy. Should Ray discuss sensitive company matters with any unauthorized person again, termination will result. (App. 323-24) Near the end of February, Simpson received a complaint from an individual who saw several African American students returning from church with Barber and felt discriminated against because he, and other white students, had not been invited. Other students provided statements indicating that Barber extended his invitations to the entire classroom. (App. 145-48) On February 27, 2008, Simpson told Barber that, in the future, he was not to pick up students, take them to church, or socialize with them. According to C1's written policy at the time, [r]elationships with students in the program should be kept on a professional basis. This applies to both instructors and staff. (App. 334) On March 2, 2008, Moore observed Barber picking up and dropping off students in the church bus, and Moore reported his observations to Simpson. (App. 172-73) Barber acknowledged having driven students to church on March 2. On March 10, 2008, Barber received notice of his termination. The termination form cites the January 23 final written warning and Simpson's direction not to drive students to church. On November 14, 2008, Barber initiated this action, alleging that he was denied the promotion to the director's position and terminated because of racial discrimination and retaliation in violation of Title VII and ACRA. C1 filed a motion for summary judgment, which the district court granted. The district court found that Barber had presented no direct evidence of racial discrimination and analyzed his discrimination claim pursuant to McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, 411 U.S. 792, 93 S.Ct. 1817, 36 L.Ed.2d 668 (1973). The district court concluded that Barber failed to present any ground for disbelieving C1's explanation for rejecting his bid for promotion or its basis for terminating him. The district court evaluated his retaliation claim under the McDonnell Douglas framework and determined that it failed for the same reasons as his discrimination-based claims. In his Amended Complaint, Barber also alleged separate retaliation claims based on allegations that he was treated differently from those who did not engage in a protected activity and based on C1's January 23 disciplinary action against him. The district court concluded that these claims also failed, specifically finding that his claim that he was disciplined in retaliation was subsumed by his wrongful termination claim. Barber appeals.