Opinion ID: 1255492
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Other Reasons Alleged by Swanson's

Text: Finally, we briefly address Swanson's arguments that summary judgment should be upheld because the trial court erred in finding Haroldsen had raised a material issue of fact with respect to its other justifications for firing him. This discussion will also serve to clarify the parties' respective burdens of proof at trial. First, with respect to Haroldsen's work performance, Swanson's argues that the relevant issue is not the actual quality of the employee's performance, but rather whether the employer is sincere in stating that performance is the reason for the termination. [15] Thus, because the only evidence Haroldsen provided was his personal opinion of his own performance, he failed to demonstrate that Swanson's reason was pretextual. This argument is in part correct. The ultimate issue in any employment discrimination case is whether racial animus motivated the employer in making its employment decision. Thus, if an employer can show that it subjectively believed it had a legal justification, and that it was acting solely on this belief, an employee's racial discrimination claim must fail. However, this does not mean that objective evidence regarding the justification is irrelevant, or even secondary. An individual's testimony regarding their intent or motivation is not always reliable, especially where the individual is a party to the litigation. One of the primary means for the fact-finder to verify a party's testimony regarding their intent is to examine the objective evidence that supports that party's conclusion. This is especially true on summary judgment where there is no opportunity to observe the witness testifying. If the objective evidence is such that it does not support the stated justification, a reasonable jury could conclude that the party's intent was other than they have testified, and summary judgment would therefore be improper. Swanson's also argues that Haroldsen's self-interested assessment of his own qualifications is irrelevant. It is true that an employee should not be permitted to create their own job description in such a manner as to show they are qualified. However, where as here, there is no pre-existing job description against which to objectively measure an employee's qualifications, the scope of relevant evidence must necessarily be broader. [16] Thus, we conclude that in such a case an employee can avoid summary judgment with his own affidavit if he avers specific facts which would tend to show that he was qualified to do the work which he was assigned to do. [17] After reviewing the evidence, we conclude that the superior court properly found that Haroldsen had raised genuine issues of material fact with respect to the other justifications. [18]