Opinion ID: 10951
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Demonstrating Pretext

Text: 33 TI acknowledges and the district court assumed that the EEOC established a prima facie case of discrimination against the Six Supervisors simply by showing that they were over 40, and were discharged, while younger supervisors remained on the payroll. Meinecke v. H & R Block Income Tax School, Inc., 66 F.3d 77, 83 (5th Cir.1995). TI utilized its opportunity through affidavits and depositions to explain the legitimate, nondiscriminatory reasons for each adverse employment action. The burden then fell on EEOC to raise a genuine, material fact issue that those reasons were not the real reasons and were pretexts for age discrimination. Id. As the district court concluded that EEOC's evidence did not discharge its burden, summary judgment was granted. The court held: 34 [t]he EEOC has failed to demonstrate a genuine issue for trial about the legitimacy of the nondiscriminatory reasons given by TI for the discharge of the Six Supervisors. The three theories set forth by the EEOC which, it argues, show a pretext for age discrimination are either not supported by the evidence or are not sound legally. The court concludes that no genuine issue of material fact exists on the question of whether TI intended to discriminate against the supervisors. 6 35 Sitting en banc, this court recently discussed the burden confronting an ADEA plaintiff who seeks to demonstrate that an employer's proffered rationales for adverse employment acts were merely pretextual and that discrimination based on age was an actual reason for these adverse acts. In Rhodes v. Guiberson Oil Tools, 75 F.3d 989 (5th Cir.1996) (en banc), this court explained that the plaintiff in an ADEA disparate treatment case must offer evidence to rebut each of the employer's articulated legitimate, nondiscriminatory reasons. The court reasoned that 36 [i]n tandem with a prima facie case, the evidence allowing rejection of the employer's proffered reasons will often, perhaps usually, permit a finding of discrimination without additional evidence. Thus, a jury issue will be presented and a plaintiff can avoid summary judgment and judgment as a matter of law if the evidence taken as a whole (1) creates a fact issue as to whether each of the employer's stated reasons was what actually motivated the employer and (2) creates a reasonable inference that age was a determinative factor in the actions of which the plaintiff complains. The employer, of course, will be entitled to summary judgment if the evidence taken as a whole would not allow a jury to infer that the actual reason for the discharge was discriminatory. 37 Rhodes, 75 F.3d at 994 (emphasis added). Whatever evidence a plaintiff tenders must rebut each of the employer's proffered rationales: 38 [I]n some cases, for instance, the fact that one of the nondiscriminatory reasons in the record has proved to be highly questionable may not be sufficient to cast doubt on the remaining reasons. Likewise, an employer's explanation for its proffer of a pretextual reason may preclude a finding of discrimination. 39 Id. at 994 (citing Woods v. Friction Materials, 30 F.3d 255, 261 n. 3 (1st Cir.1994)) (concluding that a jury could not infer age discrimination if the proffered reason was in fact a pretext, though not for discrimination). 40 There is another wrinkle on the standards for evaluating discrimination. In the context of a reduction in force, which is itself a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason for discharge, the fact that an employee is qualified for his job is less relevant--some employees may have to be let go despite competent performance. Walther v. Lone Star Gas Co., 952 F.2d at 124. If, however, the older employee shows that he was terminated in favor of younger, clearly less qualified individuals, a genuine, material fact issue exists. Walther, 952 F.2d at 123.