Opinion ID: 1439705
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Requirement of Basic Qualification in Mixed-Motive Cases

Text: Assuming arguendo that Makky has adequately pled that the TSA discriminated against him, we must decide whether an essential qualification for the job is a component of Makky's prima facie case. When a plaintiff attempts to prove a discrimination claim under a pretext theory, the McDonnell Douglas burden-shifting framework applies. See 411 U.S. at 802-04, 93 S.Ct. 1817. Under that familiar test, the plaintiff must first establish a prima facie case of discrimination by showing that: (1) s/he is a member of a protected class; (2) s/he was qualified for the position s/he sought to attain or retain; (3) s/he suffered an adverse employment action; and (4) the action occurred under circumstances that could give rise to an inference of intentional discrimination. See McDonnell Douglas, 411 U.S. at 802, 93 S.Ct. 1817; Sheridan v. E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co., 100 F.3d 1061, 1066 n. 5 (3d Cir.1996) (en banc). If a plaintiff establishes a prima facie case of discrimination, then an inference of discriminatory motive arises and the burden shifts to the defendant to articulate a legitimate, non-discriminatory reason for the adverse employment action. See St. Mary's Honor Ctr. v. Hicks, 509 U.S. 502, 506-07, 113 S.Ct. 2742, 125 L.Ed.2d 407 (1993). If the defendant does so, the inference of discrimination drops and the burden shifts back to the plaintiff to show that the defendant's proffered reason is merely pretext for intentional discrimination. See id. at 507-08, 113 S.Ct. 2742. In Swierkiewicz v. Sorema N.A., 534 U.S. 506, 510, 122 S.Ct. 992, 152 L.Ed.2d 1 (2002), the Court held that the McDonnell Douglas prima facie case is an evidentiary standard, not a pleading requirement. In addition, the Court stated that the McDonnell Douglas framework does not apply in every case, and the requirements of a prima facie case may vary depending on the case. Id. at 511-12, 122 S.Ct. 992. See also Jones v. Sch. Dist. of Philadelphia, 198 F.3d 403, 411 (3d Cir.1999) (stating that the required elements of a prima facie case depend on the facts of the particular case). The McDonnell Douglas burden-shifting framework does not apply in a mixed-motive case in the way it does in a pretext case because the issue in a mixed-motive case is not whether discrimination played the dispositive role but merely whether it played a motivating part in an employment decision. It is significant that in Desert Palace, the Court omitted any discussion of the McDonnell Douglas framework as a requirement in mixed-motive cases. Makky argues that qualification for the position, an element of the prima facie case in the McDonnell Douglas test, does not need to be established in a mixed-motive case because the essence of the mixed-motive theory is the recognition that there may be a legitimate reason, as well as a prohibited reason, for the adverse employment action. The government argues that even under a mixed-motive theory, a plaintiff must state a prima facie case in order to prevail. [4] The government argues that at least Makky must demonstrate that he was minimally qualified for his job.... Appellees' Br. at 31. We need not decide the question whether a plaintiff pursuing a mixed-motive theory of discrimination must satisfy each of the elements of the McDonnell-Douglas prima facie case, as that issue is not squarely before us. We limit our consideration to the need for plaintiff to show his or her qualification, and specifically objective qualification, for the job. For example, if the hospital employing a person who has been performing surgery learns that the employee falsified his or her qualifications and never went to medical school, that employee could not establish a prima facie mixed-motive case irrespective of allegations of racial or ethnic discrimination. We hold today that a mixed-motive plaintiff has failed to establish a prima facie case of a Title VII employment discrimination claim if there is unchallenged objective evidence that s/he did not possess the minimal qualifications for the position plaintiff sought to obtain or retain. In this respect at least, requirements under Price Waterhouse do not differ from those of McDonnell Douglas. In the usual case, the issue of basic qualification will not arise until the summary judgment stage, following discovery and fact-finding, because it will ordinarily be a question of fact. The issue will turn on whether plaintiff is able to perform or has satisfactorily performed the job, an issue that entails a subjective evaluation to be evaluated by the factfinder. It is only in the rare mixed-motive case that plaintiff's lack of qualification to do the job will be capable of objective determination before discovery. Our holding today is necessarily narrow. We merely hold that in a mixed-motive employment discrimination case a plaintiff who does not possess the objective baseline qualifications to do his/her job will not be entitled to avoid dismissal. This involves inquiry only into the bare minimum requirement necessary to perform the job at issue. Typically, this minimum requirement will take the form of some type of licensing requirement, such as a medical, law, or pilot's license, or an analogous requirement measured by an external or independent body rather than the court or the jury. This requirement comports with the purpose of the prima facie case as discussed by the Supreme Court in Texas Department of Community Affairs v. Burdine, 450 U.S. 248, 254, 101 S.Ct. 1089, 67 L.Ed.2d 207 (1981), insofar as it will eliminate the most common nondiscriminatory reason[] for the plaintiff's rejectionlack of minimum baseline qualification. We caution that we are not imposing a requirement that mixed-motive plaintiffs show that they were subjectively qualified for their jobs, i.e., performed their jobs well. Rather, we speak only in terms of an absolute minimum requirement of qualification, best characterized in those circumstances that require a license or a similar prerequisite in order to perform the job.