Court Opinion

ID: 2964561
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2015-09-21 21:27:29.588663+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T11:42:57.568337
License: Public Domain

USCA1 Opinion

	

                                 NOT FOR PUBLICATION
                                 ___________________
                            UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
                                FOR THE FIRST CIRCUIT

                                 ____________________

        No. 96-2036

                                     ALVIN TERRY,

                                Plaintiff, Appellant,

                                          v.

                         ELECTRONIC DATA SYSTEMS CORPORATION,

                                 Defendant, Appellee.

                                 ____________________

                     APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

                          FOR THE DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS

                     [Hon. William G. Young, U.S. District Judge]
                                             ___________________

                                 ____________________

                                        Before

                                Boudin, Circuit Judge,
                                        _____________

                            Bownes, Senior Circuit Judge,
                                    ____________________

                              and Lynch, Circuit Judge.
                                         _____________

                                 ____________________

            William  F. Green  with  whom  Robert A.  Rossi was  on  brief for
            _________________              ________________
        appellant.
            Charles A.  Linn  with  whom Michael  H. Olvera,  Electronic  Data
            ________________             __________________
        Systems  Corporation, Office of the General Counsel, Robert P. Joy and
                                                             _____________
        Morgan, Brown & Joy were on brief for appellee.
        ______  ___________

                                 ____________________

                                    April 24, 1997
                                 ____________________

                 BOUDIN,  Circuit  Judge.    This  is  a  straightforward
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            employment discrimination  case  brought by  appellant  Alvin

            Terry under  both the federal  and state  anti-discrimination

            statutes.  42 U.S.C.   2000e-2(a)(1); Mass. Gen. L. ch. 151B,

              4(1).   Terry claims that  he was not hired  as a permanent

            computer operator  at Electronic Data Systems  because of his

            race.    Terry was  a temporary  employee  who was  offered a

            permanent  position subject  to a  background check;  but the

            offer was withdrawn after that check. 

                 The  district court  granted  the employer's  motion for

            summary judgment,  finding that  Terry had made  out a  prima
                                                                    _____

            facie  case but  that the  presumption of  discrimination had
            _____

            been negated  because the employer provided  an adequate non-

            discriminatory reason for not  hiring Terry--namely, that the

            background  check revealed  that Terry  had a  credit problem

            relating to  an  unpaid  student loan  and  Terry  showed  no

            concern when asked about the matter.  Since Terry did not put

            forward any substantial evidence of discrimination beyond the

            prima facie case and produced no evidence that the employer's
            ___________

            stated reason was pretextual, this disposed of the case under

            both the federal and state doctrines.

                 We need not consider  whether or not a prima  facie case
                                                        _____  _____

            was  made out by Terry, since  it is crystal clear that apart

            from  a   prima  facie  case,  no   substantial  evidence  of
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            discrimination was  presented, nor  any  basis for  believing

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            that the non-discriminatory explanation of the employer was a

            pretext.   Terry's efforts on appeal to manufacture a factual

            conflict  out   of  some  pleading   discrepancies  and   his

            speculative  appraisals of the employer's attitude toward him

            are too thin to warrant any extended discussion.

                 Affirmed. 
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