Court Opinion

ID: 9481289
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 08:13:45.556609+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:48:12.224600
License: Public Domain

TORRES, District Judge
(concurring).
I concur in Judge Campbell’s conclusion that the district court’s entry of summary judgment in favor of the defendant should be affirmed. However, I reach that result for different reasons that I think are important to express.
I agree that, in an employment [age] discrimination case, merely rebutting the employer’s proffered reason for its adverse decision does not necessarily entitle an employee to a judgment. As Judge Campbell has said, in order for an employee to prevail, “the evidence must ultimately be sufficient to permit the fact-finder reasonably to infer that the plaintiff was fired because of his age.” Op. at 1175. In my opinion, that is an accurate restatement of the Supreme Court’s requirement that an employee must prove the proffered reason to be a pretext for discrimination. Texas Dept. of Community Affairs v. Burdine, 450 U.S. 248, 101 S.Ct. 1089, 67 L.Ed.2d 207 (1981).
Under Burdine, success in demonstrating that the proffered reason is not the real reason for the employer’s action establishes its pretextual nature and raises an inference of a discriminatory purpose. In many cases, that may be sufficient for the employee to prevail. However, in some cases it may not because the pretext may be cloaking a non discriminatory purpose that the employer wishes to conceal. For example, an employer who fires a 41 year old employee, stating that the employee is unqualified, would not be guilty of age discrimination if the real reason was a desire to create a job for an unemployed relative.
Consequently, although I recognize that proof of pretext will often warrant a finding of intent to discriminate, I agree that an employee bears the ultimate burden of proving both that the employer's stated reason is pretextual and that it masks a discriminatory motive. However, I am troubled by the statement that, at the summary judgment stage, “even if plaintiff’s evidence were sufficient to rebut the bank’s stated reasons for his dismissal, the evidence overall has to be sufficient for a factfinder reasonably to infer that the Bank’s actions were motivated by age animus.” Op. at 1177. If “to rebut” simply means to present evidence tending to disprove the validity or soundness of the stated reason, I agree that the employee must do more. The employee must also present evidence that the employer was motivated by a discriminatory purpose. Medina-Munoz v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., 896 F.2d 5, 9 (1st Cir.1990). That may be accomplished indirectly by adducing facts indicating that the proffered reason was not the real basis for the employer's action. Burdine, 450 U.S. at 256, 101 S.Ct. at 1095. On the other hand, if “to rebut” means to present evidence that the employer was not genuinely motivated by its articulated reason, I do not believe that anything more is required.
As Judge Campbell has indicated, under the burden-shifting formula established by Burdine, the employer’s articulation of a nondiscriminatory reason “nullifies the inference raised by the prima facie case.” *1181Op. at 1172. Therefore, unless rebutted, the articulated reason is sufficient to carry the day for the employer because “[w]e do not second-guess the business decisions of an employer.” Op. at 1172. Alternatively, if the employee demonstrates that the proffered reason is pretextual, the prima facie case is reinstated and its inference of a discriminatory purpose may be considered along with any contrary evidence in determining whether the employer was motivated by an intent to discriminate. Otherwise, the employer’s mere articulation of a patently specious nondiscriminatory reason, even if transparently disingenuous, would return the employee to the untenable position of having to prove discriminatory intent only by “smoking gun” evidence which is precisely what Burdine sought to avoid.
Whether an employee has presented sufficient evidence to support a reasonable inference that the proffered reason is pre-textual may be properly determined at the summary judgment stage. In making that determination, it must be borne in mind that the employee is required to do more than simply dispute the articulated reason or question its wisdom. Medina-Munoz, 896 F.2d at 9: Menard v. First Sec. Services Corp., 848 F.2d 281, 285 (1st Cir.1988). As previously noted, it is not enough for the employee to challenge, or even disprove, the validity or soundness of the stated reason. The employee must present evidence warranting a finding that the employer was not genuinely motivated by that reason or that it was motivated by a discriminatory animus. Although employment discrimination cases often require some assessment of how well an employee is discharging his/her duties or the business considerations confronting an employer, they should not be converted into trials to determine the level of an employee’s job performance or the sagacity of an employer’s business judgments. Thus, the relevant inquiry is not whether the articulated reason is factually correct but whether it really prompted the employer’s action.
On the other hand, if the evidence is sufficient to support a finding of pretext, I believe that the additional question as to whether the inference of discrimination arising from the reinstated prima facie case outweighs whatever contrary evidence may exist is a quintessential question of fact that must be decided at trial unless there is uncontradicted evidence that the employer was really motivated by some other nondiscriminatory reason. In this case, no other such reason has been cited. The Bank has consistently maintained that Connell was terminated because of the reorganization and his job performance relative to those who were retained. Therefore, the issue is not whether the stated reason was a pretext for discrimination. Rather, it is whether Connell has presented sufficient evidence to support an inference that the reason was a pretext. In my judgment, he has not.
It is undisputed that changes in federal and state laws made the Municipal Finance Unit unprofitable and that a reorganization occurred pursuant to which the unit was eliminated. Furthermore, Connell was not replaced. Rather, his job was eliminated as a result of the reorganization and those of his duties that continued to be performed were assumed by some of the remaining four officers in his unit who were transferred to other departments. Nor has Connell presented any evidence rebutting the Bank’s contention that he was discharged because Ingalls considered him less qualified than the other officers in his unit. As Judge Campbell has noted, Con-nell’s performance ratings were consistently below those of all but one of the other officers, and Connell’s immediate supervisor had communicated an unfavorable view of his performance to Ingalls.
Connell’s argument that he was satisfactorily performing his job is inapposite. There is nothing to suggest that the reorganization was fictitious. On the contrary, it is undisputed that at least one other younger individual (i.e. Nicolosi) lost his job as a result of that reorganization. Consequently, the question is not whether Con-nell was doing satisfactory work. Instead, the question is whether his performance was equal or superior to that of the other four officers who were retained. Since the record does not support an inference that it *1182was, Connell has failed to present a genuine issue of fact regarding the allegedly pretextual nature of the Bank's proffered reason. Accordingly, I concur in the conclusion expressed by Judge Campbell that the district court’s judgment should be affirmed.