Court Opinion

ID: 9493190
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 15:00:51.134702+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:55:42.272784
License: Public Domain

HEANEY, Circuit Judge,
concurring.
I reluctantly concur in the majority’s opinion. Although the majority correctly points out that our decision in Spears v. Missouri Dep’t of Corrections & Human Resources, 210 F.3d 850 (8th Cir.2000) controls, the rule set forth in the opinion is, in my view, simply wrong.
An employer’s retaliatory refusal to transfer an employee is an adverse employment action, regardless whether the position sought involves the same duties, pay and benefits. After all, where a person lives and works often is more important than the salary or benefits he/she receives, and refusing the transfer results in more than “mere inconvenience.” Accordingly, when an employee seeks a transfer, is the most qualified applicant, and is refused the transfer in retaliation for her civil rights claim against the employer, he/she suffers an adverse employment action. However, I recognize that I am bound by our circuit’s precedent, and thus I concur.