Griffin v. Evanston/Skokie Consol. Sch. Dist. 65

• Decision Date: 10 June 2014
• Docket Number: 12 C 9828
• Court: U.S. District Court — Northern District of Illinois
• Parties: DEMETRICE D. GRIFFIN, Plaintiff, v. EVANSTON/SKOKIE CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT 65, Defendant.

DEMETRICE D. GRIFFIN, Plaintiff, v. EVANSTON/SKOKIE CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT 65, Defendant.

12 C 9828

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS EASTERN DIVISION

June 10, 2014

Judge Feinerman

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

In the operative complaint, Demetrice D. Griffin alleges that her employer, Evanston/Skokie Community Consolidated School District 65, engaged in race and sex discrimination in violation of 42 U.S.C. §§ 1981 and 1983 and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq. Doc. 35. The court dismissed Griffin's sex discrimination claim under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). Docs. 51-52 (reported at 2013 WL 6255225 (N.D. Ill. Dec. 3, 2013)). After discovery closed, the District moved for summary judgment on the race discrimination claim. Doc. 53. The briefing schedule required Griffin to respond to the motion by February 12, 2014. Doc. 50. On May 26, 2013, nearly fourteen weeks after the due date, Griffin (through counsel) filed a three-page opposition brief without requesting an extension of time and without including any Local Rule 56.1 submissions. Doc. 65. The District's motion is granted.

Background

Consistent with the local rules, the District filed a Local Rule 56.1(a)(3) statement of undisputed facts along with its summary judgment motion. Doc. 55. Each factual assertion in the Local Rule 56.1(a)(3) statement cites evidentiary material in the record and is supported bythe cited material. See N.D. Ill. L.R. 56.1(a) ("The statement referred to in (3) shall consist of short numbered paragraphs, including within each paragraph specific references to the affidavits, parts of the record, and other supporting materials relied upon to support the facts set forth in that paragraph."). Although Griffin filed a brief opposing summary judgment, Doc. 65, she did not file a Local Rule 56.1(b)(3)(B) response to the District's Local Rule 56.1(a)(3) statement or a Local Rule 56.1(b)(3)(C) statement of additional facts.

"[A] district court is entitled to decide [a summary judgment] motion based on the factual record outlined in the [parties'] Local Rule 56.1 statements." Koszola v. Bd. of Educ. of City of Chi., 385 F.3d 1104, 1109 (7th Cir. 2004) (internal quotation marks and alterations omitted); see also Stevo v. Frasor, 662 F.3d 880, 886-87 (7th Cir. 2011) ("Because of the high volume of summary judgment motions and the benefits of clear presentation of relevant evidence and law, we have repeatedly held that district judges are entitled to insist on strict compliance with local rules designed to promote the clarity of summary judgment filings."); Patterson v. Ind. Newspapers, Inc., 589 F.3d 357, 360 (7th Cir. 2009) ("[w]e have repeatedly held that the district court is within its discretion to strictly enforce compliance with its local rules regarding summary-judgment motions"); Cichon v. Exelon Generation Co., 401 F.3d 803, 809 (7th Cir. 2005) ("we have ... repeatedly held that a district court is entitled to expect strict compliance with Rule 56.1") (alteration omitted). Accordingly, the court will accept as true the facts set forth in the District's Local Rule 56.1(a)(3) statement, viewing those facts and inferences therefrom in the light most favorable to Griffin. See N.D. Ill. L.R. 56. 1(b)(3)(C) ("All material facts set forth in the statement required of the moving party will be deemed to be admitted unless controverted by the statement of the opposing party."); Parra v. Neal, 614 F.3d 635, 636 (7th Cir. 2010); Rao v. BP Prods. N. Am., Inc., 589 F.3d 389, 393 (7th Cir. 2009) ("In accordancewith a local rule, the district court justifiably deemed the factual assertions in BP's Rule 56.1(a) Statement in support of its motion for summary judgment admitted because Rao did not respond to the statement."); Cady v. Sheahan, 467 F.3d 1057, 1061 (7th Cir. 2006); Raymond v. Ameritech Corp., 442 F.3d 600, 608 (7th Cir. 2006); Schrott v. Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., 403 F.3d 940, 944 (7th Cir. 2005); Koszola, 385 F.3d at 1108-09; Smith v. Lamz, 321 F.3d 680, 682-83 (7th Cir. 2003). That said, the court is mindful that "a nonmovant's failure to ... comply with Local Rule 56.1, does not, of course, automatically result in judgment for the movant. The ultimate burden of persuasion remains with [the movant] to show that it is entitled to judgment as a matter of law." Raymond, 442 F.3d at 608 (internal citation omitted). The court therefore will recite the facts in the District's Local Rule 56.1(a)(3) statement and then proceed to determine whether, on those facts, the District is entitled to summary judgment.

The District consists of ten elementary schools, three middle schools, two magnet schools, the Park School, Rice Children's Center, and the Early Childhood Center. Doc. 55 at ¶ 2. Griffin, an African-American female, began her employment with the District in September 1987 as a Learning Resource Program teacher at Chute Middle School. Id. at ¶¶ 1, 4. In Fall 2008, following several transfers within the District and two leaves of absence, Griffin was assigned to a position at Orrington Elementary School, where she continues to work. Id. ¶¶ 5-6, 9-11, 25.

Griffin held a teaching position at Rice from 1996 to 2001. Id. at ¶¶ 6, 9. Rice is a school located on the grounds of a residential facility that serves emotionally disturbed children who are wards of the State and who are unable to attend school in a general education setting. Id. at ¶ 3. Jaunitta Thompson, an African-American woman, became the Principal of Rice in 1999, and in that capacity she supervised Griffin from 1999 to 2001. Id. at ¶¶ 7-8. Thompsonfound Griffin unprofessional and difficult to work with, and she observed Griffin violate school policy and verbally intimidate other staff members. Id. at ¶ 8. Griffin took a medical leave of absence in June 2001 and returned to work with the District in September 2003, when she was given a resource teacher position at Haven Middle School. Id. at ¶ 9.

Griffin submitted a request for a voluntary transfer to Rice for the 2009-2010 school year, but the District denied her request. Id. at ¶ 12. There were two vacant teaching positions at Rice for that school year, and Thompson selected Emily McCaffrey and Nancy Zordan to fill the vacancies. Id. at ¶ 13. Thompson selected McCaffrey because she was impressed with McCaffrey's performance, dedication, commitment to working with students, and enthusiasm as a Teaching Assistant at Rice the previous year. Id. ¶ 14. Thompson selected Zordan, a teacher with the District since 1981, because she was satisfied with her previous experiences working with Zordan and because she viewed Zordan as a skilled special education teacher who was committed to her students and who worked effectively with both teachers and administrators. Id. at ¶ 15. Thompson did not select Griffin because she believed Griffin to be less qualified than McCaffrey and Zordan based on her experience supervising Griffin from 1999 to 2001. Id. at ¶ 16.

Griffin again submitted a request for a voluntary transfer to Rice for the 2010-2011 school year, but the request was not considered because Griffin submitted it after the deadline. Id. at ¶ 17. Griffin did not submit a request for the 2011-2012 school year because her supervisor offered her several other positions. Id. at ¶ 18. There were two vacant teaching positions at Rice for the 2012-2013 school year, but they were not posted because two teachers, Susan Fisher and Miriam Sherman, were transferred to Rice as part of a realignment of the special education function within the District. Id. at ¶ 19. Fisher had been a teacher with theDistrict since 1983, and Sherman had been with the District since 1990. Id. at ¶ 22. Thompson agreed to fill the 2012-2013 vacancies with Fisher and Sherman upon consideration of recommendations from the District's Director of Special Services and its Assistant Superintendent of Magnet & Middle Schools. Id. at ¶ 20. The District's Human Resources Director also agreed that Fisher's and Sherman's skills and abilities were the best fit for Rice's student population and approved the assignments. Id. at ¶ 21. The decision to administratively assign Fisher and Sherman to Rice was made in April 2012, before Griffin submitted her request in May 2012 for a voluntary transfer to Rice for the 2012-2013 school year. Id. at ¶ 23. Griffin did not apply for a transfer to Rice for the 2013-2014 school year because the District's Superintendent asked Griffin to remain in her current position at Orrington. Id. at ¶ 24.

Discussion

Employment-related race discrimination claims under § 1983 and § 1981 are analyzed under the Title VII framework, so the court will simplify by referring only to Title VII doctrine and precedents. See Morgan v. SVT, LLC, 724 F.3d 990, 995 (7th Cir. 2013); Smith v. Bray, 681 F.3d 888, 895-96 & n.2 (7th Cir. 2012); Egonmwan v. Cook Cnty. Sheriff's Dep't, 602 F.3d 845, 850 n.7 (7th Cir. 2010) ("The same requirements for proving discrimination apply to claims under Title VII, § 1981, and § 1983."). A Title VII race discrimination plaintiff may seek to defeat summary judgment under the direct and indirect methods of proof. See Coleman v. Donahoe, 667 F.3d 835, 845 (7th Cir. 2012); Rodgers v. White, 657 F.3d 511, 516-17 (7th Cir. 2011). Griffin's brief does not say whether she is proceeding under the direct or indirect method, so the court will consider both. See Morgan, 724 F.3d at 997. As noted above, the relevant facts being those set forth in the District's Local Rule 56.1(a)(3) statement. See Koszola, 385 F.3d at1109 ("a district court is entitled to decide the motion based on the factual record outlined in the Local Rule 56.1 statements") (brackets and internal quotation marks omitted).

"Under the 'direct method,' the plaintiff may avoid summary judgment by presenting sufficient evidence, either direct or circumstantial, that the employer's discriminatory animus...