Pearson v. Mass. Bay Transp. Auth., No. 12-1956 (1st Cir. 2013)
Annotate this CaseAfter Plaintiff was suspended, he was discharged from his employment with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). An arbitrator ruled that the MBTA had lacked just cause to terminate him, and the MBTA subsequently reinstated Plaintiff to his former position. Thereafter, Plaintiff filed a complaint against the MBTA, alleging, among other things, that his discharge constituted racial discrimination and that the MBTA unlawfully retaliated against him for writing a letter to Senator Edward Kennedy after MBTA officials recommended firing Plaintiff. The district court granted summary judgment to the MBTA on all claims. The First Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed, holding (1) MBTA's merely questionable behavior did not show minimally sufficient evidence of pretext sufficient to support a discrimination claim; and (2) the district court correctly held that there was no causal link between Plaintiff's letter and his termination.
The court issued a subsequent related opinion or order on October 2, 2013.
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