Martinez v. W. W. Grainger, et al., No. 11-1422 (8th Cir. 2011)
Annotate this CasePlaintiff brought this action against his former employer alleging wage discrimination and termination on the basis of race and national origin in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. 2000e et seq., the Minnesota Human Rights Act (MHRA), Minn. Stat. 363.01 et seq., and 42 U.S.C. 1981, as well as breach of his employment contract. The court affirmed the district court's holding that plaintiff failed to establish that the employer's proffered legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason for his termination was pretextual. Plaintiff also had not shown pretext through evidence that similarly situated non Hispanic or non Cuban born employees received more favorable treatment. Accordingly, the district court did not err in granting summary judgment on the Title VII and MHRA claims that plaintiff's termination was a result of unlawful discrimination. The district court also properly granted summary judgment on plaintiff's discriminatory wage claims. Finally, in the absence of evidence of an employment contract or any exception to at will employment, plaintiff's breach of contract claim failed and consequently, plaintiff's section 1981 claim also failed.
Court Description: Civil case - Title VII. Plaintiff failed to show that the legitimate, non- discriminatory reason for his termination was a pretext for race and national origin discrimination; claim of wage discrimination rejected as plaintiff failed to show that the offered explanation was pretextual; plaintiff was an employee at will, and his termination did not constitute a breach of an employment contract.
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