Title VII Violation

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7^th Circuit Court of Appeals

Case Name: Francis J. Golla v. Office of the Chief Judge Cook County, et al.

Case No.: 15-2524

Officials: BAUER, MANION, and HAMILTON, Circuit Judges.

Focus: Title VII Violation

Francis Joseph Golla brought this Title VII race discrimination action against his former employer, the Office of the Chief Judge of Cook County, Illinois, and Cook County, Illinois, itself for purposes of indemnifying any judgment(collectively, “Defendants”). After discovery, the district court granted Defendants’ motion for summary judgment. Golla appeals that decision, and we affirm

Golla argues that he presented sufficient evidence of race discrimination within the Social Services Department to survive summary judgment. Golla stresses the similarities in job titles and duties with Taylor and surmises that the only explanation for Taylor’s higher pay grade is his race. Golla also points to the comments of his African‐American supervisor, Whitehead, as evidence of racial animus in the Social Services Department.

In short, the evidence as a whole was insufficient for a reasonable jury to conclude that the Office paid Golla at a lower pay grade than Taylor on account of his race. Therefore, Defendants are entitled to summary judgment. For the foregoing reasons, we AFFIRM the district court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of Defendants.

Affirmed

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Attorney Derek A. Hawkins is the managing partner at Hawkins Law Offices LLC, where he heads up the firm’s startup law practice. He specializes in business formation, corporate governance, intellectual property protection, private equity and venture capital funding and mergers & acquisitions. Check out the website at www.hawkins-lawoffices.com or contact them at 262-737-8825.