00-3402 Hall v. Gary Community School Corp.

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“We review the district court’s grant of judgment as a matter of law de novo, viewing the evidence and drawing reasonable inferences in Hall’s favor. Mathur v. Bd. of Trs. of S. Ill. Univ., 207 F.3d 938, 941 (7th Cir. 2000). Our standard of review is the same as when reviewing a decision on summary judgment, except that we now have the benefit of knowing exactly what evidence was presented at trial. Massey v. Blue Cross-Blue Shield of Ill., 226 F.3d 922, 924 (7th Cir. 2000). Our inquiry is not to second-guess the jury’s view of the contested evidence, but to determine whether, given the totality of the evidence, Hall presented the jury with legally sufficient evidence from which it could conclude in his favor. Id. at 925. We agree with the district court that Hall failed to do so. On appeal both parties frame their analysis in terms of the familiar burden-shifting framework in McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, 411 U.S. 792 (1973), but we have explained that this is unnecessary when reviewing judgments as a matter of law, see Mathur, 207 F.3d at 942; Massey, 226 F.3d at 925. The only issue is whether Hall has met his burden of providing sufficient evidence that GCS’s stated reasons for terminating his employment were pretextual, and that the real reason he was discharged was to retaliate against him for filing EEOC charges. To satisfy this burden Hall needed to offer evidence showing the reasons given by GCS were not worthy of credence or other evidence showing retaliation. See Reeves v. Sanderson Plumbing Prods., Inc., 530 U.S. 133, 146-49 (2000); Massey, 226 F.3d at 925.

“GCS’s stated reasons of insubordination, poor classroom performance, and a tardiness problem are clearly legitimate reasons for discharge. See Maarouf v. Walker Mfg. Co., 210 F.3d 750, 755 (7th Cir. 2000); Gonzalez v. Ingersoll Milling Mach. Co., 133 F.3d 1025, 1036 (7th Cir. 1998). Along with testimony from Troupos and Gooden that these were the reasons for Hall’s discharge, GCS provided extensive documentation going back to 1987 and chronicling Hall’s tardiness problem, negative evaluations, and disciplinary problems. In addition, Gooden testified that he apprised Hall on a number of occasions that improvement was expected, and that he recommended that Hall’s employment be terminated after he failed to improve. Hall first argues that his own testimony at trial provides sufficient evidence to cast doubt on GCS’s stated reasons. We have explained, however, that a plaintiff’s subjective, self-serving testimony is not sufficient to contradict a well-documented history of poor job performance. Massey, 226 F.3d at 926; Adusumilli v. City of Chicago, 164 F.3d 353, 363 (7th Cir. 1998); Denisi v. Dominick’s Finer Foods, Inc., 99 F.3d 860, 866 (7th Cir. 1996). More importantly, though, Hall did not even deny much of the conduct described in the numerous evaluations and documents provided by GCS.”

Affirmed.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, Rodovich, Mag. J., Rovner, J.