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Fourth Circuit Finds for Employer in Race Discrimination Case

Friday, 17 December 2021 / Published in Labor & Employment

Fourth Circuit Finds for Employer in Race Discrimination Case

In a recent case, Dawson v. Washington Gas Light Company, the court found for an employer when an employee filed claims of race discrimination, retaliation, and hostile work environment. While this case was decided on a particular set of facts, the ruling may offer guidance to other employers or similar circumstances.

Dawson v. Washington Gas Light Company

In Dawson v. Washington Gas Light Company, Kyle Dawson began working at Washington Gas Light Company (“Washington Gas”) in January 2007. Dawson’s employment was governed by a labor union contract that established a progressive, five-step discipline structure. Dawson didn’t face any workplace discipline until 2013, when he was supervised by Robert Surdam. Dawson alleged that after Surdam discovered Dawson was biracial, his behavior towards him changed.

Dawson was ultimately terminated after multiple alleged employment violations and corresponding disciplinary actions in accordance with the labor contract. Dawson had filed multiple complaints to Washington’s Gas’s human resources department about harassment and discrimination and filed two charges with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) prior to his termination. Dawson sued Washington Gas and two of his former supervisors alleging race and color discrimination, unlawful retaliation, and the creation of a hostile work environment, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and 42 U.S.C. § 1981.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employers from discriminating against an employee on the basis of race and retaliation against an employee for opposing adverse actions that he reasonably suspects to be unlawful. To establish a claim of racial discrimination or retaliation, an employee must demonstrate a prima facie case. Then the burden shifts to the defendant to articulate a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason for the adverse action. The burden then shifts back to the plaintiff to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant’s articulated reasons are pretextual. To establish pretext, a plaintiff may rely on evidence showing that an employer’s proffered nondiscriminatory justification for its adverse action is false or inconsistent over time or that other employees who were similarly situated to him, but for race, were treated more favorably.

The Fourth Circuit here found that Dawson established a prima facie claim for discrimination when he alleged the adverse actions taken against him and the burden shifted to Washington Gas to articulate legitimate and nondiscriminatory reasons for those adverse actions. For each of the adverse actions taken, Washington Gas produced evidence showing that Dawson violated a specific policy, resulting in the disciplinary action taken. The burden shifted back to Dawson to show that the reasons given were merely pretext for discrimination. However, the court determined that Dawson did not satisfy this burden. Dawson essentially alleged that the justifications were pretextual, based on the fact that Defendants knew he was biracial, and as a result, he received discipline for incidents that other Washington Gas employees were not reprimanded for. The court determined while this evidence “creates an inference of discrimination,” it wasn’t sufficient to succeed on the claim. The court noted that Washington Gas’s justifications for the adverse actions remained consistent prior to and throughout the litigation.

Additionally, while Dawson attempted to identify comparators regarding his disciplinary actions, he failed to point to sufficient evidence to compare him to those colleagues. The court stated that relevant evidence typically includes evidence that the employees dealt with the same supervisor, were subject to the same standards, and engaged in the same conduct without differentiating or mitigating circumstances. Dawson’s comparisons did not account for differentiating circumstances.

The court found that Dawson’s retaliation claims must similarly fail, because Dawson wasn’t able to establish that Washington’s Gas’s justifications for adverse actions were pretextual. Dawson argued that several adverse actions were taken in close temporal proximity to his complaints about unfair treatment. The court noted that while temporal proximity can inform whether an inference of retaliation exists at the prima facie stage, Dawson showed no additional evidence to rebut Defendants’ legitimate, non retaliatory justifications “and the proximity was not close enough to bear the load on its own in this case.”

Dawson also argued that Washington Gas created a hostile work environment. To establish a hostile work environment claim, a plaintiff must show that there is (1) unwelcome conduct; (2) that is based on the plaintiff’s protected status; (3) which is sufficiently severe or pervasive to alter the plaintiff’s conditions of employment and to create an abusive work environment; and (4) which is imputable to the employer. Dawson alleged that he was harassed, made fun of, and yelled at by his supervisors, but was unable to establish that the unwelcome conduct directed at him was based on his race or color since “unsupported assertions are not enough.”

What Does Dawson v. Washington Gas Light Company Mean for Employers? 

Clear guidance can’t be taken from this case, since each employment discrimination case will be decided on a case-by-case basis. However, this case can shed more light on how Fourth Circuit courts may view similar circumstances. Here, all of the adverse employment actions Dawson alleged were in response to workplace policy violations. Washington Gas followed the progressive discipline structure laid out in Dawson’s labor contract, which ultimately resulted in his termination. While the court here points out that the time between when an employee makes a complaint and is terminated or faces an adverse employment action may be used as a factor when deciding whether sufficient evidence of discrimination or retaliation exists, typically additional evidence is also required, rather than simply “unsupported assertions.” Similarly, to establish that an employer’s proffered justifications for any adverse employment actions are pretextual, an employee needs to provide evidence other than an assertion that an employer knew an employee was in a protected class and that the employee was disciplined for conduct other employers weren’t disciplined for. This case seemed to fail due to Dawson’s lack of evidence that race was the motivating factor behind the adverse employment actions taken, that he could not establish comparators, which offers potential insight as to an employee’s burden in succeeding on employment discrimination matters.

If you need more guidance or information, contact the employment law experts at General Counsel, PC today at 202-360-4230. Attorneys at General Counsel, PC are specialized in labor and employment law and have experience working with business owners and individuals across Virginia and the DC Metro Area, including Fairfax County, Arlington, Loudoun County, and Prince William.

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