Filed: Aug. 31, 2010
Latest Update: Feb. 21, 2020
Summary: [DO NOT PUBLISH] IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT FILED _ U.S. COURT OF APPEALS ELEVENTH CIRCUIT AUGUST 31, 2010 No. 09-12926 JOHN LEY _ CLERK D. C. Docket No. 08-00276-CV-5-RS-MD MELINDA CHURCHILL, Plaintiff-Appellant, versus CITY OF PANAMA CITY BEACH FLORIDA, Defendant-Appellee. _ Appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida _ (August 31, 2010) Before TJOFLAT, CARNES and COX Circuit Judges. PER CURIAM: Melinda Churchill appea
Summary: [DO NOT PUBLISH] IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT FILED _ U.S. COURT OF APPEALS ELEVENTH CIRCUIT AUGUST 31, 2010 No. 09-12926 JOHN LEY _ CLERK D. C. Docket No. 08-00276-CV-5-RS-MD MELINDA CHURCHILL, Plaintiff-Appellant, versus CITY OF PANAMA CITY BEACH FLORIDA, Defendant-Appellee. _ Appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida _ (August 31, 2010) Before TJOFLAT, CARNES and COX Circuit Judges. PER CURIAM: Melinda Churchill appeal..
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[DO NOT PUBLISH]
IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT FILED
________________________ U.S. COURT OF APPEALS
ELEVENTH CIRCUIT
AUGUST 31, 2010
No. 09-12926
JOHN LEY
________________________
CLERK
D. C. Docket No. 08-00276-CV-5-RS-MD
MELINDA CHURCHILL,
Plaintiff-Appellant,
versus
CITY OF PANAMA CITY BEACH FLORIDA,
Defendant-Appellee.
________________________
Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Northern District of Florida
_________________________
(August 31, 2010)
Before TJOFLAT, CARNES and COX Circuit Judges.
PER CURIAM:
Melinda Churchill appeals the district court’s entry of summary judgment
against her and in favor the City of Panama City Beach on her claims of gender
discrimination and retaliation in violation of Title VII, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e, et seq.
Because the parties are fully aware of the evidence and procedural history of the
case, and in view of our more detailed discussion of the issues at oral argument,
we will be brief.
On the gender discrimination claim, we agree with the district court that
Churchill failed to establish a prima facie case of disparate disciplinary treatment.
None of the male comparators she points to engaged in misconduct that was even
substantially similar, much less nearly identical, to hers. Officer Boyer, who
received a lesser punishment than Churchill, would have been a nearly identical
comparator but for the fact that he recanted his false testimony when given an
opportunity to do so. Churchill, when given the same opportunity, failed to
recant. We note here, as we did during the oral argument, that it matters not
whether Churchill was telling the truth or lying. What matters is whether the
decisionmakers in good faith believed that she was lying, and there is no evidence
that they did not. Alternatively, for the same reason, there is no genuine issue of
material fact about the City’s proffered non-discriminatory reason for firing her:
she did not recant her false testimony when given a chance.
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On the retaliation claim, we are unconvinced by Churchill’s argument that
her refusal to recant her testimony was opposition to discrimination against
Corporal Miller-Goodwin. Lying is not protected conduct and, in any event, there
is no evidence at all that any of the decisionmakers knew that the reason she
refused to correct her testimony was her desire to oppose discrimination. See
Brungart v. BellSouth Telecommunications, Inc.,
231 F.3d 791, 798-800 (11th
Cir. 2000) (holding that even where there is close temporal proximity, summary
judgment should be granted on a claim of retaliation where there is no evidence
that the decisionmaker was aware that the plaintiff had engaged in any protected
conduct).
AFFIRMED.
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