Rodgers v. White, No. 10-3916 (7th Cir. 2011)
Annotate this CaseA longtime employee of the Illinois Secretary of State's office, the only African-American on a crew of 27 maintenance workers, was fired after incidents concerning his knowledge of private use of state property and an off-the-books leave policy. He was reinstated after arbitration. He brought suit under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. 2000e and under 42 U.S.C. 1981 and 1983, claiming that two white managers targeted him because he is black. The district court granted summary judgment for the defendants. The Seventh Circuit vacated, based on evidence that the employee engaged in the same conduct as his supervisor but was disciplined more harshly. Formal job titles and rank are not dispositive; an employer cannot insulate itself from claims of racial discrimination by making formalistic distinctions between employees.
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