Ballance, David v. Springfield Police ( 2005 )


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  •                             In the
    United States Court of Appeals
    For the Seventh Circuit
    ____________
    No. 04-3410
    DAVID BALLANCE,
    Plaintiff-Appellant,
    v.
    CITY OF SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS POLICE DEPARTMENT,
    Defendant-Appellee.
    ____________
    Appeal from the United States District Court
    for the Central District of Illinois.
    No. 02-C-3296—Jeanne E. Scott, Judge.
    ____________
    ARGUED JUNE 6, 2005—DECIDED SEPTEMBER 19, 2005
    ____________
    Before ROVNER, WOOD, and WILLIAMS, Circuit Judges.
    WILLIAMS, Circuit Judge. David Ballance, a former police
    officer, sued the Springfield Police Department for
    race discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights
    Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq., for matters arising
    from his termination. The issue before us is whether the
    district court erred by finding that no genuine issue of
    material fact existed for trial on Ballance’s reverse race
    discrimination claim. We find that although Ballance
    has established his prima facie case, he has failed to satisfy
    his burden of showing that the police department’s legiti-
    mate, non-discriminatory reasons for terminating him were
    pretextual, and therefore, affirm.
    2                                                     No. 04-3410
    I. BACKGROUND
    We give a brief outline of the facts here, and will discuss
    them in greater detail where relevant to our analysis.
    Ballance, a white male, was a police officer with the
    Springfield, Illinois Police Department from October 1989
    until his termination on October 17, 2000 by then-police
    Chief John Harris. Chief Harris stated that he termi-
    nated Ballance for three reasons: first, Ballance’s involve-
    ment in a July 27, 2000 event where he allegedly battered
    his wife; second, Chief Harris’s finding that Ballance had
    obstructed the internal affairs interview regarding this
    domestic battery; and third, Ballance’s prior record of
    disciplinary actions.1 Ballance ultimately brought a reverse
    race discrimination suit against the department in the
    United States District Court for the Central District of
    Illinois. Specifically, Ballance claims that the department
    discriminated against him based on his race because Chief
    Harris would not have fired an African-American officer for
    the same reasons that he terminated Ballance.
    The district court granted summary judgment in favor
    of the police department, and Ballance timely appeals.
    II. ANALYSIS
    A. Standard of Review
    We review de novo a district court’s grant of summary
    judgment. Lamers Dairy Inc. v. United States Dep’t of
    Agric., 
    379 F.3d 466
    , 472 (7th Cir. 2004); Ind. Family &
    1
    Ballance and his wife, Christine Ramsey (“Chris”), both dispute
    that the domestic battery occurred. Ramsey initially reported the
    alleged abuse, and then retracted her statement, stating that her
    injuries were self-inflicted. Ramsey suffered the following injuries:
    bleeding, scrapes on her elbows, bruising and swelling on her
    body, two broken ribs, and blood in her urine.
    No. 04-3410                                                  3
    Soc. Servs. Admin. v. Thompson, 
    286 F.3d 476
    , 479 (7th Cir.
    2002). Summary judgment is properly granted when “the
    pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and
    admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show
    that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and
    the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of
    law.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c); Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 
    477 U.S. 317
    , 322 (1986). When determining whether a genuine issue
    of material fact exists, we consider evidence in the light
    most favorable to the nonmoving party. See Matsushita
    Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 
    475 U.S. 574
    , 587
    (1986). Material facts are facts that “might affect the
    outcome of the suit” under the applicable substantive law.
    See Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 
    477 U.S. 242
    , 248
    (1986). A dispute over material facts is genuine if “the
    evidence is such that a reasonable jury could return a
    verdict for the nonmoving party.” 
    Id.
    B. Ballance’s Reverse Race Discrimination Claim
    Title VII prohibits employers from discriminating against
    employees on the basis of sex or gender. 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-
    2(a)(1) (2005). Plaintiffs in employment discrimination
    cases can avert summary judgment by presenting either
    direct or indirect evidence showing discriminatory intent by
    the defendant or its agents. O’Regan v. Arbitration Forms,
    Inc., 
    246 F.3d 975
    , 983 (7th Cir. 2001). Given that Ballance
    does not provide any direct evidence of discrimination on
    the basis of race, he must proceed under the familiar four-
    part burden-shifting test established in McDonnell Douglas
    Corp. v. Green, 
    411 U.S. 792
     (1973) and refined in Texas
    Department of Community Affairs v. Burdine, 
    450 U.S. 248
    (1981). Under the McDonnell Douglas scheme, the plaintiff
    bears the initial burden of establishing a prima facie case.
    McDonnell Douglas, 
    411 U.S. at 802
    ; O’Regan, 
    246 F.3d at 983
    .
    4                                               No. 04-3410
    Under McDonnell Douglas, a plaintiff attempting to
    establish a claim of race discrimination must establish four
    prongs: first, that he is a member of a protected
    class; second, that he was meeting his employer’s legitimate
    performance expectations; third, that he suffered
    an adverse employment action; and fourth, that he was
    treated less favorably than similarly situated individuals
    who are not members of his protected class. See Ineichen v.
    Ameritech, 
    410 F.3d 956
    , 959 (7th Cir. 2005). It is well
    settled law that the protections of Title VII are not limited
    to members of historically discriminated-against groups.
    McDonald v. Santa Fe Trail Transp. Co., 
    427 U.S. 273
    (1976); Greenslade v. Chicago Sun-Times, Inc., 
    112 F.3d 853
    , 863 (7th Cir. 1997). When analyzing reverse dis-
    crimination plaintiffs, we have held that in order to estab-
    lish a prima facie case, in addition to meeting the second,
    third and fourth prongs above, such a plaintiff must show
    that “background circumstances” exist to show an inference
    that the employer has “reason or inclination to discriminate
    invidiously against whites” or evidence that “there is
    something ‘fishy’ about the facts at hand.” Phelan v. City of
    Chicago, 
    347 F.3d 679
    , 684-85 (7th Cir. 2003); see also Mills
    v. Health Care Serv. Corp., 
    171 F.3d 450
    , 455-57 (7th Cir.
    1999).
    Once the plaintiff has established a prima facie case, the
    burden of production shifts to the defendant to provide
    a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason for the decision.
    McDonnell Douglas, 
    411 U.S. at 802
    ; Ineichen, 
    410 F.3d at 961
    . If the defendant satisfies its burden, the burden
    shifts back to the plaintiff to show that the defendant’s
    explanation was pretextual. 
    Id. at 961
    . Pretext requires
    more than showing that the decision was “mistaken, ill
    considered or foolish, [and] so long as [the employer]
    honestly believes those reasons, pretext has not been
    shown.” Jordan v. Summers, 
    205 F.3d 337
    , 343 (7th Cir.
    2000). Pretext “means a dishonest explanation, a lie rather
    No. 04-3410                                                5
    than an oddity or an error.” Kulumani v. Blue Cross Blue
    Shield Ass’n, 
    224 F.3d 681
    , 685 (7th Cir. 2000).
    The police department argues that the district court erred
    by finding that Ballance established his prima facie case.
    We disagree. In this case, the district court was correct to
    find that background circumstances existed to show an
    inference that the police department may discriminate
    against whites. The district court noted that the City of
    Springfield commissioned Husch & Eppenberger, LLC, a
    law firm, to investigate charges of racism in the police
    department. Husch & Eppenberger produced a report which
    stated in part:
    Many expressed resentment that women and
    minorities appeared to get special treatment . . .
    Based upon several interviews, including Chief
    Harris’, race and gender are taken into consider-
    ation at various stages, including hiring, work
    assignments, promotion, and determination of
    disciplinary action or determination of the need
    for an internal affairs investigation.
    Husch & Eppenberger Report at 58-59 (emphasis in origi-
    nal). We agree with the district court’s finding that this
    report supports the inference that the police department,
    through Chief Harris, gave preferences to minorities and
    women in the disciplinary process.
    We also agree with the district court’s analysis that
    Ballance was meeting his employer’s expectations. Although
    Ballance’s record shows that he was disciplined by the
    police department (as we will examine more in detail in our
    pretext analysis), he was also highly commended during his
    career. Ballance received the police department’s Porter
    Williams Award for bravery, as a result of an incident on
    Thanksgiving Day 1995 when Ballance attempted to make
    a traffic stop. The driver ran from the car and pointed a gun
    at Ballance. Ballance shot and killed the driver in self-
    6                                                     No. 04-3410
    defense. In 1999, Ballance found a baby that had been shot
    in the head. Ballance immediately called emergency
    medical personnel who took the baby to the hospital. The
    baby ultimately survived. An independent commission
    recommended that Ballance receive the police department’s
    highest award, the Silver Suarez Award, for actions above
    and beyond the call of duty. Chief Harris rejected the
    recommendation of the commission but gave Ballance a
    letter of commendation for his actions. The police depart-
    ment argues that Ballance’s disciplinary issues overshadow
    any issue of material fact that he was meeting the police
    department’s legitimate performance expectations. We
    disagree. Although Ballance was disciplined (he received 31
    days of disciplinary suspension time at different times in
    his career while employed with the police department), the
    award, letter of commendation, and nomination for the
    top award in the police department help create a genuine
    issue of fact concerning whether he was meeting his em-
    ployer’s legitimate expectations.
    The parties also disagree as to whether Ballance can show
    that he was treated less favorably than African-Americans
    at the police department. Ballance argues that Chief Harris
    treated an African-American police officer, Larry Stelivan,
    more favorably than he. Stelivan was arrested for domestic
    battery after slapping his wife twice during a weekend
    drive. In his motion opposing the police department’s
    motion for summary judgment, Ballance presented evidence
    that Stelivan lied during his internal affairs interview when
    he denied slapping his wife. Lying during an internal
    affairs interview is automatic grounds for dismissal for
    violation of Police Department Rule 27.2 Yet Stelivan was
    2
    Springfield Police Department Rule 27 provides:
    A.   Members will, upon the order of the Chief of Police
    or his designee, truthfully answer all questions
    specifically directed and narrowly related to the
    (continued...)
    No. 04-3410                                                       7
    never charged with a Rule 27 violation.
    Ballance was confrontational during his internal affairs
    interview. However, according to Ballance, he answered all
    of the questions truthfully. Yet, the police department
    charged and terminated him for a Rule 27 violation. The
    police department argues that Ballance and Stelivan
    are not similarly situated, because although both Ballance
    and Stelivan were arrested for domestic battery, Ballance
    allegedly battered his wife more severely than Stelivan. The
    police department notes that Ramsey, Ballance’s
    wife, suffered broken bones and bleeding, while Stelivan’s
    wife did not. This argument is unconvincing. Within this
    particular set of facts, we find that domestic batterers
    are comparable to each other, regardless of the degree of the
    battery involved. The police department also argues that
    Ballance’s disciplinary record is not comparable to
    Stelivan’s. Again, the police department notes that Ballance
    received 31 days of disciplinary suspension time while
    employed with the police department, while Stelivan has
    received 12 days of suspension while employed with the
    police department, mostly, with the exception of three days’
    suspension for the domestic incident with his wife, for
    2
    (...continued)
    scope of employment and operations of the Depart-
    ment which may be asked of them in the course of an
    internal investigation.
    B.   Obstruction in any manner, or an attempt to ob-
    struct an authorized internal investigation is a
    serious disciplinary offense justifying dismissal.
    C.   Failure to truthfully answer questions or provide
    requested material will be cause for dismissal from
    employment. Such information gained is compelled
    and may not be used in any criminal prosecution
    of the member answering.
    8                                                No. 04-3410
    administrative violations. Yet, although Stelivan may have
    been suspended for fewer days than Ballance, we find that
    a jury could reasonably conclude that the police department
    treated Stelivan more favorably than Ballance with respect
    to the obligation and police department policy for officers to
    tell the truth during internal investigation interviews. As
    a result, we find that Ballance has established his prima
    facie case.
    Faced with Ballance’s prima facie case, the police depart-
    ment, through Chief Harris, presented three legitimate, non
    discriminatory reasons for its decision to fire Ballance.
    First, Chief Harris found that Ballance beat his wife.
    Second, Chief Harris determined that Ballance, through his
    behavior at the internal affairs interview, obstructed an
    internal affairs investigation and thus violated Police
    Department Rule 27. Third, Chief Harris terminated
    Ballance because of his prior record of disciplinary actions.
    We agree with the district court’s analysis that Bal-
    lance has been unable to prove that these reasons
    were pretext for discrimination. Although Ballance ar-
    gues that Chief Harris ultimately concluded that Ballance
    did not beat his wife, and then changed his conclusion
    simply to have some legitimate reason to fire Ballance, the
    record simply does not support this view. Chief Harris
    testified that he believed Ballance hit his wife, broke her
    ribs, and bloodied her, as supported by the following:
    Christine Ramsey’s sworn statement in her Order of
    Protection petition reciting the abuse she allegedly suffered
    during the July 27, 2000 event; Ramsey’s internal affairs
    interview in which she clearly stated that Ballance beat her
    and caused bodily injury; the physical evidence of her
    injuries; and Heather Ballance’s (Plaintiff’s daughter)
    testimony that corroborated Ramsey’s testimony. Heather
    Ballance testified that on the night Ballance allegedly beat
    his wife, she saw Ramsey on the ground outside of their
    garage, severely beaten and upset, as Ballance sped away.
    No. 04-3410                                                    9
    In addition, Commander James Burton, the senior police
    officer who investigated this incident, stated in his report to
    Chief Harris, “In my mind, there is no doubt David Ballance
    struck Chris Ballance after placing her in a ‘bear hug’
    causing these injuries.” Also, Deputy Chief George Murphy
    reviewed Ballance’s internal affairs investigative file, and
    recommended Ballance’s termination. Ballance denied that
    he caused these injuries, but could not explain how his wife
    was so severely hurt. Based on this overwhelming evidence,
    it is hard for Ballance to argue that Chief Harris initially
    believed him.
    Ballance speculates that Chief Harris believed his version
    of the facts because he did not charge him with violation of
    Police Department Rule 4, which is a Conformance to Law
    Charge.3 According to Ballance, if Chief Harris truly
    believed that he had beaten his wife, he would have charged
    him with this police violation since he broke the law.
    However, Ballance fails to cite to any evidence in the record
    to support this assertion. Such self-supporting assertions,
    without factual support in the record, cannot be used to
    defeat a motion for summary judgment. See Rand v. CF
    Indus., Inc., 
    42 F.3d 1139
    , 1146-47 (7th Cir. 1994). More-
    over, the overwhelming evidence of Ramsey’s injuries and
    Ballance’s own explanation of the incident all lead us to the
    conclusion that Chief Harris’s beliefs are not pretextual.
    Ballance also argues that he did not obstruct the internal
    investigation of his alleged battery. Again, based on the
    record, we find that the district court did not err in conclud-
    ing that Chief Harris honestly believed that Ballance
    3
    Police Department Rule 4 states, in part, that “All members
    [of the police department] will obey the Constitution and laws
    of the United States and of the State of Illinois, ordinances of
    the City of Springfield, and law of any state and local jurisdic-
    tion in which they are present.”
    10                                                     No. 04-3410
    interfered with the internal affairs investigation. In
    Commander Burton’s report to Chief Harris, he stated:
    During the Internal Investigation interview David
    Ballance on 9/15/2000, David Ballance is not coop-
    erative with the investigator and has to be ordered
    to answer the questions. It must of [sic] become so
    tense, that Union President Don Kliment asked to
    a [sic] recess to calm Ballance down. Ballance
    would not answer the questions, but would ask a
    question each time . . . I strongly believe that David
    Ballance lied during this interview. I suggest that
    Ballance be subjected to a polygraph examination
    and again asked the questions concerning the
    injuries to Chris Ballance.
    The transcript from Ballance’s internal affairs interview
    also could lead one to believe that Ballance indeed was
    being obstructive, through the fact that he was argumenta-
    tive, confrontational, and refused to answer questions.4
    4
    One portion of the internal affairs interview is as follows:
    Internal Affairs:          You know the victim, Chris,
    indicates that you struck her
    three times with your fist, did
    you strike her?
    Ballance:                  I already answered that.
    Internal Affairs:          I’m asking you again.
    Ballance:                  I answered that question.
    Internal Affairs:          I’m giving you a direct order,
    answer the question.
    Ballance:                  What was the question again?
    Another portion of the interview is as follows:
    (continued...)
    No. 04-3410                                                          11
    Ballance uses the fact that he answered all of the questions
    during the internal affairs investigation to indicate that he
    fully cooperated during his internal affairs interview.
    However, the record does not reflect that the beliefs held by
    Chief Harris and Commander Burton, that Ballance
    obstructed the internal affairs investigation, were not
    honestly held by the command staff of the police depart-
    ment. See Bell v. E.P.A., 
    232 F.3d 546
    , 550 (7th Cir. 2000)
    (“Plaintiffs cannot prevail at trial if the fact-finder finds
    that the [employer] honestly believed in the nondiscrimina-
    tory reasons it offered, even if the reasons are foolish or
    trivial or even baseless.” (quoting Hartley v. Wis. Bell, Inc.,
    
    124 F.3d 887
    , 890 (7th Cir. 1997)).
    4
    (...continued)
    Internal Affairs:        Do you have any reason or do
    you know why she would have
    [her injuries] notarized and
    put in open court?
    Ballance:                 Did she do it?
    Internal Affairs:         Signed and notarized?
    Ballance:                 Did she do it?
    Internal Affairs:         I’m asking the questions here,
    Dave. I’m not answering your
    questions. I’m answering . . .
    I’m asking you the ques-
    tion . . .
    Ballance:                 Well you’re not answering
    mine!
    Internal Affairs:         Dave, I’m only going to tell
    you one . . .
    Don Kliment
    (Union Representative):     . . . I need a time out here . .
    .
    12                                              No. 04-3410
    Finally, Ballance argues that his disciplinary record
    is comparable to Officer Stelivan’s, and thus indicative
    of the police department’s supposed pretext for discrim-
    ination. The record does not support this conclusion.
    Aside from the incident with his wife, in July 1994 Ballance
    served a ten-day disciplinary suspension for an alleged off-
    duty physical confrontation with a store owner of a local
    business in Springfield. In July 1995, he lost one day of
    vacation due to his involvement in an automobile accident
    that the police department found to be avoidable. In 1996,
    the police department charged Ballance with several rules
    violations: one involved a verbal confrontation and threat-
    ened physical violence against his neighbor; a second
    involved an alleged failure to report to work on four differ-
    ent days; and a third involved insubordination in which he
    allegedly responded to an emergency call when he was told
    by his commander not to do so. Ballance received three five-
    day suspensions for these violations, but was allowed to
    serve them concurrently. In 1997, Ballance served another
    five-day suspension for allegedly challenging a 65-year old
    man to a fistfight during a basketball game. Finally, in
    1998, Ballance was fired for allegedly throwing a rock at a
    passing car while he was off-duty. This termination went to
    arbitration, and the arbitrator ordered that Ballance
    be reinstated because the evidence did not sufficiently
    establish that he threw the rock. Stelivan, on the other
    hand, served a three-day suspension for an avoidable
    vehicle accident, a one-day suspension for another avoidable
    vehicle accident, and a seven-day suspension for conducting
    personal business on duty. It would not be appropriate for
    us to express a view as to whether the sanction imposed
    against Ballance might be perceived by some individuals as
    more severe than the infraction justified. Our only job is to
    assess whether the justifications given by the police depart-
    ment for Ballance’s termination are honest. See Stewart v.
    Henderson, 
    207 F.3d 374
    , 378 (7th Cir. 2000). We do not sit
    as a super-personnel department with authority to review
    No. 04-3410                                             13
    an employer’s business decision as to whether someone
    should be fired or disciplined because of a work-rule
    violation. 
    Id.
     Based on the record as a whole, as well as
    Ballance’s lengthy and egregious disciplinary record, we do
    not find any reason to believe that the police department’s
    reason for terminating him, based solely or partly on his
    disciplinary record, is a lie.
    III. CONCLUSION
    For the foregoing reasons, we AFFIRM the district court’s
    order granting summary judgment in favor of the defen-
    dant, the City of Springfield Police Department.
    A true Copy:
    Teste:
    ________________________________
    Clerk of the United States Court of
    Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
    USCA-02-C-0072—9-19-05