Cleon Belgrave v. Publix Super Market, Inc.

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[DO NOT PUBLISH]
In the
United States Court of Appeals
For the Eleventh Circuit
____________________
No. 22-13021
Non-Argument Calendar
____________________
CLEON BELGRAVE,
Plaintiff-Appellant,
versus
PUBLIX SUPER MARKET, INC.,
Defendant-Appellee,
PUBLIX ATLANTA BAKERY, et al.,
Defendants.
____________________
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2 Opinion of the Court 22-13021
Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Northern District of Georgia
D.C. Docket No. 1:20-cv-02146-MHC
____________________
Before JORDAN, BRANCH, and MARCUS, Circuit Judges.
PER CURIAM:
Cleon Belgrave, proceeding pro se, appeals from the district
court’s order granting summary judgment in favor of his former
employer, Publix Supermarkets, Inc. (“Publix”), in his lawsuit al-
leging violation of his rights under the Americans with Disabilities
Act (“ADA”). On appeal, Belgrave argues that: (1) the district court
erred when it determined that Publix was entitled to summary
judgment based on his failure to exhaust his administrative reme-
dies; and (2) the district court erred when it concluded that, even if
the lack of exhaustion was disregarded, Publix was still entitled to
summary judgment on his failure-to-accommodate, disability dis-
crimination, and retaliation claims. After careful review we affirm.
I.
We review de novo the district court’s grant of summary
judgment, and, like the district court, we view all evidence and
make all reasonable inferences in favor of the nonmoving party.
Chapman v. AI Transp., 229 F.3d 1012, 1023 (11th Cir. 2000) (en
banc). Summary judgment is appropriate if the evidence shows
that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the
moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law. Id. We
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22-13021 Opinion of the Court 3
may affirm the district court’s judgment “on any ground that finds
support in the record.” Strickland v. Norfolk S. Ry. Co., 692 F.3d
1151, 1154 (11th Cir. 2012) (quotations omitted).
While we “read briefs filed by pro se litigants liberally, issues
not briefed on appeal by a pro se litigant are deemed abandoned.”
Timson v. Sampson, 518 F.3d 870, 874 (11th Cir. 2008) (citation
omitted). A party fails to adequately present an issue on appeal
“when he does not plainly and prominently raise it, for instance by
devoting a discrete section of his argument to th[at] claim[].”
Sapuppo v. Allstate Floridian Ins. Co., 739 F.3d 678, 681 (11th Cir.
2014) (quotations omitted).
II.
For starters, we are unpersuaded by Belgrave’s argument
that the district court erred in granting summary judgment to Pub-
lix on his ADA reasonable-accommodation claim.1 The ADA
1 Because we conclude that all of Belgrave’s claims fail on the merits, and be-
cause the parties and the district court addressed the merits, we do not con-
sider whether he adequately exhausted his administrative remedies. See Fort
Bend Cnty., Tex. v. Davis, 139 S. Ct. 1843, 1850–52 (2019) (holding that Title
VII’s exhaustion requirements are not jurisdictional); see also 42 U.S.C. §
12117(a) (incorporating for ADA actions Title VII’s “powers, remedies, and
procedures”). Cf. Santiago-Lugo v. Warden, 785 F.3d 467, 475 (11th Cir. 2015)
(holding that because the exhaustion requirement under 28 U.S.C. § 2241 “is
non-jurisdictional, even when the defense has been preserved and asserted by
the respondent throughout the proceeding, a court may skip over the exhaus-
tion issue if it is easier to deny (not grant, of course, but deny) the petition on
the merits without reaching the exhaustion question”).
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4 Opinion of the Court 22-13021
provides that an employer shall not discriminate against a qualified
employee based on that employee’s disability. 42 U.S.C.
§ 12112(a). An employer’s “failure to make reasonable accommo-
dation for an otherwise qualified disabled employee constitutes dis-
crimination under the ADA.” D’Angelo v. ConAgra Foods, Inc.,
422 F.3d 1220, 1225–26 (11th Cir. 2005) (citing 42 U.S.C.
§ 12112(b)). To establish a prima facie case of discrimination based
on an employer’s failure to accommodate, an employee may show,
in relevant part, that: (1) he has a disability; and (2) he is a “qualified
individual.” See id. at 1226. The ADA defines a “qualified individ-
ual” as someone with a disability who -- either with or without rea-
sonable accommodation -- can perform the essential functions of
his desired position. 42 U.S.C. § 12111(8); Holly v. Clairson Ind.,
LLC, 492 F.3d 1247, 1256 (11th Cir. 2007).
An accommodation is reasonable “only if it enables the em-
ployee to perform the essential functions of the job.” Holly, 492
F.3d at 1256 (emphasis added). The burden of identifying a reason-
able accommodation, and the “ultimate burden of persuasion with
respect to demonstrating that such an accommodation is reasona-
ble,” rests with the individual. Stewart v. Happy Herman’s Chesh-
ire Bridge, Inc., 117 F.3d 1278, 1286 (11th Cir. 1997). Reasonable
accommodations may include: “job restructuring, part-time or
modified work schedules, reassignment to a vacant position, acqui-
sition or modification of equipment or devices, appropriate adjust-
ment or modifications of examinations, training materials or poli-
cies, the provision of qualified readers or interpreters, and other
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22-13021 Opinion of the Court 5
similar accommodations for individuals with disabilities.” 42
U.S.C. § 12111(9)(B).
Importantly, however, an employer is not required to re-al-
locate job duties in order to change the essential function of the
job. Earl v. Mervyns, Inc., 207 F.3d 1361, 1367 (11th Cir. 2000).
Moreover, an employer is not obligated to “bump” another em-
ployee from a position to accommodate a disabled employee. Lu-
cas v. W.W. Grainger, Inc., 257 F.3d 1249, 1256 (11th Cir. 2001). In
addition, an individual seeking accommodation is not necessarily
entitled to the accommodation of his choice, but rather, only a rea-
sonable accommodation. Stewart, 117 F.3d at 1286.
Here, we assume arguendo that Belgrave properly pre-
served his arguments concerning his ADA claims in the district
court and that he does so again on appeal. 2 Nevertheless, Bel-
grave’s reasonable-accommodation claim fails as a matter of law,
since he did not meet his burden of identifying and requesting a
reasonable accommodation. As the record reveals, Belgrave’s
2 While Belgrave did not file objections to the magistrate judge’s R&R, he is
proceeding pro se and, like the district court, we accept a later filing by him as
sufficient to preserve his right to appeal this issue, as well as the others we’ll
address. See Smith v. Sch. Bd. of Orange Cnty., 487 F.3d 1361, 1366 (11th Cir.
2007) (construing a pro se filing liberally to hold that the plaintiff had timely
objected to the magistrate judge’s R&R). Cf. 11th Cir. R. 3-1 (explaining that
a party who fails to object to the magistrate judge’s R&R waives the right to
challenge unobjected-to factual and legal conclusions on appeal, but without
an objection, we may review an issue on appeal for plain error “if necessary in
the interests of justice”).
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duties at Publix included preparing and mixing pie dough -- which
involved operating industrial mixers and manually opening and
emptying ingredient containers -- and pushing mixed dough down
a production line. In his request for an accommodation, Belgrave
asked for one thing: a proposed “helper” to perform some or all of
his job for him -- as he testified, to help him “open the boxes, lift,
pull, whatever was needed for me to work, to do my job. What-
ever they asked me to do on a daily basis.”
But this request did not amount to an accommodation that
allowed Belgrave to work the essential functions of his job by him-
self. See Holly, 492 F.3d at 1256; see also Treadwell v. Alexander,
707 F.2d 473, 478 (11th Cir. 1983) (holding that an accommodation
is not reasonable if “it would have been necessary for the [em-
ployer] to require other [employees] to perform many of plaintiff’s
duties”). And, even if Belgrave’s request were construed as one to
restructure his job, Publix was not obligated to do so, to the extent
it would have entailed reallocating job duties or bumping another
employee from their position to accommodate Belgrave. See Earl,
207 F.3d at 1365; Lucas, 257 F.3d at 1256. 3 In any event, regardless
of whether Belgrave was unable to do his job with or without a
3 As for Belgrave’s claim in the district court that he asked Publix to adjust the
speed of the pie line equipment, he does not raise this issue in his brief on
appeal, and, therefore, has abandoned it. See Sapuppo, 739 F.3d at 681; Tim-
son, 518 F.3d at 874; see also Univ. of Ala. Bd. of Trs. v. New Life Art, Inc., 683
F.3d 1266, 1280 n.41 (11th Cir. 2012) (deeming an argument waived that was
not made in an appellant’s brief, even if it was made in an amicus brief).
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22-13021 Opinion of the Court 7
reasonable accommodation, he was not a qualified individual, as
we’ll explain next.
IV.
We likewise find no merit in Belgrave’s argument that the
district court erred in granting summary judgment to Publix on his
claim of disability discrimination or disparate treatment. Where
the plaintiff proffers circumstantial evidence to establish an ADA
claim, we apply the burden-shifting framework originally devel-
oped for Title VII claims. Earl, 207 F.3d at 1365. To establish a
prima facie case of disability discrimination under the ADA, the
employee may show that, at the time of the adverse employment
action, he (1) had a disability, (2) was a qualified individual, and
(3) was subjected to unlawful discrimination because of his disabil-
ity. Batson v. Salvation Army, 897 F.3d 1320, 1326 (11th Cir. 2018).
Under the ADA, a “disability” includes a physical or mental
impairment that substantially limits a major life activity of the in-
dividual, a record of such impairment, and acknowledgment of
having such an impairment. 42 U.S.C. § 12102(1). The plaintiff
must show that the employer treated similarly situated individuals
outside his protected class more favorably. Lewis v. City of Union
City, 918 F.3d 1213, 1220–21 (11th Cir. 2019) (en banc) (Lewis I).
Under the ADA, it is unlawful for an employer to discrimi-
nate against a qualified individual based on a disability regarding
the terms, conditions, and privileges of employment. 42 U.S.C.
§ 12112(a). As we’ve noted, a “qualified individual” is someone
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8 Opinion of the Court 22-13021
who can perform the essential functions of the position they hold
with or without reasonable accommodation. Id. § 12111(8). Thus,
an ADA plaintiff must show “either that he can perform the essen-
tial functions of his job without accommodation, or, . . . that he can
perform the essential functions of his job with a reasonable accom-
modation.” D’Angelo, 422 F.3d at 1229 (quotations omitted).
Here, Belgrave’s claim of disability discrimination or dispar-
ate treatment was without merit because he was not a qualified
individual within the meaning of the ADA. As the record shows,
there was no issue of material fact concerning whether Belgrave
could perform the essential functions of his job. See 42 U.S.C. §
12111(8); Batson, 897 F.3d at 1326. Specifically, the undisputed ev-
idence in the record indicated that, while Belgrave was disabled, he
was completely unable to work, something he testified to in his
worker’s compensation deposition. And there was nothing to sug-
gest that his abilities at the time of this deposition were any differ-
ent from his abilities at the time of his accommodation request; ra-
ther, at the deposition, he admitted that he was “still unable to
work.” Further, he never disputed Publix’s claim that he said he
was unable to work in June 2019. To the contrary, his 2019 request
for a full-time helper to perform essential aspects of the job demon-
strated that he was incapable of carrying out his duties in the dough
room at the time of his request.
Therefore, on the undisputed record, when Publix fired Bel-
grave, he necessarily could not perform the dough room tasks of
mixing and moving dough on the pie line. For a disparate
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treatment claim, he further had to show that Publix treated him
differently from similarly situated employees, but he offered no ev-
idence below to demonstrate differential treatment. Lewis, 918
F.3d at 1221. Thus, this claim lacks merit as well.
V.
Finally, we are unconvinced by Belgrave’s argument that
the district court erred in granting summary judgment on his retal-
iation claim. Title I of the ADA prohibits discrimination against an
individual on the basis that the individual “opposed any act or prac-
tice made unlawful by [the ADA]” or “made a charge, testified, as-
sisted, or participated in any manner in an investigation, proceed-
ing or hearing” conducted under the statute. 42 U.S.C. § 12203(a).
We evaluate retaliation claims brought under the ADA un-
der the same framework as applied to Title VII actions. Todd v.
Fayette Cnty. Sch. Dist., 998 F.3d 1203, 1219 (11th Cir. 2021).
Thus, when a plaintiff alleges retaliation under the ADA without
direct evidence of the employer’s retaliatory intent, courts will ap-
ply the burden-shifting framework we’ve described above. See Bat-
son, 897 F.3d at 1328–29. Under that framework, a plaintiff must
first establish a prima facie case of retaliation. Id. at 1329. To do
so under the ADA, the plaintiff may show that (1) he engaged in a
statutorily protected expression, (2) he suffered an adverse action,
and (3) there was a causal connection between the two. See id.To establish the first element, “it is sufficient that an em-
ployee have a good faith, objectively reasonable belief that his
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activity is protected by the [ADA].” Standard v. A.B.E.L. Servs.,
Inc., 161 F.3d 1318, 1328 (11th Cir. 1998), abrogated on other
grounds by Burlington N. & Santa Fe Ry. Co., 548 U.S. 53 (2006).
An employee participates in a protected activity when he makes “a
request for a reasonable accommodation.” Frazier-White v. Gee,
818 F.3d 1249, 1258 (11th Cir. 2016).
If a plaintiff makes out a prima facie case under the burden-
shifting framework, the employer must articulate a nondiscrimina-
tory reason for the adverse action. Batson, 897 F.3d at 1329. If it
does so, the employee must demonstrate that the employer’s prof-
fered reason was pretextual by presenting evidence sufficient to
“permit a reasonable factfinder to conclude that the reasons given
by the employer were not the real reasons for the adverse . . . deci-
sion.” Id. (quotations omitted). “A reason is not pretext for retali-
ation unless it is shown both that the reason was false, and that
retaliation was the real reason.” Gogel v. Kia Motors Mfg. of Ga.,
Inc., 967 F.3d 1121, 1136 (11th Cir. 2020) (quotations, emphases and
brackets omitted).
Here, the district court properly found that Belgrave failed
to make out a prima facie case of retaliation. First, Belgrave failed
to show that he engaged in a statutorily protected activity. He es-
sentially argued that Publix retaliated against him after he made a
report to HR concerning his treatment at work following his in-
jury, which included his request for a permanent helper. However,
as we’ve explained, Belgrave did not show that his accommodation
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request was reasonable, so he did not establish that he’d engaged
in a protected activity. See Frazier-White, 818 F.3d at 1258.
Nor did Belgrave establish causation or pretext. Even if Pub-
lix fired him shortly after his last head injury, it identified legiti-
mate, non-retaliatory reasons for doing so, which included a his-
tory of discipline for tardiness, poor job performance and insubor-
dination. Belgrave did not refute those reasons “head on” or show
that they were false and that the true motive was retaliatory. See
Chapman, 229 F.3d at 1030. Nor is there support for his claim that
Publix fired him only because he did not promptly fill out an ac-
knowledgment form that he was supposed to submit after missing
a safety meeting. Rather, the undisputed record indicates that Bel-
grave had a history of disciplinary issues, aside from this one form.
Thus, even if Belgrave had engaged in protected conduct, he did
not demonstrate the necessary level of causation or pretext.
AFFIRMED.