Dodi v. The Putnam Companies ( 1996 )


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  • USCA1 Opinion





    [NOT FOR PUBLICATION]
    UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
    FOR THE FIRST CIRCUIT




    ____________________

    No. 95-2266

    KOFI DODI,

    Plaintiff - Appellant,

    v.

    THE PUTNAM COMPANIES,

    Defendant - Appellee.

    ____________________

    APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

    FOR THE DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS

    [Hon. Robert E. Keeton, U.S. District Judge] ___________________

    ____________________

    Before

    Torruella, Chief Judge, ___________

    Cyr and Boudin, Circuit Judges. ______________

    _____________________

    Kevin G. Powers, with whom Robert S. Mantell and Law Office ________________ _________________ __________
    of Kevin G. Powers were on brief for appellant. __________________
    Ilene Robinson, with whom Louis A. Rodriques, Katherine J. ______________ ___________________ ____________
    Ross and Sullivan & Worcester LLP were on brief for appellee. ____ ________________________



    ____________________

    August 28, 1996
    ____________________



















    Per Curiam. Appellant-defendant Kofi Dodi ("Dodi") Per Curiam.

    appeals the district court's decision granting defendant-

    appellant The Putnam Companies ("Putnam") summary judgment. Dodi

    had filed suit under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,

    42 U.S.C. 2000e-3(a), and Mass. Gen. L. ch. 151B alleging

    discrimination on account of his race and national origin and/or

    retaliation for filing a charge with the Massachusetts Commission

    Against Discrimination ("MCAD"). The two issues before us are

    whether the court below abused its discretion in striking Dodi's

    two affidavits and portions of his Opposition to Summary

    Judgment; and whether it erred in granting the summary judgment.

    For the reasons stated herein, we affirm.

    BACKGROUND BACKGROUND

    We recite the following facts, drawn from the district

    court Memorandum and Order, in the light most favorable to the

    nonmovant. Equal Employment Opportunity Comm'n v. Green, 76 F.3d ___________________________________ _____

    19, 21 (1st Cir. 1996). Dodi is a United States citizen who was

    born in Ghana and is black. He began working for Putnam in 1984,

    and by 1987 was part of the Tax and Compliance unit. In December

    1989 or January 1990, the department was reorganized. A white

    female, Michelle Whalen ("Whalen"), was appointed Manager of the

    Tax and Compliance unit, a position Dodi desired, and which title

    he maintains was his prior to the reorganization and Whalen's

    appointment. Dodi complained to several individuals, including

    Robert Lucey, President of Putnam Investor Services. After he

    complained, Dodi was made the IRS Technical Manager: he contends


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    that his appointment was an effective demotion, while Putnam

    labels it a lateral move.

    In May 1990, Dodi filed a charge with MCAD alleging

    that he was demoted and denied promotion on account of his race

    and national origin. After he filed the charge, his rating in

    his performance reviews declined -- his rating dropped to

    "unsatisfactory" -- and the reviews suggested increased hostility

    between Dodi and his supervisors. Dodi contends that he was

    excluded from meetings and isolated from the department because

    of the complaint. Putnam fired Dodi in March 1991, roughly ten

    months after the filing of the MCAD complaint. He filed a second

    complaint in June 1991, alleging that he was terminated because

    of his race and national origin, or in retaliation for filing the

    1990 complaint, or both.

    MCAD dismissed the two complaints in December 1992, for

    lack of probable cause, a decision it affirmed in January of

    1993. Dodi filed a civil action in Massachusetts Superior Court,

    which Putnam removed to the Federal District Court. The parties

    made discovery requests and took depositions. Putnam filed a

    motion for summary judgment, which Dodi opposed. In June 1995,

    Putnam moved to strike portions of Dodi's Opposition to Summary

    Judgment (the "Opposition"). Dodi's opposition to the motion to

    strike contained an affidavit (the "first affidavit") with

    attachments. At a hearing in July 1995, the district court

    granted Putnam's motion to strike portions of Dodi's Opposition,

    and struck the first affidavit on its own initiative. It granted


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    Dodi's request for permission to submit supplemental information

    in support of the stricken statements in the Opposition. In late

    July Dodi filed a supplemental submission in opposition to

    Putnam's motion to strike, including another affidavit (the

    "second affidavit"). In August, Putnam moved to strike the

    second affidavit, and in October 1995, the district court granted

    Putnam's motion for summary judgment and its motion to strike the

    second affidavit. This appeal ensued.

    STRICKEN SUBMISSIONS STRICKEN SUBMISSIONS

    We begin with Dodi's argument that the district court

    erred in striking the affidavits and his Opposition since, if

    they were admissible, they would form part of the record on which

    the summary judgment would be evaluated. See Fed. R. Civ. P. ___

    56(c). We review the district court's decision to strike for

    abuse of discretion. See Green, 76 F.3d at 23 ("The district ___ _____

    court has broad authority to prescribe the evidentiary materials

    it will consider in deciding a motion for summary judgment.");

    see also Ramsdell v. Brooks, 64 F.3d 5, 8 (1st Cir. 1995), cert. ________ ________ ______ _____

    denied sub nom. Ramsdell v. Machias Savings Bank, __ U.S. __, 116 _______________ ________ ____________________

    S. Ct. 913 (1996); New England Anti-Vivisection Soc. v. U.S. ___________________________________ ____

    Surgical Corp., 889 F.2d 1198, 1204 (1st Cir. 1989). ______________

    Under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, affidavits

    "shall be made on personal knowledge, set forth such facts as

    would be admissible in evidence, and shall show affirmatively

    that the affiant is competent to testify to the matters stated

    therein." Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(e). Accordingly, if the affidavits


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    and Opposition Dodi submitted did not meet these criteria, the

    district court can hardly have abused its discretion in striking

    them. Cf. Posadas de Puerto Rico, Inc. v. Radin, 856 F.2d 399, ___ ____________________________ _____

    401 (1st Cir. 1988) (affirming that affidavit which does not meet

    the Rule 56 specificity requirement is insufficient to establish

    a genuine issue for trial); FDIC v. Rold n Fonseca, 795 F.2d ____ _______________

    1102, 1110 (1st Cir. 1986) (holding that where receipts submitted

    to support opposition to summary judgment constituted

    inadmissible hearsay, party failed to comply with Rule 56(e)).

    Having briefly set out our standard of review and the

    relevant legal framework, we turn to the particulars of Dodi's

    argument. As the parties have addressed the stricken documents

    according to subject, we follow suit.1

    Imitation of Dodi's Accent: The district court struck __________________________

    Dodi's statement in his Opposition that William McGue, Putnam's

    Managing Director, and Robert Frazer, a white manager, "made fun

    of Dodi's accent, and imitated him at meetings and during casual

    conversations." Dodi seeks to rely on a paragraph from his

    second affidavit in support of his assertion. We do not find

    that the district court abused its discretion in striking either
    ____________________

    1 In the course of his argument, Dodi several times invites this
    court to review his affidavits as a whole to determine whether
    they should have been struck and whether there is admissible
    evidence included in them. He does not, however, attempt to cull
    out the admissible portions or cite any authority. We find,
    therefore, that except for the portions he specifically
    discusses, he has waived his argument that the affidavits as a
    whole are admissible, as arguments made perfunctorily on appeal
    with no developed argument or support are deemed waived. See ___
    United States v. Zannino, 895 F.2d 1, 17 (1st Cir.), cert. ______________ _______ _____
    denied, 494 U.S. 1082 (1990). ______

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    the statement from the Opposition or the paragraph in the second

    affidavit. The statements in the paragraph are conclusory and

    lack specificity. Moreover, even if it were error to exclude the

    evidence, it would be harmless, for the imitation does not

    support Dodi's claim of retaliation, and as discussed below, that

    is the only cause of action remaining on appeal.

    Merit Raises: The district court struck Dodi's _____________

    statement in the Opposition that he "received raises based on

    merit," on the basis that there was nothing in the record as to

    what "merit" meant, or how and on what basis such raises were

    given. Dodi claims that statements from the stricken second

    affidavit provide such verified information. He also points to a

    computer printout entitled "Salary, Increase & Performance

    History Screen" which the district court struck as part of the

    first affidavit, as well as a memorandum sent to him from James

    Swinney, a Senior Vice President, dated January 2, 1990. We find

    that the district court did not abuse its discretion in striking

    these documents.

    Dodi claims that all three meet the requirements to be

    a business record exception to the hearsay rule. The

    requirements for the exception are clear: a "memorandum, report,

    record or data compilation, in any form" is admissible so long as

    it is

    made at or near the time by, or from
    information transmitted by, a person with
    knowledge, if kept in the course of a
    regularly conducted business activity,
    and if it was the regular practice of
    that business activity to make the

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    memorandum, report, record, or data
    compilation, all as shown by the
    testimony of the custodian or other
    qualified witness . . . .

    Fed. R. Evid. 803(6); see, e.g., E.E.O.C. v. Alton Packaging ___ ____ ________ _______________

    Corp., 901 F.2d 920, 926 (11th Cir. 1990). Dodi has not provided _____

    the required foundation for these three documents. First, Dodi

    misunderstands the application of the rule, which applies to

    memoranda, reports, and record or data compilation, not oral

    statements, in claiming that it covers oral statements made to

    him and mentioned in the second affidavit. Second, as for the

    computer printout, Dodi's statement that in his experience, "such

    documents are routinely generated by Defendant in the ordinary

    course of its business" falls far short of laying out the

    foundation Rule 803(6) requires. That it was provided to Dodi in

    discovery does not save it. Third, Dodi has also failed to lay

    out the foundation for the memorandum from Swinney: although he

    says he received it in the normal course of business on January

    2, 1990, and that it was generated and maintained in the ordinary

    course of business, we agree with Putnam that there is no support

    for these claims.

    Dodi faces similar foundational issues with his claim

    that the documents are also admissible as party admissions under

    Fed. R. Evid. 801(d)(2)(D). He has, to put it briefly, failed to

    show that the statements he cites to were made by Putnam's "agent

    or servant concerning a matter within the scope of the agency or

    employment, made during the existence of the relationship." Fed.

    R. Evid. 801(d)(2)(D). Mere assertion that they were so made

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    does not suffice.

    Even if some of these statements had been admissible,

    however, the court still would not have abused its discretion

    since, as Dodi notes in his brief, the court based its decision

    in part on the fact that there was no basis in the record as to

    what "merit" meant. In the cited portion of his second

    affidavit, Dodi notes that instructors from the human resources

    training department told him that "the Putnam policy was to give

    merit raises as a reward for satisfactory performance by

    employees." This statement is clearly not admissible under the

    business record exception, as he claims, since it was an oral

    statement. Fed. R. Evid. 803(6) (applicable to "[a] memorandum,

    report, record, or data compilation"). Nor is it a party

    admission, since he has not addressed the foundational

    requirements laid out in the rule itself.

    EEO-1 Report: Next Dodi argues that the district court ____________

    erred in striking a 1993 EEO-1 report of Putnam, and the

    corresponding portion of the first affidavit, which he claims

    evidences that he reasonably believed that race discrimination

    existed. In his support he notes that the report was provided in

    discovery, that Putnam is required by law to produce such reports

    (Dodi does not specify what law), and that it is a true and

    accurate copy of the document Putnam provided Dodi. We fail to

    see how the fact that a document was presented in discovery

    suffices to authenticate the document or lay the foundational

    requirements of Rule 803(6) or Rule 801(d)(2)(D). At any rate,


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    even if the district court erred, it would have been harmless

    error, since, as Dodi notes, this evidence goes to his prejudice

    claim, not his retaliation cause of action, which is his sole

    remaining cause of action.

    Swinney Memorandum: Dodi submitted a memorandum he ___________________

    wrote to Swinney, dated December 26, 1989, to show that he had

    complained about his treatment, in connection with his race

    discrimination claim. The district court struck the memorandum

    on hearsay grounds; we agree that the necessary foundation was

    missing. Dodi's citation of the fact that Putnam is required to

    generate and maintain a personnel file on its employees does not

    substitute for the witness testimony required to lay a

    foundation. Fed. R. Evid. 803(6). However, Dodi also notes that

    the memorandum is being used, in part, not to prove the truth of

    the matters asserted, but to demonstrate that Dodi complained of

    the subjectivity of his performance evaluations, in the context

    of opposition to perceived race discrimination. But this is a

    distinction without a difference, since there is no dispute that

    Dodi protested against perceived racism at Putnam. Nonetheless,

    because Swinney was involved in Dodi's termination and thus

    Dodi's retaliation claim, we shall consider the memorandum for

    this limited purpose in our review of the district court's grant

    of summary judgment.

    $10,000 Pay Disparity: Dodi next contests the district _____________________

    court's decision to strike a series of statements which alleged

    that for several years Dodi was paid a salary well below that of


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    white individuals, until he complained. The court struck the

    statements as conclusory. Having reviewed the cited deposition

    pages and statements from the second affidavit, we find no abuse

    of discretion in the ruling. Indeed, we agree with Putnam that

    Dodi's deposition does not support the premise that he perceived

    it as a race-based discrepancy in wages, but rather that

    allegation seems to arise only after the motion for summary

    judgment has appeared on the horizon. See Colantuoni v. Alfred ___ __________ ______

    Calcagni & Sons, Inc., 44 F.3d 1, 45 (1st Cir. 1994) ("When an ______________________

    interested witness has given clear answers to unambiguous

    questions, he cannot create a conflict and resist summary

    judgment with an affidavit that is clearly contradictory, but

    does not give a satisfactory explanation of why the testimony has

    changed."). Further, any error would be harmless, as the

    evidence of a pay disparity does not tend to prove retaliatory

    action, but rather goes to the discrimination claim waived on

    appeal.

    Qualifications of Michelle Whalen: Dodi contests the __________________________________

    district court's decision to strike portions of statements

    alleging that although Whalen was given a higher position than

    Dodi, she was less qualified for the position than Dodi. The

    cited deposition pages offer no evidence other than it was Dodi's

    belief that Whalen was less qualified, and inadmissible hearsay

    that she was management's choice. Dodi now points to excerpts

    from Whalen's personnel file and the job description, which have

    not been stricken, to support his position; Putnam in turn points


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    out that the promotion was based on managerial abilities, not

    just narrow technical expertise, and that Dodi fell far short of

    Whalen in the former category, even if he surpassed her in the

    latter.

    We need not address this debate, for even if the

    district court erred in striking the statements, the error was

    harmless. First, the evidence of whether Whalen was more or less

    qualified than Dodi goes to the waived discrimination claim, and

    not to the retaliation claim discussed below. Second, we remind

    Dodi of our repeated holding that "[c]ourts may not sit as super

    personnel departments, assessing the merits -- or even the

    rationality -- of employers' nondiscriminatory business

    decisions." Mesnick v. General Elec. Co., 950 F.2d 816, 835 (1st _______ _________________

    Cir. 1991), cert. denied, 504 U.S. 985 (1992); see also Hoeppner ____________ ________ ________

    v. Crotched Mountain Rehabilitation Ctr., 31 F.3d 9, 17 (1st Cir. _____________________________________

    1994).

    Bresnahan Memorandum: Dodi seeks to admit a memorandum ____________________

    sent from Leslee Bresnahan to Ray Lambert. However, once again,

    the fact that Putnam provided the document to Dodi in discovery

    does not establish its authenticity, and the fact that Putnam is

    required to generate and maintain a personnel file, providing

    employees a copy of it on demand, does not fulfill the

    foundational requirements of either Rule 801(d)(2)(D) or Rule

    803(6), as simply set out in those rules. The district court did

    not abuse its discretion in striking the memorandum.

    Pattern of Isolation: In his Opposition, Dodi claims _____________________


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    that after he complained about the reorganization, Jeff Levering,

    to whom Dodi was supposed to report, "altered his behavior

    towards Dodi, . . . no longer said positive things about Dodi's

    job performance, and . . . avoided talking with Dodi." He also

    alleges that he was ostracized, kept out of meetings, and that

    his co-workers "ceased interacting" with him. The district court

    struck the opinions as opinion and characterizations. Our review

    of the cited pages from Dodi's depositions and the second

    affidavit yields no grounds to find the district court abused its

    discretion in striking the statements. Dodi does not give

    specific incidents, place them in time, or give a yardstick by

    which to measure either the timeliness of his reviews or their

    content -- indeed, while he repeatedly discusses the supposed

    content of Levering's weekly status reports, he never actually

    refers to one.

    Failure to Provide Staff: Dodi challenges the district ________________________

    court's decision to strike from the Opposition the statement that

    Putnam "failed to give Dodi the permanent staff he requested."

    We find no abuse of discretion here, as Dodi cited no support for

    the statement in his Opposition. See Garside v. Osco Drug, Inc., ___ _______ _______________

    895 F.2d 46, 49 (1st Cir. 1990). Indeed, we agree with Putnam

    that, even if admitted as within Dodi's personal knowledge, Fed.

    R. Civ. P. 56(e), at best this statement can show only that Dodi

    did not get all the resources he requested: Dodi points to no

    evidence regarding Putnam's treatment of analogous request made

    by non-minority employees, or employees who had not filed MCAD


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    complaints, besides his own assertion that "other departments

    under McGue" were fully staffed.

    Other stricken statements: The district court properly _________________________

    struck the statement that McGue "failed to provide Dodi the

    supplies and materials necessary" to become more visible within

    the organization, as instructed. The cited deposition pages

    offer no admissible support for the proposition, and the passage

    he cites from the second affidavit constitutes argument and

    hearsay. Again, however, we note that even if admitted, the

    statement would at most have shown that Dodi did not get all the

    supplies he requested, since he does not point to evidence of the

    treatment of other, non-minority or non-complaining employees.

    Merely pointing out that other departments received printers or

    the like tells us very little.

    Finally, Dodi objects to the striking of four

    statements to the effect that after he made his complaint his

    work was reviewed in a less timely manner, he stopped receiving

    positive feedback or necessary information, and other employees

    received instructions to keep tabs on his actions and note

    everything he did. After review of the cited passages from his

    deposition and the second affidavit, we find that the district

    court did not abuse its discretion in striking the passages.

    SUMMARY JUDGMENT SUMMARY JUDGMENT

    Dodi references his cause of action for termination due

    to race or national origin in his statement of issues, but makes

    no more than the most cursory reference to it in his brief, and


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    makes no attempt at a developed argument that the district court

    erred in granting summary judgment on the claim. Accordingly, we

    deem it waived, Zannino, 895 F.2d at 17, and only consider his _______

    argument that the district court erred in granting summary

    judgment on his claim that he was retaliated against because of

    his opposition to discrimination.

    "We review a grant of summary judgment de novo and are

    guided by the same criteria as the district court; a grant of

    summary judgment cannot stand on appeal 'unless the record

    discloses no trialworthy issue of material fact and the moving

    party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.'" Green, 76 _____

    F.3d at 23, quoting Alexis v. McDonald's Restaurants of Mass., _______ ______ _________________________________

    Inc., 67 F.3d 341, 346 (1st Cir. 1995). We note that "our review ____

    will be most searching in cases, such as this, that turn upon the

    issue of motivation or intent." Rossy v. Roche Prods., Inc., 880 _____ __________________

    F.2d 621, 624 (1st Cir. 1989).

    We apply the McDonnell Douglas framework to Dodi's __________________

    retaliation claim. See McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, 411 ___ ________________________ _____

    U.S. 792 (1973); Oliver v. Digital Equip. Corp., 846 F.2d 103, 10 ______ ____________________

    (1st Cir. 1988). First, Dodi must establish a prima facie case ___________

    by showing that:

    (1) [he] engaged in a protected activity
    as an employee, (2) [he] was subsequently
    discharged from employment, and (3) there
    was a causal connection between the
    protected activity and the discharge.

    Hoeppner, 31 F.3d at 14. Under Massachusetts law, the framework ________

    is slightly different. To succeed,


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    the plaintiff must prove that she
    reasonably and in good faith believed
    that [Putnam] was engaged in wrongful
    discrimination, that [he] acted
    reasonably in response to [his] belief,
    and that [Putnam's] desire to retaliate
    against [him] was a determinative factor
    in its decision to terminate [his]
    employment.

    Tate v. Department of Mental Health, 645 N.E.2d 1159, 1165 (Mass. ____ ___________________________

    1995).

    Next, the burden shifts to Putnam to articulate a

    legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason for the discharge. If it

    does so, "in order to escape summary judgment under federal and

    [Massachusetts] law, [Dodi] must at least introduce sufficient ________

    evidence to permit the factfinder to infer that [Putnam's] stated

    reason for the termination was pretextual."2 Grant v. News Group _____ __________

    Boston, Inc., 55 F.3d 1, 7 (1995); see, e.g., Hoeppner, 31 F.3d ____________ ___ ____ ________

    at 14; LeBlanc v. Great American Ins. Co., 6 F.3d 836, 842-43 _______ ________________________

    (1st Cir. 1993), cert. denied, __ U.S. __, 114 S. Ct. 1398 _____________

    (1994); Blare v. Husky Injection Molding Sys., Boston, Inc., 646 _____ __________________________________________

    N.E.2d 111, 117 (Mass. 1995).

    The district court found that Dodi had not satisfied

    the third element of the prima facie case. Assuming nonetheless

    that Dodi could establish a prima facie case, it found that
    ____________________

    2 Dodi argues that proof of pretext is not always required.
    However, his reliance on Patterson v. McLean Credit Union, 491 _________ ____________________
    U.S. 164, 187 (1989), for that proposition is misplaced, since
    the cited passage notes that a petitioner can present a variety
    of types of evidence to establish pretext, not that it need not
    be established. Our case law offers no doubt that in retaliation
    claims, the McDonnell Douglas analysis requires a showing of __________________
    pretext. See, e.g., Grant, 55 F.3d at 7; Greenberg v. Union Camp ___ _____ _____ _________ __________
    Corp., 48 F.3d 22, 29 (1st Cir. 1995). _____

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    Putnam easily cleared the hurdle of articulating a reason for the

    dismissal -- that Dodi's work was viewed as sub-standard and that

    he received poor performance reviews, suggesting missed deadlines

    and poor communication between Dodi and his supervisors and his

    staff. Thus the court moved to the third step of the analysis,

    where it found that Dodi could not show that Putnam's asserted

    reason was pretextual.

    We also doubt that Dodi can make a prima facie case.

    However, even assuming that Dodi could meet the prima facie

    requirement, and acknowledging that Putnam has articulated a

    reason for the dismissal, we find that Dodi cannot meet the third

    requirement of the McDonnell Douglas analysis. Put simply, even _________________

    given the benefit of all inferences, he has not shown that

    Putnam's asserted reason was false, much less that its real

    motivation was retaliation. Like the district court before us,

    we have found no evidence on this record which supports a finding

    that his evaluations were inaccurate, or which reveals that Dodi

    was treated differently than his non-minority or non-complaining

    counterparts. See Wynne v. Tufts Univ. Sch. of Medicine, 976 ___ _____ _____________________________

    F.2d 791, 796 (1st Cir. 1992) ("When pretext is at issue in a

    discrimination case, it is a plaintiff's duty to produce specific

    facts which, reasonably viewed, tend logically to undercut the

    defendant's position."), cert. denied, 507 U.S. 1030 (1993). ____________

    Dodi makes much of the fact that McGue learned of

    Dodi's MCAD complaint on the day he decided to terminate Dodi, at

    a meeting in which McGue and Swinney -- who testified at his


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    deposition that he was very angry about the claim -- discussed

    Dodi's termination. We do not doubt that the timing of when the

    relevant decision maker learned that a complaint was filed and

    when the dismissal occurred can be demonstrative of retaliation.

    See Oliver, 846 F.2d at 110. Indeed, the timing of the ___ ______

    discussion here weighs in favor of Dodi having made a prima facie

    case. See Wyatt v. City of Boston, 35 F.3d 13, 16 (1st Cir. ___ _____ _______________

    1994) (finding that timing of employer's knowledge of protected

    activity and dismissal helps establish a prima facie case);

    Rowlett v. Anheuser-Busch, Inc., 832 F.2d 194, 202 (1st Cir. _______ ____________________

    1987) (same).

    However, "[t]he filing of an MCAD complaint is not some

    magic shield that insulates the employee from termination

    regardless of the circumstances." District Court Memorandum and

    Order, at 15. Dodi himself notes that the reference to his MCAD

    claim was made "in passing." We fail to see how a passing

    reference can suffice to show that Putnam's asserted reason for

    firing Dodi was a pretext,3 especially as Dodi points to nothing

    else of real substance in his support: the "history" of

    retaliation he argues existed, as well as the alleged

    inconsistencies in who claimed authority to fire him, and why, do
    ____________________

    3 Dodi's reliance on College-Town, Division of Interco, Inc. v. _______________________________________
    Massachusetts Comm'n Against Discrimination, 508 N.E.2d 587 ______________________________________________
    (Mass. 1987), is misplaced. There, the reference to the
    complaint was dramatically greater than here: the employee was
    told "'Loretta, it has come to my attention that you are suing
    College-Town. It's been done before. Here is your vacation,
    your severance pay or whatever, and good luck. May I have your
    badge?'" Id. at 590. The circumstances here in no way rise to ___
    the level of these facts.

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    little, if anything, to further his cause. "In this circuit, we

    have always required not only 'minimally sufficient evidence of

    pretext,' but evidence that overall reasonably supports a finding

    of [retaliation]," and Dodi has not met that mark. LeBlanc, 6 _______

    F.3d at 842-43 (quoting Goldman v. First Nat'l Bank of Boston, _______ _______ ___________________________

    985 F.2d 1113, 1117 (1st Cir. 1993)).

    CONCLUSION CONCLUSION

    For the foregoing reasons, the decision of the district

    court granting Putnam summary judgment is affirmed. affirmed ________




































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