Smiley v. Columbia College Chicago

Federal 7th Circuit Court
Civil Court
Employment Discrimination
Citation
Case Number: 
No. 10-3747
Decision Date: 
April 30, 2013
Federal District: 
N.D. Ill., E. Div.
Holding: 
Affirmed
Dist. Ct. did not err in granting defendant-employer’s motion for summary judgment in plaintiff-employee’s Title VII action alleging that she was terminated from her teacher’s position on account of her race and/or national origin after investigating complaint by student that plaintiff had isolated and singled him out for being Jewish. Record showed that defendant made termination decision after interviewing complaining student and plaintiff, during which plaintiff acknowledged that her teaching style involved goofing around with her students and teasing them. Thus, defendant could properly conclude that plaintiff’s termination was warranted based upon expectation that its instructors would teach classes in professional manner. Ct. rejected plaintiff’s claim that defendant’s investigation of complaint was deficient because it failed to interview other students in her class, where record showed that defendant’s other investigations occurred in similar manner.