Grant v. The Trustees of Indiana University

Dist. Ct. did not err in granting defendant-employer’s motion for summary judgment in action by plaintiff-tenured professor, alleging that plaintiff was terminated on account of his race and in retaliation for filing affirmative action complaints. Plaintiff failed to properly support his claims during summary judgment process, and record otherwise showed that plaintiff was terminated after university officials believed that he had made several misrepresentations in his curriculum vitae in terms of prior teaching and work experience. Moreover, record failed to support plaintiff’s “cat’s paw” theory that others who had discriminatory motive had influenced decision-maker to terminate him, where: (1) plaintiff failed to provide factual link between information provided by biased individuals and termination decision; and (2) termination decision was influenced by report from third-party entity, which was hired to investigate plaintiff’s academic background. Dist. Ct. could also reject plaintiff's due process claim, where: (1) plaintiff eventually terminated his internal appeal of termination decision before appeal could be resolved; (2) defendant provided plaintiff with opportunities to respond to charges against him, and plaintiff filed written responses to said charges; and (3) plaintiff failed to present evidence that charges against him were false.