Owens v. Old Wisconsin Sausage Co.

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 personnel manager’s position on account of her gender. While plaintiff argued that she was terminated because she had refused to answer “discriminatory questions” as to whether she had personal relationship with co-worker whom she had role in hiring and whom she had supervised, plaintiff failed to show that similarly situated male supervisor who was in undisclosed relationship with subordinate was treated more favorably. Fact that subject male subordinate also failed to answer question regarding existence of relationship with plaintiff did not constitute evidence of gender discrimination, since subordinate was not supervisor and had not been involved in any hiring decision. Also, plaintiff failed to establish viable retaliation claim arising out of her observation to management that its questioning about her relationship with subordinate was “borderline sexual harassment,” since there was no evidence that plaintiff held good-faith belief in truth of her observation, especially where investigation was generated only after co-workers had complained about plaintiff’s relationship with subordinate.