United States First Circuit

Summary judgment in favor of defendants in plaintiff's action alleging that his public career position with Puerto Rico's State Insurance Fund Corporation (SIFC) was improperly annulled following a change in administration, is affirmed, where: 1) assuming plaintiff has made a prima facie case, defendants were entitled to summary judgment on the basis of the "Mt. Healthy defense," which requires proving by a preponderance of the evidence that the governmental agency would have taken the same action against the employee even in the absence of the protected conduct; and 2) plaintiff has failed to produce any evidence that undermines defendants' proffered nondiscriminatory reasons for his reclassification and later termination.

Appellate Information

• Decided 06/19/2014
• Published 06/19/2014

Judges

• LYNCH

Court

• United States First Circuit

Counsel