Summary Judgment Granted In Employment Matter

Chip Chiles and Christoph Keller defeated a plaintiff’s federal-court claims against her former employer for sexual discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and breach of a collective bargaining agreement.  On summary judgment, the Eastern District of Arkansas held that plaintiff failed to make her prima facie case of discrimination and retaliation and also failed to show a genuine issue of fact as to whether the employer’s nondiscriminatory reason for terminating her employment was pretext.  The court rejected plaintiff’s claim regarding the collective bargaining agreement, holding that plaintiff failed to provide evidence that the union acted in bad faith despite the fact that the union admitted that plaintiff asked union officials to file grievances on her behalf and they failed to do so.