Petit v. City of Chicago

31 F. Supp. 2d 604, 1998 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20549, 77 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 46,248, 1998 WL 919716
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Illinois
DecidedSeptember 11, 1998
Docket90 C 4984
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 31 F. Supp. 2d 604 (Petit v. City of Chicago) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Petit v. City of Chicago, 31 F. Supp. 2d 604, 1998 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20549, 77 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 46,248, 1998 WL 919716 (N.D. Ill. 1998).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

HART, District Judge.

This lawsuit concerns the Chicago, Illinois Police Department’s 1985-1988 sergeant promotional examination (the “1985-88 examination”) that produced a 1988 eligibility list used between December 1988 and September 1991 in promoting 458 patrol officers to the rank of sergeant. The plaintiffs in this case are 326 individual officers and Lodge 7 of the Fraternal Order of Police (the “FOP”), 1 a union representing Chicago police officers below the rank of sergeant. The individual plaintiffs claim that defendant City of Chicago 2 committed racial or national origin discrimination in violation of 42 U.S.C. § 1983 by adjusting scores on the 1985-88 examination based on the race of the test taker (“racial standardization”). The adjustments favored African-Americans and Hispanics. All or most of the individual plaintiffs are non-Hispanic Whites. The individual plaintiffs, as well as the FOP, further complain that defendant discriminated by promoting Hispanics and women 3 out of the order in which they were ranked based on the racially standardized test. 4

Defendant moves for partial summary judgment seeking to (a) dismiss certain plaintiffs; (b) dismiss all the racial standardization claims; and (c) dismiss any remaining claims for injunctive relief. Defendant argues that 240 of the individual plaintiffs lack *607 standing because they would not have been among the 458 officers promoted to sergeant even if racial standardization had not been applied. Also, defendant argues four individuals were not affected by racial standardization because they were promoted at the same time as they would have been even if there had-been no racial standardization. As to the other 82 plaintiffs whose promotions were affected by racial standardization, defendant contends their claims fail because the undisputed evidence shows that the City had a permissible basis for applying racial standardization. The City contends that it was justified in applying racial standardization because, otherwise, use of the 1985-88 examination results would have had an adverse impact on African-Americans and Hispanics, thereby violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq. If defendant’s motion is granted in its entirety, there will still be 42 plaintiffs who have pending claims based on being affected by the out-of-rank-order promotions of Hispanics and women.

As to the FOP, defendant contends that the FOP lacks standing to bring monetary claims for individual members’ denial of promotion. The FOP also prays for declaratory and injunctive relief, including that those who received promotions because of racial standardization have their promotions declared null and void. As to voiding the promotions, defendant contends that such relief is only permitted in limited circumstances that are not present in this case. As to any other declaratory or injunctive relief, defendant argues that such relief is moot because the City no longer engages in such preferential, out-of-rank-order promotions. For the same reason, the City argues that the individual plaintiffs’ prayer for injunctive relief based on out-of-rank-order promotions is moot. As to the individual plaintiffs’ prayer for injunctive relief based on racial standardization, the City argues that such relief is moot because the 1985-88 examination results have not been used since 1991, subsequent examinations were not adjusted for racial standardization, and there is no evidence that the City is likely to use racial standardization in the future.

On a motion for summary judgment, the entire record is considered with all reasonable inferences drawn in favor of the non-movant and all factual disputes resolved in favor of the nonmovant. Valance v. Wisel, 110 F.3d 1269, 1274 (7th Cir.1997); Patel v. Allstate Insurance Co., 105 F.3d 365, 367 (7th Cir.1997). The burden of establishing a lack of any genuine issue of material fact rests on the movant. Essex v. United Parcel Service, Inc., 111 F.3d 1304, 1308 (7th Cir. 1997). The nonmovants, however, must make a showing sufficient to establish any essential element for which they will bear the burden of proof at trial. Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986); Wintz v. Northrop Corp., 110 F.3d 508, 512 (7th Cir.1997). The movant need not provide affidavits or deposition testimony showing the nonexistence of such essential elements. Celotex, 477 U.S. at 324, 106 S.Ct. 2548. Also, it is not sufficient to show evidence of purportedly disputed facts if those facts are not plausible in light of the entire record. See NLFC, Inc. v. Devcom Mid-America, Inc., 45 F.3d 231, 236 (7th Cir.), cert. denied, 515 U.S. 1104, 115 S.Ct. 2249, 132 L.Ed.2d 257 (1995); Covalt v. Carey Canada, Inc., 950 F.2d 481, 485 (7th Cir.1991); Collins v. Associated Pathologists, Ltd., 844 F.2d 473, 476-77 (7th Cir.), cert. denied, 488 U.S. 852, 109 S.Ct. 137, 102 L.Ed.2d 110 (1988). As the Seventh Circuit has summarized:

The moving party bears the initial burden of directing the district court to the determinative issues and the available evidence that pertains to each. “[A] party seeking summary judgment always bears the initial responsibility of informing the district court of the basis for its motion, and identifying those portions of ‘the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any’ which it believes demonstrate the absence of a genuine issue of material fact.” Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 323, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986); id. at 325, 106 S.Ct. 2548 (“the burden on the moving party may be discharged by ‘showing’ — that is, pointing out to the district court — that there is an absence of evidence to support *608 the nonmoving party’s case”). Then, with respect to issues that the non-moving party will bear the burden of proving at trial, the non-moving party must come forward with affidavits, depositions, answers to interrogatories or admissions and designate specific facts which establish that there is a genuine issue for trial. Id. at 324, 106 S.Ct. 2548. The non-moving party cannot rest on the pleadings alone, but must designate specific facts in affidavits, depositions, answers to interrogatories or admissions that establish that there is a genuine triable issue. Id.

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31 F. Supp. 2d 604, 1998 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20549, 77 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 46,248, 1998 WL 919716, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/petit-v-city-of-chicago-ilnd-1998.