A federal judge has recommended that a lawsuit against Life University in Georgia proceed to trial, rejecting the university’s request for summary judgment.
The lawsuit, filed by Barrett & Farahany partners Matthew Billips and Benjamin Stark on behalf of Ron Brown, a Black groundskeeper, alleged he was fired in retaliation for repeatedly reporting his supervisor’s mistreatment of Black workers. Brown alleged that his supervisor, Javier Cabanas, made racist comments about Black employees and accused them of misconduct while overlooking similar behavior from non-Black workers. After Brown reported Cabanas for supposedly helping a Hispanic temporary employee falsify her time sheet, he was fired.
Life University claimed that Brown was terminated for berating a subordinate with profanity and falsifying his own time sheet. However, U.S. Magistrate Judge Linda T. Walker found sufficient evidence suggesting that the university’s reasons for firing Brown were fabricated, stating, “Based on the swiftness of plaintiff’s termination and the cursory investigation that preceded it, a jury could reasonably infer that [Grounds Department Head Colin Hilley and Human Resources Manager Monica Ward] were not genuinely concerned about whether plaintiff falsified his August 12 time entry but instead looking for an excuse to fire him.”
Additionally, Judge Walker noted that the university’s disciplinary actions against Brown for borrowing equipment—despite it being common practice for groundskeeping employees—could be seen as retaliatory. Brown’s claims of racial discrimination were also supported by the “cat’s paw” theory, suggesting that Cabanas’ racial bias influenced the decision to terminate him.
B&F Partner Benjamin Stark says he is looking forward to Brown’s day in court, stating, “Ron Brown repeatedly stood up in defense of himself and his fellow Black employees against a racist supervisor. When this supervisor got sick of Mr. Brown’s opposition to discrimination, Life University threw together a hastily concocted, transparently false justification to fire him.”
Learn more in this Law360 article.
