Wallace v. Methodist Hosp. Sys.
No. 00-20255 (5th Cir. Nov. 7, 2001)

A nurse formerly employed by a hospital system sued her former employer claiming that her termination constituted sexual discrimination in violation of Title VII and the Texas Commission on Human Rights Act. The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed the trial court's decision in favor of the hospital holding that the nurse was unable to proffer evidence to rebut each of the hospital's legitimate nondiscriminatory reasons for the nurse's termination. The court, in part relying on evidence that the nurse had been consistently accommodated during her two previous pregnancies and had previously received positive work evaluations and a merit raise, found that the nurse was fired for falsifying medical records one month before she was to begin her third maternity leave. Additionally, the court held that certain potentially discriminatory comments made by an associate were not indicative of her having been fired for discrimination because the associate was not involved in the decision to terminate the nurse.