Gray v. Arrow Electronics, Inc.

Filing 72

MEMORANDUM Opinion and Order signed by the Honorable Edmond E. Chang. For the reasons stated in the Opinion, Defendant Arrow Electronics' motion 42 for summary judgment is granted in its entirety and the case is dismissed with prejudice. The status hearing of 04/04/2019 is vacated. A final A0-450 judgment will be entered on the docket separately. Civil case terminated. Emailed notice(slb, )

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS
EASTERN DIVISION
KATHRYN M. GRAY,
Plaintiff,
v.
ARROW ELECTRONICS, INC.,
Defendant.

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No. 16-cv-09719
Judge Edmond E. Chang

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER
Plaintiff Kathryn Gray worked as a sales representative for Defendant Arrow
Electronics. Gray was let go in 2015 and, shortly thereafter, brought claims against
Arrow for age and gender discrimination under the Age Discrimination in
Employment Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, and the Illinois Human Rights Act.
See 29 U.S.C. § 621 et seq.; 42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq.; 775 ILCS 5/1-101 et seq.; R. 1,
Compl. ¶¶ 27-50.1 She also brought a claim for breach of contract, alleging that Arrow
breached its own employee handbook and code of conduct when it fired her based on
her age and gender. Compl. ¶¶ 51-61. Arrow now moves for summary judgment on
all claims. R. 43, Def. Br. For the reasons stated below, the motion is granted in its
entirety.

1This

Court has subject matter jurisdiction over this case under 28 U.S.C. §§ 1331 and
1367. Citations to the docket are indicated by “R.” followed by the docket entry.

I. Background
In deciding Arrow’s motion for summary judgment, the Court views the
evidence in the light most favorable to the non-movant, Gray. Matsushita Elec. Indus.
Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 587 (1986). Kathryn Gray began working as
a sales representative at Arrow Electronics in 1995. R. 62, Exh. 1, Gray Dep. at 25:1417. Before that, Gray worked for six years as an outside sales representative at
Anthem Electronics, which was bought out by Arrow in 1995. Id. at 23:18-25:18, 26:416. Arrow describes itself as a “global provider of products, services, and solutions to
industrial and commercial users of electronic components and enterprise computing
solutions.” R. 45, DSOF ¶ 2. The company is broken out into two business groups: (1)
the Alliance group, which serves strategic customers with larger accounts; and (2) the
Arrow Electronics Components (AEC) group, which serves the remainder of Arrow’s
customers. Gray Dep. at 26:17-23, 32:3-5; R. 45.6, McShan Dep. at 30:19-23.
Gray’s primary account at Arrow was Motorola, a long-time customer which
was initially serviced through the Alliance group. Gray Dep. at 26:24-27:3, 29:1330:20, 32:10-15, 33:12-16. Gray worked as an outside sales representative in Alliance
until around 2012, when she began to split her time between Alliance and AEC. Gray
Dep. at 32:16-33:2. During this period, Gray serviced several non-Motorola, smaller
accounts through AEC: specifically, customers Ubiquity, Cambium, Continental, and
a division of Honeywell. Gray Dep. at 37:12-39:13. Gray’s direct manager at this time
was William Wray, an Arrow Customer Project Manager in the Alliance group. Gray
Dep. at 35:4-12, 45:23-46:4; R 62, Exh. 3, Wray Dep. at 19:22-20:2, 24:2-8, 31:15-32:4.

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During her tenure at Arrow, Gray received positive feedback and was considered to
be someone that met and sometimes exceeded expectations. Wray Dep. at 41:3-44:8;
Gray Dep. at 72:17-20.
Arrow asserts that, by 2013, Motorola’s business with the company had
significantly declined. Wray Dep. at 31:11-14, 33:18-24, 45:5-11. At this time, Arrow
transitioned Gray’s other accounts to different sales representatives in AEC who were
new to the group following Arrow’s acquisition of another company called Nu Horizon.
Gray Dep. at 36:14-39:13. As a result, by December 2013, Gray’s accounts were
reduced to only Motorola and Arris (a Motorola spin off) and she was asked to work
part-time. Gray Dep. at 36:2-11, 37:12-39:13, 46:5-14, 108:20-109:2; Wray Dep. at
42:9-22, 43:17-24, 44:9-24. Gray was 65 years old at that time. Gray Dep. at 7:17-20.
During her deposition, Gray admitted that Wray offered her the part time position in
order to save her job at Arrow. Gray Dep. at 137:9-11.
Almost a year later, beginning in November 2014, Arrow hired three male
employees in the AEC group. Matthew Jaske was hired as an account development
representative (the parties label that job title as “ADR”) on November 3, 2014; Jason
Rogers was hired as an outside sales representative on December 15, 2014; and Brian
Rumpf was hired as an ADR on January 5, 2015. R. 45.4, Jaske Dep. a 16:5-12; R.
45.13, Farnsworth Dec. ¶ 7; R. 45.8, Rumpf Dep at 11:24-12:17. 2 All three of these
employees were male and significantly younger than Gray: Jaske was 31, Rogers was

2Rumpf

was originally hired as a summer intern/apprentice on June 9, 2014. He was
first hired as a full-time employee on January 5, 2015, while he was still an undergraduate
student at the University of Wisconsin. Farnsworth Dec. ¶7(c); Rumpf Dep. at 9:4-10, 9:2110:9; 10:16-12:11.

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37 and Rumpf was 23. Jaske Dep. at 16:10-12; R. 45.7, Rogers Dep. at 7:17-21; Rumpf
Dep. at 18:23-19:1. Michael Emme, a Field Sales Representative at AEC, and David
Butler, AEC’s General Manager, were in charge of hiring all three. R. 62, Exh. 2,
Emme Dep at 19:4-21:24, 24:11-26:24-; Wray Dep. at 88:1-17; see also R. 63, Pl. Resp.
to DSOF ¶ 14.
By the end of 2014, Motorola’s business with Arrow had changed to such a
degree that the company decided to shift the account from Alliance to AEC. Wray
Dep. at 33:12-24; McShan Dep. at 63:22-64:13, 83:11-85:24; Gray Dep. at 32:10-15.
The parties dispute what happened to Gray’s position following the shift. Arrow
asserts that Gray’s position was eliminated because there were resources in place
within AEC to handle the Motorola account. McShan Dep. at 63:22-64:13, 91:14-92:5;
R. 62, Troisi Dep. at 79:20-86:21, 132:4-133:2; Wray Dep. at 45:21-47:2. Gray, on the
other hand, asserts that Arrow transferred all her responsibilities to Rogers. Gray
Dep. at 20:4-19, 109:3-21; see also Emme Dep. at 74:6-20. In any event, Arrow
terminated Gray’s employment on January 23, 2015; she was 66 at the time. Gray
Dep. at 7:17-20, 58:17-59:8. The decision to let Gray go was made by Wray; Director
of Strategic Sales, Frank McShan; and Human Resources Director, Eileen Troisi.
McShan Dep. at 85:14-90:1; Troisi Dep. at 127:2-129:24; Wray Dep. at 46:1-47:2.
Arrow concedes that, by March 2015, Rogers was handling both the Motorola and
Arris accounts. Def. Br. at 8.
The parties also dispute whether there was an available position for Gray
within Arrow when she was fired. Arrow asserts that it tried to find a new position

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for Gray before she was let go, but that, at the time, there were no openings in the
company for which she was qualified . McShan Dep. at 85:14-86:23, 88:17-90:1,
104:14-24; Wray Dep. at 52:7-53:7. Arrow also argues that Michael Emme—a Field
Sales Representative in AEC and the employee in charge of hiring for that group—
believed that Gray would not be motivated to perform in an ADR role because it came
with a significantly lower salary ($36,000 plus commissions) than Gray’s salary as an
outside sales representative ($60,000 plus commissions), while also requiring her to
work full time. Emme Dep. at 57:2-58:6, 86:6-87:10; Gray Dep 180:12-182:2. In
response, Gray contends that there were open positions within AEC that should have
been offered to her and points out that AEC continued to grow and hire additional
ADRs following her firing. Pl’s Resp. to DSOF, ¶ 32; R. 63, PSOF, ¶ 83; see also Emme
Dep. at 20:16-22:6. Some of the ADRs hired around the time Gray was fired were
promoted to outside sales representative within a year of being hired. Jaske Dep. at
16:1-23; Emme Dep. at 44:4-18.
In October 2016, Gray filed this lawsuit, alleging that Arrow violated the Age
Discrimination in Employment Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, and the Illinois
Human Rights Act. See Compl. ¶¶ 27-50. She also brought a breach of contract claim
alleging that Arrow violated its own employee handbook and code of conduct. Id. at
¶¶ 51-61. Arrow now seeks summary judgment on all of Gray’s claims. R. 43, Def’s
Br.
II. Legal Standard
Summary judgment must be granted “if the movant shows that there is no
genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a
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matter of law.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a). A genuine issue of material fact exists if “the
evidence is such that a reasonable jury could return a verdict for the nonmoving
party.” Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248 (1986). In evaluating
summary judgment motions, courts must “view the facts and draw reasonable
inferences in the light most favorable to the” non-moving party. Scott v. Harris, 550
U.S. 372, 378 (2007) (cleaned up).3 The Court may not weigh conflicting evidence or
make credibility determinations, Omnicare, Inc. v. UnitedHealth Grp., Inc., 629 F.3d
697, 704 (7th Cir. 2011) (cleaned up), and must consider only evidence that can “be
presented in a form that would be admissible in evidence.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c)(2).
The party seeking summary judgment has the initial burden of showing that there is
no genuine dispute and that they are entitled to judgment as a matter of law.
Carmichael v. Village of Palatine, 605 F.3d 451, 460 (7th Cir. 2010); see also Celotex
Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 323 (1986); Wheeler v. Lawson, 539 F.3d 629, 634 (7th
Cir. 2008). If this burden is met, the adverse party must then “set forth specific facts
showing that there is a genuine issue for trial.” Anderson, 477 U.S. at 256.
III. Analysis
A. Age and Sex Discrimination Claims
Gray’s primary claim is that Arrow discriminated against her in violation of
the ADEA, the IHRA, and Title VII when it fired her and gave her accounts to
younger, male employees. R. 62, Pl. Br. at 4-6. The Seventh Circuit applies the same

3This

opinion uses (cleaned up) to indicate that internal quotation marks, alterations,
and citations have been omitted from quotations. See Jack Metzler, Cleaning Up Quotations,
18 Journal of Appellate Practice and Process 143 (2017).

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overall analysis to claims under Title VII, the ADEA, and the IHRA. See David v. Bd.
of Tr. of Cmty. Coll. Dist. No., 508, 846 F.3d 216, 225 (7th Cir. 2017); Ortiz v. Werner
Enterprises, Inc., 834 F.3d 760, 766 (7th Cir. 2016). A plaintiff seeking to recover for
disparate treatment under these statutes must prove at trial, by a preponderance of
the evidence, that their age or sex caused the challenged adverse employment action.
Carson v. Lake Cty., Indiana, 865 F. 3d 526, 532 (7th Cir. 2017).
In McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green. 411 U.S. 792, 802 (1973), the Supreme
Court set forth a now well-known way to evaluate employment-discrimination claims.
This method “is a means of organizing, presenting, and assessing circumstantial
evidence in frequently recurring factual patterns found in discrimination cases.”
David, 846 F.3d at 224. Under this approach, Gray must first establish a prima facie
case of discrimination. McDonnell Douglas, 411 U.S. at 802. If she does this, then the
burden shifts to Arrow to articulate a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason for Gray’s
firing. Id.; see also Carson, 865 F.3d at 533. If Arrow succeeds in this endeavor, then
the burden shifts back to Gray to show that Arrow’s stated reason for her firing “was
in fact pretext.” McDonnell, 411 U.S. at 804.
1. Prima Facie Case
To establish a prima facie case of discrimination, Gray must show that (1) she
is a member of a protected class; (2) she met the employer’s legitimate expectations;
(3) she suffered a materially adverse employment action; and (4) her duties were
absorbed by an employee who was male or substantially younger. Johal v. Little Lady
Foods, Inc., 434 F.3d 943, 946 (7th Cir. 2006). Here—a single-discharge case where
duties were absorbed by another employee—Gray does not need to show that
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similarly situated employees were treated better than she was, because
discrimination can be inferred when a plaintiff is constructively “replaced” by others
outside of the protected class. Michas v. Health Cost Controls of Illinois, Inc., 209 F.3d
687, 693 (7th Cir. 2000). This is sometimes referred to as a “mini-RIF” analysis. Id.
Arrow concedes that Gray can show the first three elements in the prima facie
analysis but argues that she “cannot establish the fourth element: that her duties
were absorbed by employees who were male, or who were substantially younger.” Def.
Br. at 8. Arrow instead asserts that Gray’s position was eliminated entirely and that
“Rogers’ assumption of responsibility for what was left of Gray’s accounts over a
month after she was terminated is not sufficient to establish the fourth element of
the prima facie case.” Id.
Based on the record evidence, that argument is not persuasive. Arrow concedes
that, just over one month after Gray’s firing, Rogers was already covering both of
Gray’s accounts—Motorola and Arris. Def. Br. at 8; see also Rogers Dep. at 77:3-20.
Arrow contends that the time lapse between Gray’s firing on January 23, 2015 and
Rogers assumption of the accounts in March 2015 means that Gray’s duties were not
transferred to him. That contention falls far short of viewing the evidence in the light
most favorable to Gray. Wray admitted that the account was first given to David
Butler, the general manager of AEC, who was responsible for assigning the account
to a sales representative in his department. Wray Dep. at 88:1-14. After receiving the
account, Butler assigned it to the much younger, male Rogers. Id. at 81:2-21, 88:1517. Nothing about this sequence of events undermines Gray’s argument that her

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duties were transitioned to someone outside of her protected class. In other words—
whether the period between the end of January 2015 and March 2015 was a
transition period or simply lag time—Gray has enough evidence to show that her
duties were transitioned to a younger, male employee. And she is thus able to make
out a prima facie case of discrimination.
2. Nondiscriminatory Reason for the Termination
Once an employee establishes a prima facie case, the burden shifts to the
employer to articulate a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason for firing the employee.
David, 846 F.3d at 225. Arrow has done so here. According to the company, Gray’s
primary account—Motorola—had significantly reduced its business with Arrow
before Gray’s firing. Wray Dep. at 31:11-14, 33:18-24, 45:5-11. Due to this decline,
Arrow shifted Motorola to a different division within the company because its place
and importance within the Arrow portfolio had changed. Wray Dep. at 33:12-24;
McShan Dep. at 63:22-64:13, 83:11-85:24; Gray Dep. at 32:10-15. This is sufficient to
show that there was a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason for terminating Gray’s
employment—a substantial decline in business from Gray’s primary account. See
Hemsworth v. Quotesmith. Com, Inc., 476 F. 3d 487, 492 (7th Cir. 2007) (an employer’s
financial losses is a legitimate, non-discriminatory reason), overruled on other
grounds by Ortiz v. Werner Enterprises, Inc., 834 F.3d 760, 765 (7th Cir. 2016);
Merillat v. Metal Spinners, Inc., 470 F.3d 685, 694 (7th Cir. 2006) (poor financial
performance of the employer and “economic softening in the marketplace” are
legitimate, non-discriminatory reasons); Chiaramonte v. Fashion Bed Group, Inc.,
129 F. 3d 391, 398-401 (7th Cir. 1997) (a need to reduce operating costs and a
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determination that the plaintiff’s job is not essential to the company’s continued
operations is a legitimate, non-discriminatory reason), overruled on other grounds by
Ortiz, 834 F.3d at 765; Hill v. Burrell Communications Group, Inc., 67 F. 3d 665, 669
(7th Cir. 1995) (downsizing is a legitimate, non-discriminatory reason), overruled on
other grounds by Ortiz, 834 F.3d at 765.
3. Pretext
The final step in the burden-shifting analysis puts the ball back in Gray’s court:
she must have enough evidence from which a reasonable jury could find that Arrow’s
proffered reason for her firing is a pretext for discrimination. Clay v. Holy Cross
Hospital, 253 F.3d 1000, 1005 (7th Cir. 2001). To show pretext, Gray “must
demonstrate that [the] proffered reason is a lie or completely lacks a factual basis”
she cannot merely argue that the presented reasons were “mistaken, ill considered,
or foolish.” Jordan v. Summers, 205 F.3d 337, 343 (7th Cir. 2000) (cleaned up). In
other words, it is Gray’s burden to show that Arrow’s proffered explanation is “a
dishonest explanation, a lie rather than an oddity or an error.” Faas v. Sears, Roebuck
& Co., 532 F.3d 633, 642 (7th Cir. 2008) (cleaned up).
As an initial matter, Gray’s effort to show pretext is undermined by her
admission that Motorola’s business with Arrow was indeed changing before and
during the time of her discharge. Gray Dep. at 32:10-15, 46:15-55:5, 187:6-10. It is
true that Gray did not directly state that Motorola’s business was declining during
the relevant period. At her deposition, she instead repeatedly stated that the business
was “changing.” Gray Dep. at 32:10-15, 46:24-47:4, 48:16-18, 50:20-51:22, 53:7-55:5.

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But she does not affirmatively offer evidence, beyond the cryptic description that
something about Motorola’s business was “changing,” to rebut the testimony offered
by Arrow’s evidence that, even by 2013, Motorola’s business with the company had
significantly declined, Wray Dep. at 31:11-14, 33:18-24, 45:5-11, and indeed that
Motorola was moved from the large-account Alliance group to AEC, Wray Dep. at
33:12-24; McShan Dep. at 63:22-64:13, 83:11-85:24.
What’s more, even when viewing the facts in a light most favorable to her, Gray
has not presented enough evidence to show pretext. Gray points out that she was an
exemplary employee, which indeed is supported by the record. Wray Dep. at 41:344:8; Gray Dep. at 72:17-20. But Arrow does not argue that it fired Gray for poor
performance, so this point fails to move the needle in Gray’s direction.
Gray also argues that there were numerous job openings within Arrow before
she was fired, and Arrow admitted as much in its brief. Pl’s Resp. at 8; see also Def.
Br. at 4 (“The fact that Gray never applied for an ADR position before or after her
employment terminated, despite numerous openings, suggests that Emme’s
assessment was correct.”) (emphasis added). Critically, though, Arrow was not
obligated to offer Gray one of those positions. Taylor v. Canteen Corp., 69 F.3d 773,
780 (7th Cir. 1995) (“[A]n employer incurs no duty to transfer an employee to another
position when it reduces its workforce for economic reasons.”). And Emme explained
why the company did not consider Gray for the ADR positions: “I don’t think she
would be motivated for the salary that we would have to give to an ADR to perform
an ADR’s position.” Emme Dep. at 86:14-16. This explanation is supported by the

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record, given the disparity between the ADR salary—$36,000 plus commission for a
full-time position—and Gray’s salary as an outside sales rep—$60,000 plus
commission for a part-time position.4 And it is undisputed that Arrow made at least
some inquiries about open positions within the company for Gray before she was let
go. Pl.’s Resp. to DSOF ¶ 27. Frank McShan, Director of Strategic Sales and Wray’s
boss, tried to find a position for Gray in two separate divisions, including AEC, while
Wray inquired with a third. McShan Dep. at 85:14-86:23, 88:17-90:1, Wray Dep. at
52:7-53:7.
Gray, however, asserts that there were open positions within the company that
she was not offered. But her evidence in support of this assertion is not enough to get
to a jury, even when viewed in her favor. She first points to Arrow’s statement in its
brief that there were available ADR positions in AEC. Pl.’s Resp. to DSOF ¶¶ 27. As
discussed earlier, however, Emme believed that Gray was overqualified for the ADR
positions, which the Seventh Circuit has explained is a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason not to hire someone. See Sembos v. Philips Components, 376
F. 3d 696, 701 (7th Cir. 2004).
Gray next relies on Emme’s testimony that AEC grew from 10 positions to 13
positions between 2011 and 2017. Emme Dep. at 21:6-22:6. But this testimony implies

4Arrow

also argues that Emme’s assessment is bolstered by Gray’s failure to apply for
any of the open positions at Arrow before or after she was fired. Def. Brief at 4. The Seventh
Circuit has explained that a plaintiff “should not be penalized for failing to apply for a specific
job as long as the record suggests, as a reasonable inference, that he would have applied for
specific positions had he known of their availability.” Taylor, 69 F.3d at 781. Gray provided
testimony at her deposition that strongly implies that she would have applied for an ADR
position at AEC had she known any were available. Gray Dep. at 44:19-45:14, 68:10-15. This
argument, thus, neither helps nor hurts Arrow’s cause.

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that the additional employees hired in AEC between 2011 and 2017 were all ADRs.
Emme Dep. at 21:19-22:6 (referring to new positions as “account development reps”).
Although it is true that some ADRs hired in AEC were promoted to outside sales
representatives after Gray was fired, Emme Dep. at 44:4-18; Jaske Dep. at 16:1-23,
this does not support Gray’s claim of pretext either. Emme testified that it was
common practice to internally promote ADRs to sales representatives within 12-14
months if they were performing well (and Gray offers no evidence to the contrary).
Emme Dep. at 44:15-18. That is exactly what happened here. AEC did not hire anyone
from the outside to fill newly created outside sales rep positions after Gray’s
employment was terminated; it promoted ADRs already on their payroll in the
normal course of business. This, without more, does not create a triable question of
fact. See Smith v. Cook Cty., 74 F.3d 829, 832–33 (7th Cir. 1996) (“[T]he fact that
[positions] became available shortly after the RIF cannot support an inference of
discriminatory motivation for his termination… The restriction of job availability to
current employees is entirely consistent with an employer’s having undergone a
recent RIF.”).
The hire that comes closest to raising an inference of pretext is Rogers.
Rogers—a male employee substantially younger than Gray—was hired just one
month before Gray was let go and took over her last two accounts, Motorola and Arris.
Farnsworth Dec. ¶ 7(a); Rogers Dep. at 7:17-21; Emme Dep. at 74:6-20; Def. Br. at 8.
Gray asserts that this “demonstrates that there was a need for outside sale[s]
representatives within Arrow at or around the time [she] was terminated.” Pl. Brief

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at 8. Although not explicitly stated, it appears Gray is attempting to show pretext by
comparing herself to a similarly situated younger, male employee. See Essex v. United
Parcel Service, 111 F.3d 1304, 1311 (7th Cir. 1997) (“A plaintiff may establish pretext
by offering evidence that other similarly situated employees were treated more
favorably.”).
Although it might be true that Arrow had an opening for an outside sales
representative in late 2014, the timing of Rogers’ hiring in comparison to Gray’s firing
is not enough to create a question of fact, because the evidence shows the two were
not similarly situated. First, it is undisputed that Rogers had an engineering degree
and Gray did not. Pl. Resp. to DSOF ¶ 16. Arrow asserts that this was one of the
primary reasons it hired Rogers, Emme Dep. at 34:9-18, 96:13-97:6, and Gray does
not offer evidence to rebut that assertion (such as evidence that engineering degrees
are not an advantageous qualification for ADRs). And, more importantly, Rogers was
hired into a department separate and apart from the department where Gray was
working, and—this is crucial—by decision makers who did not make the decision to
terminate Gray’s employment. McShan Dep. at 85:14-90:1; Troisi Dep. at 127:2129:20; Wray Dep. at 46:1-47:2, 88:1-17; Emme Dep. 27:21-28:20. Under Seventh
Circuit precedent, a demonstration of substantial similarity generally requires a
showing that a common decision-maker offered Rogers a position for which Gray was
qualified, and that the same decision-maker also knew about Gray’s availability but
refused to offer the job to her. See Radue v. Kimberly-Clark Corp., 219 F.3d 612, 61718 (7th Cir. 2000), overruled on other grounds by Ortiz, 834 F.3d at 765. The difference

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in decision-makers undermines the inference that Gray is trying to draw from
Rogers’s hiring. To be sure, as Ortiz teaches, courts must avoid strait-jacketing every
employment-discrimination case into the prima facie framework. 834 F.3d at 763-64.
There might very well be cases in which even different decision-makers do not fatally
undermine the inference of discrimination, such as if there is evidence of adverse
communications about a plaintiff made by the firing decision-maker to the hiring
decision-maker. But Gray has offered nothing to link the decision-makers in a way to
link the firing and hiring decision-makers.
Gray also cites three cases in support of the pretext argument. First, she relies
on Stumph v. Thomas & Skinner, Inc. 770 F.2d 93 (7th Cir. 1985). Pl.’s Resp. at 1011. In that case, the employer shifted some of the plaintiff’s duties to a younger
employee and then later experienced a financial downturn. Id. at 94. The employer
then terminated the plaintiff’s employment altogether. Id. That was enough for a
prima facie case. Id. at 96-97. Gray argues that her situation is analogous because
she was “effectively demoted approximately one year prior to termination,” and her
remaining duties were later transferred to Rogers once she was discharged. Pl. Br. at
11. But Gray’s reading of the case ignores the key evidence on which the Seventh
Circuit based its decision: discriminatory statements by the employer’s president and
chairman that he wanted to eliminate the company’s older employees, as well as
statements of co-employees in plaintiff's age group that the employer decreased their
job duties and forced them into early retirement. Stumph, 770 F.2d at 97. Gray has
not presented evidence of statements that are even in the same ballpark as those at

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issue in Stumph. The best Gray can muster is deposition testimony from Emme in
which—in response to leading questions—he describes Jaske as “ambitious,”
“aggressive,” “energetic,” and “young in nature.” Emme Dep. at 35:12-36:17. But
these statements are manufactured after-the-fact, in response to leading deposition
questions. In other words, Emme’s testimony is a long way from stating, or even
insinuating, that Arrow was biased against employees over the age of 40. And even if
Emme’s statements implied some sort of discriminatory intent, he had no part in
Gray’s firing, so his statements and opinions cannot create an inference of pretext.
See Chiaramonte, 129 F.3d at 402 (statement from employee who had no control over
termination decision did not create triable question of fact) overruled on other
grounds by Ortiz, 834 F.3d at 765.5
Gray also argues that Ormiston v. Penton Corp., 1995 WL 729296 (N.D. Ill.
Dec. 6, 1995) supports her argument that she has shown enough for a reasonable
juror to find pretext. Pl.’s Br. at 11. But the employer in that case claimed it
terminated the plaintiff’s employment because of poor performance, rather than a
reduction in work force. Ormiston, 1995 WL 729296 at *1. The plaintiff rebutted the
employer’s argument by presenting evidence that (1) he had complied with the terms
of his probationary period, even though they were unreasonable; and (2) a significant
portion of his territory was transferred to a younger employee before the termination

5Gray

also testified in her deposition that “the sales team joked that if you’re getting
older, be careful.” Gray Dep. at 120:5-7. Although disturbing, this is not admissible evidence,
because there is no foundation for what the sales team said. Ormiston, 1995 WL 729296 at
*6 (“a party cannot fight a motion for summary judgment with affidavits based on rumor or
conjecture”).

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of his employment. Id. at *6-7. Although Gray alleges that her duties were
transferred to a younger employee, the evidence she has presented does not directly
undercut Arrow’s proffered reason for her firing—a reduction in workforce following
a decline in Motorola’s business—in the same way the plaintiff’s evidence did in
Ormiston. The same holds true for Thorn v. Sundstrand Aero. Corp., 207 F.3d 383
(7th Cir. 2000). The plaintiff there was fired for “low productivity” and presented
evidence that his supervisor had altered his performance review and personnel
records right before his firing. Id. at 387. The Seventh Circuit held that this created
a triable issue of fact on the question of pretext. Id. at 388. No such evidence exists
here.
Finally, Gray argues that Arrow’s discriminatory intent is evidenced by its
firings of three other employees over the age of 40—Jim McTeague, Laurie Mittle,6
and Eileen Troisi. Pl. Br. at 9-10; Emme Dep. at 77:2-10. McTeague was an outside
sales representative in AEC who was let go in the end of 2015 for an alleged lack of
performance. Emme Dep. at 44:22-45:17. Arrow dispersed McTeague’s accounts
amongst the entire AEC team, including Rumpf, following his discharge. Emme Dep.
at 45:21-24. It is not clear from the record what position Mittle held, but it is
undisputed that she worked under Emme in AEC and was fired. Def. Resp. to PSOF
¶¶ 79, 80. Troisi was Arrow’s human resources director. Troisi Dep at 20:3-11. She
was laid off in March 2015 when she was around 50 years old. Troisi Dep. at 24:23-

6Mittle’s

name is spelled several different ways throughout the briefing. The Court
will use the spelling “Lori Mittle,” even though the correct spelling of her name remains
disputed.

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26:2. It is true that evidence of a defendant’s “behavior toward or comments directed
at other employees in the [same] protected group” as the plaintiff is relevant
circumstantial evidence. Hasan v. Foley & Lardner LLP, 552 F.3d 520, 529 (7th Cir.
2008) (cleaned up). But with regard to the decision-makers on those firings, Gray does
not allege that the decision to fire any of these employees was made by the same
group of people who decided to let her go. When decisions are made by different
decision-makers, the relevance of the evidence depends on “a variety of factors,
including ‘how closely related the evidence is to the plaintiff's circumstances and
theory of the case.’” Id. (citing Sprint/United Mgmt. Co. v. Mendelsohn, 552 U.S. 379,
388 (2008)). Indeed, to survive summary judgment, Gray would have to provide
details of McTeague’s, Mittle’s, and Troisi’s firings that would allow a reasonable
factfinder to infer a discriminatory reason for her termination. Her underdeveloped
argument about these three employees does not do so. As already discussed, Gray and
these employees were terminated by different decision-makers over the course of one
year, seriously undermining any argument that they were in some way connected.
Moreover, Gray provides no concrete evidence about the circumstances of these other
firings, such as affidavits or testimony from McTeague or Mittle. Although Gray
testified that she heard from both McTeague and Mittle about the details of their
terminations, Gray Dep at 116:15-117:3, this evidence would be excluded at trial as
hearsay and, thus, cannot be considered here. See Cairel v. Alderden, 821 F.3d 823,
830 (7th Cir. 2016) (“If the evidence is inadmissible hearsay, the courts may not
consider it.”). The evidence Gray has put forth of these three other layoffs is not

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enough to create a reasonable inference of pretext or to save Gray’s claim from
summary judgment. See Johnson-Carter v. B.D.O. Seidman, LLP, 169 F. Supp. 2d
924, 941–42 (N.D. Ill. 2001) (holding that the plaintiff could not show that the
defendant’s reason for terminating her was pretext “simply by pointing out that
another African-American and two Hispanics were terminated on the same day”).
Accordingly, because Arrow articulated a legitimate, non-discriminatory
reason for firing Gray, and Gray was unable to counter with evidence that would
allow a reasonable juror to find that Arrow’s proffered justification was pretextual,
Arrow’s motion for summary judgment is granted as to discrimination claims.
B. Breach of Contract
Gray’s remaining claim is for breach of contract. She alleges that Arrow
breached its own employee handbook and code of conduct when it fired her based on
her age and sex. Compl. ¶¶ 51-61. Gray does not cite to or quote from either the
employee handbook or code of conduct anywhere in her briefing. Without it, it is next
to impossible to determine what rights, if any, she has based on the documents.
Her claim fails in any event, because an employer’s policy prohibiting certain
types of discrimination—as Gray alleges the handbook and code of conduct did,
Compl. ¶ 54—does not create a contract between itself and its employees; it simply
restates a pre-existing legal duty, unsupported by any additional consideration. See
Brand v. Comcast Corp., 2012 WL 5845639, at *3 (N.D. Ill. Nov. 19, 2012); Sample v.
Aldi Inc., 1994 WL 48780, at *12 (N.D. Ill. Feb. 15, 1994). It does not matter, then,
whether Gray relied on promises made in the handbook or code of conduct. See Def.

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Br. at 15. And, in any event, as discussed above, there is insufficient evidence
demonstrating that Gray’s firing was based on her age or sex. Arrow’s motion for
summary judgment is likewise granted as to Gray’s claim for breach of contract.
IV. Conclusion
Arrow’s motion for summary judgment is granted in its entirety and the case
is dismissed with prejudice. The status hearing of April 4, 2019 is vacated, and final
judgment will be entered on the docket separately.
ENTERED:

s/Edmond E. Chang
Honorable Edmond E. Chang
United States District Judge
DATE: March 28, 2019

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