John Charalambakis v. Asbury University

Summary

The court affirmed summary judgment for Asbury University on the employee's national-origin discrimination and retaliation claims. It held that the accent-related remarks and comparator evidence did not establish direct discrimination or create a genuine issue that Asbury's stated disciplinary reasons were pretextual, and that the timing of the disciplinary proceedings defeated causation for retaliation. The court also held that a retaliation plaintiff need not prove good faith or success on the underlying civil-rights claim, although the plaintiff must still prove protected activity and but-for causation.