July 11th, 2018

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US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit Opinions
Mitchell v. Mills

Docket: 17-40737
Opinion Date: July 10, 2018
Judge: E. Grady Jolly
Areas of Law: Civil Rights, Constitutional Law, Labor & Employment Law

The Fifth Circuit reversed the district court's denial of qualified immunity to defendants in an action brought by plaintiff, an African-American man, who claimed violation of his constitutional right to equal protection of the law. Specifically, plaintiff alleged that defendants, each mayors of the City of Naples at times when plaintiff was employed by the city, paid two specific white employees at a higher rate than he was paid. The court held that plaintiff failed to show a violation of his constitutional rights where there was no genuine dispute that plaintiff's job was not nearly identical to that of his proffered comparators. Therefore, the court remanded with instructions to enter judgment for defendants.

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