Race and gender discrimination claim is summarily dismissed

In Anfield v. Secretary of State, the Court of Appeals upheld the summary disposition of a fired employee's claim that she was terminated in a situation where younger, white employees were not terminated.  The Secretary of State argued that "Anfield was terminated for her role in an acquaintance's fraudulently obtaining a commercial driver's license..."  She pointed to four co-workers who were not terminated for similar "misconduct" and argued that she was a victim of disparate treatment arising out of an employment "mistake."

The Court held that Anfield's anecdotal evidence of other, similar-yet-undisciplined errors was inadmissible hearsay in the form of office gossip and properly not considered in response to the employer's motion for summary disposition.  Therefore, her case was properly dismissed.