Opinion
No. 1-12-1899
03-31-2014
ROBERT BENSON, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. CITY OF CHICAGO, Defendant-Appellee.
NOTICE: This order was filed under Supreme Court Rule 23 and may not be cited as precedent by any party except in the limited circumstances allowed under Rule 23(e)(1).
Appeal from the
Circuit Court of
Cook County
No. 10 L 8990
Honorable
William H. Taylor, II
Judge Presiding.
JUSTICE delivered the judgment of the court.
Justice Simon and Justice Liu concurred in the judgment.
ORDER
¶ 1 Held: The trial court erred in granting defendant's motion for summary judgment where plaintiff raised a genuine issue of material fact for unlawful termination based on racial discrimination; trial court's discovery rulings were not an abuse of discretion. ¶ 2 Plaintiff, Robert Benson, filed this action against the City of Chicago (City) for violation of the Illinois Human Rights Act (Act) (775 ILCS 5/1-101 et seq. (West 2010)). Plaintiff, who is Caucasian, alleged the City unlawfully terminated his employment because of his race. The City contends it terminated plaintiff's employment for several reasons, primarily because of poor work performance and failure to develop a compliance audit program, and race was not a factor in his termination. Defendant moved for summary judgment arguing plaintiff could not prove all elements of his case. The circuit court granted the defendant's motion for summary judgment. Plaintiff appeals arguing that the entry of summary judgment was improper. Specifically, plaintiff contends he produced evidence establishing a genuine issue of material fact as to each element of his claims and that the City's alleged reason for the termination was pretextual. In addition, plaintiff argues the circuit court abused its discretion in granting two of defendant's discovery motions restricting his ability to cross-examine a key defense witness to his prejudice. For the reasons that follow, we affirm in part, reverse in part and remand for further proceedings.
¶ 3 BACKGROUND
¶ 4 The parties agree to certain facts. However, the parties contest the reason for Benson's firing and they maintain different views and draw different inferences from the events leading up to plaintiffs' termination. In 2003, the City hired Benson as Director of Internal Audit in the Department of Finance. In this role, Benson supervised audits required by the federal government or requested by the City itself. Subsequently, Benson was transferred to the Department of Law where he maintained the same job title and duties. In January 2008, Benson was transferred to the newly formed Office of Compliance (OCX). The office was charged with developing the City's ethics and compliance program. The Executive Director of OCX was Anthony Boswell, an African-American. The First Deputy Director, Mark Meaney, a Caucasian, was responsible for the day-to-day operations of OCX. Benson reported to Meaney, however, he interacted extensively with Boswell. Benson contends that he only reported "in theory" to Meaney, but "in reality" he reported to Boswell. Conversely, the City asserts that Benson reported directly to Meaney for all matters. Initially, Benson's title was Director of Internal Audit. Within a few months, Benson's job title at OCX was changed to Deputy Director for the Internal Audit Unit for OCX and he received a pay increase. Benson served as one of several Deputy Directors of the OCX. Boswell did not request Benson's transfer to the OCX and the circumstances of his transfer are unclear. ¶ 5 The parties dispute the scope of plaintiffs' job duties. Plaintiff asserts that as Deputy Director for Internal Audit Unit at OCX, he performed the same job duties he performed in his earlier positions with the City. The City contends that plaintiff was assigned additional duties including developing a compliance audit program which he failed to perform. The parties agree however that one of Benson's initial duties at OCX was to select outside audit firms from a pre-approved list of vendors for use by the City. City policy required minority businesses (MBEs) receive 16.9% of city business and women-owned businesses (WBEs) receive 4.5% of City business for a minimum combined 21.4% of the work performed by outside providers. Benson allocated approximately 40% of the audit work to MBEs and WBEs. Boswell told Benson to allocate more audit work to minority owned businesses. According to Benson, Boswell was concerned the City council would ask "what kind of black man" he was if OCX did not give more work to minority firms. Boswell was concerned that Benson overly relied on a single vendor, KPMG, and this might compromise the appearance of objectivity. In mid-2008, according to Boswell and Meaney, they largely assumed the duty of vendor selection because they believed Benson was unwilling to use different firms. Benson denies this. The parties dispute whether Benson's review and analysis of vendors' work was inadequate. ¶ 6 During his time at OCX, Benson had several conflicts with Meaney and Boswell. According to the City, these conflicts included: (1) Benson's non-compliance with Meaney's request to update his signature block; (2) Boswell's belief that Benson was not a "team player" because he communicated with other department heads without informing Boswell; and (3) Benson's failure to "sign in and sign out" when entering and exiting the department on several occasions. In addition, Boswell received two separate phone calls from outside auditors complaining that plaintiff was uncooperative in a meeting and/or was not prepared. At one point, Meaney suspended Benson for five days without pay for failing to address the policy regarding singing in and out for meetings, lunch or when leaving work early. However, Boswell immediately rescinded the suspension. While the parties agree these incidents occurred, they dispute the seriousness of these incidents. Benson also contends that other similarly situated workers had similar, if not the same, conflicts and were not disciplined or terminated. ¶ 7 On December 29, 2008, Boswell fired Benson. Boswell and Meaney told Benson that he was fired because they "just decided to move in a different direction." Benson was replaced by an African-American female who was hired at a higher salary. Benson contends that his replacement had "no background in financial auditing and was not qualified to perform or supervise financial audits." The City contends Benson's replacement was extremely capable and qualified for the position. ¶ 8 Following his termination, Benson filed a charge with the Illinois Department of Human Rights which was dismissed. On August 4, 2010, Benson filed a complaint in the circuit court of Cook County alleging the City engaged in unlawful racial discrimination in violation of the Act. Benson claimed Boswell's decision to terminate him was motivated by race. In its answer, the City denied all relevant allegations of wrongful termination and asserted Boswell terminated Benson because he believed Benson neither performed adequate work nor fit into Boswell's plans for developing a compliance audit program at OCX. ¶ 9 On January 31, 2012, the City filed a motion for summary judgment. The City argued Benson could neither directly nor indirectly prove discrimination. Under the direct method of proof analysis, the City argued Benson failed to present sufficient direct or circumstantial evidence of discrimination. The City also argued that under the indirect method of proof, Benson could not establish a prima facie case of reverse discrimination and could not prove that the City's articulated reason for his termination was a pretext. The City asserted Benson was not meeting its legitimate performance expectations because he failed to develop a compliance audit program, he did not adequately manage vendors or integrate into OCX and his firing was a result of these failures. To support its motion and version of the facts, the City primarily relied on the oral deposition testimony of Boswell and Meaney. ¶ 10 Benson responded arguing Boswell's racially-tinged comments, racially-disparate hiring and unequal discipline was sufficient evidence to prove discrimination. Benson contended that certain of the performance expectations argued by the City were not in fact part of his job duties. Further, Benson asserted he was performing his duties related to the internal audit function satisfactorily and disputed the facts argued by the City in support of its motion on this basis. To support plaintiff's version of the facts, he primarily relied on his deposition testimony and the deposition testimony of Boswell and Torrick Ward, Deputy Director of the OCX responsible for human resources. Finally, Benson argued that any purported failure to integrate into the OCX and other alleged failures to perform satisfactorily were a pretext for unlawful race discrimination. These alleged failures were not so serious to warrant termination especially where other similarly situated employees committed the same acts or omissions and these employees were not reprimanded or terminated. ¶ 11 On June 5, 2012, after briefing on the motion, the circuit court issued a written ruling granting defendant's motion for summary judgment. The circuit court found there were no material facts in dispute and plaintiff had no viable claim against defendant for any violation of the Act. The circuit court analyzed plaintiff's claim under two different methods. First, under the direct method of proof analysis, the circuit court found Benson failed to present evidence that suggested unlawful discrimination. The court found that there was no direct evidence of discrimination. It found that Benson's Caucasian supervisor wanted to fire him yet his African-American supervisor lifted the discipline; that plaintiff acknowledged Boswell spoke at times of moving to a compliance audit based unit whereas Boswell stated this new program was explained to Benson; and, at some point vendor selection was taken away from Benson "presumably because plaintiff was not performing up to his expectations." Next, under the indirect method of proof analysis, the circuit court found Benson could neither establish a prima facie case of discrimination nor show the City's articulated reason for his termination was a pretext. The court recognized that there "does not seem to be a strong disciplinary record in this case" and there was no progressive discipline imposed or any human resource protocol employed. However, the court concluded that because Benson was an at-will employee he could be terminated for any non-discriminatory reason and the city's proffered reason of "not conforming to the [city's] vision for the future" was not shown to be pretextual. The court determined Benson relied solely on his own conclusory self-serving statements to establish that he was adequately performing his job duties. The court noted "[a] party cannot make a contrary conclusory statement unsupported by facts to create an issue of fact." Therefore, the court found Benson could neither "establish with evidence that he was performing up to [the City's] legitimate expectations" nor show the City's reasons for termination were a pretext. The court did find, however, that Benson could establish the first, third, and fourth elements of his prima facie case for unlawful termination. The circuit court concluded that "Boswell attempted to keep Plaintiff [employed at the City]" in several ways and that "[t]hese are not acts of a party intent on creating a hostile work environment based on race." Further, the court found "[t]he proffered reason that Plaintiff was not conforming to Defendant's vision for the future is a nondiscriminatory legitimate reason that has not been overcome by the Plaintiff through evidence that it is merely a pretext for unlawful employment action." On this basis, the court granted the City's motion for summary judgment. Benson timely filed a notice of appeal.
¶ 12 ANALYSIS
¶ 13 I. Motion for Summary Judgment
¶ 14 Benson argues the trial court erred in granting the City's motion for summary judgment because genuine issues of material fact exist such to preclude summary judgment. ¶ 15 Summary judgment is appropriate where there is no genuine issue as to any material fact, and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. 735 ILCS 5/2-1005(c) (West 2010). Summary judgment should only be granted "where the right of the moving party is clear and free from doubt." Williams v. Manchester, 228 Ill. 2d 404, 417 (2008). Therefore, summary judgment is precluded where "the material facts are disputed or where, the material facts being undisputed, reasonable persons might draw different inferences from the undisputed facts." Id. At the summary judgment stage, all evidence must be construed in favor of the nonmoving party. Richardson v. Bond Drug Co. of Illinois, 387 Ill. App. 3d 881, 884 (2009). A trial court's ruling on summary judgment is a question of law reviewed de novo. Id. When reviewing an appeal from the grant of summary judgment the function of the court is limited to "determining whether the trial court correctly concluded that no genuine issue of material fact was raised and, if none was raised, whether judgment as a matter of law was correctly entered." American Family Mutual Insurance Co. v. Page, 366 Ill. App. 3d 1112, 1115 (2006). ¶ 16 Pursuant to the Illinois Human Rights Act, it is unlawful for an employer to discriminate against an employee based on race. 775 ILCS 5/2-102(A); 1-103(Q) (West 2010). There are two methods used to establish employment discrimination. Unlawful discrimination can be demonstrated by either a direct or indirect method of proof. Board of Education of City of Chicago v. Cady, 369 Ill. App. 3d 486, 495 (2006); Hoffelt v. Department of Human Rights, 367 Ill. App. 3d 628, 632-33 (2006). Illinois courts oftentimes rely upon federal case law for guidance on these issues. Carter Coal Co. v. Human Rights Comm'n, 261 Ill. App. 3d 1, 14 (1994). ¶ 17 The direct method requires direct or circumstantial evidence that race motivated the employer's decision. Cady, 369 Ill. App. 3d at 495 (citing Rudin v. Lincoln Land Community College, 420 F.3d 712, 720 (7th Cir. 2005)). Direct evidence is "evidence that *** would prove discrimination without reliance on inference of presumption." Id . Direct evidence "essentially requires an admission by the decision-maker that his actions were based on prohibited animus." (Internal quotation marks omitted.) Id . (citing Radue v. Kimberly-Clark Corp., 219 F.3d 612, 616 (7th Cir. 2000)). Circumstantial evidence, on the other hand, is "evidence that allows a jury to infer intentional discrimination by the decision maker." Id . (citing Rhoades v. Illinois Department of Transp., 359 F.3d 498, 504 (7th Cir. 2004)). Circumstantial evidence "must point directly to a discriminatory reason for the employer's action at issue." Id . ¶ 18 To prevail on its motion for summary judgment, the City has to show: (1) there are no genuine questions of material fact in dispute; and (2) that plaintiff failed to support his claim with admissible evidence that (a) the City intentionally discriminated against Benson under the direct method of proof analysis or (b) establish a prima facie case of unlawful termination and, if necessary, rebut the defendant's evidence that the termination was for a legitimate reason. ¶ 19 The circuit court found plaintiff did not establish his claim under the direct method of proof analysis. Benson contends the circuit court ignored evidence that was sufficient to create an inference of discrimination under the direct method of proof analysis. He notes Boswell had an explicit desire to create a more "multi-ethnic" OCX. Benson argues Boswell's alleged racially disparate hiring and firing decisions demonstrate Boswell acted on this racially motivated desire. Also, Benson was pressured by Boswell to give additional business to minority vendors so Boswell would not be questioned as to "what kind of black man" he was by the City council. Finally, Benson argued Boswell did not discipline non-Caucasian employees in the same manner in which he was disciplined for violations the same office policies. Benson argues this evidence is sufficient to establish an issue of fact as to whether discrimination by Boswell may be inferred under the direct method of proof. ¶ 20 The facts asserted by Benson to overcome the City's motion for summary judgment do not rise to the level of direct evidence similar to an admission of discrimination. Benson must present "a convincing mosaic" of circumstantial evidence that establishes "that a discriminatory reason motivated the decision maker." Cady, 369 Ill. App. 3d at 495. Benson's argument that Boswell's desire to create a more multi-ethnic OCX and his allegedly questionable hiring and disciplinary practices when coupled with his concern for how he might be viewed by the City counsel do not meet the direct method of proof requirements. Therefore, Benson's claim fails under the direct method of proof. ¶ 21 In Young v. Illinois Human Rights Comm'n, 2012 IL App (1st) 112204, our supreme court set forth the four element formulation to establish a case of discrimination. The plaintiff must prove: (1) he is member of a protected class, (2) he was meeting his employer's legitimate performance expectations, (3) he suffered an adverse action, and (4) he was treated less favorably than other similarly situated individuals who were not in his protected category. Id. 1 34; Owens v. Department of Human Rights, 403 Ill. App. 3d 899, 919 (2010); Owens v. Department of Human Rights, 356 Ill. App. 3d 46, 52 (2005); Anderson v. Chief Legal Counsel, Illinois Department of Human Rights, 334 Ill. App. 3d 630, 634 (2002). ¶ 22 The circuit court found plaintiff had sufficiently proved the first, third, and fourth elements of his prima facie case to survive summary judgment. The circuit court, however, found plaintiff failed to sufficiently prove the second element (failure to meet employer's legitimate employment expectations) and to further rebut defendant's contention that Benson was fired for a legitimate business reason. The court determined plaintiff provided self-serving testimony to support this element and to rebut defendant's articulated reason for the termination. Plaintiff argues on appeal that the circuit court erred in this regard because a genuine issue of material fact exists to preclude summary judgment. Plaintiff asserts that it was not only his testimony but also the testimony of the Deputy Director of the OCX responsible for human resources, Torrick Ward, which supported plaintiff's allegation that he was legitimately performing to the expectation of his employer in his work and within his delineated job duties. ¶ 23 Plaintiff argues genuine issues of material fact exist under the indirect method such to preclude summary judgment on his prima facie case for discrimination and therefore, the circuit court erred in granting defendant's motion for summary judgment. We agree. ¶ 24 To survive summary judgment under the indirect method of proof, plaintiff must satisfy a three-step analytical framework. Zaderaka v. Illinois Human Rights Comm'n, 131 Ill. 2d 172, 178 (1989). First, a plaintiff "must establish by a preponderance of the evidence a prima facie case of unlawful discrimination." Id . at 178-79. "[T]he burden of establishing a prima facie case of disparate treatment is not onerous." Texas Department of Community Affairs v. Burdine, 450 U.S. 248, 253 (1981)). If a plaintiff establishes a prima facie case, "a rebuttable presumption arises that the employer unlawfully discriminated against plaintiff." Zaderaka, 131 Ill. 2d at 179. The employer may rebut this presumption by articulating, but not proving, "a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason for its decision." Id . If the employer does so, the presumption of unlawful discrimination drops away. Id . The burden then shifts to the plaintiff to "prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the employer's articulated reason was not its true reason, but was instead a pretext for unlawful discrimination." Id . ¶ 25 When determining whether a genuine issue of material fact exists to preclude summary judgment we construe the pleadings, depositions, admissions, and affidavits strictly against the movant and liberally in favor of the opponent. Forsythe v. Clark USA, Inc., 224 Ill. 2d 274, 301 (2007). ¶ 26 Boswell testified he did not believe there was a specific incident that led to Benson's termination. Rather, the City relies on Boswell's and Meany's deposition testimony to point to three broad categories alleging Benson's inadequate performance as the reasons why he was lawfully terminated. They are Benson's alleged failure to: (a) develop a compliance audit program; (b) diversify vendor selection and provide independent analysis; and (c) exhibit leadership and integrate into OCX. In particular, the City places the most emphasis on Benson's failure to create a compliance audit program. ¶ 27 First, we consider the evidence regarding Benson's failure to develop a compliance program. This issue largely turns on the scope of Benson's job duties because Benson contends he was not required to develop a compliance audit program. Boswell and Meaney contend Benson was specifically given that responsibility, however, there is no written evidence to establish that developing a compliance program was one of his duties. The only written job description for Benson's position was the generic description for the department directors. Boswell sent a short memo identifying the OCX Deputy Directors and the memo identified Benson as the deputy director that would handle the internal audit function. However, the memo was not detailed and can reasonably be described as an office directory of supervisory personnel. Thus, we are left with competing testimony as to the scope of plaintiff's job duties. ¶ 28 Boswell testified Benson's "duty was to establish the compliance audit function of the City." He also testified somewhat in contradiction to this statement that he was not aware of any specific duty Benson failed to perform to move the financial audit function to more of a compliance audit function. Meaney testified Benson was supposed to take a more compliance oriented approach to internal auditing. Both testified they had a meeting with Benson where they discussed developing the program. However, Benson claimed such statements were "not necessarily directed at me individually," referred to an indefinite time frame and were made in group settings. Further, Benson testified he did not "recall being given any change in responsibilities" when he transferred to OCX. Benson offered the testimony of Torrick Ward, OCX Deputy Director responsible for human resource functions, who testified that development of a compliance audit was not among Benson's duties. Clearly this is a fact issue: was he told to develop the program? While Benson's testimony might be described as self-serving, it is also sworn testimony that he is entitled to rely on to prove that he was performing his duties as they were made known to him and that any claim to the contrary is pretextual. The finder of fact is entitled to consider this together with plaintiff's other evidence in the resolution of this claim. ¶ 29 Next, we consider the evidence regarding Benson's alleged failure to diversify vendor selection and provide independent analysis. Boswell testified he was concerned Benson did not sufficiently diversify vendor selection. In particular, Boswell believed Benson relied too heavily on one vendor. He also noted the City's Chief Procurement Officer mentioned that many pre-approved accounting firms were not receiving work. Benson refutes this with his testimony, stating that he assigned more work to MBE and WBE businesses than called for in City policy. The City required such firms be assigned 21.4% of the work, whereas Benson assigned 40% of the work to such firms. This is another instance where material facts are in dispute that must be resolved by the finder of fact at trial and not by the trial court on summary judgment. ¶ 30 Next, Boswell testified Benson "would not necessarily conduct his own analysis or supplement his own analysis with any additional information." Meaney also testified "there never was any independent assessment of their work product." However, there is no documentary evidence, such as a performance evaluation, that would tend to support a conclusion of inadequate analysis of vendor work as a reason for termination. Further, Benson testified that neither Boswell nor Meaney ever advised him that his job performance was unsatisfactory or lacked a satisfactory level of analysis. Boswell even testified Benson was "probably a pretty good financial auditor." Given the lack of documentation and the presence of conflicting testimony, these questions must be resolved based on credibility determinations because there is a genuine issue of fact as to whether Benson failed to adequately diversify vendor selection, provide sufficient independent analysis and whether he was instructed to do either function. ¶ 31 Lastly, the evidence regarding Benson's failure to exhibit leadership and integrate into the OCX were proffered as reasons for Benson's termination. These reasons surfaced during discovery and were not advanced at the time of termination. Some office policy violations noted by the City appear inconsequential. These include Benson's failure to update his signature block to show he was a deputy director and his continued communication with other department heads without informing Boswell. Boswell testified he received two phone calls from outside auditors complaining about Benson's lack of preparation and manner in which he acted in meetings. Boswell testified that he did not consider the phone calls to be serious matters and did not document these calls. Meaney suspended Benson for five days, however, the suspension occurred several months before Benson's termination, and it was immediately rescinded by Boswell. Finally, Benson conceded he did violate Boswell's sign in/sign out policy on occasion and Boswell testified the violations were a "serious matter." However, there was also testimony to support Benson's contention that both Boswell and Benson's replacement violated the sign in/sign out policy without any adverse consequences which would, if accepted, indicate pretext. This conflicting testimony creates an issue of fact as to whether Benson's alleged failure to exhibit leadership and integrate into OCX constitutes inadequate performance and should be considered by the fact finder at trial. ¶ 32 Recently the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit considered a district court determination that a plaintiff's own testimony cannot create a question of material fact. The Seventh Circuit reviewed the grant of summary judgment in an employment discrimination action where the district court concluded that the plaintiff could not meet two prongs necessary to establish a prima facie case of discrimination, including whether plaintiff met the legitimate expectations of the workplace. The district court also concluded that plaintiff had not introduced any evidence suggesting the stated reason for the discharge was a pretext. In Hill v. Tangherlini, 724 F.3d 965 (7th Cir. 2013), the court stated:
"the district court discredited Hill's testimony about his interactions with coworkers because of its 'self-serving' nature. [Citations]. This was error. Deposition testimony, affidavits, responses to interrogatories, and other written statements by their nature are self-serving. [Citation]. As we have repeatedly emphasized over the past decade, the term 'self-serving' must not be used to denigrate perfectly admissible evidence through which a party tries to present its side of the story at summary judgment. [Citations]. Hill described the three encounters in his deposition based on his personal knowledge and set forth specific facts and the district court should have considered his statements as evidence."
Id. at 967-68. Here, Benson supported the performance expectation element of his prima facie case with both his own testimony and that of Torrick Ward. The circuit court found that Benson could not use this "self-serving" testimony to create a question of fact which we find is inconsistent with allowing the City to rely on the "self-serving" testimony of its supervisors to find there is no material question of fact to warrant summary judgment in favor of the City. As the Seventh Circuit articulated, all testimony by its nature is "self-serving." Id. at 967-68. Here, if the City is permitted to rely on deposition testimony of its former supervisors, Boswell and Meaney, to support its motion, the same rationale should be employed to allow for Benson to rely on his testimony and the testimony of the deputy director in charge of human resources, Ward, to determine whether genuine questions of material fact exist. It was error for the trial court to deny this claim that should be heard by the trier of fact where the evidence supporting the positions both parties is largely testimonial and in conflict. ¶ 33 "The weight to be given the witnesses' testimony, the credibility of the witnesses, resolution of inconsistencies and conflicts in the evidence, and reasonable inferences to be drawn from the testimony are the responsibility of the trier of fact." People v. Sutherland, 223 Ill. 2d 187, 242, (2006); see also York v. Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, 222 Ill. 2d 147, 179 (2006) ("We are mindful that credibility determinations and the resolution of inconsistencies and conflicts in testimony are for the jury."). The trial court cannot weigh evidence, decide facts and make credibility determinations at the summary judgment stage. Gulino v. Economy Fire & Casualty Co., 2012 IL App (1st) 102429, ¶ 25. Given the existence of differing testimony to support the arguments of each party, genuine issues of material fact exist that are to be resolved by the trier of fact and summary judgment in favor of the City was improper. ¶ 34 The genuine issues of fact discussed above "warrant the denial of a motion for summary judgment" if they "affect the outcome of a party's case." Westbank v. Maurer, 276 Ill. App. 3d 553, 562 (1995). Here, the second element (meeting the employer's work expectations) is the "controlling issue" because the trial court found it is the only element of the prima facie case not yet satisfied. See First of America Bank, Rockford, N.A. v. Netsch, 166 Ill. 2d 165, 178 (1995) (defining materiality as having "legal probative force as to the controlling issue."). These factual disputes have "legal probative force" because their resolution will determine whether Benson was meeting the City's legitimate performance expectations. Therefore, these genuine issues of fact are material and preclude summary judgment on grounds related to the second element of the prima facie case. ¶ 35 Turning to the third and final prong of the indirect method, Benson argues there are genuine issues of material fact as to whether the City's articulated reason for his termination was a pretext. The City asserts that we should apply the honest belief rule to determine that no pretext exists. The City argues that even if its decision was ill-considered or unreasonable, as long as Boswell honestly believed the reasons given for discharge, then Benson's termination was proper. The City cites no Illinois decisions to support this position. This is not surprising because no plaintiff in an employment discrimination lawsuit would ever survive summary judgment if all that is needed is for the defendant to assert an "honest belief" that a plaintiff was not measuring up to his employer's expectations. ¶ 36 Pretext can be established "either directly by persuading the court that a discriminatory reason more likely motivated the employer or indirectly by showing that the employer's proffered explanation is unworthy of credence." (Internal quotation marks omitted.) Cisco Trucking Co., Inc. v. Human Rights Comm'n, 274 Ill. App. 3d 72, 76 (1995) (quoting Texas Department of Cmty. Affairs v. Burdine, 450 U.S. 248, 256 (1981)). An employee's evidence is sufficient to establish pretext directly if it "tilts the scales ever so slightly in the employee's favor" when weighed against "the employer's statement of non-discriminatory purpose." Vidal v. Illinois Human Rights Comm'n., 223 Ill. App. 3d 467, 470 (1991). Indirectly, pretext can be established if the articulated reason for the termination is not worthy of belief. Id. For instance, pretext may be shown by demonstrating "employees involved in misconduct of comparable seriousness were retained while the complainant was discharged." Loyola Univ. of Chicago v. Human Rights Comm'n, 149 Ill. App. 3d 8, 19 (1986). ¶ 37 In general, "whether an employer's articulated reason is pretextual is a question of fact." Zaderaka v. Illinois Human Rights Commn., 131 Ill. 2d 172, 180 (1989) (citing Board of Education of Waterloo Community Unit School Dist. No. 5 v. Human Rights Comm'n, 135 Ill. App. 3d 206, 210, (1985)); See also Irick v. Illinois Human Rights Comm'n., 311 Ill. App. 3d 929, 936 (2000) ("Whether an employer's articulated reason is pretextual is a question of fact[.]") It is "often the case" that "there is a great deal of overlap with respect to the factual inquiry relevant" to legitimate expectations and pretext. Fortier v. Ameritech Mobile Communications, Inc., 161 F.3d 1106, 1113 (7th Cir. 1998); See also Gordon v. United Airlines, Inc., 246 F.3d 878, 886 (7th Cir. 2001) ("[T]his issue of satisfactory job performance often focuses on the same circumstances as must be scrutinized with respect to the matter of pretext.") This is true in the instant case. The City's articulated reason for the termination was Benson's alleged failure both to perform satisfactorily and to fit into Boswell's plans for developing a compliance audit program. These arguments involve the same factual disputes discussed above regarding the City's performance expectations. Therefore, the same genuine issues of material fact preclude summary judgment on grounds related to pretext. See Herman v. Power Maintenance and Constructors, LLC, 388 Ill. App. 3d 352, 364 (2009) (a genuine issue of fact regarding pretext existed where defendant's articulated reason was poor work, but plaintiff provided evidence of satisfactory performance); see also Riley-Jackson v. Casino Queen, Inc., 776 F. Supp.2d 815, 826 (S.D. Ill. 2011) (a genuine issue of fact existed where employer's articulated reason was that the employee was properly disciplined for violating company policies, but employee testified that African-American employees were held to different standards than Caucasian employees). ¶ 38 We also note that the record supports a conclusion that the City has at different times offered different reasons for Benson's termination and, where shifting explanations exist, pretext may be inferred. Rudin v. Lincoln Land Community College, 420 F.3d 712, 726 (7th Cir. 2005) ("One can reasonably infer pretext from an employer's shifting or inconsistent explanations for the challenged employment decisions."). The City relied on the deposition testimony of Boswell and Meaney to support its articulated reason for the termination: Benson's alleged failure to meet employer workplace expectations. In rebutting the City's asserted reason, plaintiff supplied his testimony and the testimony of Ward. The record discloses that there are differing statements from the City as to the reason Benson was told he was fired (Boswell's statement that he and Meaney "just decided to move in a different direction") and the reasons stated by Boswell and Meaney in their depositions (firing Benson for violating internal policies and failing to complete a compliance program). Benson's evidence establishes that there are questions of fact as to whether he was charged with creating a compliance program and also whether he received with the same disciplinary treatment for the alleged violations of internal OCX policies. In short, the reasons for Benson's termination may be accepted by the jury as legitimate or they may be rejected by the jury as pretextual. In either case it is for the jury to decide not the trial court on summary judgment. ¶ 39 In addition, we note that in both parties' briefs on the motion for summary judgment, the parties attempt to discredit the evidence and credibility of the witnesses upon which the opposing party relies to support their version of the facts. In particular, many of the arguments made in the motion for summary judgment were aimed at the veracity or character of plaintiff's evidence and allegations. Compounded with a lack of documentary evidence to support either party in their arguments and the conflicting deposition testimony, we find genuine issues of material fact exist over whether the City's articulated reason for the termination was rooted in a legitimate business decision. This determination is best left to the trier of fact to resolve. Therefore, in analyzing plaintiff's claim under the indirect method of proof, we reverse the circuit court's order granting summary judgment in favor of defendant.
¶ 40 II. Discovery Motions
¶ 41 Benson also appeals two circuit court orders regarding Boswell's evidence deposition. The record reveals that during the course of discovery, the parties had difficulty scheduling Boswell's discovery deposition. Boswell left city employment and was working in Florida. Boswell believed he would soon be working somewhere else outside of Illinois and he was unsure when, or even if, he could sit for more than one deposition. On April 15, 2011, the parties agreed to take Boswell's discovery deposition on April 30, 2011. The City told opposing counsel it was considering taking Boswell's evidence deposition in conjunction with his scheduled discovery deposition. On April 21, 2011, the City faxed and mailed Benson notice that it would take Boswell's evidence deposition on the same day as the discovery deposition. Six days later, Benson emailed the City expressing concern that proceeding with both depositions on the same day would prejudice his case and suggested scheduling an evidence deposition for a later date. ¶ 42 The City then filed an emergency motion seeking to take both depositions on the same day. The City argued Boswell may not be available for a second deposition and failing to secure his evidence deposition would substantially prejudice its case. The City argued the parties had agreed to the discovery deposition on April 30, 2011, and after the City had arranged for Boswell's travel from Florida to Chicago for the deposition, plaintiff then indicated he would be prejudiced by having the evidence deposition proceed immediately after the discovery deposition. Even if Benson were available in the future, the City argued taxpayers should not be forced to pay the expense of bringing him back to Chicago "simply because [p]laintiff's counsel had reservations about whether he would be able to adequately prepare for an evidence deposition" on the same day. After a hearing, the circuit court granted the City's emergency motion on April 28, 2011, and allowed it to take Boswell's evidence deposition as requested. On April 30, 2011, both depositions proceeded as ordered. The discovery deposition began at 8:58 A.M. and continued until 12:59 P.M. After a break, the evidence deposition began at 1:45 P.M. and continued until 7:23 P.M. The City contends that Benson has not shown what questions he wanted to ask or answers he sought to obtain under the court ordered procedure to support his claim of prejudice. ¶ 43 On July 12, 2011, two months after the Boswell depositions, Benson issued a subpoena to Boswell for a second evidence deposition. Boswell, now represented by separate counsel, filed a motion to quash the subpoena. The City joined in the motion to quash and requested a protective order. Boswell argued service was improper, the subpoena was unduly burdensome, untimely, and sought information that was cumulative, duplicative, and irrelevant. Boswell also argued that the circuit court had already considered and rejected plaintiff's prejudice argument when ruling on the City's April 28 emergency motion. In response, Benson argued he was unable to satisfactorily cross-examine Boswell on April 30 and needed a second evidence deposition to avoid prejudice to his case. Benson also argued that Boswell was properly served and was available to be deposed for plaintiff's case-in-chief. After the issues were fully briefed and argued, the circuit court granted the motion to quash Benson's subpoena and a protective order was entered barring plaintiff's evidence deposition. The ruling was subject "to defendant's agreement to treat Boswell's April 30, 2011 discovery deposition as an evidence deposition" and the court allowed the City to reserve its right to make all objections to the discovery deposition at trial. ¶ 44 On appeal, Benson argues that the trial court erred in granting the City's emergency motion to take Boswell's evidence deposition immediately after Boswell's discovery deposition and quashing Benson's subpoena of Boswell for an evidence deposition for plaintiff's case-in-chief. Benson asserts his case was prejudiced because he was forced to cross-examine Boswell during the evidence deposition without a transcript of the discovery deposition. Benson also contends this error was compounded by his inability to hold a separate evidence deposition for his case-in-chief where he could thoroughly examine Boswell. ¶ 45 A trial court has "great latitude in ruling on discovery matters," and orders regarding discovery-related matters will not be reversed absent a manifest abuse of discretion. Chicago's Pizza, Inc. v. Chicago's Pizza Franchise Ltd. USA, 384 Ill. App. 3d 849, 869 (2008) (citing Mutlu v. State Farm Fire & Casualty Co. , Ill. App. 3d 420, 434 (2003)). An abuse of discretion occurs when a trial court's ruling is fanciful, unreasonable, arbitrary, or where no reasonable person would take the view of trial court. Bayview Loan Servicing, LLC v. 2010 Real Estate Foreclosure, LLC, 2013 IL App (1st) 120711, ¶ 32. ¶ 46 We first consider whether the circuit court erred in granting the City's emergency motion to hold its evidence deposition of Boswell on the same day as Benson's discovery deposition of Boswell. The City notified Benson when scheduling the discovery deposition that it might be necessary to take Boswell's evidence deposition the same day. The City provided formal notice on April 21, 2011 to Benson's counsel that it wanted to proceed with the evidence deposition following the Boswell discovery deposition scheduled for April 30, 2011. Benson's counsel emailed the City six days later objecting to holding the depositions directly following one another. The City then filed an emergency motion requesting the circuit court order Boswell's evidence deposition to also be held on April 30, 2011. ¶ 47 The City argued that it would not have another chance to take its evidence deposition of Boswell. Boswell was working out-of-state at the time and he would soon start working on the west coast. Boswell was uncertain when, if ever, he would return to his Illinois residence. In reviewing the record and the briefs on appeal, Benson argues generally that his case was prejudiced by the circuit court ordering the evidence deposition to be taken on the same day as the discovery deposition. Benson has not provided us with a specific example of how his ability to conduct cross-examination during the evidence deposition was harmed. He does not cite a single question he was unable to ask, a different manner of questioning he was unable to use, or a statement from the discovery deposition he was unable to reference. Rather, he generally argues that the circuit court order allowing the evidence deposition to proceed prohibited his ability to impeach Boswell based on his testimony at the discovery deposition. Under the circumstances and based on the representations of the parties and Boswell, we find the circuit court did not abuse its discretion in granting the City's emergency motion to allow Boswell's evidence deposition on April 30, 2011. ¶ 48 Next, we consider whether the circuit court erred in quashing Benson's subpoena seeking to take Boswell's evidence deposition. Benson contends the circuit court's order allowed Boswell's testimony to be presented in a matter favoring the City. Benson argues that treating Boswell's discovery deposition as the equivalent of an evidence deposition is an insufficient substitute and ensures Boswell would not be subjected to close cross-examination. However, the Boswell depositions held on April 30, occurred over an eleven hour period and Benson was already given an opportunity to cross-examine Boswell during his discovery deposition on April 30. See Ill. S. Ct. Rule 206(c)(1) (eff. Feb. 16, 2011) ("[A] deponent in a discovery deposition *** may be questioned by any party as if under cross-examination."). We note Benson stood to potentially benefit from the circuit court's ruling granting the motion to quash because it was conditioned on the treatment of Benson's discovery deposition of Boswell as an evidence deposition. During a discovery deposition "wide latitude is given in the scope and manner of questioning;" but, questioning during an evidence deposition is "limited by the rules of evidence." In re Estate of Rennick, 181 Ill. 2d 395, 401 (1998). However, this potential benefit may have been nullified by the remainder of the order that reserved to the City its right to object to any portion of the deposition. We find the circuit court did not abuse its discretion by quashing Benson's subpoena because there was no evidence of prejudice that merited subjecting Boswell and the City to another deposition under the circumstances presented. ¶ 49 While we affirm the circuit court's rulings in regard to allowing Boswell's evidence deposition and allowing Benson to use Boswell's discovery deposition as an evidence deposition, with the stated qualification, due to the absence of an abuse of discretion, we recognize these orders relate to interlocutory pre-trial discovery and may be revised, modified, expanded or contradicted by later rulings of the trial court in advance of trial. This cause will be resolved by a trial on the merits, if it is not otherwise resolved. As such, the trial court retains jurisdiction over additional discovery, if any, and appropriate motions related thereto. The parties are entitled to full and complete discovery, pursuant to the rules, and to a full, fair and just resolution of this dispute. In the event plaintiff can satisfy the trial court that he has been prejudiced by the pre-trial discovery rulings discussed herein they will be resolved by the trial court through the proper exercise of its discretion.
¶ 50 CONCLUSION
¶ 51 For the forgoing reasons, we affirm in part and reverse in part the circuit court's order granting the City's motion for summary judgment and affirm the trial court's orders granting the City's emergency motion and quashing Benson's subpoena seeking to hold another evidence deposition of Boswell. ¶ 52 Affirmed in part and reversed in part; cause remanded.