Richardson v. Rush Presbyterian St. Luke's Med. Ctr.,
No. 02-2303 (7th Cir. Feb. 28, 2003)

The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed summary judgment in favor of Rush Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Center ("Rush") in a lawsuit brought by a former physician-employee alleging violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as well as various state law claims. The physician's employment was terminated because he misused fees that were collected in the practice that was owned by the hospital, made groundless accusations against another physician and behaved in a hostile manner. The federal appeals court ruled that summary judgment on the Title VII claims was appropriate because the physician failed to establish disparate impact discrimination or to supply direct evidence of intentional discrimination or retaliation. The court also upheld the lower court's summary judgment in favor of Rush on its counterclaim for fees from the practice that were withheld by the physician and for the unpaid balance on a loan for his medical school debts.