9th Cir.

Oden Meyers v. Meink

May 11, 2026 ·24-4974 ·Unpublished · By Aisha Johnson

The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed a district court's grant of summary judgment in an employment discrimination case. The court held that the plaintiff failed to raise genuine disputes of material fact regarding pretext or the severity of alleged workplace conduct.

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Background

Wanda J. Oden Meyers appealed pro se from a district court’s summary judgment in her employment discrimination action. She alleged violations of Title VII, the Rehabilitation Act of nineteen seventy-three, and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act. The district court had granted summary judgment on her disparate treatment, retaliation, and hostile work environment claims.

The court’s reasoning

The court reviewed the case de novo and affirmed the district court’s decision. It held that the plaintiff failed to raise a genuine dispute of material fact as to whether the defendants’ legitimate, non-discriminatory, and non-retaliatory reasons for reassigning duties, placing her on a performance improvement plan, and recommending termination were pretextual. The court also found that the plaintiff failed to raise a triable dispute as to whether she was subjected to severe or pervasive verbal or physical conduct on the basis of race or disability sufficient to create an abusive working environment.

What it means going forward

The affirmation of summary judgment ends the plaintiff’s employment discrimination claims on appeal, leaving the district court’s ruling in favor of the employer in place.

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