====== McDonnell Douglas Burden-Shifting Framework ====== [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_Corp._v._Green|McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green on wikipedia]] The **McDonnell Douglas framework** is the burden-shifting analysis U.S. courts use to evaluate individual disparate-treatment claims under Title VII (and analogous statutes) when there is no direct evidence of discrimination. The plaintiff first establishes a prima facie case; the burden of production then shifts to the employer to articulate a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason; and the burden returns to the plaintiff to show that reason is pretext for discrimination. ===== Burden-Shifting Analysis ===== This BPMN model maps the three-stage burden-shifting sequence across three lanes — the plaintiff, the court/factfinder, and the employer — to the framework's possible outcomes. s t_pf t_pretext g_pf g_lndr g_pt e_emp1 e_pl e_tri e_emp2 t_lndr Individual disparate-treatment claim under Title VII analyzed by the burden-shifting framework. McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, 411 U.S. 792 (1973). q1 Plaintiff's burden of production: protected class; qualified / performing; adverse action; circumstances giving rise to an inference of discrimination. q1 q2 q2 q3 q4 Burden of production shifts to the employer to articulate (not prove) an LNDR. Texas Dept. of Community Affairs v. Burdine, 450 U.S. 248 (1981). q4 q5 q5 q6 q7 Burden returns to plaintiff to show the stated reason is pretext for discrimination. St. Mary's Honor Center v. Hicks, 509 U.S. 502 (1993); Reeves v. Sanderson Plumbing, 530 U.S. 133 (2000). q7 q8 q8 q9 q10 q3 q6 q10 q9 prima_facie_established == False lndr_produced == False pretext_shown == False ===== Process Components ===== ==== Stages ==== * **Prima facie case** — Plaintiff's burden of production: protected class; qualified/performing; adverse action; circumstances raising an inference of discrimination. * **Legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason (LNDR)** — Employer's burden of production to articulate (not prove) a reason. * **Pretext** — Plaintiff's burden to show the stated reason is pretext for discrimination. ==== Key Authorities ==== * **McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, 411 U.S. 792 (1973)** — Establishes the framework. * **Texas Dept. of Community Affairs v. Burdine, 450 U.S. 248 (1981)** — Employer need only articulate, not prove, an LNDR. * **St. Mary's Honor Center v. Hicks, 509 U.S. 502 (1993)** — Burden of persuasion remains with the plaintiff. * **Reeves v. Sanderson Plumbing, 530 U.S. 133 (2000)** — Pretext evidence may support an inference of discrimination. ===== Related Models ===== * [[us_eeoc|U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)]] — The administrative charge process that typically precedes a Title VII lawsuit analyzed under this framework. ===== Cross References ===== * [[united_states|United States of America]] * [[jurisdictions|Jurisdictions]] * [[categories|Categories]] ===== Categories ===== Employment Discrimination, Civil Rights, Litigation, Legal Frameworks, United States