Seventh Circuit Upholds Employer Win in Black Worker’s Pay, Promotion Bias Case
Updated
Updated · Littler Mendelson PC · Jun 8
Seventh Circuit Upholds Employer Win in Black Worker’s Pay, Promotion Bias Case
1 articles · Updated · Littler Mendelson PC · Jun 8
Summary
A May 27 ruling left summary judgment in place for AIM Specialty Health against a Black employee who alleged lower starting pay and slower promotion than non-Black colleagues.
The Seventh Circuit said her proposed comparators were not similarly situated because they entered with more prior experience and later handled broader, more complex work, including supervising others.
The panel added that even with valid comparators, her Title VII claims still failed because she did not show the employer’s stated reasons were false or a cover for race discrimination.
The decision was one of several recent federal appellate employment rulings highlighted in Littler’s May 2026 roundup, underscoring courts’ continued focus on comparator evidence and pretext at summary judgment.