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SOUTHEAST TEXAS RECORD

Thursday, March 28, 2024

HISD granted summary judgment in racial discrimination claim

Hisd

Successfully arguing there’s no evidence of racial discrimination, the Houston Independent School District was recently granted summary judgment.

Talyna Moody, a former HISD employee, brought a lawsuit against the school district on allegations she was "bullied and harassed" because of her race and religion before she was ultimately fired.

Moody, who was employed as an onboard specialist, filed the claim Sept. 26, 2013, in the U.S. District Court for Southern Texas, Houston Division, claiming she was "singled out and intentionally discriminated against."

Court records show that HISD filed a motion for summary judgment on Jan. 9, arguing that Moody was fired for “persistent performance deficiencies” and that her claims of discrimination were “baseless” and “unsubstantiated.”

“Moody’s own admissions, however, conclusively undermine her case. Regarding race discrimination, Moody admits that she never made any complaints of race discrimination during her employment with HISD and was never subjected to any derogatory or insensitive comments concerning her race,” HISD’s motion states.

“Indeed, Moody herself admits that she never felt herself to be a victim of discrimination during her employment with HISD, and that her only evidence of race discrimination is that she learned after her termination that she had been replaced by an Asian employee – a fact that, on its own, is insufficient as a matter of law to prove a claim of race discrimination.”

A month later, the motion for summary judgment was granted on Feb. 17 and Moody’s suit was dismissed, court records show.

Moody alleged she "would go beyond her job description and classification" only for her onboard manager to "degrade and demean" her.

"On several occasions, the plaintiff would be the minority to a majority problem; however, she was the only person singled out and belittled amongst her peers," the original petition alleged.

Moody further asserted that her former manager "used an improper method to rate the plaintiff for her elevation," which were purportedly a result of "broken and manipulated" policies.

She maintained HISD did not comply with its own policy calling for all employees to be treated "with the utmost integrity and respect within their respective departments."

Moody argued her termination was done "without a proper and justifiable reason beyond the excessive and overbearing discrimination practices of her supervisor."

Attorney L. Mickele' Daniels of L. Mickele' Daniels & Associates in Houston represented the claimant.

HISD was represented in part by Houston attorney Kevin Little.

Case No. 4:13-CV-2849

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