Skip to main content

McGinty v. Ohio State Univ.

OHIOCTCLMarch 31, 2020No. 2018-00026JD
Facing something similar at work?Check your rights — free, private, no sign-up

Case Details

Judge(s)
Shaver
Status — whether other courts must follow this ruling
Published
Procedural Posture — the stage the case had reached
Magistrate decision under Ohio Civ.R. 53

Related Laws

No specific laws identified for this ruling.

Outcome

Plaintiff failed to prove reverse race discrimination and, although he established a prima facie case for reverse sex discrimination, defendant prevailed by demonstrating plaintiff was not meeting job expectations.

Excerpt

Employment discrimination reverse race discrimination reverse sex discrimination magistrate Civ.R. 53. Plaintiff, a former employee of defendant, brought an action for reverse race and reverse sex discrimination, asserting that he was asked to resign from his position as a result of discrimination. Defendant asserts that plaintiff was not asked to resign because of discrimination but because he didn't share the vision for the department and was no longer meeting expectations. The court found that plaintiff was unable to meet the elements for direct proof of discrimination, specifically relating to the elements of proximity and relation to decision making. The court also found that plaintiff was unable to prove a prima facie case using indirect evidence for reverse race discrimination because he was replaced by a person in the majority race and there were no comparable employees in his department. The court found that plaintiff proved a prima facie case for reverse sex discrimination using indirect proof. However, plaintiff did not prevail on his claim because defendant was able to prove that he was not meeting the expectations of his position. Accordingly, the magistrate found in favor of the defendant.

What This Ruling Means

**McGinty v. Ohio State University: What Happened** A former Ohio State University employee named McGinty sued the university, claiming he was forced to resign because of "reverse discrimination" - meaning he believed he was treated unfairly because he was a white man. McGinty argued that his race and gender were the real reasons he was pushed out of his job. **The Court's Decision** The court ruled in favor of Ohio State University. While the judge found that McGinty made a valid initial case for reverse sex discrimination, the university successfully proved that wasn't why he lost his job. Instead, the court determined that McGinty was asked to resign because he wasn't meeting job expectations and didn't align with the department's vision - legitimate work-related reasons that had nothing to do with his race or gender. **What This Means for Workers** This case shows that discrimination claims require strong evidence linking poor treatment directly to protected characteristics like race or gender. Even if you can make an initial case for discrimination, employers can defend themselves by showing they had legitimate, non-discriminatory reasons for their actions. Workers considering discrimination claims should document specific instances where their protected status appeared to influence workplace decisions, not just general workplace conflicts or performance issues.

This summary was generated to explain the ruling in plain English and is not legal advice.

More Rulings in This Case

Other orders and opinions in McGinty from the same court.

Similar Rulings

Abdullah
OHIOCTCLDec 2025

Civ.R. 56, hostile work environment, constructive discharge. Plaintiff failed to produce a genuine issue as to any material fact that he was subjected to a hostile work environment based on his race or national origin, or that he was constructively discharged. The alleged hostile actions and commentary made by other employees were not racially based and did not materially disrupt plaintiff's work. As plaintiff's experiences amounted to no more than ordinary tribulations of the workplace, plaintiff's hostile work environment claims failed. For the same reasons, plaintiff failed to sustain his constructive discharge claim. Summary judgment was granted in favor of defendant pursuant to Civ.R. 56.

Defendant Win
Leach
Ohio Ct. App.Dec 2024

The Court of Claims did not err in granting Ohio State University's ("OSU") motion for summary judgment on the employment discrimination claim or in dismissing the breach of contract claim based on a collective bargaining agreement for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction.

Defendant Win
Khatri
Unknown CourtJan 2024

Summary Judgment, Qualified Immunity, Civ.R. 56(C), 28 U.S.C. 1367(d), Civil Conspiracy, Wrongful Termination. Defendant established that tolling statues did not apply to Plaintiff's claims for civil conspiracy and wrongful termination in violation of public policy as the state of Ohio has consented to be sued in only one forum – the Court of Claims. Additionally, the Court held that the savings statute did not apply to Plaintiff's third attempt at filing the same claims. The remainder of Plaintiff's claims for conversion, intellectual theft, unjust enrichment, and lost opportunities were held to be untimely filed. Plaintiff's initial cause of action originated more than four years prior to the filing of this case. Accordingly, Defendant's motion for summary judgment was granted.

Defendant Win
Burson v. Ohio Environmental Protection Agency
OHIOCTCLMay 2026
Defendant Win
Mohler
OHIOCTCLJan 2025

Civ.R. 56; motion for summary judgment; University of Toledo Athletic Department; athletics; negligent misrepresentation; promissory estoppel; negligence; discretionary immunity. In an action where plaintiff was removed from University of Toledo's women's soccer team, the court found that defendant was entitled to discretionary immunity for the decision to remove plaintiff from the team. Defendant was entitled to summary judgment on plaintiff's claim for negligent misrepresentation because plaintiff failed to demonstrate that defendant supplied false information to plaintiff that the document plaintiff signed was a National Letter of Intent, and therefore, plaintiff failed to satisfy all the elements of the claim. Defendant was also entitled to summary judgment on plaintiff's claim for promissory estoppel because the court found that plaintiff's relationship with University of Toledo was contractual in nature, and therefore, the claim failed as a matter of law. Defendant was further entitled to summary judgment on plaintiff's claim for negligence as the court concluded that plaintiff failed to state a prima facie case for the claim since plaintiff pointed to no facts or supportive law that would allow the court to conclude that a duty of care existed to provide a safe team environment free from abuse, harassment, ridicule, embarrassment, and hostility. Judgment for defendant.

Defendant Win

Browse Related

Facing something similar at work?

Court rulings like this one are useful, but every situation is different. Take 2 minutes to see which laws may protect you — it's free, private, and no account is required to start.

This ruling information is sourced from public court records via CourtListener.com. Case outcomes, claim types, and summaries are extracted using AI analysis and may be incomplete or inaccurate. It is provided for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.

See something wrong, or named in this ruling and want it corrected or redacted? Request a correction.