Rebecca Young (Partner-Birmingham, AL) recently won a second summary judgment on behalf of a housing authority client accused of wrongfully terminating the employment of its former executive director in retaliation for making a whistleblower complaint to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the city’s mayor. The matter was highly publicized and brought severe criticism against the client, which was ultimately redeemed through judgments in its favor. Rebecca first obtained summary judgment on the federal whistleblower claim pending in the U.S. District Court based on jurisdictional arguments regarding failure to exhaust specific administrative remedies. Following the disposition of the federal claim on the jurisdictional grounds, the federal court remanded the related state claim of wrongful termination. Rebecca then filed another motion for summary judgment, arguing that the plaintiff could not satisfy her burden under the McDonnel Douglas burden-shifting framework adopted by the state courts from the Eighth Circuit. The state court agreed and granted summary judgment.