A member of a minority race applies for a promotion to a position advertised as available at his company. The applicant, who is qualified for the position, is rejected by the company, which hires a nonminority applicant for the position. They minority applicant sues under Title VII. He has a prima facie case of illegal discrimination. That burden of proof shifts to the employer to prove a nondiscriminatory reason for its decision. If the employer offers a reason, such as saying that the minority applicants lacked sufficient experience, that burden shifts back to the minority applicant to prove that this was just a pretext for the employer's decision.
Race discrimination