On June 24, 2008, Plaintiff Sheila Butts, the Director of Alumni Relations at California State University Dominguez Hills, was terminated from employment. Butts claimed that prior to her termination, numerous University officials engaged in conduct that she believed demonstrated race, age and gender discrimination towards her. In December 2007, she filed a discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in regards to her wages and salary. On June 24, 2008, Butts was terminated from employment at the University. Butts sued the Board of Trustees of the California State University (Dominguez Hills). She alleged that the defendant’s actions constituted racial, age and gender discrimination and retaliation in violation of the Fair Employment and Housing Act. Employees Garcia Mildred and Seigle Mark were originally named as defendants in regards to harassment, but they could not be suedfor discrimination or retaliation. Thus, they were let out of the case and the matter proceeded to a jury trial against the board of trustees only. Butts initially claimed that even though she worked at California State University Dominguez Hills since 2003, employed as the Director of Alumni Relations and in other capacities for more than 25 years, she was not being paid equal to her colleagues; a white female and a black male. She eventually abandoned her discrimination causes of action during the trial and submitted only her retaliation claim, in which she claimed that the university retaliated against her by terminating her from employment in response to her filing an EEOC complaint. The university’s board of trustees denied the plaintiff’s allegation of retaliation in regards to her termination. It contended that Butts had documented, ongoing performance issues, which had been recognized and noted by more than one supervisor over the three-year period leading up to her termination. In particular, defense counsel presented testimony and documentary evidence that Butts had poor interpersonal and communication skills, had been the subject of numerous complaints from other employees, repeatedly failed to complete the goals that she was assigned, and required managers to step in and take over duties that she was explicitly tasked with accomplishing. In addition, defense counsel presented evidence that Butts was actually paid a higher salary than those directors of Alumni Relations at comparable university campuses., Butts claimed $946,247 in damages for past and future lost earnings and benefits. She further sought an unspecified amount in emotional distress damages. Defense counsel argued that since Butts was terminated for legitimate business reasons, she was owed zero damages.