(CN) - An engineer who flunked out of college and lied about having graduated with a degree in aeronautical engineering from Purdue lost his discrimination case in the 7th Circuit. Rolls Royce fired the worker based on his "dangerously incompetent" performance, the court concluded, and not because of his duties to the Air Force Reserve.
Robin Savin, who hired and supervised Rick Madden, had been impressed with Madden's purported credentials.
"But the plaintiff made many mistakes in his new job - which is not surprising, because he was not a graduate of Purdue; he had flunked out," Judge Posner explained.
At the end of the 90-day trial period, Rolls Royce let him go.
Madden filed suit for discrimination, claiming the company illegally fired him based on his military obligations. He said he was again turned down for a job with one of Rolls Royce's suppliers based on his military status.
But Posner said his poor performance and fraud played a bigger role than his military duties.
"[T]he first refusal to hire was based on his incompetent performance, discovered before the refusal," Posner wrote, "and the defendant in the second episode would have discovered the disqualifying facts about the plaintiff (certainly his poor work record and probably his resumé fraud as well) before hiring him, so the discriminatory motive could have had no consequence."
The court affirmed summary judgment for the defendants.
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