McDonald v. Santa Fe Trail Transportation Co.

McDonald and a white co-worker (plaintiffs), along with a Black co-worker, Charles Jackson, were all charged with stealing from a shipment carried by their employer, Santa Fe Trail Transportation Co. (Santa Fe) (defendant). A week later, Santa Fe fired McDonald and his co-worker but retained Jackson. The plaintiffs sued under Title VII and 42 U.S.C. section 1981, alleging Santa Fe discriminated against them because they were white. The district court held that firing white employees while retaining a similarly accused Black employee did not violate either statute and dismissed the suit, and the Fifth Circuit affirmed.