context: Officer Bilyard was investigated, and it was found that he did not use excessive force. While Plaintiff asserts the investigation was not conducted as thoroughly as the "secret" investigation against him, such is mere speculation on Plaintiffs part and is not sufficient evidence to survive Defendant's Motion for Summary Judgment.
citation_a.signal: see also
citation_a.identifier: 423 F.Supp.2d 550, 556
citation_a.parenthetical: "Plaintiff must come forward with admissible evidence that is more than self-serving opinions or speculation."
citation_a.sentence: See Holland, 487 F.3d at 217 (“[A]lthough a reasonable trier of fact would conclude that [the defendant] reported a different reason and date, when combined with the company’s innocuous reasoning for these decisions and [plaintiffs] failure to present any other evidence — beyond baseless speculation — that ... [the] stated reason was pretextual, the trier of fact would be hard-pressed to conclude that this established pretext.”); see also Guseh v. N.C. Cent. Univ., 423 F.Supp.2d 550, 556 (M.D.N.C.2005) (“Plaintiff must come forward with admissible evidence that is more than self-serving opinions or speculation.”); Middlebrooks v. Univ. of Md. at College Park, 980 F.Supp. 824, 831 (D.Md.1997) (“‘Speculation and belief are insufficient to create a fact issue as to pretext .... ’ ” (quoting Baldwin v. Univ. of Tex. Med. Branch at Galveston, 945 F.Supp. 1022, 1032 (S.D.Tex.1996))).
citation_b.signal: see
citation_b.identifier: 487 F.3d 217, 217
citation_b.parenthetical: "[A]lthough a reasonable trier of fact would conclude that [the defendant] reported a different reason and date, when combined with the company's innocuous reasoning for these decisions and [plaintiffs] failure to present any other evidence -- beyond baseless speculation -- that ... [the] stated reason was pretextual, the trier of fact would be hard-pressed to conclude that this established pretext."
citation_b.sentence: See Holland, 487 F.3d at 217 (“[A]lthough a reasonable trier of fact would conclude that [the defendant] reported a different reason and date, when combined with the company’s innocuous reasoning for these decisions and [plaintiffs] failure to present any other evidence — beyond baseless speculation — that ... [the] stated reason was pretextual, the trier of fact would be hard-pressed to conclude that this established pretext.”); see also Guseh v. N.C. Cent. Univ., 423 F.Supp.2d 550, 556 (M.D.N.C.2005) (“Plaintiff must come forward with admissible evidence that is more than self-serving opinions or speculation.”); Middlebrooks v. Univ. of Md. at College Park, 980 F.Supp. 824, 831 (D.Md.1997) (“‘Speculation and belief are insufficient to create a fact issue as to pretext .... ’ ” (quoting Baldwin v. Univ. of Tex. Med. Branch at Galveston, 945 F.Supp. 1022, 1032 (S.D.Tex.1996))).