White v. North Louisiana Criminal Lab

── White v. North Louisiana Criminal Lab ── Court: Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit Date: May 04, 2026 Category: Civil Rights Case: 25-30293 Document: 49-1 Page: 1 Date Filed: 05/04/2026 United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit United States Court of Appeals ____________ Fifth Circuit FILED No. 25-30293 May 4, 2026 ____________ Lyle W. Cayce Clerk Carla White, Plaintiff—Appellant, versus North Louisiana Criminalistics Laboratory, Defendant—Appellee. ______________________________ Appeal from the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana USDC No. 5:21-CV-1850 ______________________________ Before Jones, Clement, and Richman, Circuit Judges. Per Curiam: * After being fired from the North Louisiana Criminalistics Laboratory (“NLCL”), Carla White alleged sex discrimination and retaliation. The district court granted NLCL’s motion for summary judgment. Because White cannot establish a prima facie case of sex discrimination and does not produce evidence that NLCL’s reasons were pretext for retaliation, the judgment of the district court is AFFIRMED. _____________________ * This opinion is not designated for publication. See 5th Cir. R. 47.5. Case: 25-30293 Document: 49-1 Page: 2 Date Filed: 05/04/2026 No. 25-30293 I. White started working at NLCL in 2005, and she became a firearms examiner in 2007. In 2018, White was selected as NLCL’s coordinator for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives’ National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (“NIBIN”). In May 2020, White began working as NLCL’s firearms section supervisor. When she received this promotion, Director Jimmy Barnhill told her that she was his last choice. Additionally, she was told that she would only serve as the supervisor on an interim basis and would have to wait before receiving a pay raise. Barnhill was replaced as system director by Joey Jones, Ph.D. At a gathering at a brewery in May or June of 2020, White and other female coworkers informed Jones about instances of Barnhill’s inappropriate behavior toward female employees. White had a rocky start as supervisor. Following a meeting in July, Jones noted, “I have concerns about her being supervisor material. She is easily flustered . . . She is unwilling to extend her workdays in order to create time . . . Still, she continues to show up after 0800 every day.” Furthermore, White failed to create written policies and procedures for the firearms section, despite Jones asking her to do so. In June 2020, White began training Philip Stout. In August, White met with Jones and raised concerns about Stout’s grammar and spelling mistakes in his reports. White alleged that Stout was dyslexic, and she “was very negative” about “the lab hiring someone with a disability.” In response, Jones told her that even if Stout has a disability, it does not excuse her from training him. At this same August meeting, White complained to Jones that she was being discriminated against because of her sex. Later, Stout informed Jones that he does not have a disability, and Stout was offended that White insinuated that he had dyslexia. 2 Case: 25-30293 Document: 49-1 Page: 3 Date Filed: 05/04/2026