McCray v. Collins

Circuit 10Jul 15, 2026

Split Score

SplitScore: 74/100

Case Summary

Disposition

Affirmed

The Tenth Circuit affirmed the district court’s dismissal and grant of summary judgment against DaShaun McCray’s Title VII claims of racial discrimination and retaliation against the Department of Veterans Affairs. The panel held that most of McCray’s claims were either not administratively exhausted or lacked sufficient evidence of discriminatory or retaliatory intent, and it concluded she failed to establish key elements of her prima-facie cases under McDonnell Douglas.

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Circuit Split Identified

Legal Issue

Whether the continuing-violation doctrine applies to Title VII disparate-treatment claims so that discrete acts outside the administrative filing window can be treated as part of one actionable claim.

Circuit Positions

Circuit 7Circuit 10(this circuit)

Continuing-violation doctrine does NOT apply to Title VII disparate-treatment claims; each discrete act must be timely exhausted.

Circuit 2Circuit 3Circuit 4Circuit 5Circuit 6Circuit 9Circuit 11

Continuing-violation doctrine may apply to Title VII disparate-treatment claims, allowing older discrete acts to be considered if part of an ongoing pattern.

Conflict Summary

The opinion states the Tenth Circuit is in the minority in refusing to apply the continuing-violation doctrine to disparate-treatment claims, whereas a number of other circuits permit plaintiffs to aggregate a series of related discrete acts into a single continuing violation, thereby allowing otherwise-time-barred acts to be considered.

Parties & Counsel

Parties

Appellant:DaShaun McCray
Appellee:Douglas A. Collins, Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (official capacity)