From Schneider v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. 2019 WL 294309 (S.D.N.Y. Jan. 23, 2019):
[T]he Court will examine whether Defendants’ stated reason for Plaintiff’s termination, his accumulation of four written coachings in a twelve-month period, is mere pretext for discrimination. Pretext may be demonstrated by additional evidence that the employer’s proffered reason is not credible or by reliance on the evidence supporting the prima facie case alone. Chambers v. TRM Copy Ctrs. Corp., 43 F.3d 29, 38 (2d Cir. 1994). “The defendant’s burden is [ ] light. The employer need not persuade the court that it was motivated by the reason it provides; rather, it must simply articulate an explanation that, if true, would connote lawful behavior.” Greenway v. Buffalo Hilton Hotel, 143 F.3d 47, 52 (2d Cir. 1998) (emphasis omitted). Disciplinary action based on poor performance or failure to follow reasonable workplace rules is not indicative of a pretext for disability discrimination.