8,18 (D.D.C. 1999). A. Causal Connection A causal connection may be inferred “by showing that the employer had knowl edge of the employee’s protected activity, and that the adverse personnel action took place shortly after that activity.” Mitchell, 759 F.2d at 86. By showing both knowledge and proximity in time, plaintiff may establish the causal connection needed to make a prima facie case of retaliation. Although courts have not established the maximum time lapse between protected Title VII activity and alleged retaliatory actions for establishing a causal connection, courts generally have accepted time periods of a few days up to a few months and seldom have accepted time lapses outside of a year in length. See, e.g., Goos v. Nat’l Ass’n of Realtors, 715 F.Supp. 2, 3-4 (D.D.C.1989) (<HOLDING>); Castle v. Bentsen, 867 F.Supp. 1, 3
holding that a lapse of two months as is the case here is sufficient to show a causal connection and the district court erred in holding otherwise holding that three to five months is a short enough time lapse between eeo activity and reprisal to establish a causal connection holding that five weeks between protected activity and adverse employment action insufficient to establish a causal connection holding that the plaintiff cannot establish pretext because she is unable to show any causal connection holding that five weeks constituted a short enough time lapse to establish a causal connection