Arnold v. Rayonier, Inc.

181 F.R.D. 549, 1998 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11340, 1998 WL 420688
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Georgia
DecidedJune 4, 1998
DocketNo. CIV. A. CV297-46
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 181 F.R.D. 549 (Arnold v. Rayonier, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Arnold v. Rayonier, Inc., 181 F.R.D. 549, 1998 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11340, 1998 WL 420688 (S.D. Ga. 1998).

Opinion

ORDER

Plaintiff, Cecil R. Arnold (“Arnold”), filed suit against his former employer, Rayonier, Incorporated (“Rayonier”), alleging that he was terminated in violation of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (“ADEA”), 29 U.S.C. § 626(b). After a two day trial, the jury returned a verdict in favor of Defendant. Currently before the Court is Plaintiffs Renewed Motion for Judgment as a Matter of Law pursuant to Rule 50(b) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure or, in the alternative, for a New Trial pursuant to Rule 59 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. For the reasons set forth below, Plaintiffs motion will be DENIED.

FACTS

Rayonier, a North Carolina corporation, manufactures dissolving cellulose and fluff pulp. It has two mills, one in Fernandina, Florida, and the other in Jesup, Georgia (the “Jesup mill”). Arnold began working in the [552]*552finishing department of the Jesup mill in June of 1974. Over the years, he performed a variety of jobs in the finishing department. These positions included cleanup, rollover operator, scaler, baler, stenciler, trucker, label operator,' rewinder operator and relief foreman. Arnold began as an hourly employee, but was promoted to the salaried position of finishing foreman in 1976.1 He worked as a finishing foreman until he was terminated on September 9, 1996. He was forty-six years old at the time of his discharge.2

DISCUSSION

I. Judgment as a Matter of Law

Arnold contends that the Court should grant his Motion for Judgment as a Matter of Law because Rayonier failed to present a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason for his termination. (Pl.’s Mot. J. Matter Law 114). At trial, Rayonier claimed that Arnold was terminated as part of a necessary reduction-in-force. (Trial Tr. at 2:130). Arnold argues that this explanation is insufficient since the work force necessarily is reduced anytime an employee is terminated. (Pl.’s Mot. J. Matter Law K 4).

A federal court may grant judgment as a matter of law “[i]f during a trial by jury a party has been fully heard on an issue and there is no legally sufficient evidentiary basis for a reasonable jury to find for the party on that issue .... ” Fed.R.Civ.P. 50(a). If a federal court declines to grant a party’s motion for judgment as a matter of law during trial, the “movant may renew its request for judgment as a matter of law by filing a motion no later than 10 days after entry of judgment----” Fed.R.Civ.P. 50(b).

In ruling on a motion for judgment as a matter of law, the Court considers “all the evidence, and the inferences drawn therefrom, in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party.” Carter v. City of Miami, 870 F.2d 578, 581 (11th Cir.1989). The Court should grant the motion only if it finds that “there can be but one reasonable conclusion as to the proper judgment.” Bryan v. James E. Holmes Regional Medical Center, 33 F.3d 1318, 1333 (11th Cir.1994), cert. denied, 514 U.S. 1019, 115 S.Ct. 1363, 131 L.Ed.2d 220 (1995) (internal citation omitted). On the other hand, if there is substantial evidence upon which a jury reasonably could find for the nonmoving party, the motion should be denied. Isenbergh v. Knigkt-Ridder Newspaper Sales, Inc., 97 F.3d 436, 439 (11th Cir.1996), cert. denied, — U.S. —, 117 S.Ct. 2511, 138 L.Ed.2d 1014 (1997); Carter, 870 F.2d at 581.

Plaintiff brought his action pursuant to the ADEA, which makes it unlawful for an employer to discharge or otherwise discriminate against an employee on the basis of age. 29 U.S.C.A. § 623(a) (1985). When a plaintiff relies on circumstantial evidence to prove unlawful discrimination, as in this case, the Court follows the test set forth in McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, 411 U.S. 792, 93 S.Ct. 1817, 36 L.Ed.2d 668 (1973). Under this test, the plaintiff has the initial burden to establish a prima facie case of age discrimination. Id. at 802, 93 S.Ct. at 1824, 36 L.Ed.2d at 677-78. Once the plaintiff establishes the prima facie case, the burden shifts to the defendant to produce some “legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason” for the adverse employment decision. Texas Dept. of Community Affairs v. Burdine, 450 U.S. 248, 254, 101 S.Ct. 1089, 1094, 67 L.Ed.2d 207, 216 (1981). The defendant only is required to articulate, not prove, a nondiscriminatory reason. Id. Thus, the burden in this respect is “exceedingly light.” Walker v. NationsBank, 53 F.3d 1548, 1556 (11th Cir.1995) (quoting Perryman v. Johnson Prod. Co., 698 F. 2d 1138, 1142 (11th Cir.1983)). If the defendant meets this burden, the presumption raised by the prima facie case is rebutted. Then, the plaintiff must prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the employer’s proffered reason was not its true motivation, but a pretext for discrimination. Burdine, [553]*553450 U.S. at 256, 101 S.Ct. at 1095, 67 L.Ed.2d at 217.

In this case, there was ample evidence for a jury to conclude that Defendant articulated a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason for Plaintiffs termination. At trial, Defendant demonstrated that a decline in the price of pulp caused the Jesup mill to experience financial difficulty during 1996. Royce Daniel (“Daniel”), general manager of the Jesup mill, testified that there was an “unprecedented fifty-percent drop in world commodity paper and fluff pulp prices,” and that as a result, profitability for the Jesup mill was “far less than the prior year.” (Trial Tr. at 2:77, 2:79). He explained that Rayonier’s poor financial situation necessitated a reduction in the number of salaried employees at the Jesup mill. While the mill attempted to use other means to lower costs, such as reducing its energy, water, and maintenance expenses, Daniel testified that “as a last resort” it was necessary for the mill “to make some changes in [its] salaried organization.” (Id. at 2:129). Moreover, there is evidence that these changes were not made arbitrarily, but instead, resulted from thorough research and consideration. (Id. at 2:82). Ultimately, Rayonier officials decided that they could eliminate Arnold’s position in the fin-' ishing department and spread his duties between a number of remaining positions without reducing production. (Id. at 2:134). Daniel testified that Plaintiffs duties were reassigned to the supervisors and lead operators in the finishing department, the shift superintendents, and the shift quality supervisors.

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