Joe E. Cooper, Plaintiff-Appellee/cross-Appellant v. Asplundh Tree Expert Company, Defendant-Appellant/cross-Appellee

836 F.2d 1544, 24 Fed. R. Serv. 875, 10 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 430, 1988 U.S. App. LEXIS 339, 45 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 37,725, 45 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1386
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
DecidedJanuary 15, 1988
Docket85-2316, 85-2369
StatusPublished
Cited by167 cases

This text of 836 F.2d 1544 (Joe E. Cooper, Plaintiff-Appellee/cross-Appellant v. Asplundh Tree Expert Company, Defendant-Appellant/cross-Appellee) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Joe E. Cooper, Plaintiff-Appellee/cross-Appellant v. Asplundh Tree Expert Company, Defendant-Appellant/cross-Appellee, 836 F.2d 1544, 24 Fed. R. Serv. 875, 10 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 430, 1988 U.S. App. LEXIS 339, 45 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 37,725, 45 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1386 (10th Cir. 1988).

Opinion

LOGAN, Circuit Judge.

Joe E. Cooper brought this action against his former employer, Asplundh Tree Expert Company (Asplundh), under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), 29 U.S.C. §§ 621-634, alleging that Asplundh willfully discriminated against Cooper in firing him. A jury, answering special interrogatories, found both that Asplundh intentionally discriminated against Cooper and that such discrimination was willful. The district court denied Asplundh’s motion for judgment n.o.v. and subsequently entered judgment for Cooper in the amount of $32,000 for back pay, an additional $32,000 in liquidated damages, $63,000 in front pay, and $12,255 in attorney’s fees. Both parties have appealed.

On appeal Asplundh challenges the sufficiency of the evidence to support the jury’s verdict on liability and willfulness. As-plundh alleges that the trial court erred when it allowed the testimony of a witness who was not listed on the court’s pretrial *1547 order, when it permitted that witness to testify about another witness’ reputation for truthfulness, and when it allowed Cooper’s counsel to read during closing argument from an affidavit not admitted into evidence. Asplundh also asserts that the trial court improperly awarded front pay, erred in not setting off an arbitral award previously entered in Cooper’s favor, erred in not setting off Cooper’s unemployment compensation, and improperly awarded attorney’s fees.

Cooper, on cross-appeal, argues that the district court improperly refused to award liquidated damages in connection with his front pay award.

I

In reviewing a district court’s denial of a motion for a judgment n.o.v., we may find error only when the evidence points but one way and is susceptible to no reasonable inferences sustaining the position of the party against whom the motion is made. EEOC v. Prudential Federal Savings & Loan Ass’n, 763 F.2d 1166, 1171 (10th Cir.), cert. denied, 474 U.S. 946, 106 S.Ct. 312, 88 L.Ed.2d 289 (1985). While a scintilla of evidence is not enough, we must affirm if evidence was before the jury upon which it could properly find against the movant. Hurd v. American Hoist & Derrick Co., 734 F.2d 495, 499 (10th Cir.1984).

An employee alleging intentional discrimination under the ADEA must prove that age was a “determinative factor” in the defendant employer’s action toward him. Prudential, 763 F.2d at 1171. Age need not be the sole reason for the employer’s acts, but plaintiff must show that age “made a difference” in the employer’s decision. Perrell v. FinanceAmerica Corp., 726 F.2d 654, 656 (10th Cir.1984).

The proof scheme of McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, 411 U.S. 792, 802-04, 93 S.Ct. 1817, 1824-25, 36 L.Ed.2d 668 (1973), and Texas Department of Community Affairs v. Burdine, 450 U.S. 248, 252-56,101 S.Ct. 1089, 1093-95, 67 L.Ed.2d 207 (1981), applies here. As adapted to an age discrimination 1 discharge claim, a plaintiff establishes a prima facie case by showing “(1) he is within the protected age group, (2) he was doing satisfactory work, (3) he was discharged despite the adequacy of his work, and (4) his position was filled by a person younger than he.” Cockrell v. Boise Cascade Corp., 781 F.2d 173, 177 (10th Cir.1986). The burden of production then shifts to the employer to show a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason for the challenged action. Id. The plaintiff retains the ultimate burden of persuasion, which he may carry directly by proving that age was more likely than not a determinative factor in the employment decision, or indirectly by establishing that the employer’s proffered explanation is mere pretext. Furr v. AT & T Technologies, Inc., 824 F.2d 1537, 1542 (10th Cir.1987).

Cooper worked at Asplundh as a foreman from shortly after his hiring in 1966 until his discharge on January 24, 1984. He was forty-nine years old when discharged and was replaced by a worker thirty-two or thirty-three years old. On appeal, only the interrelated second and third elements of the test elucidated above are in issue — whether Cooper was doing satisfactory work at the time of his discharge. Asplundh presented undisputed evidence that Cooper violated company rules by, inter alia, buying food during working hours, wearing spikes while climbing live trees in violation of a Denver ordinance, using personal vehicles on the job site, and failing to have his crew wear hard hats on the job site.

Cooper, however, countered with testimony that Asplundh did not uniformly enforce these rules, thereby raising the inference that Asplundh selectively enforced its rules against Cooper and that the rules were but a pretext to mask age discrimination. Cooper testified that Asplundh had not criticized other crews which bought food during working hours, and Asplundh employ *1548 ees Orville Puterbaugh and Dean Tygrett testified that they did not believe such action violated company policy. Kenneth Williams, who replaced Cooper, testified that he himself wore spikes on live trees in Denver as a safety measure. Puterbaugh testified that company practice was to wear spikes for safety. Puterbaugh further testified that Asplundh did not uniformly enforce its rules against using personal vehicles at job sites and that John Maxwell, an Asplundh supervisor, had told workers they need not wear hard hats. Finally, Cooper countered Asplundh’s evidence that his work was sub-par with testimony from three disinterested witnesses that his work was average or better. A Public Service Company report showed Cooper’s crew average or above average in most areas. Cooper’s evidence, if believed, adequately established the second and third elements of a prima facie case — that Cooper was doing satisfactory work but was nevertheless discharged.

After Asplundh produced evidence that reasonable factors other than age — Cooper’s violation of work rules and poor attitude toward management — motivated its decision, Cooper presented sufficient evidence to satisfy his ultimate burden of proof. Steve Kershman, an Asplundh supervisor, admitted at trial that he had remarked that “guys forty years old are too old to work here.” II R. 123. While Kershman testified that he made this remark only in jest, another Asplundh employee, Gerald Lopez, testified that Kersh-man had, in all seriousness, said words to the effect that “people over forty should be fired or gotten rid of.” Ill R. 223. 2 Lopez also testified that Kershman favored younger workers, and that he thought age had something to do with Cooper’s termination. Cooper testified that in December 1982 Maxwell had described another worker who was over fifty as “just too old for the job,” II R. 39. In addition, both Puter-baugh and Hansen testified that Maxwell commented about problems with older workers.

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836 F.2d 1544, 24 Fed. R. Serv. 875, 10 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 430, 1988 U.S. App. LEXIS 339, 45 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 37,725, 45 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1386, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/joe-e-cooper-plaintiff-appelleecross-appellant-v-asplundh-tree-expert-ca10-1988.