Opinion ID: 855155
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: “Joint Employer” Standard

Text: Finally, Patterson challenges the district court’s grant of summary judgment to the County on the grounds that the court improperly applied the joint employer test from Trevino v. Celanese Corp., 701 F.2d 397, 404 (5th Cir. 1983), in finding that the County (and the City) could not be considered Patterson’s primary employer. Specifically, Patterson argues that the district court should not have excluded “financial control” as a factor in determining whether the County was a joint employer with the Commission. We review a grant of summary judgment de novo, applying the same standards used by the district court. ACE Am. Ins. Co. v. M-I, L.L.C., 699 F.3d 826, 830 (5th Cir. 2012). Under Rule 56(a), summary judgment must be granted “if the movant shows that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a). “We examine the evidence in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party, and draw any reasonable inferences in favor of that party.” Cannata v. Catholic Diocese of Austin, 700 F.3d 169, 172 (5th Cir. 2012) (internal citations omitted). On appeal, Patterson has not raised a genuine dispute of material fact. However, we need not engage in a summary judgment review of this issue 8 Case: 12-60579 Document: 00512173514 Page: 9 Date Filed: 03/13/2013 No. 12-60579 because it is moot. As the City correctly notes in its brief, the Trevino test does not create an independent claim for relief. Rather, it functions to determine whether separate entities are sufficiently connected such that their employees should be counted together for purposes of meeting the numerical thresholds for coverage under the ADA and ADEA. Trevino, 701 F.2d at 404; Schweitzer v. Advanced Telemarketing Corp., 104 F.3d 761, 764 (5th Cir. 1997). Patterson’s ADA and ADEA claims failed at trial, and he does not challenge the jury’s findings as to these claims on appeal. Given that Patterson does not challenge the jury’s findings on the underlying claims, which would form the basis for any relief had Trevino been applied differently, his challenge to the district court’s alleged misapplication of Trevino is moot.