Opinion ID: 75447
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: sufficiency of the evidence

Text: We review de novo the district court's denial of the Appellants’ motions for judgment as a matter of law on the issue of sufficiency of the evidence to support the jury’s verdicts, applying the same standard as the district court. See 6 Although the court did reduce the $425,000 compensatory damages award against Fulton County for each Appellee to $300,000. 13 Montgomery v. Noga, 168 F.3d 1282, 1289 (11th Cir.1999). In applying that standard, “we review the evidence ‘in the light most favorable to, and with all reasonable inferences drawn in favor of, the nonmoving party.’” Montgomery, 168 F.3d at 1289 (quoting Walker v. NationsBank of Fla., N.A., 53 F.3d 1548, 1555 (11th Cir.1995)). We will not second-guess the jury or substitute our judgment for its judgment if its verdict is supported by sufficient evidence. See Gupta v. Florida Bd. of Regents, 212 F.3d 571, 582 (11th Cir. 2000). Appellants argue that the jury’s verdict should be reversed because it was not supported by the evidence. After a careful review of the record, we find that there was sufficient evidence to support the jury verdicts as to all three Appellants. There was ample evidence for the jury to conclude that the conduct of Cooper was motivated by a racially evil motive or intent. Cooper conducted a several month investigation so that a statement could be submitted to the EEOC responding to the charges filed by the two Big Creek employees. The County Attorneys told Regus that Cooper’s report of his investigation was totally insufficient to justify Cooper’s recommendation that discipline be imposed on unnamed supervisors. Regus asked Cooper for another report that, when submitted, accused six white employees, including plaintiffs, of engaging in racist discrimination and allowing it to continue. Regus also had in his possession a report prepared by Bockman, assisted 14 by Acey, that catalogued evidence refuting Cooper’s allegations, expressed concern about Cooper’s “false accusations” and found no fault on the part of Appellees. Regus was aware that Cooper was emotionally involved in the investigation and that his revised report was based on a poorly conducted investigation which reached conclusions that were not supported by facts and which were the result of a conscious decision by Cooper to color the facts to support the conclusion that Cooper desired. However, despite Bockman’s support of plaintiffs and Bockman’s refusal to discipline plaintiffs himself, Regus chose to personally find fault on the part of plaintiffs and personally sign plaintiffs disciplinary letters. At the same time, Regus treated similarly situated black employees, namely Acey and Brown,7 more leniently than the white plaintiffs and imposed no real discipline on Cooper even though Cooper’s misconduct, unlike that of plaintiffs, was willful. Regus supplied the County Commission with a copy of Cooper’s report three days before he imposed discipline on plaintiffs but failed to provide the Commission with a copy of Bockman’s report. Although Regus testified that he did not rely on Cooper’s report in disciplining plaintiffs, the jury could easily have disbelieved that testimony and found that, throughout the 7 Curtis Brown was the immediate supervisor of the two Big Creek employees who filed the charges with the EEOC. His immediate supervisor was Appellant Heath. 15 process, Regus knowingly and intentionally endorsed Cooper’s discriminatory acts. Not only was there sufficient evidence to support the jury verdicts, but the record also clearly reflects that the jury’s attention to critical elements of Appellees’ claims was focused by a series of special interrogatories in the verdict form addressing separately each Appellee’s claims against each Appellant. Among other matters, the jury expressly found by their answers, (a) that Regus and Cooper intentionally discriminated against each Appellee in the terms or conditions of his employment based upon the race of each Appellee, (b) that each Appellee should recover from Regus and from Cooper $50,000 compensatory damages and $225,000 punitive damages, (c) that Regus and Cooper each acted with malice or reckless indifference to each Appellee’s federally protected rights, and (d) that the race of each Appellee was a substantial or motivating factor which prompted Fulton County to discipline each Appellee.