Opinion ID: 598977
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Malarkey's Earlier Career at Texaco

Text: 27 Texaco contests the admission of evidence pertaining to the pre-1980 events in Malarkey's career. Specifically, it questions the admission of Malarkey's 1964-1974 employment history and the events surrounding the 1976 employment office memorandum. It regards this evidence as irrelevant and prejudicial. 28 Malarkey's cause of action was grounded on her allegations of age and retaliatory discrimination at Texaco and, without these illegal practices, she maintains her career would have advanced as it had for the first ten years. We think her pre-1975 employment history is at least arguably relevant. At the early point in her career, when she was considered a valued and highly competent secretary--before she lodged charges of discrimination against her employer--she had moved up the professional ladder very rapidly. A jury should be allowed to decide whether, absent any discrimination, she would have continued on the same upward trajectory. The mere remoteness in time of these events does not make them irrelevant. 29 The 1976 employment office memorandum is also arguably relevant. It is mentioned in the EEOC filing and in Malarkey's federal complaint and was the first evidence of her belief that Texaco was engaging in alleged sex and age discrimination. It is relevant because it suggests a motive for the subsequent adverse employment actions that constituted retaliation by Texaco.