Opinion ID: 744871
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Defendant's Entitlement to Judgment as a Matter of Law.

Text: 16 The Company first complains that it is entitled to judgment as a matter of law because Carter failed to offer statistical or direct evidence of age discrimination and, consequently, had to rely on the inferential process of establishing a prima facie case as outlined by the Supreme Court in McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, 411 U.S. 792, 93 S.Ct. 1817, 36 L.Ed.2d 668 (1973). It contends that she failed to establish a prima facie case because 1) she did not prove that the decisionmakers knew that she was over forty years of age at the time of her discharge; 2) she was not qualified to continue her employment as a sales representative with the company; and 3) she did not show that she was replaced by a significantly younger person. The defendant claims that even if Carter could be said to have made out a prima facie case, it articulated a legitimate, non-discriminatory reason for ending her employment because of her poor job performance. Finally, the Company asserts she failed to prove that its proffered reason for terminating her, poor job performance, was a pretext for unlawful age discrimination. 17 In opposition thereto, the plaintiff urges that she did present more than sufficient evidence to support the jury's verdict in her favor. She contends that she did establish a prima facie case. First, she points out that she was over forty years old when the Company discharged her. Furthermore, while there is no requirement that the decisionmaker in an age discrimination case know that the employee is over forty, she notes a great deal of evidence that the decisionmaker, Bill Spencer, knew that she was over forty. Among other things, he had access to her personnel file and, on the day he informed her she was being terminated, he gave her a ring commemorating her twenty years of service with the company. Also, he discussed the fact that she might file an age discrimination complaint with the other decisionmaker, Bob Donalson. 18 Carter also argues that she presented evidence that she was qualified for her position of sales representative. She notes that, while defendant's brief compares her sales record to only two other individuals, both of whom outperformed her, there were actually seven sales employees in the Atlanta District at the end of 1989. She alludes to other evidence that she achieved more of her quota for the year than two younger sales representatives who were not disciplined or terminated and that she completed her prima facie case by proving that she was replaced by a man three years younger than her, an age difference this court has found legally significant for ADEA purposes. See Carter v. City of Miami, 870 F.2d 578, 582-83 (11th Cir.1989)(prima facie case established when plaintiff 49 years old was replaced by woman 46 years old). 19 Finally, Carter maintains that she presented sufficient evidence to permit the jury to conclude that the Company's proffered reason for discharging her was a pretext for unlawful age discrimination. This included a statement by Spencer that it was preferable to have a nubile young woman making sales calls because a sales prospect might grant her an interview just to take a look at her and a statement by the Company's president in a meeting shortly after her termination that he had gotten rid of all the old sleazy people who used to work for the company. She also cites other evidence that Spencer replaced older employees with younger ones after he became head of the Atlanta office and that he in fact treated two younger female sales representatives better than Carter. For instance, her sales territory was changed five times during 1989, and she was subjected to stricter supervision than similarly situated employees. The jury also heard from several present or former employees of the defendant that they felt that they were treated worse once they turned forty years of age. Finally, according to Carter, she presented substantial evidence that undermined the defendant's explanation of the justification for and timing of its decision to terminate her employment, evidence which strongly suggested that the defendant's stated reason was pretextual. 20 A district court may enter judgment as a matter of law if a party has been fully heard on an issue and there is no legally sufficient basis for a reasonable jury to find in favor of that party on that issue. When considering such a motion, the court must evaluate all of the evidence, together with any logical inferences therefrom, in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party. See Beckwith v. City of Daytona Beach Shores, 58 F.3d 1554, 1560 (11th Cir.1995). In applying this test, 21 [i]f the facts and inferences point overwhelmingly in favor of one party, such that reasonable people could not arrive at a contrary verdict, then the motion was properly granted. Conversely, if there is substantial evidence opposed to the motion such that reasonable people, in the exercise of impartial judgment, might reach differing conclusions, then such a motion was due to be denied and the case was properly submitted to the jury. 22 Carter v. City of Miami, 870 F.2d at 581 (footnote omitted). We review a district court's denial of a defendant's renewed motion for judgment as a matter of law de novo, applying the same standards as the district court. Combs v. Plantation Patterns, 106 F.3d 1519, 1526 (11th Cir.1997). 23 Considering all the evidence in this case as outlined above and construing that evidence in the light most favorable to Carter, it seems clear that she submitted enough evidence to permit a reasonable jury to conclude that her termination was the result of unlawful age discrimination. For that reason, the district court did not err in denying defendant's motion for judgment as a matter of law. 24