Opinion ID: 714649
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Frontpay Award

Text: 42 The decision to order reinstatement or to award frontpay under the ADEA is committed to the discretion of the trial court. James, 21 F.3d at 997. Thus, we review the district court's decision to award frontpay in this case under an abuse of discretion standard. 43 While reinstatement is the preferred remedy under the ADEA, frontpay may be appropriate in circumstances where employer hostility makes a productive and amicable working relationship impossible. Id. The question of whether Halliburton had exhibited such hostility was submitted to the jury on an advisory basis, and the jury answered yes, Halliburton had. The district court agreed with the advisory jury finding and ordered frontpay. We believe the jury's advisory finding and the court's subsequent decision were supported by adequate evidence of hostility exhibited by Halliburton employees towards Touchet during trial. 44 Therefore, we affirm the decision of the district court to award frontpay in lieu of reinstatement. In summary, we affirm the district court's entry of judgment based upon the jury's verdict of intentional age discrimination in violation of the ADEA. 45