Opinion ID: 76072
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: GE's Affirmative Defense Evidence

Text: 34 Steger argues that the district court erred by permitting GE to introduce evidence on affirmative defenses to the Equal Pay Act claim which it did not plead in its answer. She specifically contends that GE's defenses to the salary disparities were neither pled nor identified prior to trial. The pleading of an affirmative defense is mandated by Federal Rule Civil Procedure 8(c) to be presented in a responsive pleading, and a party waives its right to advance an affirmative defense by failing to assert it in such. American Nat'l Bank of Jacksonville v. FDIC, 710 F.2d 1528, 1537 (11th Cir.1983). However, issues not raised in the pleadings may be treated as if they were properly raised when they are tried by express or implied consent of the parties, Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 15(b), or are included in a pretrial order. Drill South, Inc. v. International Fidelity Ins. Co., 234 F.3d 1232, 1239 (11th Cir.2000) (per curiam). 11 35 Although GE did not include an explanation of the salary disparities in its answer, the defense was raised and discussed at length at the pretrial conference. GE clearly stated that its theory of the case regarding the Equal Pay Act claim was that they had a salary ... retention program which provided for an employee's salary to be retained when their assignment was changed, accounted for the differences in pay, and was non-gender related. R16 at 38. Because Steger did not object, the district court did not err in permitting evidence on this issue at trial.