Opinion ID: 1411039
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: The Role of the Finder of Fact

Text: In St. Mary's Honor Center v. Hicks, 509 U.S. 502, 113 S.Ct. 2742, 125 L.Ed.2d 407 (1993), the United States Supreme Court explained: The factfinder's disbelief of the reasons put forward by the defendant (particularly if disbelief is accompanied by a suspicion of mendacity) may, together with the elements of the prima facie case, suffice to show intentional discrimination. Thus, rejection of the defendant's proffered reasons, will permit the trier of fact to infer the ultimate fact of intentional discrimination.... Id. at 511, 113 S.Ct. 2742. In discussing the jury's role in disparate treatment [14] cases, we noted in Skaggs that the jury is charged with the duty of recreating what in fact happened and whether the facts that did happen included intentional discrimination. Thus, if the jury reads the facts and concludes that the employee has proved that a discriminatory motive entered into the employer's decision, it should not matter whether that conclusion was induced by direct or circumstantial evidence. 198 W.Va. at 76, 479 S.E.2d at 586 (citations omitted). This Court's review of the determinations of a jury is defined in syllabus point three of Walker v. Monongahela Power Co., 147 W.Va. 825, 131 S.E.2d 736 (1963). In determining whether the verdict of a jury is supported by the evidence, every reasonable and legitimate inference, fairly arising from the evidence in favor of the party for whom the verdict was returned, must be considered, and those facts, which the jury might properly find under the evidence, must be assumed as true. Syllabus point two of Walker also provided us with the following guidance: `When a case involving conflicting testimony and circumstances has been fairly tried, under proper instructions, the verdict of the jury will not be set aside unless plainly contrary to the weight of the evidence or without sufficient evidence to support it.' Point 4, Syllabus, Laslo v. Griffith, 143 W.Va. 469, 102 S.E.2d 894. Pursuant to the standards guiding this Court's review of the jury determination in favor of the Plaintiffs in this case, we must examine the evidence in a light most favorable to the Plaintiffs, assuming that all evidentiary conflicts were resolved in favor of the Plaintiffs and assuming as true all facts tended to be proven by the Plaintiffs' evidence. Syl. Pt. 5, Orr, 173 W.Va. at 339, 315 S.E.2d at 597. Having thus considered the evidence, we find that the evidence presented by the Plaintiffs was sufficient to sustain the verdict returned by the jury. We do not believe that the verdict was plainly contrary to the weight of the evidence or without sufficient evidence to support it. Syl. Pt. 2, Walker, 147 W.Va. at 826, 131 S.E.2d at 737. D.