Opinion ID: 537652
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Deloach's Cross Claims

Text: 37 In an oral order, the district court determined that front pay constitutes an equitable remedy and therefore does not pose a jury question. The court reserved for itself the determination of the amount, while submitting it to the jury in an advisory capacity. Although the jury found that Deloach was entitled to $494,000 in front pay, the district court reduced the award to $215,000. Deloach contends that the district court erred in reducing the front pay award that had been determined by the jury, claiming that he had a right to a jury trial on that issue under Louisiana law. In support, Deloach points out that Louisiana broadly recognizes a right to jury trial unless expressly denied by law. Williams ex rel. Williams v. Kushner, 449 So.2d 455, 457 (La.1984); La.Code Civ.Proc.Ann. arts. 1731, 1732 (West Supp.1990). This argument, however, ignores the fact that federal law governs the characterization of state-created claims as equitable or legal for purposes of determining whether a right to jury trial exists. Nunez v. Superior Oil Co., 572 F.2d 1119, 1125 (5th Cir.1978). For resolving the issue, state law is considered irrelevant. 9 C. Wright & A. Miller, Federal Practice & Procedure Sec. 2303, at 24, 28-29 (1971). 38 This Court has not yet squarely addressed the question whether determining the amount of a front pay award raises a legal or equitable issue under the ADEA. 4 All circuit courts that have considered the issue, including the Fifth Circuit, agree that since reinstatement is equitable, the district court must determine whether an employee can be reinstated or is entitled to front pay. See Hansard, 865 F.2d at 1470; Dominic, 822 F.2d at 1257-58; Maxfield v. Sinclair Int'l, 766 F.2d 788, 796 (3d Cir.1985), cert. denied, 474 U.S. 1057, 106 S.Ct. 796, 88 L.Ed.2d 773 (1986); Goldstein, 758 F.2d at 1448; Davis v. Combustion Eng'g, 742 F.2d 916, 923 (6th Cir.1984); Gibson v. Mohawk Rubber Co., 695 F.2d 1093, 1100 (8th Cir.1982). 39 However, the circuit courts are split on the issue of whether a jury or the trial court is to determine the proper amount of ADEA front pay. Compare Fite v. First Tenn. Prod. Credit Ass'n, 861 F.2d 884, 893 (6th Cir.1988) (amount of front pay is a jury question); Coston v. Plitt Theatres, Inc., 831 F.2d 1321, 1333 n. 4 (7th Cir.1987) (suggesting in dicta that the amount of front pay should be a jury question), vacated on other grounds, 486 U.S. 1020, 108 S.Ct. 1990, 100 L.Ed.2d 223 (1988); and Maxfield, 766 F.2d at 796 (Third Circuit--amount of front pay is a jury question) with Dominic, 822 F.2d at 1258 (Second Circuit--under the ADEA front pay is a matter for the exercise of the trial judge's equitable discretion); Wildman v. Lerner Stores Corp., 771 F.2d 605, 616 (1st Cir.1985) (award of front pay is within the trial court's discretion); and Gibson, 695 F.2d at 1100 (Eighth Circuit--monetary damages in lieu of reinstatement constitute an equitable rather than a legal remedy and award is within the trial court's discretion). 40 The ADEA provides express jury trial rights. 29 U.S.C. Sec. 626(c)(2). The Second Circuit, which has provided the most thorough review of the issue, has analyzed this statutory language and the ADEA legislative history in reaching its conclusion. See Dominic, 822 F.2d at 1256-58. 5 However, the statutory language that provided the cornerstone of this analysis is absent from the LADEA. Thus, federal law based on interpretation of congressional directives contained in that language provides inadequate precedent. 41 We are essentially left to determine what federal law provides in the absence of legislative comment. We turn to section 1983, as a more analogous statutory frame of reference. Section 1983, like the Louisiana statute, provides generally that a victim of discrimination is entitled to seek legal or equitable relief. Compare 42 U.S.C. Sec. 1983 with La.Rev.Stat.Ann. Sec. 23:973 (West Supp.1990). As noted above, reinstatement is an equitable remedy and front pay is awarded in lieu of reinstatement. See Haskins v. City of Boaz, 822 F.2d 1014, 1015 (11th Cir.1987); Gibson, 695 F.2d at 1100. Although front pay is an award of monetary relief, it is still an equitable remedy in section 1983 cases. Haskins, 822 F.2d at 1015. As an equitable remedy under federal law, we believe that it was within the district court's discretion to determine the amount of the front pay award. Accordingly, Deloach is not entitled to reinstatement of the jury award.