Opinion ID: 578618
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Laird

Text: 97 We need not spend much time on Laird's claim. Although the parties vehemently disagree as to whether he was objectively qualified for his position, Laird has not demonstrated the existence of an issue of fact as to whether he was ultimately replaced by someone significantly younger to permit an inference of age discrimination. After Laird submitted his resignation, Pierce was assigned to replace him as copy editor on the day shift. Pierce's date of birth is April 27, 1939, while Laird was born on May 14, 1938. 98 Laird makes the novel argument that, although Pierce is not significantly younger in chronological years, Pierce's age with the company was twenty-three years younger, and thus he was much cheaper to the company with respect to paid vacation and other benefits of seniority. Laird cites no support for his proposition that the ADEA protects an employee from an adverse employment decision based on seniority even if it cannot be demonstrated that chronological age was a factor. Indeed, it has been recognized that seniority and age discrimination are unrelated. The ADEA targets discrimination against employees who fall within a protected age category, not employees who have attained a given seniority status. Williams v. General Motors Corp., 656 F.2d 120, 130 n. 17 (5th Cir.1981), cert. denied, 455 U.S. 943, 102 S.Ct. 1439, 71 L.Ed.2d 655 (1982); see also Arnold v. United States Postal Service, 649 F.Supp. 676, 683 (D.D.C.1986) ([d]iscrimination on the basis of seniority ... is not ... discrimination on the basis of age). Laird's reliance on Metz v. Transit Mix, Inc., 828 F.2d 1202 (7th Cir.1987), for the proposition that fringe benefits are an unacceptable basis to justify the discharge of a senior employee, is entirely misplaced. It was only because the plaintiff was replaced by a younger employee that the court held (over a forceful dissent) that the correlation between an employee's higher salary and years of service (and therefore, usually age) prohibits an employer from justifying the employee's replacement on the basis of salary. 14 99 Laird also contends that either his termination or Pierce's shift to cover for his job resulted in Laird's ultimately being replaced by a copy editor age 25 or 26. This contention is based on the fact that York's payroll listing indicates that two copy editors were hired, ages 25 and 26, less than six weeks after Laird's termination. Additionally, ten weeks before Laird's termination, a 22-year old copy editor was hired. The district court concluded that the evidence was plausible to support a claim that Laird was replaced by someone substantially younger since Pierce was also a copy editor and his position was subsequently filled by a 25-year old and 26-year old. 100 While we must afford Laird all reasonable inferences, there is no basis in the record for inferring that either of these two copy editors replaced either Laird or Pierce. Laird fails to mention that, at the time he was terminated, three other copy editors, ages 33, 38 and 31, were also terminated. Additionally, Pierce and another copy editor, Jerry Geist, who like Pierce was over 40 years of age, were promoted. Moreover, in his deposition, Lampe indicated that Pierce (who replaced Laird) was not replaced by anyone. 101 Recognizing, of course, that at the summary judgment stage the judge's function is not himself to weigh the evidence and determine the truth of the matter but to determine whether there is a genuine issue for trial, Anderson, 477 U.S. at 249, 106 S.Ct. at 2511, in the face of the uncontroverted evidence that three younger copy editors were terminated and others were promoted, as well as the evidence--uncontroverted in the record--that Pierce was not replaced, the fact that two young copy editors were hired by York approximately three months after Laird's termination is insufficient to raise an issue of fact for trial. [T]here is no issue for trial unless there is sufficient evidence favoring the nonmoving party for a jury to return a verdict for that party.... If the evidence is merely colorable, ... or is not significantly probative, ... summary judgment may be granted. Id., 477 U.S. at 249-50, 106 S.Ct. at 2511. Consequently, the court must ask whether, on the summary judgment record, reasonable jurors could find facts that demonstrated, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the nonmoving party is entitled to a verdict. In re Paoli R.R. Yard PCB Litigation, 916 F.2d 829, 860 (3d Cir.1990), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 111 S.Ct. 1584, 113 L.Ed.2d 649 (1991). Here, while Laird's evidence may be colorable, he has not pointed to specific evidence such that reasonable jurors could find, by a preponderance of the evidence, that Laird was ultimately replaced by someone sufficiently younger. Accordingly, since Laird has not stated a prima facie case the order of the district court must be affirmed.