Opinion ID: 27
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 10

Heading: JMOL Was Properly Granted on State Law 115 Claims and Dismissal against Alejandro and Vazquez Was Otherwise Warranted

Text: Puerto Rico Law 115 prohibits employers from discriminating against employees for offer[ing] or attempt[ing] to offer, verbally or in writing, any testimony, expression or information before a legislative, administrative or judicial forum in Puerto Rico. P.R. Laws Ann. tit. 29 § 194a(a). Employees must establish they engaged in activity protected under Law 115 and then suffered discrimination at work. Velez v. Janssen Ortho, LLC, 467 F.3d 802, 809 (1st Cir.2006); MVM, Inc. v. Rodriguez, 568 F.Supp.2d 158, 176-77 (D.P.R.2008). Assuming arguendo that Law 115 applies to the filing of a federal court complaint in Puerto Rico, Uphoff presented no evidence, other than his evidence against Alejandro and Vazquez, that any of the individual defendants retaliated against him for filing the 2003 complaint. There is a different reason to affirm the ultimate dismissal of the Law 115 claims against Alejandro and Vazquez. An identical retaliation claim went to the jury under federal law, and the jury rejected Uphoff's claim of retaliation against Alejandro and Vazquez. In the special verdict asking whether Uphoff had suffered any retaliation after filing his 2003 complaint, the jury found he had not met his burden. Thus, even if there was error in entering JMOL on the Law 115 claims, it was harmless. See Molloy v. Blanchard, 115 F.3d 86, 90 (1st Cir.1997) (holding that any error the district court committed in granting JMOL was harmless because it did not affect the plaintiff's damages); see also, e.g., Grazier ex rel. White v. City of Philadelphia, 328 F.3d 120, 124 (3d Cir. 2003) (holding that any error in dismissing a claim on JMOL was harmless because the jury rejected a legal theory necessary to the claim); Snyder v. Ag Trucking, Inc., 57 F.3d 484, 491 (6th Cir.1995) (same); 11 Wright, Miller & Kane, Federal Practice and Procedure § 2888, at 479, 485 (2d ed.1995).