Opinion ID: 3026635
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Failure to timely complete assigned tasks

Text: In addition to the evidence of Schweizer’s age-based bias against Steward, Steward also presented evidence to cast doubt on Sears’s claim that it terminated Steward because he failed to complete assigned tasks in a timely manner. Specifically, Steward failed to clean the tractor yard by June 4 and he failed to submit the vacation records to Schweizer on time. Steward does not dispute that he did not complete either of these tasks by the deadline provided to him. However, Steward testified that he warned Schweizer by email in advance of the June 4 deadline that he was concerned that he 6 For all we know, the jury may have developed an unfavorable opinion of Schweizer, who was an important witness for Sears. We have no way of knowing what his demeanor on the stand may have been. The jury may have discredited Schweizer’s testimony and credited Steward’s. 22 would not complete the yard clean-up by June 4. He also noted in his comments on the PPI that “[a]s stated in the e-mail I sent you, I will try to have the tractor yard finished by the June 4 deadline. I am short of help. One tech is off with surgery and the other can’t work overtime.” App. 531. Notably, Schweizer did not mention this “heads up” in Steward’s termination notice but, to the contrary, stated in the termination notice that “Steward failed to ... keep me informed or request an extended deadline.” App. 1844. As for the vacation records, Steward testified that Schweizer made no comment to him when Steward handed him the vacation records in February and did not inform Steward that he was bothered by the delay in receiving these records until he noted it for the first time in the initial PPI. In addition, Steward presented a productivity report for 2000, which showed that 88% of the time Steward’s technicians performed and completed the required service within a week. According to this report, Steward had the highest rating in this area out of all of the Technical Managers. Sears also presented evidence that it terminated Steward because he failed to address the backlog of lawn mowers waiting to be repaired in Wilmington. Steward testified that these repairs could not be completed in a timely manner because of the lack of the appropriate parts. Schweizer testified that he was aware of the parts shortage and that the mowers could not be repaired because of the parts shortage. Sears argued that the lack of spare parts was attributable to Steward’s improper handling of the PDC Sweep. However, Steward testified that he was not properly informed about how he was supposed to conduct the PDC Sweep and that he was told by another Sears employee 23 named Howell to sweep the required lawn mower parts. See Sorba v. Pa. Drilling Co., 821 F.2d 200, 205 (3d Cir. 1987) (concluding that jury could find the proffered reason for the termination unworthy of belief if plaintiff, who was allegedly terminated because his supervisors were dissatisfied with his work on his last three jobs, could present evidence that his supervisors realized that the poor results were not his fault). Carter also testified that there is always a backlog of mowers in the facility around the spring lawn and garden season. App. 1275 (“That [2001] was probably about the worst one [backlog], but, I mean, it always - we get lawn mower season and we get maybe two, three law mowers one day, you get 70 the next day. Everybody is bringing them in, especially on the nice day, and normally it’s towards the end of the week on Fridays and Saturdays. You come in on Monday morning and you can’t even open the door because lawn mowers are there and that’s normally on Mondays....”).