Opinion ID: 526092
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Inconsistent Findings

Text: 13 At trial, there was a great deal of conflicting testimony and evidence as to whether there had been a slow-down in work around the time of plaintiff's discharge. Plaintiff presented testimony that there had been no slow-down and that the workload had remained constant. Plaintiff also offered exhibits documenting the laborer hours on a per month and year-to-date basis. The record reveals, however, that in an attempt to move the trial along, the judge abbreviated the testimony concerning those records and stated that he would later review the exhibits himself. The court ultimately, and in summary fashion, found that the workload was increasing during the winter. (emphasis added). 14 On appeal, defendant claims that this finding is clearly erroneous and unsupported by any evidence. Defendant points to the plaintiff's exhibits which show (with the aid of some mental calculations, for the December figures are, and were at trial, missing) the laborer hours for November, December, and January to be, respectively, 8,498, 5,724, and 7,474. Defendant asserts that these figures indisputably show that the work was not increasing and asked us at oral argument to carefully review the documents. We did. And we found the figures for December, January, and February to be, respectively, 5,724, 7,474, and 9,371. Was there clear error? Plaintiff was discharged on December 3. If one considers the district court's reference to the winter to mean December, January, and February (a common meaning of winter), and assumes that the district judge reviewed the exhibits and made the mental calculations necessary to determine the December figure, then it would seem that the district court's finding is supportable. However, at another point in the opinion, the court found, without amplification, that a change in the project made four full-time escorts unnecessary, a statement which appears to be incompatible with an increase in the workload and reflects the defendant's position at trial. On this record, we are unable to make a determination as to defendant's claim of error.