Opinion ID: 492497
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Conversation

Text: 11 The first finding of fact that the lower court made was that appellant was not discriminated against during her conversation with Arthur Leigh. Although both parties agree that Leigh did attempt to dissuade appellant from applying for the job, they disagree on whether appellant's race was the motivating factor behind Leigh's actions. Therefore, it was left to the trial court to judge the credibility between the two witnesses. The court believed Leigh's testimony. It heard uncontroverted testimony from both parties that Leigh had previously advised other applicants not to apply for positions they were unqualified for. (R. 3-72, 96, 97). More importantly, the court found that the appellant's testimony was not credible. The court refused to believe that Leigh constantly referred to her working with red-necks or that he was concerned that she would put the mojo on him. More importantly, the court found that Leigh's account of the conversation was buttressed by the fact that appellant failed to mention any racial discrimination when she expressed her concerns to Dorothy Wertz, the EEO specialist. (R. 3-168). 12 When findings are based on determinations regarding the credibility of witnesses, Rule 52(a) demands even greater deference to the trial court's findings; for only the trial judge can be aware of the variations in demeanor and tone of voice that bear so heavily on the listener's understanding of and belief in what is said. 13 Anderson, 470 U.S. at 575, 105 S.Ct. at 1512. After viewing the evidence concerning the conversation with great deference, it is clear that the court's ruling was not clearly erroneous.