Opinion ID: 1796969
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: elements of proof under adea

Text: The ADEA makes it illegal for an employer to terminate any employee because of the employee's age. 29 U.S.C. § 623(a)(1). To prove a violation of the ADEA, the plaintiff must prove intentional discrimination. Armendariz, 58 F.3d at 149. If the plaintiff does not have direct proof of age-based animus, as in the case sub judice, the plaintiff can create a rebuttable presumption of discrimination by establishing a prima facie case. Armendariz, 58 F.3d at 149; Molnar v. Ebasco Constructors, Inc., 986 F.2d 115, 117-18 (5th Cir.1993). A plaintiff demonstrates a prima facie case by showing that: (1) he was discharged; (2) he was qualified for the position; (3) he was within the protected class; and (4) he was either (i) replaced by someone outside the protected class, (ii) replaced by someone younger, or (iii) otherwise discharged because of his age. Bodenheimer v. PPG Indus, Inc., 5 F.3d 955, 957 (5th Cir.1993); Bohrer v. Hanes Corp., 715 F.2d 213, 218 (5th Cir.1983), cert. denied, 465 U.S. 1026, 104 S.Ct. 1284, 79 L.Ed.2d 687 (1984). Once the plaintiff presents a prima facie case of age discrimination, the burden of production shifts to the defendant to establish a nondiscriminatory reason for its decision. Bodenheimer, 5 F.3d at 957. In St. Mary's Honor Center v. Hicks, 509 U.S. 502, 508-11, 113 S.Ct. 2742, 2748-49, 125 L.Ed.2d 407 (1993), the United States Supreme Court explained the application of burden shifting in cases such as this one at bar. The Court held: In the nature of things, the determination that a defendant has met its burden of production (and has thus rebutted any legal presumption of intentional discrimination) can involve no credibility assessment. For the burden-of-production determination necessarily precedes the credibility-assessment stage. At the close of the defendant's case, the court is asked to decide whether an issue of fact remains for the trier of fact to determine. None does if, on the evidence presented, (1) any rational person would have to find the existence of facts constituting a prima facie case, and (2) the defendant has failed to meet its burden of production  i.e., has failed to introduce evidence, which, taken as true, would permit the conclusion that there was a nondiscriminatory reason for the adverse action. In that event, the court must award judgment to the plaintiff as a matter of law under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 50(a)(1) (in the case of jury trial) or Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 52(c) (in the case of bench trials). If the defendant has failed to sustain its burden but reasonable minds could differ as to whether a preponderance of the evidence establishes the facts of a prima facie case, then a question of fact does remain, which the trier of fact will be called upon to answer. If, on the other hand, the defendant has succeeded in carrying its burden of production, the McDonnell Douglas framework  with its presumptions and burdens  is no longer relevant. To resurrect it later, after the trier of fact has determined that what was produced to meet the burden of production is not credible, flies in the face of our holding in [ Texas Department of Community Affairs v. ] Burdine [450 U.S. 248, 101 S.Ct. 1089, 67 L.Ed.2d 207 (1981)] that to rebut the presumption [t]he defendant need not persuade the court that it was actually motivated by the proffered reasons. 450 U.S. at 254, 101 S.Ct. [at] 1094. The presumption, having fulfilled its role of forcing the defendant to come forward with some response, simply drops out of the picture. (citations omitted). The St. Mary's Court held that once the defendant gives non-discriminatory reasons to rebut the employee's prima facie case, the plaintiff must prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the employer's proffered reason was false and that discrimination was the real reason for the termination. St. Mary's at 515-17, 113 S.Ct. at 2752. See also Marcantel v. Dep't of Transp. and Dev., 37 F.3d 197, 200 (5th Cir.1994) ( St. Mary's settled the issue that the `pretextonly' doctrine is not enough; even if the employee proves that the employer's nondiscriminatory reason is pretextual, the plaintiff must prove that an unlawful discriminatory intent motivated the employer's action); Anderson v. Baxter Healthcare Corporation, 13 F.3d 1120, 1125-26 (7th Cir.1994) (ADEA plaintiff is not entitled to judgment as a matter of law simply because she proves her prima facie case and then shows that the employers proffered reasons for her discharge are false); Tim D. Gray, Employment Discrimination: Summary Judgment And Rule 301 After St. Mary's Honor Center v. Hicks, 15 Miss.C.L.Rev. 217, 222 (1994) (discussing plaintiff's burden after defendant offers non-discriminatory reason for termination). In an ADEA case, the critical test is that the plaintiff must prove that age `actually played a role in' and `had a determinative influence on' the employer's decision-making process. Armendariz, 58 F.3d at 149 (quoting Hazen Paper Co. v. Biggins, 507 U.S. 604, 609-11, 113 S.Ct. 1701, 1706, 123 L.Ed.2d 338 (1993)).