Opinion ID: 419216
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Burden of Proof in Establishing the Appropriate Labor Pool

Text: 23 Both sides have drawn upon the Fourth Circuit case of EEOC v. Radiator Specialty Co., 610 F.2d 178 (4th Cir.1979), to support their arguments concerning the allocation of the burden of proof regarding whether general statistics or a qualified labor pool must be used to determine disparate impact. 7 In Radiator Specialty, the court divided the possible burden allocations into three categories. First, there will be cases where it is manifest as a matter of law that no special skills or qualifications are required for a job. In these cases, the plaintiff may establish his prima facie case using general population statistics. Id. at 185. At other times, the need for special qualifications will be manifest as a matter of law. In these cases, the plaintiff will be required to show a disparate impact on the qualified labor market to establish his prima facie case. Id. In still other cases, it will not be immediately obvious that a job requires any special qualification. In these cases, it will be the defendant's burden to establish that generalized statistics do not adequately reflect the pool of presumptively qualified individuals. Id. 24 We agree with the allocation of the burden of proof as described in Radiator Specialty. We should note that when the allocation is applied to promotion cases, it will be necessary for the plaintiff to show that the pool of eligible employees is qualified for promotion to a position for which it is manifest that special skills are required.