Opinion ID: 444675
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: sufficiency of the evidence

Text: 18 The district court submitted the case to the jury by general verdict accompanied by written interrogatories. See Fed.R.Civ.P. 49(b). The first interrogatory asked, Did the defendant either discriminate against the plaintiff because of her age or retaliate against the plaintiff because she filed a charge of age discrimination? A finding of liability under either prong of this interrogatory would authorize a finding of liability against the Hospital. 29 U.S.C.A. Sec. 623(a), (d) (West 1975). We may therefore affirm the jury verdict with a decision that the evidence under either prong is sufficient to overcome the Hospital's motion. See ADP-Financial Computer Services, Inc. v. First National Bank of Cobb County, 703 F.2d 1261, 1266-67 (11th Cir.1983). We affirm on the age discrimination claim. 19 The ultimate factual issue in this case is whether age was a determinative factor in the Hospital's treatment of Ms. O'Donnell. See Anderson v. Savage Laboratories, Inc., 675 F.2d 1221, 1224 (11th Cir.1982). If there is evidence of such quality and weight that reasonable and fair-minded men in the exercise of impartial judgment might reach different conclusions upon the resolution of this issue, then we must affirm the district court's denial of the Hospital's motion for JNOV. Boeing Company, 411 F.2d at 374. On our review of the district court's denial of the motion for new trial, we are reviewing whether the district judge has abused his judicial discretion in denying a new trial or whether as a matter of law the denial of a new trial was erroneous because there was 'an absolute absence of evidence to support the jury's verdict.'  Collins ex rel. Kay v. Seaboard Coast-Line R.R., 675 F.2d 1185, 1197 (11th Cir.1982) (quoting Urti v. Transport Commercial Corp., 479 F.2d 766, 769 (5th Cir.1973) (quoting Indamar Corp. v. Crandon, 217 F.2d 391, 393 (5th Cir.1954))). 20 The Hospital concedes that Ms. O'Donnell was at least minimally qualified for the positions she was denied. It continues, however, that the decisions made with respect to Ms. O'Donnell were reasonable business decisions in that the persons hired instead of her were more qualified than was she. It reasons that the only issue is whether Ms. O'Donnell's work satisfied the legitimate expectations of Dr. Harkness and Mr. Keene. See Kephart v. Institute of Gas Technology, 630 F.2d 1217, 1223 (7th Cir.1980), cert. denied, 450 U.S. 959, 101 S.Ct. 1418, 67 L.Ed.2d 383 (1981). This argument is irrelevant at this point in the case. The jury found that age was one of the determining factors in the Hospital's treatment of Ms. O'Donnell. That conclusion means that age was a pivotal consideration in the Hospital's decisions--not necessarily the only one. An ADEA plaintiff is not required to show that age was the sole motivating factor in the employment decision.... Thus a plaintiff need not prove that the reasons offered by the defendant are false if he proves that age was also a reason, and that age was the factor that made a difference. EEOC v. Prudential Federal Savings and Loan Association, 741 F.2d 1225, 1230 (10th Cir.1984). 21 Ms. O'Donnell's proof at trial consisted primarily of the extremely favorable performance evaluations she received throughout her tenure at the Hospital, other evidence of competence and experience, and the testimony of Neysa Sharpless. Although this evidence was not undisputed, it obviously was accepted by the jury and clearly is sufficient to allow a reasonable factfinder to decide that age was a determinative factor in the Hospital's treatment of Ms. O'Donnell. Id. at 1230. 8