Opinion ID: 463784
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: sufficiency of the evidence

Text: 22 Reverend Baz also asserts that the entire trial record supports his case and that the trier ignored key evidence in reaching his result. The three pieces of evidence on which Reverend Baz focuses in his brief are (1) his own testimony; (2) a report written by Reverend Rogers, the Director of Chaplain Services, after his trip to Danville; (3) certain portions of the V.A. Manual, which set forth rules and regulations for the V.A. chaplaincy. 23 As for the plaintiff's own testimony, we note first that he himself testified to a number of the damaging incidents upon which he feels the trier laid too great a stress. At times, his testimony was substantially similar to that of Reverend Neely and Mr. Birdzell and served to call into question his professional judgment. See supra note 2. Other times, the plaintiff and the defendants, not surprisingly, put different interpretations on the facts (for instance, Reverend Neely refers to counseling sessions with Baz, Tr. at 13, who calls these conferences reprimands, Tr. at 201). But assessments of credibility are left to the trier and here the district court specifically found that the plaintiff's answers on cross-examination [were] evasive and disingenuous. His responses in court and to the defendant Neely at the time of certain occurrences ... were dissembling. On the other hand, I found the testimony of the defendants Neely and Birdzell to be forthright and credible. Baz v. Walters, 599 F.Supp. at 620. We cannot say that the district court gave insufficient weight to Reverend Baz's testimony. 24 Appellant also argues that the district court ignored a report submitted by Reverend Rogers and Reverend Rogers' deposition testimony. Actually, the district court did take note of these in its opinion: 25 Both the Reverend Rogers and the Reverend Gannon visited Danville in an attempt to assist the plaintiff in adjusting to his position as chaplain. It is evident from the testimony of Reverend Rogers that he viewed the placement of the plaintiff at a hospital with a heavy psychiatric caseload as a mistake. It is also obvious from the testimony that Reverend Rogers wanted to salvage the plaintiff's career and thought that transfer to a general medical and surgical facility might accomplish that. 26 Id. at 618. The trial court also found that Reverend Cherry, who succeeded Reverend Rogers as director of the V.A. chaplaincy and decided to terminate Reverend Baz, gave reasons for his decision sufficient to rebut any inference of discrimination. There is no inconsistency here. Just because an employer keeps on an employee who might legally be discharged does not mean that the termination is unlawful when it occurs. Further Reverend Rogers' report, which stated that there was some evidence of religious discrimination, was significantly undercut by his subsequent deposition testimony. Reverend Rogers stated that he did not remember why he wrote the report or that he had written it at all. Rogers deposition at 60-61. He also testified as to what he had meant by discrimination: 27 No, he was not persecuted. I think he was discriminated against because there is a difference between being persecuted against and being discriminated.... I think discrimination also means differences. And I think this is two people that were brought up with two separate backgrounds, and they're two good people, too.... But I think there was discrimination as far as I'm concerned as far as understanding each other or helping each other, and there was no help there. 28 Id. at 113. 29 The last piece of evidence that Reverend Baz contends was ignored is the V.A. chaplain's manual. As we have already noted, see supra note 4, Reverend Baz himself cites the manual too selectively. The district court placed sufficient weight on the entire manual in making its findings.