Opinion ID: 793355
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Issue Specific to Armstrong's Age Discrimination Claim—Incorrect Instruction on Reason for Discharge

Text: 47 Armstrong contends that the District Court's instruction on his age discrimination claim incorrectly stated the legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason for firing him that the Defendants gave at trial. The District Court instructed the jury that the reason the Defendants gave for discharge was that Armstrong was unable to perform the essential functions of his job. Armstrong asserts that the reason the Defendants actually gave for discharging him was that he was able but unwilling to perform the essential functions of his job. 48 The Defendants acknowledge this, but claim that the Judge's description of the reason was hardly incorrect, as [t]here was no confusion on anyone's part during the trial what the [D]efendants' position was: If ... [Armstrong] could, as he always maintained, lift all of the items that a stock clerk must lift except bundles of linen, then he was `unable' to perform the functions of the job because he refused to perform them and not because he had any handicap or disability that prevented him from doing so. 49 We need not determine which reason the jury thought the Defendants gave, however, because the jury found in its answers to interrogatories that (1) they articulated a legitimate business reason for discharging Armstrong, and (2) the reason they gave was not a pretext for age discrimination. Thus, the jury found that Armstrong was discharged either because he was unwilling or unable to do his job and that he was not discharged because of age discrimination. 50 As the jury found the Defendants' legitimate business reason was not a pretext for age discrimination, we may not reverse the verdict against Armstrong on this claim on the basis of the District Court's erroneous description of the Defendants' proffered reason for discharge. Further, as we are not persuaded by Armstrong's other (previously addressed) arguments related to his age discrimination claim, we affirm the jury's verdict against him on this claim. 51