By David J. Turek, Published on 01/01/01. On Writ Of Certiorari To The United States Court Of Appeals For The Fifth Circuit. 99-536. 99-536. EN. Argued March 21, 2000-Decided June 12,2000. Reeves’ responsibilities included recording the attendance and hours worked by employees under his supervision. Audio Transcription for Opinion Announcement – June 12, 2000 in Reeves v. Sanderson Plumbing Products, Inc. William H. Rehnquist: The opinion of the Court in No. 1. At trial, respondent contended Reeves had been fired due to his failure to maintain accurate attendance records. Id. Quimbee might not work properly for you until you update your browser. Such a showing by the plaintiff will not always be adequate to sustain a jury’s liability finding. It instructed the jury that, to show respondent's explanation was pretextual, Reeves had to demonstrate that age discrimination, not respondent's explanation, was the real reason for his discharge. Reeves' department was managed by Russell Caldwell, 45, who was responsible for reviewing Reeves' work. The trouble is, the significance of Reeves depends upon the eagerness of trial and appellate judges to follow it. at 2107. Respondent Sanderson Plumbing Products, Inc. Docket no. June 12 LANGUAGE. RELEASED. Jim Waide argued the cause for petitioner. Justice O’Connor, For the Court. Start This article has been rated as Start-Class on the project's quality scale. 99—536. Asphalt Paving . In reversing, the Court of Appeals concluded that Reeves had not presented sufficient evidence to sustain a finding of age-based discrimination. No. Contributor Names O'Connor, Sandra Day (Judge) In Reeves v. Sanderson Plumbing Products, Inc., 1 . Review of jury findings is fact REEVES v. SANDERSON PLUMBING PRODUCTS, INC. Yes. In this case, it suffices to say that a plaintiff’s prima facie case, combined with sufficient evidence to find that the employer’s asserted justification is false, may permit the trier of fact to conclude that the employer unlawfully discriminated. Thus, although the court should review the record as a whole, it must disregard all evidence favorable to the moving party that the jury is not required to believe. United States Supreme Court. 16—19. In the facts of this case, the petitioner, who was 57 years old, was discharged from employment, allegedly for cause due his failure to maintain … Given that Reeves established a prima facie case, introduced enough evidence for the jury to reject respondent’s explanation, and produced additional evidence that Chesnut was motivated by age-based animus and was principally responsible for Reeves’ firing, there was sufficient evidence for the jury to conclude that respondent had intentionally discriminated. The Fifth Circuit reversed. In Reeves v. Sanderson Plumbing Products, Inc., 1 . Caught in the Hatch Act. Reeves' duties included making sure workers under his supervision were on time and at work and logging such data. Request for Directed Verdict -- Is "Pods" Generic? In appropriate circumstances, the trier of fact can reasonably infer from the falsity of the explanation that the employer is dissembling to cover up a discriminatory purpose. 99-536 . In holding that the evidence was insufficient to sustain the jury’s verdict, the Fifth Circuit ignored this evidence, as well as the evidence supporting Reeves’ prima facie case, and instead confined its review of the evidence favoring Reeves to that showing that Chesnut had directed derogatory, age-based comments at Reeves, and that Chesnut had singled him out for harsher treatment than younger employees. 72.5. The issue: What quantum of evidence must an employment discrimination plaintiff proffer in … McDonald v. Santa Fe Trail Transportation Co. McKennon v. Nashville Banner Publishing Co. Oncale v. Sundowner Offshore Services, Inc. The court disregarded evidence favorable to Reeves–the evidence supporting his prima facie case and undermining respondent’s nondiscriminatory explanation–and failed to draw all reasonable inferences in his favor. No. 2. Reeves' department was managed by Russell Caldwell, 45, who was responsible for reviewing Reeves' work. Pp. ROGER REEVES, PETITIONER v. SANDERSON PLUMBING PRODUCTS, INC. ON WRIT OF CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT [June 12, 2000] Justice O’Connor delivered the opinion of the Court. Mar 21, … Case opinion for US 5th Circuit REEVES v. SANDERSON PLUMBING PRODUCTS INC. Read the Court's full decision on FindLaw. GENRE. decided Reeves v. Sanderson Plumbing Products, Inc.' He said it was an important decision. He wanted to make sure that we in-serted it into our casebook.2 I hope he was right. KB. "Reeves v. Sanderson Plumbing Products, Inc.", Argued the cause for the United States, as amicus curiae, by special leave of court, supporting the petitioner. English. Reeves filed this suit, contending that he had been terminated because of his age in violation of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA). Casenote Reeves v. Sanderson Plumbing Products: Stemming the Tide of Motions for Summary Judgment and Motions for Judgment as a Matter of Law In Reeves v. Sanderson Plumbing Products, Inc.,1 the Supreme Court addressed the evidentiary burdens required of a plaintiff in an ADEA case, holding that evidence leading the fact finder to reject the defen- dant's proffered legitimate … SIZE. Petitioner Reeves, 57, and Joe Oswalt, in his mid-thirties, were the supervisors in one of respondent's departments known as the "Hinge Room," which was managed by Russell Caldwell, 45. 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