Filed: May 03, 2007
Latest Update: Feb. 21, 2020
Summary: United States Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit F I L E D May 3, 2007 IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS Charles R. Fulbruge III FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT Clerk _ No. 06-20439 (Summary Calendar) _ LEONARD FIRTH, Plaintiff-Appellee versus DON McGILL OF WEST HOUSTON, LTD., formerly known as DON McGILL TOYOTA, INC., Defendant-Appellant - Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas (4:04-CV-659) - Before SMITH, WIENER, and OWEN, Circuit Judges. PER CURIAM:* Defendant-
Summary: United States Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit F I L E D May 3, 2007 IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS Charles R. Fulbruge III FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT Clerk _ No. 06-20439 (Summary Calendar) _ LEONARD FIRTH, Plaintiff-Appellee versus DON McGILL OF WEST HOUSTON, LTD., formerly known as DON McGILL TOYOTA, INC., Defendant-Appellant - Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas (4:04-CV-659) - Before SMITH, WIENER, and OWEN, Circuit Judges. PER CURIAM:* Defendant-A..
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United States Court of Appeals
Fifth Circuit
F I L E D
May 3, 2007
IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
Charles R. Fulbruge III
FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT Clerk
_____________________
No. 06-20439
(Summary Calendar)
_____________________
LEONARD FIRTH,
Plaintiff-Appellee
versus
DON McGILL OF WEST HOUSTON, LTD.,
formerly known as DON McGILL TOYOTA, INC.,
Defendant-Appellant
---------------------
Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Southern District of Texas
(4:04-CV-659)
---------------------
Before SMITH, WIENER, and OWEN, Circuit Judges.
PER CURIAM:*
Defendant-Appellant Don McGill of West Houston, Ltd.
(“McGill”) appeals the adverse judgment entered against it and in
favor of Plaintiff-Appellee Leonard Firth following a jury trial in
which the jury unanimously held that McGill had retaliated against
Firth in violation of the Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”).1
*
Pursuant to 5TH CIR. R. 47.5, the court has determined that
this opinion should not be published and is not precedent except
under the limited circumstances set forth in 5TH CIR. R. 47.5.4.
1
29 U.S.C. § 2611 et seq.
On appeal, McGill contends that, on the record, Firth failed to
work the required 1250 hours per year to qualify as an “eligible
employee” under the FMLA, and that the jury’s award of damages was
excessive because of Firth’s failure to mitigate his damages, and
because his position with the company had been eliminated. McGill
makes these assertions in the wake of a five-day jury trial and
makes no claims of trial error, whether evidentiary rulings, jury
instructions, or the like. McGill complains that the record does
not support the hours worked by Firth to qualify for employee
status under the FMLA, yet McGill had the burden of proving such a
failure by Firth and obviously failed to bear it. Similarly,
McGill’s complaints about mitigation of damages and elimination of
Firth’s pilot’s position with the company hold no water in light of
the totality of the record and the factual determinations by the
jury.
Furthermore, the district court’s post-trial disposition of
the remaining issues, such as liquidated damages, reinstatement,
front pay, interest, attorney’s fees, and costs reveal no basis for
disturbing the results of the case appealed from in this instance.
In sum, we discern no reversible error whatsoever and conclude that
the judgment and all related orders of the district court in this
case should be, and in all respects are,
AFFIRMED.
2