Reeves v. Sanderson Plumbing Products, Inc.

530 U.S. 133, 120 S.Ct. 2097, 147 L.Ed.2d 105 (2000)

From our private database of 46,300+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

Reeves v. Sanderson Plumbing Products, Inc.

United States Supreme Court
530 U.S. 133, 120 S.Ct. 2097, 147 L.Ed.2d 105 (2000)

Reeves v. Sanderson Plumbing Products, Inc.

Facts

Roger Reeves (plaintiff), a 57-year-old, brought suit against his former employer, Sanderson Plumbing Products, Inc. (Sanderson) (defendant) under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), alleging that his discharge from Sanderson was impermissibly based on his age. Sanderson claimed that Reeves was terminated because he was responsible for numerous timekeeping errors and misrepresentations relating to the department he oversaw. At trial, Reeves presented evidence that Sanderson’s proffered reason for his termination was pretextual. For example, there was testimony that Reeves’s supervisor, Powe Chesnut, said that Reeves was “so old he must have come over on the Mayflower." Additionally, there was testimony that Chesnut treated Reeves the way one would treat a child who had misbehaved and that this was different from how Chesnut treated younger employees. Reeves also presented evidence that he properly maintained attendance and timekeeping records for the employees in his department. During the trial, Sanderson made two motions for judgment as a matter of law under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 50, both of which were denied. The jury found in favor of Reeves, and Sanderson made a third motion for judgment as a matter of law, which was denied. The court of appeals reversed and overturned the jury's verdict, holding that Reeves had not presented enough evidence to sustain the jury’s verdict of intentional discrimination. The court of appeals found that although Reeves may have shown that Sanderson’s reason for his termination was pretextual, he had failed to show the connection between his termination and Sanderson’s discrimination. Reeves appealed, and the United States Supreme Court granted certiorari.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (O’Connor, J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 814,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

    Unlock this case briefRead our student testimonials
  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

    Learn about our approachRead more about Quimbee

Here's why 814,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,300 briefs, keyed to 988 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 814,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 46,300 briefs - keyed to 988 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership