Selgas v. American Airlines, Inc.
United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico
858 F. Supp. 316 (1994)
- Written by Mary Phelan D'Isa, JD
Facts
A former airline employee, Mary Selgas, (plaintiff) brought sexual discrimination and retaliation claims against American Airlines, Inc. and her supervisor, Whadzen Carrasquillo (defendants), in federal district court. The jury returned a verdict for Selgas, but its answers to questions on the special verdict form appeared to be inconsistent—awarding damages for sexual discrimination but finding that there was a valid reason for discharging Selgas. After consultation with and approval from both sides, the judge attempted to clarify the ambiguity and submitted a supplemental general verdict form to the jury asking it to answer general questions about which party won each claim. The jury’s answers indicated that Selgas won both claims. Thereafter, American and Carrasquillo moved for judgment as a matter of law or, in the alternative a new trial and other post-verdict relief. American and Carrasquillo contended that the trial court impermissibly transformed the special verdict form to a general form and that the original special verdict form was consistent, so there was no need for the supplemental verdict form.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Fuste, J.)
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