United States Fourth Circuit

In an appeal from the denial of plaintiffs' motion for class certification in an employment discrimination action, denial of the motion is vacated where: 1) plaintiffs presented compelling direct evidence of discrimination sufficient to meet the Fed. R. Civ. P. 23 commonality requirement; and 2) there was insufficient evidence that each of the employer's departments was so autonomous as to justify classifying them as separate environments.

Appellate Information

• Decided 08/07/2009
• Published 08/07/2009

Judges

• Before MICHAEL, GREGORY, and AGEE, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Fourth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellees:
  
• ARGUED:  Robert L. Wiggins, Jr., Wiggins, Childs, Quinn & Pan Tazis, P.C., Birmingham, Alabama, for Appellants.  Earle Duncan Getchell, Jr., McGuirewoods, L.L.P., Richmond, Virginia, for Appellees.   ON BRIEF:  Armand Derfner, D. Peters Wilborn, Jr., Derfner, Altman & Wilborn, Charleston, South Carolina;  Ann K. Wiggins, Susan Donahue, Wiggins, Childs, Quinn & Pan Tazis, P.C, Birmingham, Alabama, for Appellants.   Cary A. Farris, Marc Patton, Alaniz & Schraeder, L.L.P., Houston, Texas;  Erin M. Sine, McGuirewoods, L.L.P., Richmond, Virginia;  John S. Wilkerson, III, Nosizi Ralephata, Turner, Padget, Graham & Laney, P.A., Charleston, South Carolina, for Appellees.