United States v. Bazargan

Willie Doss appeals from a final judgment entered in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, upon a jury verdict, finding that his employer, Mace Rich Frontenac (Frontenac), did not discharge him on the basis of his race in violation of the Missouri Human Rights Act, Mo. Rev. Stat. § 213.010 et seq. (1986) (MHRA), and, upon a bench trial, finding that Frontenac did not violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq. (Title VII). Doss v. Mace Rich Frontenac, Civ. No. 91-2024C(5) (E.D. Mo. Dec. 17, 1992). For reversal, Doss argues that the district court (1) erred in permitting Frontenac to use its peremptory challenges to strike African-American venirepersons, (2) abused its discretion in excluding exhibits relating to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commissions (EEOC) investigation of Doss complaint, and (3) erred in denying Doss motion for a new trial because the jurys finding that Frontenac did not discriminate against Doss is not supported by sufficient evidence. For the reasons discussed below, we affirm the judgment of the district court.