Rudolph STECKL, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. MOTOROLA, INC., Defendant-Appellee

Rudolph Steckl appeals the district court’s order granting summary judgment in favor of his employer, Motorola, in Steckl’s action under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, 29 U.S.C. § 621 et seq. (the ADEA). Steckl contends that the order is improper because the company’s explanation for denying him a promotion was a pretext for age discrimination rather than a legitimate business reason. He also argues summary judgment is inappropriate because it was his intention to prove pretext by attacking the motivation and intent of Motorola’s witnesses on cross-examination.

Steckl had worked for Motorola for 15 years in various management positions. A new position, formally titled “Senior Products Manager, Opto Products, Chips and Strategic New Programs,” was created in 1976. Motorola refused to promote Steckl, who was then 50 years old, and gave the job to Nicholas Schaefer, a younger man. Steckl claims that Motorola failed to promote him because of age discrimination while Motorola contends that Schaefer was promoted because of his qualifications and technical expertise.

A plaintiff under the ADEA has the ultimate burden of proving that age was a “determining factor” in an…