Edmonson v. Leesville Concrete Co.

500 U.S. 614 (1991).

Purchase the Printed Copy at bsmsphd.com

Nature of the Case

To access this section all you need to do is click here and register.

Facts

Edmonson (P), a black construction worker, sought damages from Leesville (D) for a job-site accident resulting from the alleged negligence of one of D's employees. One of D’s trucks pinned P against construction equipment. P requested a jury trial. During voir dire, D used two of its three statutory peremptory challenges to strike blacks from the jury. P requested that D articulate a race-neutral explanation for the peremptory challenges. That request was denied in that Batson v. Kentucky did not apply to civil proceedings. The jury gave the verdict to P but also determined that 80% of the fault was due to P and reduced the actual award to $18,000. P appealed; it was unconstitutional for the trial court to have permitted race-based peremptory challenges on the part of D. The court of appeals held only criminal prosecutors, and not civil litigants, were barred from making race-based peremptory challenges. The U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari.