T hi s di s pos i t i on i s notappr opr i a t e f orpubl i c a t i on a nd i s notpr e c e de nt * e xc e pta s pr ovi de d by 9th C i r . R . 36- 3. NOT F OR P UB L I CAT I ON UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS FOR T HE NI NTH CI RC UI T STELLA SA TTER, P la in tif

f - A p p e lla n t, v. S T AT E OF WAS HI NG T ON DE P AR T ME NT OF E C OL OG Y; KE NN E T H S L AT T E R Y, D efen d an t s - A p p el l ees. N o. 10- 36131 D. C . No . 3 : 0 9 - c v - 0 5 6 4 5 - B HS ME MOR AN DU M *

A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f orthe W e s t e rn D i s tr i c tof W a s hi ngt on B e nj a m i n H . S e tt l e , D i s tr i c tJ udge , P r e s i di ng A r gue d a nd S ubm i tt e d D e c e m be r5, 2011

S e a tt l e , W a s hi ngt on B efo re: T A S H IM A , M cK E O W N , an d T A L L M A N , C i rcu i tJu d g es. S t e l l a S a tt e rappe a l s the di s tr i c tc our t ’ s gr a ntof s um m a ry j udgm e nti n f a vor of de f e nda nt s . S a tt e rc l a i m s tha ta n unc ons t i tut i ona l pr i orr e s tr a i ntw a s pl a c e d on h e rs p e e c h d u r in g th e p e n d e n c y o f a n in v e s tig a tio n in to h e rw o r k - r e la te d c o n d u c t.



# FI LED DE C 20 2011 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS2

S a tt e ra l s o c l a i m s s he w a s c ons truc t i ve l y di s c ha r ge d f r om he rpos i t i on a tthe D epartm entof E col og y ( “ D O E ”) because s he re si gn ed un der dures s. W e a gree w ith th e d istrict co u rt th at S latt er y h ad q u alified im m u n ity a n d th at S atter’s resi g n at i o n w as v o l u n t ary. W e a ss um e, w i tho utdeci di ng , thatS l att ery’ s r es tri ct i on on S att er ’ s s peec h l e d t o a c ons t i tut i ona l vi ol a t i on unde rthe ba l a nc i ng t e s ts e tf or th i n P i cker i ngv. B oar d of E duc at i on , 3 9 1 U .S . 5 6 3 ( 1 9 6 8 ) . N o n e th e le s s , S la tte ry is e n title d to qu al i fi ed i m m un i ty f

or thi s c l ai m ed vi ol at i on i f hi s a ct i on s di d n otvi ol at e a

“ c l e a r l y e s t abl i s he d” r i ght . A r i ghti s “ c l e a r l y e s t abl i s he d” i f “ the c ont our s of

the ri gh t[a re ] suff

i ci ent l y c l ea r thata r ea sonabl e off i ci al w ou l d u nd er st and t hatw hat he i s doi ng vi ol at es thatri gh t . ” Mor an v . W as hi ngton , 1 4 7 F .3 d 8 3 9 , 8 4 4 - 4 5 ( 9 th C i r . 1998) ( i nt e rna l quot a t i on m a r ks om i tt e d) . “ B e c a us e the unde r l y i ng de t e r m i na t i on pur s ua ntt o P i c ke r i ng w h e th e ra p u b lic e m p lo y e e ’s s p e e c h is c ons t i tut i ona l l y pr ot e c t e d turns on a c ont e xt - i nt e ns i ve , c a s e - by - c a s e ba l a nc i ng a n a ly s is , th e la w r e g a r d in g s u c h c la im s w ill r a r e ly , if e v e r , b e s u f

f ic ie n tly ‘c le a r ly es t abl i shed’ t o p re cl ud e qual i fi ed i m m un i ty . . . . ” I d . a t847. S att erca nn otdem on stra t e thatthe cont ou rs of her r i gh tt o fre e s peec h w er e s uf f i c i e nt l y c l e a rtha ta r e a s onabl e of f i c i a l w oul d unde r s t a nd tha tthe r e s tr i c t i on i m po se d w as a vi ol at i on of thatri gh t . A ss um i ng the spee ch re stri ct i on w as ove rbr oa d, S a tt e rc a nnots how tha tS l a tt e ry s houl d ha ve unde r s t ood tha tthe3

P i c ke r i ng ba l a nc i ng t e s tw e i ghe d s o c l e a r l y i n S a tt e r ’ s f a vortha tthe pr ohi bi t i on he i m pos e d w oul d be c ons t i tut i ona l l y pr obl e m a t i c . T he s a m e r a t i ona l e appl i e s t o the p r o h ib itio n o n S a tte r ’s s p e e c h s u b s e q u e n t to th e c o n c lu s io n o f th e in v e s tig a tio n . S l att ery i s th erefo re en t i t l ed t o q u al i fi ed i m m u n i ty. W i th res pectt o the construct i ve di sc harge cl ai m , i ti s und i sput ed thatS att er t endered her r es i gn at i on atthe pre-di sc i pl i nary hear i ng . U nd erW as hi ng t on l aw , an em pl oyee ’ s r es i gn at i on i s pre sum ed vo l un t ary a nd the em pl oyee bear s the bu rden o f r e b u ttin g th is p r e s u m p tio n . Mo ls n e s s v . C ity o f W a lla W a lla , 928 P . 2d 1108 (W as h. A pp . 19 96 ) ( ci t at i on s om i tt ed). A re si gn at i on i s notre nd er ed i nv ol un t ary b e c a u s e a n e m p lo y e e te n d e r s h e rr e s ig n a tio n to a v o id te r m in a tio n f o rc a u s e . I

d. at11 10 . S att erm ay no nethel es s s ucce ed i f the D O E del i bera t el y m ade her w or ki ng c ondi t i ons s o i nt ol e r abl e s uc h tha ta r e a s onabl e pe r s on i n S a tt e r ’ s pos i t i on w o u ld b e f

o r c e d to r e s ig n . Sne e d v . B ar na , 912 P . 2d 1035, 1039 ( W a s h. A pp. 19 96 ). T he re cord do es no tsupp ortsuch a c l ai m here . S att erdi d n ott ender her r e s i gna t i on w hi l e the c om pl a i ne d- aboutc i r c um s t a nc e s w e r e pr e s e nt ; i ns t e a d, s he t e nde r e d he rr e s i gna t i on onl y w he n f a c e d w i th di s c i pl i na ry a c t i on “ up t o a nd in c lu d in g d is c h a r g e .” S a tt e ri ni t i a l l y c hos e t o di s put e the c ha r ge s , butl a t e rc ha nge d he rm i nd. S he prepare d and prov i ded the D O E a poi nt -by- po i ntre bu tt al atthe pre-di sc i pl i nary4

he a r i ng; how e ve r , i ns t e a d of a r gui ng he rc a s e a tthe he a r i ng orw a i t i ng f orthe D O E ’ s i m p o si t i o n o f d i sci p l i n e, sh e resi g n ed . C o n seq u en t l y, “ [t ] h e factrem ai n s, pl ai nt i ff ha d a choi ce . S h e c o u ld s ta n d p a t a n d f ig h t. S h e c h o s e n o t to . M e r e ly because pl ai nt i ff

w as fa ce d w i th an i nh er ent l y unp l ea sa ntsi tuat i on i n thather c hoi c e w a s a r guabl y l i m i t e d t o tw o unpl e a s a nta l t e rna t i ve s doe s notobvi a t e the vo l un t ar i ness of her r es i gn at i on . ” Mo l sn ess , 928 P . 2d a t1110 ( quot a t i on m a r ks om i tt ed). S a tte r ’s r e q u e s t f

o ra tto rn e y s ’ f

e e s is d e n ie d a s m o o t. AF F I RME D.