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 and 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.

T he pa ne l una ni m ous l yc onc l ude s thi s c a s e i s s ui t abl e f orde c i s i on ** w ith o u t o r a l a r g u m e n t. See F ed. R . A pp . P . 34 (a )( 2).

T he H onor abl e V i r gi ni aK e nda l l , U ni t e d S t a t e s D i s tr i c tJ udge f orthe ** * N orthe rn D i s tr i c tof

I l l i noi s , s i tt i ng by de s i gna t i on. 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 E L VE N J OE S WI S HE R a n d WAL T E R O. L I ND S E Y, P l ai n t i ffs - A p p el l an t s, v. K . E . C O L L I N S ; e t a l., D efen d an t s - A p p el l ees. N o. 09- 35638 D. C. No . 1 : 0 6 - c v - 0 0 3 3 8 - BL W 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 D i s tr i c tof

I da ho T e naC a m pbe l l , D i s tr i c tJ udge , P r e s i di ng S ubm i tt e d D e c e m be r8, 2010 ** S e a tt l e , W a s hi ngt on B ef ore: O ’ S C A N N L A IN and P A E Z , C i rc ui tJudg es , and K E N D A L L , D i stri ct Judg e. *** 

# FI LED JAN 14 2 011 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS2

E l ven Joe S w i sher(“ S w i sher ”) and W al t erO . L i nd se y ( “ L i nd se y” ) app ea l an o r d e rb y th e d is tr ic t c o u rt g r a n tin g s u m m a ryju d g m e n t o n th e irP r iv a c yA c t, d efam at i o n an d b reach o f co n tractcl ai m s i n fav o r o f d efen d an t s. T h ey al so chal l enge the di stri ctcourt ’ s dec i si on un der F eder al R ul e of C i vi l P roce du re 56 (f ) n o tt o p e rm i tf

u rth e rd i s c o v e ry . We r e v i e w de no vo adi s tr i c tc ourt ’ s gr a ntof s u m m a ry ju d g m e n t, a nd arul i ng unde rF e d. R . C i v. P . 56( f ) f orabus e of d is c r e tio n . R o c kw e ll I

n t’ l C o r p . v . H a n fo rd A to m ic Me ta l T

r a de s C o u n c il , 851 F .2 d 1 2 0 8 , 1 2 1 0 ( 9 th C ir . 1 9 8 8 ) ; M ar gol is v . R y an , 14 0 F . 3d 85 0, 85 3 (9th C i r. 1 9 9 8 ) . W e h a v e j u r i s d i c t i o n p u r s u a n tt o 2 8 U . S. C. § 1 2 9 1 , a n d w e a f f i rm. 1. S w i s he rf

i r s ta r gue s tha tthe U . S . M a r i ne C orps , N a t i ona l P e r s onne l R e c or ds C ent er , the D epartm entof T re as ury, and the D epartm entof V et er ans A ff ai rs ( “f e d e r a l a g e n c y d e f

e n d a n ts ” ) v io la te d th e P r iv a c yA c t ( “A c t” ) , 5 U .S .C . § 5 5 2 a . T he re cord evi dence, ho w ever , do es no tsupp ortsuch a f i nd i ng . R ather, the re cord e vi de nc e s how s tha ts om e of the c ont e s t e d di s c l os ur e s do notm e e tthe de f i ni t i on of do cum ent s c on t ai ned w i thi n a “ sy st em of re cords” m ai nt ai ned b y any of the fe dera l a g e n c y d e f

e n d a n ts . I

d. a t § 5 5 2 a ( b ) ; B akerv. D epartm ent of N avy , 814 F . 2d 1381, 1 3 8 4 ( 9 th C ir . 1 9 8 7 ) . F u rth e r , an u m b e ro f th e r e m a in in g d is c lo s u r e s f a ll w ith in s pe c i a l i z e d c a t e gor i e s unde rthe A c ttha ta l l ow f orthe r e l e a s e of

i nf orm a t i on3

w ith o u t c o n s e n t. See 5 U .S .C . § § 5 5 2 a ( a ) ( 7 ) , 5 5 2 a ( b ) ( 1 1 ) ; 3 2 C .F .R . § 3 1 0 .2 2 ( b ) ( 5 ) . E v e n a s s u m in g th a t S w is h e rw a s ab le to d e m o n s tr a te av io la tio n o f th e A c t, h e f a ils to s h o w th a t th e v io la tio n s w e r e w illf u l o rin te n tio n a l. See R ose v . U ni ted Stat es , 90 5 F . 2d 12 57 , 12 59 (9th C i r. 19 90 ). A cc ordi ng l y, the di stri ctcourt p r o p e r lyg r a n te d s u m m a ry ju d g m e n t o n S w is h e r ’s P r iv a c yA c t c la im . 2. S w i sherand L i nd se y a l l eged thatthe M ar i ne C orps L ea gu e ( “ L ea gu e” ), i ncl ud i ng a num ber of i t s m em bers and o ff i ce rs , T he Idaho O bserver, and P atri ck and S t even T ea gu e def

am ed thei r c hara ct erand reput at i on . S peci fi ca l l y, S w i sher a n d L in d s e y c o n te n d th a t th e d e f e n d a n ts r e f

e rr e d to th e m a s “e x to rtio n is ts ,”

“ bl a c km a i l e r s , ” “ r api s t s , ” a nd “ s t a l ke r s . ” I n r e s pons e t o the de f e nda nt s ’ m ot i ons f o rs u m m a ry ju d g m e n t, S w is h e ra n d L in d s e yf a ile d to p r e s e n t a n ya d m is s ib le ev i d en ce th atd em o n strat es a g en u i n e i ssu e o f m at eri al factreg ard i n g w h eth er th ese s t a t e m e nt s w e r e i n f

a c tm a de . T hus , be c aus e S w i s he ra nd L i nds e yf a i l e d t o pr e s e nt any a dm i ss i bl e e vi dence, the di stri ctcourtprop er l y grant ed sum m ary j ud gm entas am a tte ro f

la w o n th e d e f

a m a tio n c la im s . W e f urther not e thatw i th regard t o the T ea gu es , any a l l eged defamat ory st at em ent s are barr ed by the Idaho T ortC l ai m s A ct(“ IT C A ”) . T he T ea gu es w er e s t a t e e m pl oy e e s w i th the I da ho D i vi s i on of V e t e r a ns S e rvi c e s a tthe t i m e the4

re l evantevent s occ urre d. T he IT C A prov i des e m pl oyee s w i th g ov ernm ent al im m u n ity f

ro m d ef am atio n claim s a risin g o u t o f a ctio n s w ith in th e e m p lo ye e’s s c o p e o f e m p lo y m e n t, if

s u c h a c tio n s w e r e w ith o u t m a lic e o rc r im in a l in te n t. I da ho C ode A nn. § 6- 904( 3) . H e r e , S w i s he ra nd L i nds e yf a i l e d t o pr e s e nta ny evi dence t o rebutthe T ea gu es ’ evi dence thatany s uch al l eged st at em ent s occ urre d w i thi n the sc op e of thei r e m pl oym ent . M oreover, the sum m ary j ud gm entre cord d o e s n o t s h o w th a t a n y o f th e a lle g e d d e f

a m a to rys ta te m e n ts w e r e m a d e w ith m a lic e o rc r im in a l in te n t. 3. N ext , S w i sherand L i nd se y c on t end thatthe L ea gu e vi ol at ed i t s byl aw s w hen i texpel l ed S w i sherand suspend ed L i nd se y f rom the organi za t i on . T he di stri ct courtfoun d thatthe L ea gu e’ s B yl aw s and A dm i ni stra t i ve P roce du re s ( “ B yl aw s” ) const i tut e the L ea gu e’ s c on tra ctw i th i t s m em bers , and thu s the court ’ s r evi ew w as lim ite d to w h e th e rth e L e a g u e f o llo w e d th e p r o c e d u r e s s e t f o rth in th e B y la w s . T he e vi de nc e i n the s um m a ry j udgm e ntr e c or d de m ons tr a t e s tha tthe L e a gue s u b s ta n tia llyc o m p lie d w ith its p r o c e d u r e s b yp r o v id in g S w is h e ra n d L in d s e yw ith a de qua t e not i c e of

the c ha r ge s a ga i ns tthe m , a nd af ul l a nd f a i rhe a r i ng t o pr e s e nt thei r def ense s t o the charges . M oreover, bo th S w i sherand L i nd se y w er e r e p r e s e n te d b y a d v o c a te s d u r in g th e h e a r in g . B e c au s e th e L e a g u e c o m p lie d w ith i t s pr oc e dur e s , S w i s he ra nd L i nds e y ’ s br e a c h of c ontr a c tc l a i m f

a i l s a s am a tt e rof5

la w . T h e r e f

o r e , th e d is tr ic t c o u rt d id n o t e rrin g r a n tin g s u m m a ryju d g m e n t o n th is c la im 4. F i na l l y , S w i s he ra nd L i nds e yc ont e nd tha tthe di s tr i c tc ourts houl d ha ve grant ed thei r Rul e 56(f) re qu es tfor acont i nu ance . R ul e 56(f) al l ow s the di stri ct c o u rt to “o r d e rac o n tin u a n c e ” to c o n d u c t a d d itio n a l d is c o v e ryw h e n ap a rty op po si ng a m ot i on for s um m ary j ud gm ent“ show s by a ff i davi tthat , for s peci fi ed r e a s o n s , i tc a n n o tp r e s e n tf a c t s e s s e n t i a l t o j u s t i f

yi t s o p p o s i t i o n . ” Fe d . R. Ci v . P. 56( f ) . A di s tr i c tc ourt ’ s de ni a l of aR ul e 56( f

) r e que s ti s r e vi e w e d f

orabus e of d is c r e tio n . M

a r g o lis , 1 4 0 F .3 d a t 8 5 3 . H e r e , S w is h e ra n d L in d s e yd id n o t p r e s e n t s p e c if ic r e a s o n s to s u p p o rt th e ir r e q u e s t, b u t r a th e rr e lie d o n th e g e n e r a liz e d a n d c o n c lu s o rya lle g a tio n s c o n ta in e d in the i rc om pl a i nta nd othe rdoc um e nt s pr e vi ous l yf i l e d. M or e ove r , S w i s he ra nd L in d s e y h a d a m p le tim e a n d o p p o rtu n ityto c o n d u c t d is c o v e ry , b u t f a ile d to d o s o . W e the r e f

or e c onc l ude tha tthe di s tr i c tc ourtdi d notabus e i t s di s c r e t i on i n de ny i ng S w i s he ra nd L i nds e y ’ s R ul e 56( f ) m ot i on. AF F I RME D.