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.

Th e H o n o r ab l e Ro b e rtJ . Ti ml i n , Se n i o rD i s tr i c tJ u d g e f o rth e U . S. ** D i s tr i c tC ourtf

orC e ntr a l C a l i f

orni a , 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 L AU R A C ON KL I N, P la in tif

f - A p p e lla n t, v. C I T Y O F R E NO a n d P E T E R R I NA L DO , D efen d an t s - A p p el l ees. N o. 10- 15482 D. C . No . 3 : 0 8 - c v - 0 0 4 5 2 - L R HR AM 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

N e va da L a rry R . H i c ks , 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 A pr i l 15, 2011 P a s a d e n a , C a lif

o rn ia B ef ore: R E IN H A R D T and G O U L D , C i rc ui tJudg es , and T IM L IN , S eni or D i stri ct Judg e. ** T o de f e a ts um m a ry j udgm e nton he rc l a i m tha ts he w a s r e t a l i a t e d a ga i ns tf or prot ec t ed spee ch i n v i ol at i on of the F i rs tA m endm ent , C on kl i n m ustshow thather s p e e c h a d d r e s s e d m a tte r s o f p u b lic c o n c e rn . E ngv. C oo ley , 552 F . 3d 1062, 1070



# FI LED MA Y12 2 011 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS2

( 9th C i r . 2009) . T o de t e rm i ne w he the rs pe e c h a ddr e s s e s m a tt e r s of pr i va t e or publ i c c onc e rn, w e m us t“ e xa m i ne the ‘ c ont e nt , f orm , a nd c ont e xt ’ of

tha ts pe e c h,

‘ as re veal ed by the w ho l e r ec ord. ’ ” Sny de rv . P he l ps , 131 S . C t . 1207, 1216 ( 2011) ( quot i ng D un & B radstre et , Inc. v. G re enm oss B ui lders , Inc. , 472 U . S . 749, 761 (1 9 8 5 )) (i n t ern al q u o t at i o n m ark s o m i tt ed ). T h e co n t en to f C o n k l i n ’ s “ w ar st o ri es” had, atm ost , a m i ni m al bear i ng on m att er s of pub l i c c on ce rn. C on kl i n’ s anecdot es addres se d l i m i t ed haras sm entatthe hand s of atra i ner a l m ostt en ye ar s e ar l i er . G i v e n th e l i mi t e d s c o p e o f th e h a r a s s me n ts h e d e s c r i b e d a n d th e a mo u n to f t i me th a t h a d e lap s e d , C o n k lin ’s “w a rs to r ie s ” w o u ld h a v e h a d m in im a l, if a n y , v a lu e to the publ i c i n e va l ua t i ng “ the f unc t i oni ng of

gove rnm e nt ” or“ the pe r f orm a nc e of pu bl i c a genci es . ” C la irm o n t v . So u n d Me n ta l H

e a lth , 6 3 2 F .3 d 1 0 9 1 , 1 1 0 3 - 0 4 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 1 1 ) . T h e f

o rm a n d c o n te x t o f

th e “w a rs to r ie s ” lik e w is e w e ig h s a g a in s t a fi nd i ng thatthey a dd re ss ed a m att erof pu bl i c c on ce rn: C on kl i n’ s s peec h w as c om m uni c a t e d t o a n audi e nc e of one w i th the appa r e nti nt e nt i on of e nt e rt a i ni ng a c o- w orke r , notof

i l l um i na t i ng gove rnm e nt a l de f i c i e nc i e s orothe rw i s e “ s e rv[ i ng] the pu bl i c val ues of the F i rs tA m endm ent . ” D e s r oc he rs v . C i t yof San B e rnadi no , 5 7 2 F .3 d 7 0 3 , 7 1 4 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 9 ) ( in te rn a l q u o ta tio n m a rk s a n d c ita tio n o m itte d ) . S i m i l ar l y, C on kl i n’ s 199 8 st at em entt o h ertra i ni ng supervi sor, w hi ch w as m ade i n res po nse t o h i s di re ctqu es t i on , const i tut ed a l i m i t ed “ i nd i vi du al pers on nel3

. . . gri evance[ ] , ” E ng , 552 F . 3d a t1070 ( i nt e rna l quot a t i on m a rks a nd c i t a t i on om i tt e d) , r a the rtha n s pe e c h c apabl e of i nf orm i ng “ the publ i c ’ s e va l ua t i on of the perf orm ance of go vernm ent al agenci es , ” id. ( i nt e rna l quot a t i on m a rks a nd c i t a t i on o m itte d ) , C o n k lin te s tif ie d th a t h a d s h e k n o w n h e rtr a in in g s u p e rv is o rw o u ld r e a s s i gn he ra w a y f

r om R i na l do, s he w oul d notha ve a ns w e r e d hi s que s t i on tru th fu ll y, su g g es ti n g th at h ersp ee ch w as n o t i n ten d ed to im p ro v e th e d ep ar tm en t’ s funct i on i ng or otherw i se “ se rve the pu bl i c val ues of the F i rs tA m endm ent . ” D esro ch ers , 57 2 F . 3d at71 4. B ec ause C on kl i n’ s s peec h d i d n otaddres s am att er of publ i c c onc e rn, the di s tr i c tc ourt ’ s gr a ntof s um m a ry j udgm e ntt o R i na l do on C onkl i n’ s F i r s tA m e ndm e ntc l a i m i s a f f i rm e d. C o n k lin f

u rth e rc la im s th a t s h e w a s s u b je c te d to ah o s tile w o rkp la c e in vi ol at i on of the F ou rt ee nth A m endm entby “ an on go i ng behi nd the sc enes a tt a c k . . . by R i na l do, w i th s e xua l l y c ha r ge d a nd l e s bi a n c ha r ge d r e m a rks a f f e c t i ng her r eput at i on , ” a s w el l as “ R i nal do ’ s s ho p t al k d egra di ng appel l antw i th g enderb a s e d d e r o g a tio n , a n d h is r e p e a te d a n d u n n e c e s s a ry e n te r in g o f h e rw o rkp la c e .” H ow ever , behi nd -the-back com m ent s and “ ent er i ng of [an em pl oyee ’ s] w orkp l ac e” cl earl y do n otam ou ntt o “ cond uctw hi ch a r ea sonabl e w om an w ou l d con si der suff i ci ent l y s ever e or pervasi ve t o al t erthe cond i t i on s of e m pl oym entand creat e an abusi ve w orki ng envi ronm ent . ” E l l is on v . B r ady , 92 4 F . 2d 87 2, 87 9 (9th C i r.4

1 9 9 1 ). T h e d istrict co u rt’s g ra n t o f s u m m ary ju d g m en t t o R in ald o o n C o n k li n ’s hos t i l e w orkpl a c e c l a i m i s the r e f or e a f f i rm e d. F i na l l y , C onkl i n a l l e ge s tha tR i na l do’ s f i l i ng of a n i nt e rna l a f

f a i r s c om pl a i nt a g a in s t h e rw a s a n a c t o f s e x d is c r im in a tio n in v io la tio n o f th e F o u rte e n th A m e ndm e nt ’ s E qua l P r ot e c t i on C l aus e . C onkl i n a l l e ge s tha ta s ar e s ul tof R i na l do’ s f

i l i ng of the c om pl a i nts he w a s s ubj e c t e d t o apr ol onge d i nve s t i ga t i on thatpl ac ed her j ob i n j eopardy; w as advi se d b y avet er an offi ce r t o sec ure an att orney ( w hi ch she di d); w as subj ec t ed t o a re stri ct i ve supervi sorydi re ct i ve that i n t erfered w i th h er ab i l i ty t o d i sch arg e h er p ro fessi o n al resp o n si b i l i t i es; a nd r e c e i ve d af

orm a l or a l r e pr i m a nd f

r om as upe r i ore ve n a f

t e rbe i ng c l e a r e d of

a ny w r o n g d o in g . R e ga r dl e s s of w he the rs uc h ha rm s w oul d s uf f i c e t o a l l e ge ac ha nge in “c o m p e n s a tio n , te rm s , c o n d itio n s , o rp r iv ile g e s o f e m p lo y m e n t,” u n d e rT itle V I I , 4 2 U .S .C . § 2 0 0 0 e - 2 ( a ) ( 1 ) , ag o v e rn m e n t e m p lo y e e ’s u s e o f o f f ic ia l c h a n n e ls t o subj ec tan i nd i vi du al , base d u po n h erse x, t o a m on ths-l on g i nv es t i gat i on that pl ac es her j ob i n j eopardy, com pel s hert o o bt ai n l egal re pres ent at i on , i nt er fe re s w i th h erprofes si on al re spon si bi l i t i es , and res ul t s i n a do cum ent ed oral di sc i pl i nary a c t i on, w oul d, i f

pr ove n, c l e a r l y c ons t i tut e ade pr i va t i on of e qua l pr ot e c t i on of

the l aw s i n v i ol at i on of the F ou rt ee nth A m endm ent . T he di stri ctcourtw as there fore5

m is ta k e n in c o n c lu d in g th a t C o n k lin f a ile d to e s tab lis h ag e n u in e is s u e o f f a c t a s to w he the rs he ha d s uf

f e r e d a n a dve r s e e m pl oy m e nta c t i on. M oreover, w hi l e R i nal do has proff er ed a l egi t i m at e non -di sc ri m i nat ory expl anat i on for f

i l i ng the i nt ernal af

fa i rs com pl ai nt

— nam el y, thatC on kl i n rel at ed d is p a r a g in g a n e c d o te s ab o u t h im to th e irm u tu a l c o lle a g u e s — “[ c ]le a r lys e x is t, ra ci st , or si m i l ar l y di sc ri m i nat ory s t at em ent s or a ct i on s” can p rovi de di re ct evi dence of di sc ri m i nat ory i nt entsuff i ci entt o rai se a j ury quest i on as t o w hether s u c h e x p la n a tio n s a r e p r e te x tu a l. C oghlan v . A m . Se af oods C o. , 413 F . 3d 1090, 10 95 (9th C i r. 20 04 ). R i nal do t es t i fi ed i n h i s deposi t i on thathe “ m ayhave” re fe rr ed t o C on kl i n as a“ cunt ” and “ di ke, ” and that“ cunt ” w as a w ord h e r es erved f o r“th e [ w o m e n ] [ h e ] d is lik e [ s ] th e m o s t.” I n lig h t o f th e s e “[ c ]le a r lys e x is t” st at em ent s, there i s agenu i ne i ss ue of fa ctas t o w hether R i nal do ’ s proff er ed e xpl a na t i on f

orf i l i ng the i nt e rna l a f

f a i r s c om pl a i ntw a s m e r e l y apr e t e xtf or s e x is m . Se e i d. T he di s tr i c tc ourt ’ s gr a ntof s um m a ry j udgm e ntt o R i na l do on C onkl i n’ s F ourt e e nth A m e ndm e ntdi s c r i m i na t i on c l a i m i s the r e f or e r e ve r s e d. T h e p art i es sh al l each b ear th ei r o w n co st s. A FFI R M ED in p a rt, RE V E RS E D i n pa rt , a nd RE MAND E D.