NO T F O R P UBLI CATI O N
UNI T E D S T A T E S COURT OF A P P E A L S

F OR T H E NI NT H CI RCUI T

DE WA L T P RODUCT I ONS , I NC. , D B A F on tai n e B l eau ; RODNE Y DE WA L T , P l ai n ti f f s - A ppel l an ts ,

v
. CI T Y OF P ORT L

A N D; et al ., Def en dan ts

- A ppel l ees
. No. 19- 35806

D. C. No. 3: 14- cv - 01017- A C

M E M O RA

NDUM *

A ppeal f r om th e Un i ted S tates Di s tr i ct Cou r t f or th e Di s tr i ct of Or eg on J oh n V. A cos ta, M ag i str ate J u dg e, P r es i di n g
A r g u ed an d S u

bm i tted O ctober 28, 2020 P o r tl an d, Or eg on
B ef or e: GRA B E R, CL I F T ON, an d I K UT A , Ci r cu i t J u dg es
. P l ai n ti f f s DeWal t P r odu cti on s , I n c. , DB A F on tai n e B l eau ; an d Rodn ey
DeWal t ( " P l ai n

ti f f s" ) ti m el y appeal s u

m m ar y ju dg m en t. We h av e ju

r i s di cti on

u n der 28 U. S

. C. § 1291. Rev i ewi n g de n ov o, K i n g v
. Cou n ty o f L os A

n g el es , 885 

# FI L E D

NOV 6 2020

M O LLY C. DW Y E R, CLERK U. S. COURT OF APPEAL S

* T h i s di s pos i ti on

i s n ot appr opr i ate f

o r p u bl i cati on an d i s n o t pr eceden t ex cept as pr ov i ded by Ni n th Ci r cu i t Ru l e 36- 3.F

. 3d 548, 556 ( 9th Ci r
. 2018) , w e af f i r m
. 1. Def en dan t S tev en M ar

ks i s en ti tl ed to pr os ecu

tor i al i m m u n i ty f r om
P l ai n ti f f s’ pr o cedu

r al du e pr oces s cl ai m
. Ch al kboar d, I n c. v
. B r an dt,
902 F

. 2d 1375, 1 378 ( 9 th Ci r
. 1989)

. H i s au th or i ty to r es ci n d th e or d er su s pen di n g
P l ai n ti f f s’ l i qu or l i cen s e was " i n ex tr i cabl y i n ter twi n ed" w i th h i s au

th or i ty to i s s u e
th e o r der

. Ol s en v
. I dah o S tate B d. of M ed. , 363 F

. 3d 916, 928 ( 9th Ci r
. 2004)

. Def en dan t M ar ks di d n ot en g ag e i n an

y u l t r a v i r es act th at wou l d r em ov e h i s
i m m u n i ty , par t i cu l ar l y w h er e h i s wi th dr awal of th e f i r s t s u s pen s i on or der stem m ed
f r om P l ai n ti f f s ’ own ar g

u m en t r eg ar di n g a pos s i bl e def ect wi th s er

v i ce. T h u s , th e
di s tr i ct cou

r t di d n ot er

r by di s m i s s i n g P l ai n

ti f f s ’ du e pr o ces s cl ai m
. 2. E v en v i ewi n g th e f

acts i n th e l i g h

t m o s t f av or abl e to P l ai n

ti f f s , th er e ar e

n o g en u i n e di s pu

tes o f f act as to wh eth er t

h e Ci ty Def en dan ts acted wi t

h
di s cr i m i n ator y an i m u s i n r equ es ti n g th at th e Or eg on L i q u or Con tr o l Com m i s s i on

s u s p en d P l ai n

ti f f s ’ l i qu o r l i cen s e.
A s to P l ai n

ti f f s ’ cl ai m u n der 42 U. S

. C. § 1981, pl ai n ti f f s " m u s t i n i ti al l y pl ead an d u l ti m atel y pr o v e th at, bu t f or r ace, [ t h ey ] wou l d n ot h av e su f

f er ed th e
l os s of a l eg al l y pr otected r i g h

t. " Com cas t Cor p. v
. Nat’ l A s s ’ n of A f

r i can
A m
. - Own ed M edi a, 140 S

. Ct. 1009, 1019 ( 2020)

. G i v en th e f atal s h ooti n g an d

2con com

i tan t l ack of secu

r i ty at th e cl u

b , wh i ch p r eci pi tated th e Ci ty ’ s r equ es t f or
th e l i qu or l i cen se s u s pen s i o n , P l ai n ti f f s h av e n ot es tabl i s h ed a g en u i n e i ss u e of

m ater i al f act th at, bu

t f or th e f act th at th e cl

u b was B l ack- own ed, t

h e l i qu or l i cen s e

wou l d n o t h av e been s u s pen ded.
Wi th r es pect to P l ai n

ti f f s ’ equ al pr otecti on an d T i tl e VI cl ai m s , we n ote th at
th e Ci ty h as m ade f

i v e r equ es ts f

or a cl u b’ s l i q u or l i cen s e to be s u s pen ded: two f or
B l ack- own ed cl u

bs , on e f or an A s i an - own ed cl u

b, an d two f

or Wh i te- own ed cl u

bs

. Gi v en th os e s tati s ti cs an d th e n atu r e of t h e f atal sh ooti n g h er e, th er e i s n o g en u i n e
i s s u e of m ater i al f

act r eg ar di n g wh eth er s i m i l ar l y s i tu ated n on - B l ack- own ed cl u bs

wer e tr eated m

or e l en i en tl y
. M u n i ci pal l i abi l i t

y u n der M on el l v
. D epar

tm en t o f S o ci al S er

v i ces , 4 36 U. S

. 658 ( 1978) , does n ot l i e becau s e th er e i s i n s u f f i ci en t ev i den ce of a r aci al l y
di s cr i m i n ator y pol i cy towar d B l ack- own ed cl u

bs

. P l ai n t i f f s f ai l ed to cr eate a
g en u i n e di s pu

te of f act as to wh eth er th e s u s pen s i on of t h e l i qu or l i cen s e was

cau s ed by a " pr acti ce or cu s tom wh i ch con s ti tu tes t h e s tan dar d oper ati n g pr o cedu r e
of th e l ocal g ov er

n m en tal en ti ty

. " T r ev i n o v
. Gates , 99 F

. 3 d 911, 918 ( 9th Ci r
. 1996) ( i n ter n al qu o tati o n m ar

ks om i tted)

. 3. P l ai n ti f f s f or f ei t ed th e F i r s t A m

en dm en t, i n ten t i on al i n ter f er en ce wi th

3pr os pecti v e econ om i c r el ati on s , an d i n

ten ti on al i n f l i cti on of em oti on al di s tr es s
cl ai m s , by f

ai l i n g to b r i ef t h em m ean i n g f u l l y
. Un i ted S tates v
. Gr af , 610 F .3d 1148, 1 166 ( 9th Ci r
. 2010)

. AF F I RM ED

.

4