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 byN i nth C i r c ui tR ul e 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
J UA N H ON G, P la in tif

f - A p p e llan t, v. S T A N L E Y G R A N T , C ha i rpe r s on of the D e pa rtm e ntof

C he m i c a l E ngi ne e r i ng and Ma t e r i a l s S c i e n c e ; NI C OL AO S A L E X O P O U L O S , D ean o f the H enry S a m ue l i S c hool of

E ngi ne e r i ng; H E R B E R T P . K IL L A C K E Y , V i ce P ro v o st f o rA c a d e mi c Pe r s o n n e l ; M I CH A EL R. G O T T F R E D S O N , P r ovos ta nd E xe c ut i ve V i c e C ha nc e l l orof

the U ni ve r s i tyof C a l i f o rn i a , I rv i n e ; T HE R E GE NT S OF T HE UN I VE R S I T Y O F C AL I F ORNI A; J O H N H E M M I N G E R , C h a iro f A c a d e m ic S e n a te C o u n c il o n A c a d e m ic P e r s o n n e l; W I L L I A M S C H M I T E N D O R F , A s s o c ia te D e a n of the H e nryS a m ue l i S c hool of E ngi ne e r i ng, D efen d an t s - A p p el l ees. N o. 07- 56705 D . C . N o . C V -0 6 -0 0 1 3 4 -C JC 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 o rth e C e n tr a l D is tr ic t o f C a lif o rn ia 

# FI LED

NO V 12 2010 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U
. S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS2 C orm a c J . C a rne y , D i s tr i c tJudge , P r e s i di ng A r gue d a nd S ubm i tt e d S e pt e m be r2, 2010

P a s a d e n a , C a lif

o rn ia B efo re: O ’ S C A N N L A IN , G O U L D an dIK U T A , C i rcu i tJu d g es. Juan H on g, a f

orm erm em ber of the fa cul ty atthe U ni vers i ty of C al i forni a, I rv in e ( “U C I ” ) , ap p e a ls f r o m th e d is tr ic t c o u rt’s g r an t o f s u m m aryju d g m e n t in f a vorof s i x uni ve r s i tyof

f i c e r s a nd the gove rni ng B oar d of R e ge nt s of

U C I . A s the f a c t s a r e know n t o the pa rt i e s , w e r e pe a tthe m he r e onl ya s ne c e s s aryt o e xpl a i n our de c i s i on. I U n d e rth e El e v e n th A me n d me n t , th e St a t e o f Ca l i f o rn i aa n di t s o f

f i c i a l a rms a r e im m u n e f

r o m s u it u n d e r4 2 U .S .C .§ 1 9 8 3 in f e d e r a l c o u rt. See H

o w let t v. R o se , 49 6 U . S . 35 6, 36 5 (19 90 ). U C I and i t s B oard of R egent s have l on g b ee n u n d e r s to o dto b e in s tru m e n ta litie s o f th e S ta te o f

C a lif o rn iaf o rE le v e n th A m e n d m e n t p u rp o s e s , J a c k s o n v . H a y a ka wa , 68 2 F . 2d 13 44 , 13 50 (9th C i r. 19 82 ), a nd i n hi s of

f i c i a l c apa c i ty , U ni ve r s i tyP r ovos ta nd E xe c ut i ve V i c e C hanc e l l or M ic h a e l G o ttf

r e d s o n a c ts a s a n in s tru m e n ta lityo f th e s ta te a s w e ll, se e Mi tchell v. L .A . Cm ty . C o ll. D is t. , 861 F . 2d 198, 201 ( 9th C i r . 1988) . T hus , the B oar d ofT he B oa r d of R e ge nt s a nd V i c e C hanc e l l orG ott f r e ds on ar e i m m une f

r om 1 b o th H o n g ’s r e q u e s t f

o rd a m a g e s a n dh is r e q u e s t f o rin ju n c tiv e r e lie f

, b e c au s e a ll rel i ef H o n g ask s fo r i s re trospec t i ve . See V er i zon M d. , Inc. v. P ub
. Serv
. C om m ’n of M d. , 5 3 5 U .S . 6 3 5 , 6 4 5 ( 2 0 0 2 ) . 3 R e g e n ts a n dV ic e C h a n c e llo rG o ttf r e d s o n a r e b o th im m u n e u n d e rth e E le v e n th A m e ndm e ntf

r om H ong’ s § 1983 a c t i on. 1 A l l of the un i vers i ty off i ce rs thatH on g h as sued i n thei r i nd i vi du al c apa c i t i e s a r e e nt i t l e d t o qua l i f i e d i m m uni ty . H ong ha s s ue d the s e of f i c i a l s f or the i re xe r c i s e of

apur e l ydi s c r e t i ona ryf unc t i on: vot i ng on w he the rt o a w ar d H ong am e r it s a laryin c r e a s e . Se e C o h e n v . Sa n B e rn a rd in o V a lle yC o ll. , 92 F . 3d 968, 973 ( 9th C i r . 1996) ( c onc l udi ng tha tdi s c r e t i ona ryf unc t i ons , f

orpurpos e s of qua l i f i e d i m m uni ty , i nc l ude “ de m ot i ng, e va l ua t i ng and di s c i pl i ni ng” ac ol l e ge pr of e s s or ) . I ti s f

a rf r om c l e a r l ye s t abl i s he d t oda y , m uc h l e s s i n 2004 w he n the uni ve r s i tyof

f i c e r s vot e d on H ong’ s m e r i t s i nc r e a s e , tha tuni ve r s i typr of e s s or s ha ve aF i r s tA m e ndm e ntr i ghtt o c om m e nton f a c ul tya dm i ni s tr a t i ve m a tt e r s w i thout r e ta lia tio n . See G ar c e t t iv . C e bal los , 5 4 7 U .S . 4 1 0 , 4 2 5 ( 2 0 0 6 ) . A c c o r d in g ly , a ll o f th e n a m e dd e f

e n d a n ts a r e im m u n e f

r o m H o n g ’s s u it. I I H a vi ng c onc l ude d tha te a c h of the de f e nda nt s i s e nt i t l e d t o i m m uni tyf r om H ong’ s c l a i m s , w e ne e d notpr oc e e d t o the m e r i t s of hi s F i r s tA m e ndm e nt4

a r g u m e n t. Se e P e ars on v . Cal lahan , 1 2 9 S . C t. 8 0 8 , 8 1 8 ( 2 0 0 9 ) ; see a l so id
. a t821 ( s ta tin g th a t it is p r e f

e r ab le f o rc o u rts “n o t to p a s s o n q u e s tio n s o f c o n s titu tio n a lity . . . u n le s s s u c h a d

ju d ic a tio n is u n a v o id ab le .” ( in te rn a l q u o ta tio n m ark s o m itte d ) ) . W e l eave the qu es t i on of w hether f ac ul ty s peec h such as H on g’ s i s prot ec t ed un der th e F ir s t A m e n d m e n t f

o rc o n s id e r a tio n in an o th e rc a s e . Se e i d. a t820.

II I T h e d is tr ic t c o u rt’s g r a n t o f s u m m aryju d g m e n t is AF F I RME D.