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 H onor abl e R e be c c aR . P a l l m e y e r , U ni t e d S t a t e s D i s tr i c tJ udge f or ** the N or the 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 R I C H A R D M A D D O X ; e t a l., P l ai n t i ffs - A p p el l an t s, v. C O U N T Y O F S A C R A M E N T O ; e t a l., D efen d an t s - A p p el l ees. N o. 09- 15321 D . C. N o . 2 : 0 6 - c v - 0 0 0 7 2 - G EBEFB 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 E a s te rn D is tr ic t o f C a lif o rn ia G a r l a nd E . B urr e l l , 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 J une 14, 2010 S a n F r a n c is c o , C a lif

o rn ia B ef ore: R Y M E R and F IS H E R , C i rc ui tJudg es , and P A L L M E Y E R , D i stri ct Judg e. ** T i e n H ong V o, T hong V o, N gau T hi N guy e n, S oni aL uong ( c ol l e c t i ve l y , the V os ) , R i c ha r d M a ddox, a nd K a r e n A l e xa ndr ou appe a l the di s tr i c tc our t ’ s gr a ntof s um m a ry j udgm e ntf

orthe C ounty of

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# FI LED JU L 22 2010 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS- 2-

Co u n ty ’ s D i s tr i c tA tt o rn e y ’ s ( D A ) o f f i c e . W e h a v e j u r i s d i c t i o n u n d e r2 8 U . S. C. § 1 2 9 1 , a n d w e a f

f irm . M ad d o x an d A l ex an d ro u l ackst an d i n g fo r th ei r em p l o ym en tcl ai m s b ecau se th e irin ju r ie s a r e n o t “f

a ir ly tr a c e ab le ” to th e a c tio n s o f a n y n a m e d d e f

e n d a n t. See L u ja n v . D e fe n de rs o f W ild life , 504 U . S . 555, 560- 61 ( 1992) . W hi l e M a ddox a nd A le x a n d r o u w e r e r e a s s ig n e d in o r d e rto f a c ilita te ab e tte rw o rk in g r e la tio n s h ip w ith the D A ’ s of

f i c e , none of

the na m e d de f

e nda nt s ha d author i ty ove re m pl oy m e nt d e c is io n s w ith in th e C o d e E n f o r c e m e n t D iv is io n . Se e P r i t i ki n v . D e p’ t . of E ne r gy , 254 F . 3d 791, 798 ( 9th C i r . 2001) ( hol di ng tha tpl a i nt i f f s di d notha ve s t a ndi ng because they di d n otsue the “ party w i th the cl ear abi l i ty t o act ”) . C on traryt o the V os’ subm i ss i on , the di stri ctcourtdi d n otdet erm i ne that they w er e barre d from bri ng i ng thei r C al i forni a F ai r E m pl oym entand H ou si ng A ct ( F E H A ) c la im b e c au s e th e y d id n o t f ir s t f ile ag o v e rn m e n t to r t c la im p u r s u a n t to C a lif o rn iaG o v e rn m e n t C o d e § 9 4 5 .4 . R a th e r , th e c o u r t d is m is s e d th e C a lif o rn ia U n ru h C iv il R ig h ts A c t c la im s , C a lif o rn iaC iv il C o d e § 5 3 c la im s , a n d tw e lv e s ta te t o r tc l a i ms f

o rf a i l u r e t o f

i l e ag o v e rn me n tt o r tc l a i m –b u tn o tth e FEH A c l a i m. N o rd id th e d is tr ic t c o u r t d e te rm in e th a t th e p r o s e c u to r s w e r e e n title d to abs ol ut e i m m uni ty w i th r e ga r d t o the i nve s t i ga t i on of the V os ’ pr ope r ty , a s the V os c ont e nd; the c our tr e s ol ve d thos e c l a i m s on othe rgr ounds . T o the de gr e e the V os- 3-

a r g u e th a t ab s o lu te im m u n ity d o e s n o t e x te n d to N a ta liaL u n a ’s d e c is io n to in itia te c r i m i na l pr oc e e di ngs a ga i ns tthe V os , w e di s a gr e e . T he i ni t i a t i on of apr os e c ut i on i s adeci si on thati s “ i nt i m at el y a ss oci at ed w i th the j ud i ci al ph as e of the cr i m i nal p r o c e s s ,” a n d L u n ais ab s o lu te ly im m u n e f r o m liab ility a r is in g o u t o f th a t d e c is io n . I m ble rv . P ac htm an , 4 2 4 U .S . 4 0 9 , 4 3 0 - 3 1 ( 1 9 7 6 ) . T he V os ’ ge ne r a l i z e d obj e c t i ons t o i ns pe c t i ng the pr ope r ty on O c t obe r27 do n o t r a is e ag e n u in e is s u e o f m a te r ia l f

a c t in lig h t o f

s p e c if ic d e c la r a tio n s b y C ap ta in C oope r , L i e ut e na ntT o, a nd I ns pe c t orW e i ke l tha tN guy e n c ons e nt e d t o i ns pe c t i on o f th e p r o p e r ty . See F e d . R . C iv . P . 5 6 ( e ) ( 2 ) ( “[ A ]n o p p o s in g p a r ty m a y n o t r e ly m e r e ly o n a lle g a tio n s o rd e n ia ls . . . ; r a th e r , its r e s p o n s e m u s t . . . s e t o u t s p e c if ic f a c ts s h o w in g ag e n u in e is s u e f o rtr ia l.” ) ; 3 8 9 O r a n g e S t. P a r tn e rs v . A rn o ld , 179 F . 3d 65 6, 66 4 (9th C i r. 19 99 ) ( ho l di ng that“ vagu e c l ai m s” cann otgenerat e a fa ctual di sput e “ adequat e t o d ef ea tsum m ary j ud gm ent ”) . N ei ther does the fa ctthat A le x a n d r o u d id n o t se e C oope ra nd T o s pe a ki ng w i th N guy e n a nd T hong s how th a t th e y d id n o t a c tu a lly ta lk . T he V os pr of

f e r e d no e vi de nc e tha tthe y w e r e tr e a t e d di f f e r e nt l y f r om s im ila r lys itu a te d p r o p e rty o w n e r s . M a d d o x ’s c o n c lu s o ry o p in io n is in s u f f ic ie n t to c r e a t e atr i abl e i s s ue on w he the rthe D i s tr i c tA tt orne y ’ s of f i c e t a r ge t e d gr oup ho m es used by m ent al l y di sabl ed pers on s. A cc ordi ng l y, they c anno tm ake outan- 4-

e q u a l p r o te c tio n c la im f o rs e le c tiv e p r o s e c u tio n . See U ni ted Stat es v. L ee , 786 F .2 d 9 5 1 , 9 5 7 ( 9 th C ir . 1 9 8 6 ) ( “T o e s tab lis h im p e rm is s ib le s e le c tiv e p r o s e c u tio n , a de f e nda ntm us ts how tha tothe r s s i m i l a r l y s i tua t e d ha ve notbe e n pr os e c ut e d a nd th a t p r o s e c u tio n is b a s e d o n a n im p e rm is s ib le m o tiv e .” ) . F i nal l y, the V os cl ai m sum m ary j ud gm entw as i napp ropri at e bec ause they l ac ked the op po rtun i ty t o com pl et e di sc ov ery. H ow ever , the po i nti s notpres erved a s th e y f a ile d to o b

je c t to th e m a g is tr a te ju d g e ’s o r d e rd e n y in g th e irm o tio n to c o m p e l d is c o v e ry . See F ed. R . C i v. P . 72 (a ) ( “ A party m ayno tas si gn as error a defe cti n the order nott i m el y obj ec t ed t o. ”) ; Si m ps on v . L e arA s tr oni c s C or p. , 77 F . 3d 11 70 , 11 73 -74 (9th C i r. 19 96 ). N or di d they m ov e f or a c on t i nu ance un der F eder al R ul e of C i vi l P roce du re 56 (f ), or sugg es ti n thei r opp osi t i on t o sum m ary j udgm e nttha tm or e di s c ove ry w a s ne c e s s a ry . I n the s e c i r c um s t a nc e s w e s e e no ab u s e o f d is c r e tio n . C

f . C al . U ni on I ns . C o. v . A m . D i v e rs i

f i e d Sav . B ank , 914 F . 2d 1271, 1278 ( 9th C i r . 1990) ( “ T he di s tr i c tc our tdoe s notabus e i t s di s c r e t i on by d e n y in g f

u r th e rd is c o v e ry if

th e m o v a n t h a s f

a ile d d ilig e n tly to p u r s u e d is c o v e ry in the pa s t , ori f

the m ova ntf

a i l s t o s how how the i nf orm a t i on s oughtw oul d pr e c l ude s u m m a ry ju d g m e n t.” ( in te rn a l c ita tio n s o m itte d ) ) . AF F I R ME D.