United States Court of Appeals

FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT

___________

No. 02-3409

___________

United States of America, *

ex rel Douglas Golden, *

*

Appellant, *

*

v. *

*

Arkansas Game & Fish Commission; *

Steve N. Wilson, individually and in *

his official capacity as Director for the * Appeal from the United States

Arkansas State Game and Fish * District Court for the Eastern

Commission; Kirk Dupps, individually * District of Arkansas.

and as a member of the Arkansas State *

Game and Fish Commission; W. R. *

Stephens, individually and as a member *

of the Arkansas State Game and Fish *

Commission; Bill Bridgforth, *

individually and as a member of the *

Arkansas State Game and Fish *

Commission; Marion McCollum, *

individually and as a member of the *

Arkansas State Game and Fish *

Commission; Jim Hinkle, individually *

and as a member of the Arkansas State *

Game and Fish Commission; Lester *

Sitzes, Dr., individually and as a *

member of the Arkansas State Game *

and Fish Commission; Forrest Wood, *

individually and as a member of the *

Arkansas State Game and Fish *

Commission, *
1

The Honorable John F. Nangle, United States District Judge for the Eastern

District of Missouri, sitting by designation.

2

The Honorable James M. Moody, United States District Judge for the Eastern

District of Arkansas.

3

Apparently, AG&FC management in the Jonesboro office had been receiving

complaints from the public that employees in uniform driving state cars were

spending substantial amounts of on-duty time drinking coffee and socializing at the

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*

Appellees. *

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Submitted: May 12, 2003

Filed: June 25, 2003

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Before WOLLMAN and BEAM, Circuit Judges, and Nangle,1

 District Judge.

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BEAM, Circuit Judge.

Douglas Golden (Golden) appeals the district court's2

 grant of summary

judgment to Appellees Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AG&FC), Steve N.

Wilson, Kirk Dupps, W. R. Stephens, Bill Bridgforth, Marion McCollum, Jim Hinkle,

Dr. Lester Sitzes, and Forrest Wood (collectively, "Appellees"). We affirm.

I. BACKGROUND

Golden was employed for almost thirteen years with AG&FC before being

demoted and subsequently terminated on May 7, 1999. It is undisputed that in early

1996, Golden was directed by his employer to discontinue patronage of a restaurant

located in the Jonesboro Holiday Inn during AG&FC business hours.3

 Management
restaurant.

4

Golden contends that he assumed that when the management changed, the

directive also changed. However, he provides no evidence that he was given explicit

permission by any member of the management that he could resume his visits to the

restaurant.

5

Representative Hogue recalls the meeting with Golden and Elkins, but does

not recall that they discussed misappropriated inventory. Rather, he remembers

discussing a general lack of equipment available to AG&FC in that area of Arkansas.

Similarly, Elkins also denies that the discussion with Representative Hogue involved

fraudulent activity by AG&FC.

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in AG&FC changed several weeks later, and Golden resumed his visits to the

restaurant during business hours.4

 He received verbal orders and two written notices

to cease visiting the restaurant, one on August 14, 1996, from his supervisor Robert

Zachary and one on August 31, 1998, from Myron Means, Assistant Supervisor for

District 1. Despite these notices, Golden continued to visit the restaurant. On

December 2, 1998, Zachary observed Golden at the prohibited restaurant. It is these

actions that AG&FC allege caused Golden's demotion and subsequent discharge for

insubordination. Golden asserts that there were other reasons for his discharge. In

August of 1996, after receipt of the first written notice to discontinue his visits to the

restaurant, Golden reported to Zachary's supervisor, Scott Yaich, that Zachary was

intoxicated in public while on duty in an AG&FC vehicle. Yaich investigated

Golden's complaint and found it to be meritless. 

In addition, in 1993 or 1994, Golden and his co-worker, Dennis Elkins, met

with Bobby Hogue, an Arkansas State Representative, to inform him that Don Acres,

Chief of Wildlife Management, was misappropriating inventory.5

 Golden alleges that

these events, along with Golden's relationship with his grandson, who was involved
6

There is absolutely no firm evidence in the record that the school shooting

incident affected Golden's employment, simply Golden's stated belief that it might

have.

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in the Westside School shooting in Jonesboro, Arkansas, on March 24, 1998, were

the real causes for his discharge.6

Golden filed this action on behalf of and in the name of the United States under

the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. §§ 3729-3733 (FCA), and

included individual claims under the whistleblower protection provision of the FCA.

Golden also sued individually under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. 

On January 17, 2002, the district court dismissed Golden's FCA claims against

AG&FC as an agency, the FCA claims against the individuals in their official

capacities, the section 1983 claims for damages against the individuals in their

official capacities, and the section 1983 claim against AG&FC. This left Golden's

FCA claims against the individuals in their individual capacities, the section 1983

claims against the individuals in their individual capacities, and the section 1983

claims for injunctive relief against the individuals in their official capacities.

On September 9, 2002, the district court granted AG&FC's motion for summary

judgment on the remaining claims. Golden appeals this second decision.

II. DISCUSSION

We review the district court's grant of summary judgment de novo. United

States ex rel. Costner v. United States, 317 F.3d 883, 886 (8th Cir. 2003). Summary

judgment is proper when there is no genuine issue of material fact in dispute. Fed.

R. Civ. P. 56(e); Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248 (1986). The

non-moving party receives the benefit of all reasonable inferences to be drawn from

the evidence. Krause v. Perryman, 827 F.2d 346, 350 (8th Cir. 1987).
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Although summary judgment is not proper where disputes exist on

issues of material fact, a non-movant cannot simply rely on assertions

in the pleadings to survive a motion for summary judgment. Once the

moving party has met its burden of showing the absence of a genuine

issue of material fact and an entitlement to judgment as a matter of law,

the non-moving party may not rest on the allegations of his pleadings,

but must set forth specific facts, by affidavit or other evidence, showing

that a genuine issue of material fact exists. 

Krein v. DBA Corp., 327 F.3d 723, 726 (8th Cir. 2003) (internal quotations omitted).

A. FCA Claims Against the Individuals in Their Individual Capacities

In order to make a prima facie case under the FCA, Golden must show that (1)

the defendant made a claim against the United States; (2) the claim was false or

fraudulent; and (3) the defendant knew the claim was false or fraudulent. See United

States ex rel. Guadineer & Comito, L.L.P. v. Iowa Dep't of Human Servs., 269 F.3d

932, 936 (8th Cir. 2001), cert. denied, 536 U.S. 925 (2002). The district court in its

January order dismissed the FCA claim against AG&FC and against the other

Appellees in their official capacities. Thus, Golden would need to show that the

Appellees in their individual capacities knowingly made false claims for government

reimbursement. We agree with the district court that Golden has proffered no such

evidence. Thus, Golden's qui tam claim under the FCA must fail. 

Golden's retaliation claim under the FCA also fails as a matter of law. As the

district court noted, such a claim can only be against an "employer." 31 U.S.C. §

3730(h). The district court dismissed the retaliation claim against AG&FC and

against the individuals in their official capacities in its January order, which is not on

appeal here. Thus, the remaining retaliation claim is against Wilson and the

Commissioners in their individual capacities. AG&FC, not Wilson or the

Commissioners in their individual capacities, is Golden's employer. See United
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States ex rel. Siewick v. Jamieson Sci. and Eng'g, Inc., 322 F.3d 738, 740 (D.C. Cir.

2003); Yesudian, ex rel. United States v. Howard Univ., 270 F.3d 969, 972 (D.C. Cir.

2001). Thus, Golden's retaliation claim against them in their individual capacities

must fail.

B. Section 1983 Claims Against the Individuals in Their Individual

Capacities and for Injunctive Relief Against the Individuals in Their

Official Capacities

Golden alleges that Appellees violated his rights under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 when

he was demoted and discharged. Golden claims a due process violation, a free speech

and free association violation, and an equal protection violation. We agree with the

district court's treatment of the meritless due process and equal protection claims. See

8th Cir. R. 47B.

We give Golden the benefit of all reasonable inferences in evaluating the

district court's grant of Appellees' motion for summary judgment on his free speech

and free association claims. See Perryman, 827 F.2d at 350. However, once

Appellees proffered their non-discriminatory reason for terminating Golden

(frequenting the banned restaurant after being told not to), the burden shifted to

Golden to present evidence that the reason given for his discharge was pretextual.

Kiel v. Select Artificials, Inc., 169 F.3d 1131, 1135 (8th Cir. 1999).

[T]he ultimate question is whether the plaintiff presents evidence of

conduct or statements by persons involved in the employer's decisionmaking process reflective of a discriminatory attitude sufficient to allow

a reasonable jury to infer that the attitude was a motivating factor in the

employer's decision to fire the plaintiff. 

Id. (internal quotations omitted). Golden cannot rely simply on his prima facie case,

but he must submit specific evidence that rebuts Appellees' proffered nondiscriminatory reason (frequenting the banned restaurant after being told not to) for
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his termination. See id. He must also establish a causal connection and actual

involvement by the named parties. He has failed to submit any evidence connecting

Appellees with the decision to terminate him, any evidence connecting the

termination to his alleged protected speech, any evidence that Appellees knew of his

alleged protected speech or any evidence that the proferred non-discriminatory reason

was in any manner false. Without this evidence summary judgment must be granted.

Thus, Golden's section 1983 claims of free speech and association must fail.

III. CONCLUSION

For the reasons stated above, we affirm the judgment of the district court.

A true copy.

Attest:

CLERK, U.S. COURT OF APPEALS, EIGHTH CIRCUIT.