Opinion ID: 396536
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Circumstances leading up to Mayberry's exercise of free speech and free press.

Text: 19 In the fall of 1971, the University was looking ahead to an upcoming decennial reaccreditation, a matter of considerable importance to an educational institution. Loss of accreditation would call into question the capability of the University to perform creditably its educational mission. Lacking accreditation, it would find its ability to attract competent teachers and qualified students substantially diminished. 20 The University established a Self Study Steering Committee to consider the necessary steps to put it in the best posture for insuring successful reaccreditation. The Committee functioned university-wide, and the department of romance languages also set up, to study aspects of the reaccreditation of particular relevance and importance to the department itself, an Organization and Administration Committee. Fernandez, as department chairman, had the responsibility for the formation and the composition of the Organization and Administration Committee. It consisted of four members, one being Fernandez, himself, as chairman. Another member was Mrs. Fernandez, who also was a tenured member of the department. 21 3. Free speech and free press exercise by Mayberry in the fall and winter of 1971-72. 22 Mayberry perceived Fernandez' self-appointment as stifling. In the fall of 1971, he went door-to-door to his colleagues in the department of romance languages and complained about the composition of the Organization and Administration Committee, asserting that it would preclude their feeling free to speak out about departmental problems perceived by them. He suggested that Fernandez should be disqualified to serve as a member of the departmental Organization and Administration Committee. 16 23 The word of mouth complaints of Mayberry against Fernandez were committed to writing in an anonymous letter to the University-wide Self Study Steering Committee. The letter was written by Mayberry's wife. Mayberry assisted in its preparation. Mayberry explained, and the jury was entitled to credit the explanation, that the letter was anonymous because of an understanding on his part, and on the part of Mrs. Mayberry, that it should be unsigned. The fact of anonymity, nevertheless, served substantially to reduce the possibility that, before April 13, 1972, 17 Fernandez had learned the identity of the source of the complaint against him. 24 Mayberry, in January or February, 1972, had completed, and filed with the Self Study Steering Committee, an unsigned questionnaire highly critical of Fernandez. Fernandez flatly denied that he knew that Mayberry had submitted the questionnaire, let alone that it was critical of him, until after April 13, 1972. Nothing in the evidence went to establish the contrary. 25 4. Extent of Fernandez' awareness, prior to April 13, 1972, that Mayberry had been critical of him. 26 Those were the facts as to (a) Mayberry's prospects for achieving tenure, assuming no interjection of retaliation for free speech exercise, and as to (b) the free speech on Mayberry's part which he claims led to retaliation. An obvious essential ingredient for the making out of his case is proof that Fernandez, before April 13, 1972, knew both that he was being criticized and that the criticisms emanated from Mayberry. As a nontenured employee, he (a university professor) had the burden of proof. Megill v. Board of Regents of the State of Florida, 541 F.2d 1073, 1078 (5th Cir. 1976); Johnson v. Cain, 430 F.Supp. 518, 520 (N.D.Ala.1977) (However, the burden of proof rests with the plaintiff to show that his dismissal was due to statements or other conduct protected by first or fourteenth amendment freedoms.). 27 The most that Mayberry, as plaintiff with the burden of proof, could produce as evidence as to any knowledge by Fernandez on or before April 13, 1972 of Mayberry's criticisms directed at him was: 28 1. Shortly before the tenure decision, in the Spring of 1972, Dr. Thomas Andrew Williams, a professor of French, recommended Mayberry for tenure. Fernandez responded that it was out of the question because Mayberry was a troublemaker. The statement was not elaborated or explained. There was no showing that it referred to speech or other form of protected expression-in particular, no showing that it related to Mayberry's criticisms. 18 29 2. Mrs. Mayberry testified that, in a departmental meeting, Fernandez stated that he had been told that there was some unrest in the department concerning how the Operations and Administration Committee had been set up. There was no testimony, however, that Fernandez knew who was restive. 30 3. The Court asked Fernandez whether any information that Mayberry had been critical of him came to his attention before his decision concerning Mayberry's tenure. The answer was Possibly yes, followed with the explanation: 31 I did not know when the Judge questioned me as to whether I had possibly heard anything about criticism before-I was referring to the fact that-I mean when you hear comments-how would I know if I did not hear any before April 15th. Maybe I did, but what I heard was just something that Mayberry was not very happy with my performance, but neither was Nancy Mayberry. She could have been more critical-neither was Lucy Wright-neither was John Costa. I do not think there is a Department in the world where everybody is happy with their Chairman. I never heard anything about this Self-Study about which there has been so much ado until after the tenure decision. 32 5. University requirement that staff reduction in the romance language department take place. 33 On the other hand, Fernandez explained in his letter of April 13, 1972 to the Provost, and orally to Mayberry the same afternoon, that he was not recommending tenure for Mayberry because of a need to reduce the number of faculty members proficient in Spanish, due to slackened demand in that area. 19