Opinion ID: 74654
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Clearly Established Law and Mixed Motives

Text: 61 Chadwick contends that the record - even when viewed in the light most favorable to Stanley - demonstrates, at worst, a mixed-motives case. Chadwick says that the record indisputably establishes that Chadwick was motivated, at least in part, by lawful considerations. And, Chadwick - citing our decision in Foy v. Holston, 94 F.3d 1528 (11th Cir. 1996) - argues that, in the light of these lawful motives, a reasonable police chief in Chadwick's circumstances (having both lawful and unlawful motives) would not have known that terminating Stanley's employment violated clearly established law. Accordingly, Chadwick says that he is entitled to qualified immunity. 62 In Foy, we noted that the presence of a jury issue about a defendant's improper intent does not necessarily preclude qualified immunity. 25 Foy, 94 F.3d at 1533. We explained that [w]here the facts assumed for summary judgment purposes in a case involving qualified immunity show mixed motives (lawful and unlawful motivations) and pre-existing law does not dictate that the merits of the case must be decided in plaintiff's favor, the defendant is entitled to immunity. Id. at 1535. The decision in Foy is the law of this Circuit and sets out the proper analysis to apply in potential mixed-motive cases. 26 See Johnson v. City of Fort Lauderdale, 126 F.3d 1372, 1379 (11th Cir. 1997) (applying Foy and granting qualified immunity at summary judgment in a first amendment retaliation case indicating mixed motives). We, therefore, apply the Foy analysis in this case. 63 We conclude that Chadwick is due qualified immunity under Foy. A defendant is entitled to qualified immunity under the Foy rationale only where, among other things, the record indisputably establishes that the defendant in fact was motivated, at least in part, by lawful considerations. See Foy, 94 F.3d at 1535 ([t]he record makes it clear that Defendants' acts were actually motivated by lawful considerations without which they would not have acted.); see also Johnson, 126 F.3d at 1379 (noting that Foy rested primarily on the existence of an indisputable and adequate lawful motive). In this case - viewing the record in the light most favorable to Stanley, as we must at the summary judgment stage - we can say that the record undisputably establishes (a) that objectively valid reasons did exist for the step Chadwick took, and (b) that Chadwick was motivated, at least in part, by these lawful considerations. Thus, even at the summary judgment stage, we can say that this case is undisputably one of mixed motives. Therefore, Foy commands qualified immunity on mixed-motive grounds in this case. 27 64 First, an undisputed and adequate lawful basis existed for Stanley's termination. While Stanley denies certain parts of the Coker and Cooper incidents, Stanley admitted that he used profanity and placed his hands on Cooper and that Walthour's internal investigation faulted him, along with Cooper. Chadwick then wrote Stanley that he would not tolerate further displays of temper and that further conduct along this line could result in discipline, including termination. Subsequently, Coker complained about Stanley's loss of temper and profanity. While Stanley denied Coker's allegations, the undisputed evidence shows that Stanley's polygraph results indicated deception in his statements during the Coker internal investigation. Thus, an adequate lawful basis existed for the termination of Stanley. 28 Foy, 94 F.3d at 1535. Furthermore, Stanley has not shown that it would have been unlawful to terminate him for his conduct with Cooper and deception in the Coker matter absent his speech. No jury could find that it would have been unlawful to terminate Stanley as Chadwick did absent retaliatory motive. See Foy, 94 F.3d at 1535. 65 Secondly, the record also establishes without dispute that Chadwick was motivated, at least in part, by Stanley's deception and incidents with Cooper and Coker. 29 Chadwick consistently-in a meeting with Stanley, in a letter to Stanley, in his deposition, and in an affidavit-identified Stanley's deception and the incidents with Cooper and Coker as motives for Chadwick's decision to terminate Stanley. Captain Walthour recommended to Chadwick that Stanley be terminated because of his deception and losing his temper with Cooper and Coker. And, very important, it is undisputed that Stanley's protected speech was in 1993 but that Chadwick did not terminate Stanley until after Stanley's incidents with Coker and Cooper in 1997. While we cannot say on the underlying constitutional claim-at this summary judgment stage-that it is undisputable that Stanley would have reached the same decision totally absent the protected speech, we can say that it is undisputable that, even given that speech, Chadwick would not have terminated Stanley in 1997 absent the 1997 incidents. Although the four year time gap does not preclude Stanley from showing that Chadwick acted in substantial part because of Stanley's protected speech, this time gap and the undisputed fact that Chadwick did not terminate Stanley until after Stanley's deception and after not one, but two, incidents with co-employees show undisputably that Stanley's 1997 conduct and deception prompted, at least in part, Chadwick's actions. It is also undisputed that after the first incident, Chadwick warned Stanley about the consequences of similar conduct in the future, and then terminated him only after the conduct reoccurred. Thus, the summary judgment record undisputably establishes that Chadwick was motivated, at least in part, by Stanley's misconduct and deception in 1997. 66 As explained above, Chadwick may prevail on the merits of this first amendment retaliation claim even if Stanley establishes that Chadwick acted in substantial part in retaliation for Stanley's protected speech. Specifically, Chadwick would prevail if he could show that he would have reached the same decision absent the protected speech. Although Chadwick has not succeeded on this affirmative defense at the summary judgment stage, the presence of the defense nonetheless must be taken into account in our analysis of the clearly established law. The result is that Chadwick is entitled to qualified immunity if, given the presence of an indisputable and lawful motive, a reasonable police chief would not have known that firing Stanley for both his protected speech and this lawful reason violated Stanley's constitutional rights. 67 Here, Stanley has not demonstrated that a reasonable police chief, faced with the same evidence of Stanley's conduct and acting at least in part with a lawful motive, would have known that terminating Stanley violated clearly established law. Even if a reasonable police chief acted with retaliatory motive, the law in 1997 did not clearly establish that a reasonable police chief-faced with the same undisputed evidence of Stanley's misconduct and undisputably acting at least in part because of Stanley's misconduct-should not have terminated Stanley in the same manner. See Johnson v. City of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., 126 F.3d 1372, 1379 (11th Cir. 1997). Stanley points us to no cases (and we have found none) which would have clearly established as a matter of law that a reasonable police chief cannot act lawfully under these circumstances-even when we accept that the circumstances do include a retaliatory motive on account of Stanley's protected speech. See Foy, 94 F.3d at 1536. 68 Because, given the circumstances and the state of the law, a reasonable police chief could have lawfully terminated Stanley for his misconduct and thus could have considered Chadwick's termination proper, even if motivated in substantial part by an unlawful motive, Chadwick's termination of Stanley was objectively reasonable for the purposes of qualified immunity. See Johnson, 126 F.3d at 1379; Foy, 94 F.3d at 1536. Thus, the district court erred in denying Chadwick qualified immunity. 69 A. Clearly Established Law and the Pickering Balance 70 We find Chadwick's second argument - that the outcome of the Pickering balance in this case was not inevitable - equally compelling. We conclude that, in 1997, it was not clearly established in this circuit that the Pickering balance would inevitably weigh in Stanley's favor. Given the fact that Stanley's theory that Chadwick stole money was based mainly on Chadwick's being the manager over the evidence room and that this theory was never substantiated, we cannot say that the Pickering balance would lead a reasonable police chief to the inevitable conclusion that Stanley's speech was protected by the First Amendment. See Dartland v. Metropolitan Dade County, 866 F.2d 1321, 1323 (11th Cir. 1989) (stating the employer is entitled to immunity except in the extraordinary case where Pickering balancing would lead to the inevitable conclusion that the [act taken against] the employee was unlawful); see also Hansen v. Soldenwagner, 19 F.3d 573, 575-76 (11th Cir. 1994); Sims v. Metropolitan Dade County, 972 F.2d 1230, 1236-37 (11th Cir. 1992); Busby v. City of Orlando, 931 F.2d 764, 773-75 (11th Cir. 1991). As we have said before, [b]ecause Pickering requires a balancing of competing interests on a case-by-case basis, our decisions tilt strongly in favor of immunity by recognizing that only in the rarest of cases will reasonable government officials truly know that the termination or discipline of a public employee violated `clearly established' federal rights. Hansen, 19 F.3d at 576; see also Dartland, 866 F.2d at 1323-24. Thus, the district court erred in denying Chadwick qualified immunity on this ground as well.