Opinion ID: 754172
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Liberty Cause of Action

Text: 8 To make out a violation of § 1983, a plaintiff must show that the conduct complained of was committed by a person acting under color of state law and this conduct deprived a person of rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution or laws of the United States. Parratt v. Taylor, 451 U.S. 527, 535, 101 S.Ct. 1908, 1913, 68 L.Ed.2d 420 (1981). Although the Constitution guarantees neither liberty of occupation, Board of Regents of State Colleges v. Roth, 408 U.S. 564, 573, 92 S.Ct. 2701, 2707, 33 L.Ed.2d 548 (1972), nor liberty of reputation, Paul v. Davis, 424 U.S. 693, 708, 96 S.Ct. 1155, 1164, 47 L.Ed.2d 405 (1976), the Supreme Court suggested in Roth that the state infringes on an employee's liberty interests if it discharges an employee while making false charges against him, so damaging the employee that he is precluded as a practical matter from finding other government employment. Since then, we have held many times that state employees have a liberty interest in not being discharged from their employment while being defamed such that they cannot get other government employment. See, e.g., Olivieri v. Rodriguez, 122 F.3d 406, 408 (7th Cir.1997), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 118 S.Ct. 1040, 140 L.Ed.2d 106 (1998); Lashbrook v. Oerkfitz, 65 F.3d 1339, 1349 (7th Cir.1995); Wallace v. Tilley, 41 F.3d 296, 299 (7th Cir.1994); McMath v. City of Gary, 976 F.2d 1026, 1031-32 (7th Cir.1992); Johnson v. Martin, 943 F.2d 15, 16 (7th Cir.1991); Ratliff v. City of Milwaukee, 795 F.2d 612, 625 (7th Cir.1986). To prevail on this liberty cause of action, a discharged state employee must show that (1) he was stigmatized by the defendant's conduct, (2) the stigmatizing information was publicly disclosed, and (3) he suffered a tangible loss of other employment opportunities as a result of public disclosure. Johnson, 943 F.2d at 16. Strasburger has not shown a genuine issue of material fact as to the first element. We will not address the second and third elements because the first is dispositive. Since Strasburger cannot make out a constitutional violation, he has no cause of action under § 1983. 9 The first element requires the employee to show that a public official made defamatory statements about him. These statements must be false assertions of fact. See, e.g., Ratliff, 795 F.2d at 625. True but stigmatizing statements that preclude further government employment do not support this type of claim. Nor do statements of opinion, even stigmatizing ones, if they do not imply false facts. We also require the statements to come from the mouth of a public official. See McMath, 976 F.2d at 1031. Rumors and statements made to public officials do not suffice. Since the remedy available to a discharged employee who proves all the elements of the cause of action is a name-clearing hearing, Codd v. Velger, 429 U.S. 624, 627, 97 S.Ct. 882, 883-84, 51 L.Ed.2d 92 (1977), the statements must be of a kind such that the discharged employee could refute them and clear his name, given the opportunity. 10 Strasburger puts forth evidence of several statements that, no doubt, stigmatized him. First, he points to a statement made by School Board member Dennis Austin to non-official Jim Shelby. Shelby submitted via affidavit that Austin said to him, We need to get rid of that SOB Strasburger before he hurts one of those girls. Aff. of Jim Shelby, Strasburger v. Board of Educ., No. 94-CV4272-JPG (S.D.Ill. Oct. 9, 1996). This statement is not a false assertion of fact--it is Austin's expression of opinion. This cause of action curtails no expression of opinion that does not imply a falsehood. 11 Second, Strasburger's wife asserted in her deposition that Dan Austin told a non-official at a School Board meeting, Well, he has a lot of criminal charges and we've got to check them all out, and that he said something about a rape. Dep. of Kathy Strasburger at 54, Strasburger v. Board of Educ., No. 94-CV-4272-JPG (S.D.Ill. July 29, 1996). Kathy Strasburger did not personally hear Austin make these statements. The listener later recounted the statements to her. The statement about criminal charges was not false--Strasburger indeed has a criminal record. Austin then expressed his intent that the School Board investigate. Again, this is not a false statement. It is an intention. And finally, Kathy Strasburger's assertion that Austin said something about a rape is not precise enough to be false. We cannot discern from the record whether Austin was making a prediction about the future or whether he was referring to the charge of sexual assault in Strasburger's criminal record. Evidence that Austin called Strasburger a rapist or asserted that he had raped someone would indeed be the kind of false and stigmatizing statement that might defeat summary judgment, but the evidence we see here is too vague to establish a genuine issue of material fact. 12 Third, School Board member Lafferty recounted in his deposition that he saw a letter authored by School Board member Gerald Miller. Lafferty testified that he did not read the letter closely and cannot quote from it or remember words from it, but he recalls it was generally derogatory toward Strasburger. The letter apparently was distributed on car windshields in a parking lot. While the letter was doubtless stigmatizing, again we find ourselves unable to determine whether the letter contained false statements. Derogatory statements could well be true, but this cause of action requires false statements. 13 Fourth, Lafferty also testified in his deposition about a particular exchange at a School Board meeting. In response to the question, Can you give me a flavor of what was said, what the discussion was about? Lafferty replied, The terms pervert were used [sic]. There was a telephone conversation between Dan Austin and myself in which Mr. Strasburger was discussed and his fitness to remain as a teacher and the danger to the children. Dep. of Edward Lafferty at 26, Strasburger v. Board of Educ., No. 94-CV-4272-JPG (S.D.Ill. July 18, 1996). Even assuming that the word pervert was used at a public School Board meeting and not on the telephone to a fellow School Board member, we find no statement of fact. Austin again expressed his opinion about Strasburger without making a false assertion of fact. 14 Finally, Strasburger points to numerous places in the record where deponents assert they heard rumors to the effect that Strasburger is a rapist. No one was able to testify that they heard these rumors from a public official, as we require. The record leaves no doubt that Hardin County has not treated Strasburger well, but the record does not reflect a constitutional violation. Because Strasburger cannot provide evidence of false statements made by public officials, he cannot satisfy the elements of the employment/ defamation cause of action. Since he cannot demonstrate a constitutional violation, his § 1983 claim on this count must fail. The district court properly granted summary judgment.