Opinion ID: 297983
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: The Second Libel Suit, and the Declaratory Judgment Action.

Text: 27 It is the following events which comprise the factual basis of the current litigation. 28 The Tenth Circuit decision in the malicious prosecution suit, holding Judge Chandler's actions before the grand jury were protected by the doctrine of judicial immunity, was rendered November 30, 1965. On December 8, 1965, O'Bryan filed another libel suit in the amount of $2,500,000 against Judge Chandler, this one based on the tan brief of the Official Statement which Judge Chandler released to the newspaper editor prior to oral argument in the malicious prosecution case, accusing O'Bryan of being the mastermind in the Oklahoma Supreme Court bribery. Judge Chandler removed this suit to the federal district court pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1442(a) (3). 3 29 Judge Richard B. Austin of the Northern District of Illinois was assigned to hear the removal action and conducted a full hearing in April 1966. He determined that the cause was not removable because Judge Chandler's actions were not under color of office nor in the performance of his official duties. 4 Accordingly, he remanded the case to the State court. The order of remand is not reviewable under 28 U.S.C. § 1447(d), as is discussed infra. 30 Trial was had in the State court on the libel suit in February 1967. The state trial judge directed a verdict in favor of O'Bryan on the issue of liability, and the jury awarded $40,000 in compensatory damages and $10,000 in punitive damages. Following the rendition of this verdict, and prior to the entry of judgment, on February 26, 1967, Judge Chandler again removed the case to the federal district court. Sometime thereafter, the State court entered a judgment on the verdict. 31 O'Bryan filed a motion to remand the case in the second removal. The action was assigned to Judge Frank J. Battisti of the Northern District of Ohio. On January 13, 1968, Judge Chandler filed a declaratory judgment action in the nature of a Bill of Peace in the federal district court, alleging that O'Bryan was harassing him with many groundless actions, seeking to enjoin O'Bryan from further litigation against him, and seeking to have the state libel judgment enjoined and expunged. This declaratory judgment action was also assigned to Judge Battisti, who ruled that the remand motion in the removed libel case would be held in abeyance until the disposition of the declaratory judgment action. Thereafter, evidence was received in the declaratory judgment action consisting mainly of court records in the various actions discussed above. 32 On April 23, 1970, Judge Battisti granted a motion for summary judgment in Judge Chandler's favor, and entered an order declaring that Judge Chandler was judicially immune from liability for the acts complained of in the State libel action, enjoining O'Bryan from any further litigation involving the matters dealt with in the controversy before the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit entitled O'Bryan v. Chandler, 352 F.2d 987 (1965) and matters in relation thereto, ordering the State court to expunge the libel judgment from its records and enjoining the State court from proceeding further and entertaining any further proceedings relating to the above matters. It is from this action that this appeal is taken.