Opinion ID: 161479
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Claims for Equitable Relief

Text: 13 Barringer advances three arguments in support of dismissal of Cornforth's FMLA claims against him individually for injunctive relief. Only two of those arguments, however, involve assertions that the claims are barred by the Eleventh Amendment. Barringer first contends that if he is ordered to reinstate Cornforth or provide her with FMLA benefits in the future, the University will be coerced into providing the relief, thereby eviscerating its Eleventh Amendment immunity. This argument has been considered and rejected by the Supreme Court. 14 In the seminal case of Ex parte Young, the Supreme Court made it clear that a private individual may sue a state official for prospective injunctive relief in federal court even if the Eleventh Amendment bars such claims from being brought against the state itself. See 209 U.S. 123, 159-60 (1908); see also Green v. Mansour, 474 U.S. 64, 68 (1985) (holding that federal courts have jurisdiction over claims against state officials seeking prospective injunctive relief designed to end a continuing violation of federal law). Thus, Barringer's argument that the University's immunity will be eviscerated if Cornforth obtains injunctive relief from him is totally without merit. 15 Barringer, however, also contends that this case presents an exception to the general rule that federal courts have jurisdiction over suits against state officials seeking prospective injunctive relief. That exception, first articulated by the Supreme Court in Idaho v. Coeur d'Alene Tribe, 521 U.S. 261 (1997), bars suits seeking relief that would implicate[] special sovereignty interests. Id. at 281; see also Buchwald, 159 F.3d at 495 n.6. This court has held that Coeur d'Alene applies when the injunctive relief sought is the functional equivalent to a form of legal relief against the state that would otherwise be barred by the Eleventh Amendment. ANR Pipeline Co. v. Lafaver, 150 F.3d 1178, 1190 (10th Cir. 1998) (quotation omitted). Barringer has failed to identify any such special sovereignty interest in this case but, instead, simply asserts that a grant of injunctive relief against Barringer would effectively require the University to comply with federal law. The Court has repeatedly held, however, that suits brought pursuant to Ex parte Young seeking to end a continuing violation of federal law are not barred by the Eleventh Amendment. See, e.g., Green, 474 U.S. at 68 (Remedies designed to end a continuing violation of federal law are necessary to vindicate the federal interest in assuring the supremacy of that law.). Thus, the injunctive relief sought by Cornforth against Barringer does not implicate a special sovereignty interest and the Coeur d'Alene exception is inapplicable. 16 Barringer also argues that because the University will bear the ancillary costs of Barringer's compliance with any injunction, the University is the real party in interest and the claims are barred by the Eleventh Amendment. Barringer's argument was rejected by the Supreme Court in Edelman v. Jordan. See 415 U.S. at 665 (State officials, in order to shape their official conduct to the mandate of the Court's decrees, would more likely have to spend money from the statetreasury than if they had been left free to pursue their previous course of conduct. Such an ancillary effect on the state treasury is a permissible and often an inevitable consequence of the principle announced in Ex parte Young [].) 17 In addition to his Eleventh Amendment arguments, Barringer also asserts that Cornforth's claims against him for injunctive relief should be dismissed because he is not an employer as that term is defined in FMLA. Compare Kilvitis v. County of Luzerene, 52 F. Supp. 2d 403, 411-16 (M.D. Pa. 1999), with Keene v. Rinaldi, 127 F. Supp. 2d 770, 774-78 (M.D.N.C. 2000). Barringer contends that the term employer should not be interpreted to include individual supervisors. He argues that such an interpretation would render the statute absurd because Barringer, in his individual capacity, is unable to provide the injunctive relief Cornforth seeks. 18 Our jurisdiction over this interlocutory appeal is strictly confined only to those issues involving the Eleventh Amendment. Because Barringer's argument does not involve a claim of Eleventh Amendment immunity, it is not properly before this court. Accordingly, we can not, and do not, express any opinion on whether Cornforth's FMLA claims for injunctive relief asserted against Barringer in his individual capacity should be dismissed either because Cornforth cannot obtain such relief against Barringer in his individual capacity 8 or because the term employer as used in FMLA should not be interpreted to include individual supervisors. 19 Barringer's arguments are either foreclosed by Supreme Court precedent or do not involve the Eleventh Amendment. We hold there is no Eleventh Amendment bar to federal court jurisdiction over Cornforth's claims against Barringer for prospective injunctive relief.