Opinion ID: 786735
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Speech Retaliation Claims

Text: 8 We note at the outset that Gragg has devoted considerable argument to challenging this Court's ruling on interlocutory appeal concerning the three speech retaliation claims. That ruling, however, constitutes the law of the case. United States v. Moored, 38 F.3d 1419, 1421 (6th Cir.1994) (explaining that findings made at one point in a litigation become the law of the case for subsequent stages of the same litigation). Our power to reach a result inconsistent with a prior decision reached in the same case `is to be exercised very sparingly, and only under extraordinary conditions.' In re Kenneth Allen Knight Trust, 303 F.3d 671, 677 (6th Cir.2002) (quoting Gen. Am. Life Ins. Co. v. Anderson, 156 F.2d 615, 619 (6th Cir.1946)). Because this case involves no such extraordinary conditions, id., we decline to disturb this Court's prior ruling. 9 We must address, however, the one speech retaliation claim that was not at issue in the interlocutory appeal — i.e., the claim based upon Gragg's alleged request for overtime pay. We hold that this request does not constitute protected speech because it is not a matter of public concern. 10 [A] particular expression addresses a matter of public concern where it can `be fairly considered as relating to any matter of political, social, or other concern to the community....' The inquiry is made based on by `the content, form, and context of a given statement, as revealed by the whole record.' Speech does not generally touch on a matter of public concern, as that requirement has been interpreted, where its aim is to air or remedy grievances of a purely personal nature. 11 Valot v. Southeast Local Sch. Dist. Bd. of Educ., 107 F.3d 1220, 1226 (6th Cir.1997) (citations omitted). As the district court recognized, Gragg's motivation in requesting overtime pay was to ensure that she received compensation for additional work; thus, her aim was to air or remedy grievances of a purely personal nature. Id. In our view, the content, form, and context of Gragg's statement compel the conclusion that it was not a matter of public concern and, thus, was not constitutionally protected. We therefore hold that the district court properly awarded summary judgment in favor of the defendants on this claim.