Opinion ID: 685599
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Unconstitutional Discharge

Text: 38 Feldman contended that his discharge was caused by defendants' retaliatory motives. The record is replete with evidence from which the jury could properly conclude that Feldman's firing was directly precipitated by his engaging in protected speech. Initially, defendants told Feldman that the reason he was being fired was that they were reorganizing the audit department. This, the jury could have found, was a pretext. Except for a few minor changes, the audit department was substantially the same at the time of trial as it was when Feldman was fired. 39 Defendants later abandoned their initial reason for the firing, and launched an intense attack on Feldman's ability to perform his job. They alleged, inter alia, that Feldman was insubordinate, self-serving, and overall, an incompetent employee. Their attack on Feldman's alleged incompetence as the reason for his dismissal raised a jury issue. Incidentally, the argument is substantially undercut by PHA's present contention that Feldman should be reinstated at PHA instead of receiving front pay. Because there is ample evidence to support the jury's finding that Feldman was fired for engaging in protected activity, we affirm the jury's determination that defendants violated Feldman's constitutional rights. 40 Defendants also argue that the district court committed reversible error by failing to conduct, on the record, particularized fact-finding and balancing under Pickering. They further contend that the district court inappropriately submitted to the jury all of Feldman's statements and reports before first determining for itself which, if any, were protected. Defendants, however, have failed to preserve these issues for appeal. They did not except to the court's jury instruction concerning Pickering, nor did they take any pre-verdict exception to the district court's failure to make specific factual findings on the record. 41 Even if defendants had properly preserved the record, we would still affirm. Although the district court did not perform the Pickering balancing test in precisely the fashion that some cases suggest is appropriate, it is apparent from the district court's memorandum and order denying defendants' motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict, that it had considered all of Feldman's speech to be constitutionally protected under Pickering. Consequently, we see no prejudicial error in the court's having first submitted the same issue to the jury, which arrived at the same conclusion.