Opinion ID: 552262
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Absolute Immunity Analysis

Text: 38 The Eleventh Amendment bars claims by an individual against one of the United States. U.S. Const. amend. XI. The Supreme Court additionally has held that the Eleventh Amendment does not preclude suits against local governments in federal court. Mt. Healthy City School Dist. Bd. of Educ. v. Doyle, 429 U.S. 274, 280-81, 97 S.Ct. 568, 572-73, 50 L.Ed.2d 471 (1977); Gamble v. Florida Dept. of Health & Rehabilitative Servs., 779 F.2d 1509, 1512-13 (11th Cir.1986). This court specifically has recognized that the Eleventh Amendment does not prevent an award of damages against a county. Lundgren v. McDaniel, 814 F.2d 600, 605 n. 4 (11th Cir.1987). Included under Eleventh Amendment coverage, however, are suits where the plaintiff has not named the state as a defendant, but seeks damages that would be paid from the state treasury. Pennhurst State School & Hosp. v. Halderman, 465 U.S. 89, 104 S.Ct. 900, 79 L.Ed.2d 67 (1984); see Gamble, 779 F.2d at 1513. 39 In section 1983 actions, this court has determined that Florida sheriffs are county officials as opposed to state officials. Hufford v. Rodgers, 912 F.2d 1338, 1341-42 (11th Cir.1990); Lundgren, 814 F.2d at 605 n. 4; see Lucas v. O'Loughlin, 831 F.2d 232, 234 (11th Cir.1987), cert. denied, 485 U.S. 1035, 108 S.Ct. 1595, 99 L.Ed.2d 909 (1988); see also Bailey v. Wictzack, 735 F.Supp. 1016, 1019 (M.D.Fla.1990) ([U]nder Florida's constitutional scheme, a county has an existence independent of the state and the sheriff is a county rather than a state official.). A suit regarding official capacity is in all respects other than name, to be treated as a suit against the [governmental] entity, and the law governing the liability of the governmental entity under section 1983 determines the liability of the particular official. Kentucky v. Graham, 473 U.S. 159, 166, 105 S.Ct. 3099, 3105, 87 L.Ed.2d 114 (1985); Geter v. Wille, 846 F.2d 1352, 1354 n. 1 (11th Cir.1988), cert. denied, 488 U.S. 1043, 109 S.Ct. 870, 102 L.Ed.2d 994 (1989). While evidence that a custom or policy attributed to the implicated official may establish official capacity liability, such allegations have not been advanced in this case. 15 See Geter, 846 F.2d at 1354-55; see also Monell v. Department of Social Servs., 436 U.S. 658, 694, 98 S.Ct. 2018, 2037-38, 56 L.Ed.2d 611 (1978) (A local government is responsible under section 1983 when execution of a government's policy or custom, whether made by its lawmakers or by those whose edicts or acts may fairly be said to represent official policy, inflicts the injury....). Not only is Sheriff Strickland a county official, but also there has been no contention in this case that a potential judgment against Sheriff Strickland in his official capacity would be paid from the state treasury rather than from county funds. Lundgren, 814 F.2d at 605 n. 4; see Travelers Indem. Co. v. School Bd., 666 F.2d 505, 509 (11th Cir.), cert. denied, 459 U.S. 834, 103 S.Ct. 77, 74 L.Ed.2d 74 (1982). Accordingly, we conclude that the district court properly denied Sheriff Strickland absolute immunity in his official capacity.