Opinion ID: 662437
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Disturbance and Efficiency

Text: 78 The public has a significant interest in legitimate whistleblowing. See O'Donnell, 875 F.2d at 1062. Consequently, we have held that in cases involving speech on matters of public concern an employer must demonstrate the employee's conduct caused an actual disruption in order to outweigh the employee's interest in free expression. See Zamboni, 847 F.2d at 78. The presumption in favor of free speech is great, and a mere showing of a disruption is not, by itself, sufficient for a determination that an employee's speech is not protected. O'Donnell, 875 F.2d at 1062. However, the record before us provides ample evidence that Swineford's activities disrupted office efficiency beyond the point where she should be protected. Swineford was a clerical employee who worked closely with the Commissioners, Heintzelman, and Knepp in a small office. Proximity within an organizational hierarchy is a significant factor in the employer's demonstration that a public employee's speech had a detrimental impact on a necessarily close working relationship. See Rankin, 483 U.S. at 388, 107 S.Ct. at 2899; see also Czurlanis, 721 F.2d at 106 (noting the crucial variant in Pickering balancing is hierarchical proximity). 79 Swineford's investigation, her notetaking, and, above all, her dogged attempt to obtain criminal prosecutions destroyed any proper work relationship with Knepp, Heintzelman, and the Commissioners. Indeed, Swineford herself lamented her poor work relationship with fellow employees. As her investigation progressed, office conditions became intolerable and Swineford's performance slipped. Moreover, her intrusions into the decisional process of the Commissioners constituted conduct which could only have had an adverse effect on the discharge of their duties. Efficiency fell as co-workers tried to appease Swineford, and her superiors tolerated unnecessarily frequent breaks. We agree with the district court that Swineford's actions adversely affected the discipline and morale of the office of the Commissioners ..., fostering disharmony ... and impair[ing] the efficiency of that office. Findings on Issues of Fact by The Court Which Were Not Submitted to the Jury # 6. 80 By itself, our belief that Swineford's conduct was disruptive cannot dispose of this case. Czurlanis, 721 F.2d at 107. We have stated it would be absurd to hold that the First Amendment generally authorizes corrupt officials to punish subordinates who blow the whistle simply because the speech somewhat disrupted the office. Id. (quoting Porter v. Califano, 592 F.2d 770, 773-74 (5th Cir.1979)). Here, however, the Commissioners and their counsel permitted Swineford, without any obstruction by them, to take her complaints to the various authorities for investigation. Swineford's relentless efforts to get criminal indictments against her superiors--despite the repeated rejection of her allegations by those charged with investigating those allegations--undermined not only workplace esprit de corps but her claim as well. 81 In a similar situation, the Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit held an employee's discharge for repeatedly voicing safety complaints did not violate the First Amendment where the allegations had been fully investigated and found to be untrue. Seibert v. Oklahoma ex rel. Okla. Health Sciences Ctr., 867 F.2d 591 (10th Cir.1989). The court stated: 82 Assuming plaintiff initially had a right to voice his concerns, it is undisputed that his supervisors looked into the complaints made to them and determined there were no safety problems. Paris [plaintiff's direct foreman] and two other supervisors, both engineers, spoke with plaintiff about his concerns. Unsatisfied with their explanation, he contacted the State Department of Labor who made an inspection of the HSC.... Nonetheless, even after this inspection, plaintiff continued to disagree about conditions and expressed this to other workers. His conduct created severe friction between himself and his foreman and caused disruption in other departments as well. 83 Id. at 596. 84 The same is true of Swineford. Swineford had an interest in publicizing alleged wrongdoing by public officials, and the public had an interest in hearing such allegations. But once her allegations were aired in the public, investigated and rejected by law enforcement agencies at various levels of government, Swineford's protective interest in free speech faded until it became solely a personal grievance as compared with the employer's continued obligation to effectively discharge its public duties. On balance, we believe the employer's interest in maintaining a functioning public office outweighed Swineford's interest in continuing what had become a personal grievance. 13 85