Opinion ID: 3004297
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Gross’s Complaints to Loren-Maltese

Text: First, Gross claims he was fired in part because he approached Town President Loren-Maltese to discuss allegations of sexual harassment by Cicero police officer Jerold Rodish. This violated his First Amendment rights, he argues, because his attempts to talk with Loren-Maltese constituted protected speech. On about six occasions, Gross told Loren-Maltese that he wanted to talk about “a situation still going on with Rhonda” and “a problem that’s just escalating . . . regarding Rhonda.” Though he never discussed the details of the “situation” or “problem,” Gross argues that he engaged in constitutionally protected speech because Loren-Maltese indicated that she understood what he wanted to say (e.g., she said she knew why he was there, “what it’s about,” that she would talk to him later, and to “just call Eddie [Vrdolyak]”). Like the district court, we’re dubious of whether Gross ever articulated a “particular viewpoint, grievance or complaint” that could even be considered speech on a matter of public concern. Wernsing v. Thompson, 423 F.3d 732, 752 (7th Cir. 2005). The record indicates that Gross never discussed his daughter’s “situation” with Loren-Maltese; he never mentioned the police department, Rodish, or any allegations of sexual harassment. Gross’s only “speech” was his request to discuss Rhonda’s situation with her. Though one ordinarily need not explicitly utter the words “sexual harassment” to make an employer aware of such a problem, see Gentry v. Export Packaging Co., 238 F.3d 842, 849 (7th Cir. 2001), 16 No. 06-4042 we have made clear that the First Amendment does not protect merely expressing a desire to speak, even if the viewpoint one desires to express might itself be protected, Wernsing, 423 F.3d at 752. “Speech which has not yet occurred . . . is no speech at all.” Id. Gross argues, however, that Loren-Maltese’s reactions give some indication that she understood what he wanted to communicate. In Gross’s view, her responses transformed Gross’s statements from a desire to complain into actual complaints. We’re skeptical of whether the record supports this argument. There’s little evidence to establish that Loren-Maltese understood Rhonda’s “situation” or “problem” to mean sexual harassment in the police department. Gross admitted that he never elaborated on what he wanted to talk about. And Gross does not allege that Loren-Maltese said anything about Rodish, sexual harassment, or the police department. Her responses were largely non-descriptive—she said she knew “what it’s about.” Still, she did say, “Just call Eddie,” which might be some slight indication of understanding, since there is some evidence that Rodish was connected to Vrdolyak. And more generally, it’s true that a listener’s reactions are part of the calculus in determining whether a statement constitutes speech on a matter of public concern. See Waters v. Churchill, 511 U.S. 661, 668 (1994). But whether Loren-Maltese understood what Gross meant is ultimately irrelevant. Gross’s speech wasn’t constitutionally protected because he never spoke on No. 06-4042 17 a matter of public concern.1 Of course, sex discrimination in public employment can be a matter of public con- cern. Kokkinis, 185 F.3d at 844. But it is not always so. Id.; see also McKenzie v. Milwaukee County, 381 F.3d 619, 626 (7th Cir. 2004) (“Sexual harassment is indeed an important matter, but not all speech relating to sexual harassment enjoys constitutional protection.”). Purely personal grievances do not garner First Amendment protection, Clarke, 574 F.3d at 377-78, including personal grievances about sexual harassment in the workplace, see Phelan, 463 F.3d at 791; Gray v. Lacke, 885 F.2d 399, 411 (7th Cir. 1989). Examining both the content and context of Gross’s speech, we, like the district court, conclude that Gross, to the extent that he engaged in any “speech” at all, spoke only about his daughter, Rhonda, with the intent of obtaining some private redress for her. As we’ve discussed, Gross never mentioned anything to Loren- Maltese about Rodish or harassment of other officers. Instead, Gross privately approached Loren-Maltese about “a situation . . . with Rhonda” and “a problem . . . regarding Rhonda.” These words concern a purely personal matter. 1 We note that Gross does not allege that Loren-Maltese silenced him or threatened some penalty if he continued speaking when he approached her on those six occasions. Accordingly, Gross does not claim that Loren-Maltese effected a “prior restraint” on Gross’s speech. See Fairley v. Andrews, 578 F.3d 518, 525 (7th Cir. 2009). 18 No. 06-4042 With the content of his speech clearly against him, Gross implores us to focus on context. Gross tries to show that Gross had a broader purpose in seeking Loren-Maltese’s ear by alleging that he knew about other in- stances of harassment in the police force, particularly by Rodish. But even if that were true, he never communicated that knowledge to Loren-Maltese—in other words, his speech never conveyed more than his personal grievance. Moreover, we find Gross’s claim that he intended to sound the alarm about a broader pattern of harassment incredible. Gross took no other corrective measures to address Rodish’s allegedly systemic and heinous conduct. Gross claims that he knew that other women had been threatened and even physically abused. But he did nothing about it, despite the fact that he was the Chairman of the BOFPC. Instead, after not getting what he wanted from Loren-Maltese, he claims he instructed his daughter to file an EEOC charge. Gross presents no evidence that he did anything to help the other women in the department. See Phelan, 463 F.3d at 791. Moreover, Loren-Maltese’s responses give no indication that she understood Gross to be raising broader concerns about sexual harassment in the police department. Accordingly, we see no evidence that Gross’s attempt to speak with Loren-Maltese was motivated by anything but a private concern for his daughter. We cannot fault a father for seeking to protect his daughter, especially when she claims to have been sexually harassed. But the law is clear that the First Amendment cannot shield the father’s speech when his motive in speaking is a purely personal one, as No. 06-4042 19 Gross’s was here. So we affirm summary judgment in favor of the defendants on this issue.