Opinion ID: 418010
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: introduction

Text: 2 Beginning in 1973, Griffen was employed by the Big Spring Independent School District (Big Spring) as a high school teacher/coach under a series of one year contracts. After various internal decisionmaking procedures, Big Spring notified Griffen on May 13, 1977 that his contract would not be renewed. Griffen, a black, believed his termination was racially motivated and requested a hearing before the school board. On June 9, 1977, the board held a hearing and determined it would take no action, thus letting Griffen's contract lapse. 3 Griffen then appealed the board's decision to the Texas Education Agency under Tex.Educ.Code Ann. Sec. 11.13 (Vernon 1972), alleging that his discharge was racially motivated. Beginning December 8, 1977, the Assistant Deputy Commissioner of Education conducted two days of hearings with testimony from various witnesses. On September 15, 1978, the hearing officer issued a Proposal for Decision including findings of fact and conclusions of law, finding that Griffen's discharge was racially motivated and recommending reinstatement with back pay. The hearing officer's recommendations were transmitted to the Texas Commissioner of Education, who was charged by law with the duty of making the actual decision. On November 14, 1978, the Commissioner issued a decision, which essentially adopted the hearing officer's proposed decision. 4 Big Spring appealed this decision to the Texas State Board of Education. During the pendency of the appeal, Big Spring had two ex parte contacts with the Board. First, during an unrelated conversation between Jim Binnion, a State Board member, and Lynn Hise, Superintendent of Big Spring, Binnion asked Hise to send him some material in regard to the appeal. Hise Deposition at 42. Second, in January, 1979, the General Counsel of the Texas Education Agency spoke to Big Spring's counsel and asked him to submit proposed findings and a proposed order. Griffen was neither advised of this request nor asked to submit his own proposed findings or orders. On January 12, 1979, Hise delivered the proposed findings and order to the State Board. On January 13, 1979, the State Board adopted the proposed findings and orders as its own. The State Board found that Griffen's termination was properly motivated and reversed the Commissioner's findings and ruling. The State Board held no actual hearing and gave no explanation for reversing the findings of the Commissioner and hearing examiner, which were based on a full evidentiary hearing. 5 On February 12, 1979, Griffen filed for judicial review of the Board's decision in the state district court of Travis County. This is the court charged with exclusive jurisdiction of review of actions of the State Board. One of the jurisdictional prerequisites for review of a State Board decision, however, is that a motion for rehearing be filed with the State Board. Tex.Rev.Civ.Stat.Ann. art. 6252-13a (Vernon 1970). Because Griffen had failed to file a Motion for Rehearing, the court determined that it was without jurisdiction and dismissed the case on May 30, 1979. 6 One week later, on June 8, 1979, Griffen filed a complaint in federal district court under 42 U.S.C. Secs. 1981, 1983, and 1985, on the same grounds and requesting the same relief. The district court granted Big Spring's motion for summary judgment on two grounds. First, the court held that Griffen's action accrued on May 13, 1977. The relevant statute of limitations is two years, Tex.Rev.Civ.Stat.Ann. art. 5526 (Vernon 1958), so Griffen's suit, filed June 8, 1979, was barred. Second, the court held that Griffen was collaterally estopped by the State Board's findings. This appeal followed. 1 7 On appeal Griffen argues that both of the district court's rulings were incorrect. Griffen provides three arguments that his claim is not barred by the statute of limitations. First, he urges that the statute should be tolled while pursuing state administrative remedies. Second, he claims that Big Spring's June 9, 1977, decision was a separately actionable event within the two year statute. Third, he contends that the Texas wrong court tolling statute, Tex.Rev.Civ.Stat.Ann. art. 5539a (Vernon 1958), applies and tolled the statute during the pendency of the state court proceedings. Griffen also argues that the proceeding of the State Board should not be given collateral effect because it was not based on adequate procedures and because of the ex parte contacts. We shall treat these arguments in turn.