Opinion ID: 613481
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: H.S.’s Equal Protection Claim

Text: H.S. first claimed that the Defendants violated her equal protection rights. But a plaintiff must show discriminatory intent or purpose in order to establish an equal protection claim. United States v. Crew, 916 F.2d 980, 984 (5th Cir. 1990). As the district court noted, H.S. alleged no facts indicating that the Defendants were motivated to act against her because of her sex or because she exercised any fundamental rights. Because H.S. failed to allege facts supporting an essential element of her equal protection claim, the district court did not clearly err in finding that her equal protection claim was frivolous. See, e.g., Walker, 168 F.3d at 240 (affirming attorney’s fees award where plaintiff failed to put forth evidence that defendants acted with discriminatory purpose to establish an equal protection claim).