Opinion ID: 8598
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: State Law Immunity--Claims Against Rocha and Ethridge

Text: Based on Texas Law 19 Defendants Rocha and Ethridge also appeal the district court's denial of qualified immunity under state law from Cantu's state law claims for invasion of privacy (Rocha), defamation (Rocha) and intentional infliction of emotional distress (Ethridge). Whether an order is an appealable final decision for purposes of 28 U.S.C. § 1291 is a question of federal, not state, law. Sorey v. Kellett, 849 F.2d 960, 962 (5th Cir.1988). We have previously held that an order denying qualified immunity under state law is immediately appealable as a final decision, provided that the state's doctrine of qualified immunity, like the federal doctrine, provides a true immunity from suit and not a simple defense to liability. Id. at 962 (concluding that interlocutory orders denying qualified immunity under Mississippi law are immediately appealable). 20 We are persuaded that Texas law insulates government officials from the burden of suit, as well as from civil liability for damages. See City of Lancaster v. Chambers, 883 S.W.2d 650, 653 (Tex.1994) ([g]overnment employees are entitled to immunity from suit arising from performance of their (1) discretionary duties in (2) good faith as long as they are (3) acting within the scope of their authority); Albright v. Dep't. of Human Services, 859 S.W.2d 575, 579 & n. 1 (Tex.App.--Houston [1st Dist.] 1993, no writ) (summary judgment is the appropriate vehicle for deciding qualified immunity, which protects officials from the burdens of litigation as well as from liability); TEX.CIV.PRAC. & REM.CODE § 51.014(5) (Vernon Supp.1995) (allowing interlocutory appeal of orders denying motions for summary judgment based on the assertion of immunity), 3 see also Travis v. City of Mesquite, 830 S.W.2d 94, 102 n. 4 (Tex.1992) (Cornyn, J., concurring) ([t]he very reasons for a grant of immunity are effectively unsalvageable if the official is determined to be immune from liability only after a trial on the merits). While City of Lancaster establishes a test for qualified immunity in Texas that is somewhat less likely to be resolved at the summary judgment stage than is the federal test, the opinion does not purport to make any change in the established principle that once that test is met, the privilege of immunity protects the official from both the rigors of suit and ultimate liability for civil damages. See City of Lancaster, 883 S.W.2d at 655-57 (citing Justice Cornyn's concurring opinion in Travis and acknowledging the need to achieve[ ] a fair balance between the competing interests at stake). 21 In Texas, qualified immunity encompasses an immunity from suit. Therefore, under Sorey, orders premised on the denial of qualified immunity under Texas state law are appealable in federal court to the same extent as district court orders premised on the denial of federal law immunity. The issue then becomes whether the district court's denial of Rocha and Ethridge's summary judgment motions on the issue of immunity turned on an issue of law, as required by Mitchell and Johnson. 22 The district court's order only generally denies Rocha's assertion of immunity, and does not explicitly address Rocha's entitlement to immunity from suit on Cantu's state law defamation and invasion of privacy claims, which are based on Rocha's statements to Cantu's friends in the course of the investigation. The summary judgment record nonetheless demonstrates that there is no material fact dispute about what Rocha said or did during the interviews. Thus, resolution of Rocha's entitlement to state law immunity may be decided by applying well-established principles of Texas law to the facts, which are given for the purposes of appeal. For that reason, the district court's decision may be considered final for purposes of 28 U.S.C. § 1291, and this Court has appellate jurisdiction to review Rocha's appeal from the district court's denial of qualified immunity on Cantu's state law invasion of privacy and defamation claims. 23 As to Ethridge, the district court concluded that he was not entitled to immunity because the acts alleged by Cantu, harassment and intimidation, could not be considered acts authorized by his employer, the University. In other words, taking the plaintiff's allegations as true, the district court held that Ethridge was not entitled to immunity under Texas official immunity law. The district court's order therefore turned on an issue of law. 24 Although Ethridge squarely denies the conduct alleged by Cantu, his qualified immunity defense does not present the sort of evidence sufficiency point held not to be appealable in Johnson. The district court essentially assumed the truth of Cantu's allegations, thereby assuming the disputed factual issue in her favor. (In this connection it is important to understand that it is not the district court's assumption of the disputed factual issue that Ethridge appeals; indeed, under Johnson, he could not interlocutorily appeal such a ruling. Johnson, --- U.S. at ----, 115 S.Ct. at 2158.) The district court then applied the controlling principles of Texas qualified immunity law--whether the acts complained of were within the scope of the defendant official's authority--to determine the issue of immunity. 25 In this case, review of Ethridge's assertion on appeal would not require this court to decide, on the basis of a limited record, a disputed factual issue that may well be resolved at trial, i.e., whether Ethridge engaged in the acts of which he was accused. The court simply must decide whether, under the facts as alleged by Cantu, Ethridge is entitled to qualified immunity under Texas law. We conclude that this court has appellate jurisdiction of Ethridge's appeal from the district court's denial of his motion for summary judgment on the basis of qualified immunity. 26 The District Court's July 14 Order--Appeal Number 94-60577 27 The two orders on appeal are not clearly referenced to the defendants' multiple motions for dismissal or summary judgment. Nonetheless, it is obvious from the record that the district court intended to delineate immunity issues, which are addressed in the order appealed by docket number 94-60380, from other grounds for dismissal or summary judgment, which are addressed in the order appealed by docket number 94-60577. Any discussion of the subject defendants' entitlement to summary judgment on the basis of immunity in the district court's July 14 order is duplicative to its analysis on April 26. 28 The Supreme Court has been reluctant to endorse the exercise of pendant appellate jurisdiction over rulings that, while being related to the denial of qualified immunity, are not themselves independently appealable prior to judgment. See Swint v. Chambers County Comm'n., --- U.S. ----, ----, 115 S.Ct. 1203, 1212, 131 L.Ed.2d 60 (1995) (finding exercise of pendant appellate jurisdiction improper where review of the county's summary judgment motion was neither inextricably intertwined with nor necessary to ensure meaningful review of the district court's denial of qualified immunity). Defendants do not claim that review of the non-immunity grounds addressed in the district court's July 14 order is inextricably intertwined or necessary to resolution of the qualified immunity issue. Whether the defendants' conduct was objectively reasonable in light of clearly established law is a separate and narrower issue than whether Cantu adduced sufficient evidence on each element of each of Cantu's multitude of federal and state law claims to avoid summary judgment. There is, therefore, no compelling reason to explore the uncharted terrain of pendant appellate jurisdiction in this case, and appeal number 94-60577 will be dismissed for lack of appellate jurisdiction. See Swint, --- U.S. at ----, 115 S.Ct. at 1211. Furthermore, given our disposition of this case on the qualified immunity appeals, appeal number 94-60577 is moot.