Opinion ID: 466143
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Exception to Jurisdiction Over Teaching Reassignments

Text: 21 There was one exception to the state court's jurisdiction. The state judge accepted the College's argument that Clark's complaint concerning reassignment to teach different classes was a matter properly deferred to a state administrative body with exclusive jurisdiction over labor disputes in public education, and sustained objections to evidence on that matter. However, as Clark alleges in his section 1983 complaint, this is merely one example of the interference with his activities allegedly engaged in by the College. Having raised a general cause of action involving interference with his teaching duties before the state court, the cause of action extinguished includes all rights of the plaintiff to remedies against the defendant with respect to all or any part of the transaction, or series of connected transactions, out of which the action arose. See Restatement (Second) of Judgments Sec. 24. 22 The rule against splitting a cause of action, which parallels the doctrine of res judicata, applies where the first suit is brought in a court which has no jurisdiction to give a judgment as to one part of the plaintiff's cause of action. Once the plaintiff has brought a lawsuit in one court which can enforce only part of a cause of action, and recovers judgment, he cannot insist upon maintaining a subsequent lawsuit for the other part of his cause of action. Mattson v. City of Costa Mesa, 106 Cal.App.3d 441, 449, 164 Cal.Rptr. 913, 918 (1980) (quoting what is now Restatement (Second) of Judgments Sec. 24 comment g). 23 The state court judge, although declining to exercise jurisdiction over the complaint with regard to reassignment in classes, never ruled that the court lacked jurisdiction over Clark's other complaints involving interference with his teaching duties. Clark also complained of changes without notice in his class schedule, the reduction in his teaching load, allegedly in breach of his contract, and the failure to allow him a hearing on the charges of sexual misconduct, all allegedly intended as punitive actions against him. 24 Clark, having voluntarily brought his initial lawsuit in a court without jurisdiction to redress the invasion of his interest in class assignments, but with jurisdiction to adjudicate the remainder of his cause of action involving interference with his teaching duties, and having pursued that lawsuit to judgment, is now barred from raising that cause of action again. 7 See Restatement (Second) of Judgments Sec. 24 comment g. 25 It therefore follows that the College, by raising the primary jurisdiction issue and thus preventing litigation of the class reassignment matter, is not estopped from raising the defense of res judicata to the cause of action involving the general primary right to be free from interference with teaching responsibilities. Although a party who successfully blocks litigation of a cause of action in one proceeding may not hide behind the defense of res judicata in the second proceeding, Davies v. Krasna, 12 Cal.App.3d 1049, 1056, 91 Cal.Rptr. 250, 254 (1970), such was not the case here. The College was successful, at most, in blocking only a part of the cause of action. The state court's failure to address the remainder of the cause of action involving interference with Clark's teaching duties is attributable to Clark's failure to move for a definite ruling or to appeal the judgment. 8