Opinion ID: 222824
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: London Correctional Institute

Text: First and foremost, the district court erred in granting qualified immunity to London Correctional Institute, which is not eligible for such immunity. See Kentucky v. Graham, 473 U.S. 159, 166-67, 105 S.Ct. 3099, 87 L.Ed.2d 114 (1985). Assuming without deciding that LCI is an arm of the state, LCI could have asserted sovereign immunity under the Eleventh Amendment, which protects states from being sued in federal court by their own citizens, citizens of other states, and foreigners. See Alden v. Maine, 527 U.S. 706, 712-13, 119 S.Ct. 2240, 144 L.Ed.2d 636 (1999); Thiokol Corp. v. Dep't of Treasury, 987 F.2d 376, 381 (6th Cir.1993). The burden of establishing Eleventh Amendment immunity lies with the state, and the defense is waived if it is not raised. See Gragg v. Ky. Cabinet for Workforce Dev., 289 F.3d 958, 963 (6th Cir.2002); see also Nair v. Oakland Cnty. Cmty. Mental Health Auth., 443 F.3d 469, 476 (6th Cir.2006). Although Defendants nominally raised the Eleventh Amendment as a defense in their answer to Barker's complaint, they did not identify the claims or parties to which it applied, nor did they assert that LCI was entitled to this defense in their motion for summary judgment before the district court or their briefs on appeal. As a result of LCI's failure to assert this defense, it has been waived. See McPherson v. Kelsey, 125 F.3d 989, 995 (6th Cir. 1997) ([I]ssues adverted to in a perfunctory manner, unaccompanied by some effort at developed argumentation, are deemed waived. (internal quotation mark omitted)). Consequently, LCI is entitled to neither qualified nor sovereign immunity, and the district court's grant of summary judgment to LCI is REVERSED. [1]