Opinion ID: 706975
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Issue Preclusion Applied: Property Interests

Text: 30 In order to establish a Due Process claim, the plaintiffs first must show that they had a protected property interest in their jobs. We look to state law to determine whether a protected property interest exists. See, e.g., Board of Regents v. Roth, 408 U.S. 564, 92 S.Ct. 2701, 33 L.Ed.2d 548 (1972). The Clementses premise their claim of a protected property interest on two possible bases: 1) that they were civil servants rather than at-will employees; and 2) that the employee manual was an employment contract creating a presumption of continued employment. 11 31 Under Nevada law, the issue of the Clementses' civil service status is clearly precluded by the state court judgment. Whether the Clementses were covered by the civil service system was the heart of state court dispute. The Nevada Supreme Court determined that Sue Clements was a civil servant while Douglas Clements was not. The court also concluded that Douglas Clements was an at-will employee. These determinations represents a final resolution of the Douglas and Sue's employment status and relitigation of the issues is precluded. 32 Because the state court determined that Sue Clements was a civil servant, she had a protected property interest in her job for purposes of asserting a Due Process claim. See Walker v. City of Berkeley, 951 F.2d 182, 183 (9th Cir.1991). Conversely, the court's determination that Douglas was an at-will employee negates the existence of a property interest in his employment. See Board of Regents v. Roth, 408 U.S. 564, 92 S.Ct. 2701, 33 L.Ed.2d 548 (1972). Douglas's claim that the manual created a presumption of continued employment is necessarily inconsistent with the court's determination. 12 Thus, only Sue has a viable due process claim. Accordingly, we now turn to the next step of our analysis to determine whether she received all the process she was due. 33