Opinion ID: 785755
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Plaintiffs' Request for Reimbursement from Labor & Industry is Barred by Sovereign Immunity

Text: 29 As we previously noted, the District Court dismissed Plaintiffs' request for monetary relief from Labor & Industry on the grounds that it was barred by the doctrine of sovereign immunity, which protects states from suit by individuals. See generally, e.g., Federal Maritime Comm'n v. South Carolina State Ports Auth., 535 U.S. 743, 122 S.Ct. 1864, 152 L.Ed.2d 962 (2002). Plaintiffs argue that sovereign immunity does not apply here because the money that would be used to pay Plaintiffs is coming from the federal government, and therefore Plaintiffs are not targeting any of Pennsylvania's money. See Robinson v. Block, 869 F.2d 202, n. 11 (3d Cir.1989); Bennett v. White, 865 F.2d 1395, 1408 (3d Cir.1989). The holdings in Robinson and Bennett, however, predated the Supreme Court's most recent round of decisions on sovereign immunity, which leaves no doubt that sovereign immunity applies even when the money at stake is from the federal rather than the state treasury. 30 For example, in Regents of the Univ. of Cal. v. Doe, 519 U.S. 425, 431, 117 S.Ct. 900, 137 L.Ed.2d 55 (1997), the Supreme Court rejected the argument that sovereign immunity would not apply because any award of damages would be paid by the Department of Energy (`DOE'), and therefore have no impact upon the treasury of the State of California. Plaintiffs attempt to distinguish Doe on the grounds that California had to pay damages and would then be indemnified by the DOE, whereas, in the instant case, the money would come directly from the federal treasury. This distinction, however, does not help Plaintiffs because the Supreme Court has since made clear that the purpose of sovereign immunity is not merely to protect intrusion into the state's treasury, but to protect against the indignity of any kind of suit whatsoever. Federal Maritime Comm'n, 535 U.S. at 765-66, 122 S.Ct. 1864. Thus, no matter who pays the reimbursement bill, sovereign immunity bars Plaintiffs from suing Labor & Industry to get that reimbursement.