Opinion ID: 71892
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: sufficiency of the evidence

Text: 53 The City contends that Morro put on insufficient evidence that he was disciplined in retaliation for his First Amendment activity, because: (1) Morro admitted being unprepared for trial; (2) Morro's proof of causation was based solely on the chronology of events; and (3) the Chief's actions were objectively reasonable in light of clearly established law. We find no merit in those arguments. 54 First, the City provides no record citation for Morro's purported admission that he was unprepared for court. Our own review of the record has not revealed any such admission, which Morro continues to deny having made. Moreover, even if Morro had made such an admission, it would still be up to the jury to decide whether the Chief's disciplinary decision was actually motivated by Morro's unpreparedness or by his show of support for Officer Bahakel in the Arrington trial. If Morro produced enough evidence for a reasonable jury to conclude that a retaliatory animus substantially motivated his [suspension], [the City] could only rebut this showing by convincing the jury, not the court, that a legitimate reason justified the decision. Beckwith v. City of Daytona Beach Shores, 58 F.3d 1554, 1564 (11th Cir.1995) (citation omitted). The City failed to do that. 55 Second, Morro's proof of motive was not based solely on the chronology of events. The very officer who disciplined Morro was involved in a high visibility controversy over whether he had tampered with arrest records in an attempt to protect Ms. Arrington, and testimony concerning that controversy was presented at trial. In view of the entire record, a reasonable juror could have inferred that the Chief was motivated to act against Morro by a desire to punish his First Amendment activity that tended to reflect unfavorably upon the mayor, his daughter, or the Chief. 56 Finally, the City's clearly established law argument is irrelevant. The issue before us is not qualified immunity, but evidence of a retaliatory motive. As we have explained above, the evidence was sufficient to support a finding of retaliatory motive. 57