Opinion ID: 390556
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Violation of Kekai's Due Process Rights

Text: 28 In order to demonstrate that her due process rights have been violated, Kekai must show that she had a property interest in her continued employment as Area Coordinator. To have a property interest in that job, Kekai must have more than an abstract need, desire or unilateral expectation of continued employment. She must, instead, have a legitimate claim of entitlement to it. Board of Regents v. Roth, 408 U.S. 564, 577, 92 S.Ct. 2701, 2709, 33 L.Ed.2d 548 (1972). 29 The district court found that Kekai had a constitutionally-protected property interest in her position as Area Coordinator. We disagree. We find that Kekai had no constitutionally-protected property interest in employment she obtained through a deliberate and clearly material misrepresentation as to her only qualification for it. The requirements for the Area Coordinator position were: Requirements for Area Coordinator: 30 At least two (2) years experience in the following fields: 31 Social Services in low-income communities which provide the knowledge of the needs of the pre-school child and his family or in early childhood education. Additional qualifying experience may be substituted for required education. 32 Kekai did not have two years experience in the field. Thus, her claimed receipt of the college degree was her only possible qualification for the position. In all the time this case has been litigated, Kekai has been unable to produce any evidence that she was ever enrolled in a regular student program at U.C.L.A. The university's records clearly show that she never received a degree from the university and her entire attendance at the school consisted of enrollment in two extension courses from which she withdrew and therefore received no credit. Given these facts and after a careful review of the extensive record in the case, we find no other plausible conclusion but that Kekai intentionally misrepresented to HCAP that she had received a college degree. 33 In Board of Regents v. Roth, 408 U.S. 564, 577, 92 S.Ct. 2701, 2709, 33 L.Ed.2d 548, the Supreme Court discussed the attributes of property interests protected by procedural due process. 34 He must, instead, have a legitimate claim of entitlement to it. It is a purpose of the ancient institution of property to protect those claims upon which people rely in their daily lives, reliance that must not be arbitrarily undermined. It is a purpose of the constitutional right to a hearing to provide an opportunity for a person to vindicate those claims. 35 Under the facts and circumstances of this case, Kekai had no legitimate entitlement to continued employment in a position she obtained as a result of a deliberate and material misrepresentation. She had no property interest protected by procedural due process and therefore there was no due process violation committed by either HCAP or Hargrave. The district court erred as a matter of law in reaching a contrary conclusion and the judgments entered against HCAP and Hargrave must be reversed. 2