Opinion ID: 2647909
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Whistleblower Act Claim

Text: Ms. Eisenhour alleges that the County violated Utah’s Whistleblower Act, which prohibits government employers from retaliating against employees who report employer misconduct. Utah Code Ann. § 67-21-3(1)(a). According to Ms. Eisenhour, the County 16 violated the state law by closing the Justice Court and refusing to hire her. The County argues that Ms. Eisenhour waited too long to assert the claim and lacks evidence of retaliation. We agree with the County on the claim involving a refusal to rehire her. But we disagree with the County on the claim involving closing of the Court. Timeliness Under the Whistleblower Act, an employee must sue within 180 days of the alleged violation. Utah Code Ann. § 67-21-3(1)(a). Ms. Eisenhour maintains that her claim was timely, arguing that: (1) the County failed to rehire her as an “Election Specialist” within the 180-day period, (2) she began the action on October 19, 2010, by notifying the County through the administrative process, and (3) her claim relates back to her original complaint. First, Ms. Eisenhour argues that one of the retaliatory acts (the failure to hire her as an “Election Specialist”) took place within the 180-day period. But she did not adequately present this argument to the district court. In her response to the summaryjudgment motion, she simply included a short footnote: “Even if this were not true [discussing relation-back of the first amended complaint], it is important that Ms. Eisenhour alleges that the County improperly failed to consider her vacancies that occurred after July 15, 2010. See, e.g., Additional Material Facts 45-51; Exhibits Q-S.” R. vol. 1, at 219 n.4. Because the Plaintiff did not adequately present this argument to the 17 district court, it cannot be used to disturb the district court’s ruling. See Allison v. Bank One-Denver, 289 F.3d 1223, 1244 (10th Cir. 2002). Ms. Eisenhour’s second argument is invalid because it confuses her administrative notice with the filing of a civil action. The two are distinct, as the Utah Court of Appeals explained in Thorpe v. Wash. City, 243 P.3d 500 (Utah Ct. App. 2010). There, the plaintiff argued that his filing of a notice of an administrative claim qualified as the “bring[ing] [of] a civil action” under the Whistleblower Act; thus, he contended that the civil action began when he filed an administrative notice. Alternatively, he argued that he had tolled the statutory deadline by filing the notice. The Utah Court of Appeals rejected both arguments, holding that the 180-day period required the filing of an action in a court rather than the filing of a notice in an administrative agency. Thorpe, 243 P.3d at 504-06. Like the plaintiff in Thorpe, Ms. Eisenhour waited more than 180 days from the alleged violation to assert a Whistleblower Act claim. Thus, under Thorpe, Ms. Eisenhour waited too long to assert a court claim under the Whistleblower Act even though she had submitted an administrative claim within 180 days. Finally, Ms. Eisenhour argues that the Whistleblower Act claim related back to the original complaint, which was filed within the 180-day period. Though Ms. Eisenhour waited too long to assert a Whistleblower Act claim in federal court, she did sue on other legal theories within the 180-day period. And even though the initial complaint did not 18 include a claim under the Whistleblower Act, she later amended the complaint to invoke the statute. This claim would be timely if it related back to the claims in the original complaint. For the closing of the court, the claim did relate back; for the refusal to rehire her, the claim did not relate back. Under Rule 15(c) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, amendments to pleadings relate back to the original filing when “the amendment asserts a claim or defense that arose out of the conduct, transaction, or occurrence set out—or attempted to be set out—in the original pleading.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 15(c)(1)(B). In the original complaint, Ms. Eisenhour alleged retaliation through multiple acts, including the County’s decision to close the Justice Court. The subsequent Whistleblower Act claim is based in part on the same factual allegation from the original complaint. Thus, a genuine issue of material fact exists on timeliness of the Whistleblower Act claim arising out of the court closing. The refusal to rehire, however, did not arise out of the events in the original complaint because the vacancies did not open up until after Ms. Eisenhour had sued. As Ms. Eisenhour points out, she was not terminated until April 1, 2010, six weeks after she filed her original complaint. Thus, the eventual claims for the refusal to rehire could not have related back to the original complaint. Those aspects of the Whistleblower Act were not filed within the 180-day window; thus, they are time-barred. 19 Evidence of Retaliation The County again denies a retaliatory motive for its decision to close the Justice Court, relying on budgetary considerations. As discussed above, however, the budgetary explanation creates a genuine issue of material fact. Thus, the County was not entitled to summary judgment on the Whistleblower Act claim stemming from the closing of the Justice Court.