Opinion ID: 2211733
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: public concern

Text: Cox contends that allegations of racism within the correctional center are matters of public concern. However, the Department, relying heavily on our decision in Vinci v. Nebraska Dept. of Corr. Servs., supra , contends that Cox was speaking only about matters internal to the correctional center. To fall within the realm of 'public concern,' an employee's speech must relate to a `matter of political, social, or other concern to the community.' Morris v. Crow, 117 F.3d 449, 456 (11th Cir.1997) quoting Connick v. Myers, 461 U.S. 138, 103 S.Ct. 1684, 75 L.Ed.2d 708 (1983). The public concern test functions to prevent every employee's grievance from becoming a constitutional case and to protect a public employee's right as a citizen to speak on issues of concern to the community. Vinci v. Nebraska Dept. of Corr. Servs., 253 Neb. 423, 571 N.W.2d 53 (1997), citing Connick v. Myers, supra ; Tindle v. Caudell, 56 F.3d 966 (8th Cir. 1995). Whether an employee's statement is a matter of public concern is determined by its content, form, and context, as revealed by the entire record. Vinci v. Nebraska Dept. of Corr. Servs., supra , citing Rankin v. McPherson, supra . We have stated that whether an employee intends to disseminate a statement's content to the public and the employee's motivation in making the statement are important factors in the content, form, and context analysis. Vinci v. Nebraska Dept. of Corr. Servs., supra . An employee's statement concerning an internal grievance is not generally considered to be a matter of public concern. See, e.g., Connick v. Myers, supra . For example, in Vinci v. Nebraska Dept. of Corr. Servs., supra , an employee of the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services was disciplined after using racially and sexually offensive language to refer to other employees of the department. We noted that the employee was not attempting to stimulate public dialog regarding a matter of public concern, but was simply referring to his supervisor using an inflammatory and offensive slur. Further, the employee was not attempting to disseminate the statement's content to the public. Thus, we concluded that the First Amendment did not protect the employee from discipline. But courts have consistently stated that employee statements alleging racial discrimination within a public agency are inherently matters of public concern. See, e.g., Connick v. Myers, supra ; Perry v. McGinnis, 209 F.3d 597 (6th Cir.2000); Victor v. McElveen, 150 F.3d 451 (5th Cir.1998); Cromer v. Brown, 88 F.3d 1315 (4th Cir.1996); Rode v. Dellarciprete, 845 F.2d 1195 (3d Cir.1988); Leonard v. City of Columbus, 705 F.2d 1299 (11th Cir.1983); Kemp v. State Bd. of Agriculture, 803 P.2d 498 (Colo.1990); Indiana Dept. of Highways v. Dixon, 541 N.E.2d 877 (Ind.1989). In this case, Cox's statements touched on matters of public concern. The statements all related to allegations of problems of racial discrimination and tension at the correctional center. Although Cox did not give Creighton permission to further publicize his statements, the fact that they were made to a reporter investigating the issue shows an intent on Cox's part to disseminate the statement's content to the public. Certainly, Creighton could have used Cox's statements to further her investigation, whether she had permission to directly quote him or not. The Department's reliance on Vinci v. Nebraska Dept. of Corr. Servs., supra , is misplaced. Unlike Vinci, Cox was not expressing a personal dissatisfaction with his supervisors which was of no concern to the public at large. Rather, Cox was speaking to a reporter and candidly answering her questions regarding concerns of racial discrimination at the correctional center. See Barrett v. University of Colorado, 851 P.2d 258 (Colo.App.1993) (distinguishing between statements that merely reflect racial bias of speaker and statements alleging racial discrimination). The fact that the news media was interested in the allegation of potential racism at the correctional center and was actively seeking information from Cox about it further indicates the public concern regarding the matter. See, generally, Auriemma v. Rice, 910 F.2d 1449 (7th Cir.1990) (subject matter of speech was covered by newspaper). The case law clearly recognizes that allegations of racism in a public agency are of concern to the community at large. The Department argues that Cox's statements were false or malicious and made with the intent to harm or destroy the reputation, authority, or official standing of individuals or organizations. Therefore, the Department contends that First Amendment protection is precluded. It has been suggested that a public employee might lose the protection of the First Amendment for knowingly or recklessly making false statements. Pickering v. Board of Education, 391 U.S. 563, 88 S.Ct. 1731, 20 L.Ed.2d 811 (1968). We may assume that false statements deliberately or recklessly made by public employees are either unprotected by the First Amendment or, at least, would weigh heavily against protection. See Pickering v. Board of Education, supra ; Moore v. City of Wynnewood, 57 F.3d 924 (10th Cir.1995). However, this does not alter our conclusion. In this case, the Department has failed to show that Cox made the statements knowing they were false or with reckless disregard for their veracity. For a statement to be malicious or recklessly false, it must be more than negligently erroneous, and we consider the speaker's actual state of mind instead of an objective analysis of what a reasonably prudent person would have said. See Brasslett v. Cota, 761 F.2d 827 (1st Cir. 1985). Further, erroneous statements of public concern will be protected unless they are shown to have interfered with the employee's performance or the regular operation of his or her governmental agency. Brasslett v. Cota, supra , citing Pickering v. Board of Education, supra . In this case, the record is clear that Cox believed his statements to be true, was merely expressing his personal opinions, and had reason to believe that the facts behind his expressions of opinion were correct. Thus, even if we assume the possibility that one or more of Cox's statements could be false, a factual issue we need not decide, and could be interpreted to have been made in a manner that exhibited an intent to harm the reputation of others, we do not find support in the record that any such statements were made in a recklessly false or malicious manner so as to preclude First Amendment protection. See Wulf v. City of Wichita, 883 F.2d 842 (10th Cir. 1989) (employee's statements of employer misconduct based on his own suspicions were not recklessly or maliciously false and were matters of public concern). We conclude that Cox's statements were in regard to matters of public concern and subject to First Amendment protection.