Opinion ID: 699572
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: analysis

Text: 10 We review the decision of the district court to grant summary judgment in favor of Flynn to determine whether, after drawing all reasonable inferences in favor of the non-moving party, there is no genuine issue of material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Konowitz v. Schnadig Corp., 965 F.2d 230, 232 (7th Cir.1992); see Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c). One basis for the decision of the district court was Dahm's lack of specificity in identifying how Flynn retaliated against her. The district court's opinion, however, provides an excellent summary of what we believe to be reasonably specific allegations of retaliation: 11 After her testimony of February 26, plaintiff accompanied Mrazik to only one personnel meeting with Flynn, whereas prior to her testimony she did so once a month; she never met with Flynn alone concerning affirmative action issues, whereas she had met with him once before her testimony; she was excluded from personnel issues involved in the reorganization of the sales division in July 1991 and from involvement with the defense of a pending Fair Labor Standards Act lawsuit; she was removed from the process of filling an attorney position at the lottery; she was prohibited from contacting district sales managers directly concerning the interpretation of work rules, which she had done prior to her testimony; and her roles in handling employee grievances and affirmative action issues were diminished. In addition, Flynn ceased consideration and implementation of a proposed employee handbook in part because Dahm was its author; Mrazik wrote plaintiff memoranda criticizing her performance; and certain personnel work was delegated directly to Dahm's assistant, undermining plaintiff's supervisory role. 12 The district court reasonably found a few of these actions to be trivial, such as not meeting with Flynn regarding affirmative action issues, Dahm having only met with Flynn one time prior to her testimony. Nevertheless, a fairly lengthy list that evidences an erosion of many of Dahm's work responsibilities remains. In fact, with the exception of the processing of reclassification requests, Flynn reassigned nearly all of Dahm's duties. We believe that for the purposes of a motion for summary judgment, one reasonably can infer that there exists a genuine issue of material fact regarding whether Flynn's actions were more than trivial. 13 The district court also expressed a more fundamental difficulty with Dahm's claim, namely that the shifting nature of Dahm's responsibilities within the confines of her job description cannot be characterized as a materially adverse change in the terms and conditions of employment.... Crady v. Liberty Nat. Bank and Trust Co. of Indiana, 993 F.2d 132, 136 (7th Cir.1993). On one level, we agree with the district court, as this was not an obviously adverse action, such as termination, demotion, or a loss in benefits or salary. See id. at 135. Nor did Flynn strip Dahm of all of her duties, leaving her with nothing to do but read a good book--doing so would be adverse for all but those completely devoid of ambition or the need to be challenged. See id. at 136 (significantly diminished material responsibilities actionable). Rather, Flynn reduced many of Dahm's responsibilities while at the same time greatly increasing her duties regarding the processing of reclassification requests, a qualitative rather than quantitative change. 14 On a deeper level, however, we cannot agree that whether a change in the terms and conditions of employment is materially adverse must be analyzed solely quantitatively. Sometimes job responsibilities can be quite intellectually stimulating, but other duties can be routine at best. Dahm contends that before she testified before the JAC, her job contained a healthy mix of both the former and latter. After she testified, however, Flynn required Dahm to focus exclusively on reclassification requests, which Dahm contended effectively constituted a demotion. We agree that such a dramatic downward shift in skill level required to perform job responsibilities can rise to the level of an adverse employment action, even if the time required to perform the duties remains constant. See Pieczynski v. Duffy, 875 F.2d 1331, 1335 (7th Cir.1989) (addressing, among other forms of harassment, confining [the plaintiff's] duties to monotonous paper work); see also Crady, 993 F.2d at 135 (A materially adverse change might be indicated by a termination of employment, a demotion evidenced by a decrease in wage or salary, a less distinguished title, a material loss of benefits, significantly diminished material responsibilities, or other indices that might be unique to a particular situation.) (emphasis added); 2 Smith v. Fruin, 28 F.3d 646, 649 n. 3 (7th Cir.1994) (even minor forms of retaliation can support a First Amendment claim, for they may have just as much of a chilling effect on speech as more drastic measures). Because there is a question of fact as to whether Flynn's decision to have Dahm exclusively process reclassification requests constituted such a shift in skill level, summary judgment based on the second of the district court's proffered rationales was inappropriate. 15 Nevertheless, we must discuss an issue not reached by the district court, that being whether Flynn enjoys qualified immunity for his actions. Government officials who, acting under color of state law, deprive another of a right, privilege, or immunity secured by the United States Constitution are subject to personal liability for the deprivation. 42 U.S.C. Sec. 1983; Supreme Video, Inc. v. Schauz, 15 F.3d 1435, 1438 (7th Cir.1994). Officials are immune from civil damages, however, if their actions were objectively reasonable, meaning that [if] 'their conduct does not violate clearly established statutory or constitutional rights of which a reasonable person would have known,'  they are immune from actions for civil damages. Id. at 1438-39 (quoting Harlow v. Fitzgerald, 457 U.S. 800, 818, 102 S.Ct. 2727, 2738, 73 L.Ed.2d 396 (1982)). We must examine whether it was clearly established that Dahm's testimony before the LAB was protected by the First Amendment guarantee of freedom of speech. U.S. Const. amend. I. 16 Public employees who speak on issues of public concern are protected from their employer taking adverse employment actions against them if the employees' interest in speaking outweighs the government's interest in efficient operations. Waters v. Churchill, --- U.S. ----, ----, 114 S.Ct. 1878, 1884, 128 L.Ed.2d 686 (1994); Connick v. Myers, 461 U.S. 138, 142, 103 S.Ct. 1684, 1687, 75 L.Ed.2d 708 (1983). Dahm testified before a legislative body, at its request, regarding employee morale at the Lottery, speech that on its face clearly appears to be on a matter of public concern. Although Flynn contends that Dahm's speech was motivated purely by self-interest, see Yoggerst v. Hedges, 739 F.2d 293, 295 (7th Cir.1984) (speech not on issue of public concern if motivated by private interests), and was not truthful, see Pickering v. Board of Educ. of Township High Sch. Dist. 205, 391 U.S. 563, 574, 88 S.Ct. 1731, 1737-38, 20 L.Ed.2d 811 (1968) (plaintiff's false statements protected absent proof that inaccuracies were knowing or reckless), there exists a genuine issue of material fact as to those points. Flynn is not entitled to qualified immunity at this point in the litigation based on the argument that Dahm's speech did not address an issue of public concern. 17 Flynn also argues that the government interest in efficient operations outweighed Dahm's interest in speaking. See Pickering, 391 U.S. at 572-73, 88 S.Ct. at 1736-37. That argument finds little support in the record before us, however. Not only did Flynn fail to identify how Dahm's testimony impeded the efficient operations of the Lottery, but the precise opposite would seem to have motivated the Wisconsin legislature to invite Dahm to testify--the JAC wanted to hear Dahm's testimony to determine how best to improve efficient operations at the Lottery. The Pickering balance would appear to favor Dahm. 3 18 What is less clear, however, is the extent to which Flynn should have known that his retaliation against Dahm constituted adverse employment action. Although we in this case hold that decreasing some job responsibilities while increasing other duties can, under limited circumstances, constitute an adverse employment action, no case in our circuit previously had addressed that precise issue. A few of our cases hinted that gutting central job functions may constitute an adverse action, but these cases addressed quantitative rather than qualitative reductions in responsibilities. Crady, 993 F.2d at 136; Pieczynski, 875 F.2d at 1335. Because it was not clearly established at the relevant time that qualitative reductions in job responsibilities, without discharge, transfer, demotion, or salary loss, could constitute an adverse employment action, Flynn is immune from civil damages regarding his rearrangement of Dahm's duties. See Greenberg v. Kmetko, 922 F.2d 382, 385 (7th Cir.1991) (public officials need not predict [the law's] evolution, need not know that in the fight between broad and narrow readings of a precedent the broad reading will become ascendant.). 19 Nevertheless, we cannot yet hold that Flynn is completely immune from damages. The district court noted that Flynn began requiring Dahm to document her daily phone calls and meetings, and delegated certain personnel work ... directly to Dahm's assistant, undermining plaintiff's supervisory role. We have indicated both that subjecting employees to harassment, Bart v. Telford, 677 F.2d 622, 625 (7th Cir.1982), and terminating supervisory authority over other employees, Pieczynski, 875 F.2d at 1335-36, are adverse employment actions. Because factual issues remain as to whether Flynn's decision to have Dahm document her phone calls and meetings and his undermining of Dahm's supervisory role fit into either of these categories, the district court is better suited to determine whether Flynn is entitled to qualified immunity for those actions.