Opinion ID: 595519
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: City of McGregor

Text: 26 Appellants assert two grounds for imposing liability on the City of McGregor for their expulsion from MVFD. First, they argue, because the City must provide fire protection for its residents, MVFD has fulfilled this exclusive prerogative of the City, and the City is liable for the constitutional torts of the MVFD. The previous discussion disposes of this contention. Second, appellants contend that under the principles of Frazier and Monell, the City can be held liable because of its exercise of policymaking authority over the MVFD. 27 In Frazier, supra, one of this court's cases considering a government-funded hospital's status as a state actor, it was held that a city can be found responsible for the termination decisions made by a private association only if it exercises coercive powers or provides such significant encouragement either overt or covert that choice must in law be deemed to be that of the city. Frazier, 765 F.2d at 1284 (citations omitted). By contrast, the district court here found the plaintiffs have provided absolutely no summary judgment proof that the defendant city has coerced or encouraged the MVFD's actions. The deposition excerpts and affidavits contained in the record fully support this finding. Appellees have cited nothing in the record which contradicts the district court's finding. 28 Appellants also seek to avail themselves of the Monell, principle that the City may be liable under § 1983 for an act consistent with official policy or custom or an act consistent with a custom or policy of an official to whom final and complete policy-making authority has been delegated. Monell v. Dept. of Social Services, 436 U.S. 658, 98 S.Ct. 2018, 56 L.Ed.2d 611 (1978); City of St. Louis v. Praprotnik, 485 U.S. 112, 123, 108 S.Ct. 915, 924, 99 L.Ed.2d 107 (1988). Appellants urge that the final policy-making authority over the membership in the MVFD was delegated by the City to the MVFD. This doctrine is applicable, however, only if there is a delegation of government powers. Because the MVFD was a private association, the mayor, the city council, and the city manager of the City of McGregor did not hold, in the first instance, authority to regulate membership in the MVFD and therefore could not delegate that authority. Equally significant, the mayor and the city manager each executed an affidavit saying that neither they nor the city council had any connection with or exercised any influence over the vote to expel appellants from membership in the MVFD. The only link between the termination and a city official--however tenuous--was the alleged statement of Councilman Kirk. Appellants have not shown that Kirk is an authority holding discretion to hire and fire employees or that he individually holds full policy-making authority in the area of personnel matters. Neubauer v. City of McAllen, 766 F.2d 1567, 1574 (5th Cir.1985). 29 Since the City neither had policy-making authority over the MVFD nor exercised significant overt or covert encouragement in the termination of appellants, we uphold the court's granting of summary judgment for the City of McGregor. COUNCILMAN KIRK 30 Appellants finally contend that Councilman Kirk used his position to influence the city council and certain businessmen to remove them from the MVFD. They do not allege that Kirk was a state actor in this regard but have instead relied on the presumed state actor status of John Blake and Ronnie Spradley, former officials of the MVFD, with whom Kirk allegedly conspired. Because we have determined that MVFD was not a state actor, its officers were not state actors either, and the allegations against Kirk must fall.