Opinion ID: 703164
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Denial of Summary Judgment as to Ganim.

Text: 38 The district court also denied summary judgment to Ganim. Komlosi claims that Ganim's comments to the press deprived him of a liberty interest. In Paul v. Davis, 424 U.S. 693, 96 S.Ct. 1155, 47 L.Ed.2d 405 (1976), the Supreme Court recognized that while damage to reputation alone is insufficient to establish a claim for harm to a liberty interest, a cognizable claim will lie if a plaintiff can show loss of reputation plus some serious additional harm, such as loss of employment, as a result of defamatory remarks by a government official. See id. at 710, 96 S.Ct. at 1165. For instance, a liberty interest is implicated when a plaintiff can show both harm to his reputation and serious damage to his prospects for future employment in his profession, see Huntley v. Community Sch. Bd., 543 F.2d 979, 985 (2d Cir.1976) (Having discharged Huntley with a public statement of these charges, it is unlikely that Huntley would ever have a chance to obtain another supervisory position in the public schools or elsewhere.), cert. denied, 430 U.S. 929, 97 S.Ct. 1547, 51 L.Ed.2d 773 (1977), or defamation in connection with a termination of public employment. See Goetz v. Windsor Central Sch. Dist., 698 F.2d 606, 610 (2d Cir.1983). 39 In this case, Komlosi has asserted in an affidavit that Ganim's comments to the press both damaged Komlosi's reputation and prevented him from obtaining unemployment benefits or securing employment. A material issue of fact is thus presented as to the additional harm required by Paul to establish a Sec. 1983 claim, although a suspension without pay followed by an offer of reinstatement and provision of back pay would not suffice, standing alone, for this purpose. See Dobosz, 892 F.2d at 1140-41 (collecting cases). 40 The district court found that material issues of fact existed regarding whether Gamin's statement to the press that the state is taking steps to fire [Komlosi] was true, and whether the statement actually caused damage to Komlosi's reputation. Komlosi, slip op. at 20-21. We agree. Ganim contends that his statement was accurate, but it can be read to provide a prejudgment that Komlosi would not be cleared as a result of administrative or criminal proceedings, rather than a posture of watchful waiting as to the outcome. It may be the case, as Ganim contends, that any stigma and damage that was inflicted upon Komlosi resulted from the indictment and District Attorney Holtzman's comments about Komlosi, rather than from Ganim's statement, but this would be a matter for trial, not summary judgment. 41 We nonetheless conclude that Ganim was entitled to summary judgment. Assuming that his statement to the press was inaccurate, defamatory, and caused independent harm to Komlosi beyond damage to his reputation, no due process violation occurred because Komlosi was offered the opportunity for a name-clearing hearing. Kelly Kare, Ltd. v. O'Rourke, 930 F.2d 170, 177 (2d Cir.), cert. denied, 502 U.S. 907, 112 S.Ct. 300, 116 L.Ed.2d 244 (1991); see also Board of Regents of State Colleges v. Roth, 408 U.S. 564, 573 & n. 12, 92 S.Ct. 2701, 2707 & n. 12, 33 L.Ed.2d 548 (1972) (person defamed is entitled to notice and an opportunity to be heard to clear his name); Quinn v. Syracuse Model Neighborhood Corp., 613 F.2d 438, 446 (2d Cir.1980) (person defamed is entitled to 'clear his name' ) (quoting Roth, 408 U.S. at 573 n. 12, 92 S.Ct. at 2707 n. 12). The deferred arbitration hearing would have afforded Komlosi that opportunity, but the district court concluded that Komlosi raised no material issue of disputed fact regarding his waiver of that hearing during the pendency of his criminal trial. Komlosi, slip op. at 18. We agree, and accordingly conclude that the opportunity for an arbitration hearing (waived in favor of the criminal trial at which Komlosi was vindicated) provided the name-clearing hearing required to avoid a due process violation.