Opinion ID: 511871
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Cause of Action Under Sec. 1983

Text: 7 The Supreme Court held in Maine v. Thiboutot, 448 U.S. 1, 4, 100 S.Ct. 2502, 2504, 65 L.Ed.2d 555 (1980), that state actors could be sued under Sec. 1983 for violating rights granted by federal statutes. However, subsequent decisions have limited the right to sue when the federal statute in question is part of a comprehensive enforcement scheme which does not preserve causes of action outside the statutory framework. See Middlesex Co. Sewerage Auth. v. National Sea Clammers, Inc., 453 U.S. 1, 19-21, 101 S.Ct. 2615, 2625-27, 69 L.Ed.2d 435 (1981) (cause of action against polluters based on Sec. 1983 barred by the scheme of redress provided by the Clean Water Act); Smith v. Robinson, 468 U.S. 992, 1009-12, 104 S.Ct. 3457, 3466-69, 84 L.Ed.2d 746 (1982) (action under Sec. 1983 precluded by administrative scheme in Education of the Handicapped Act). 8 Following Sea Clammers, the Second Circuit held that the grievance procedures established by CETA were comprehensive and precluded Sec. 1983 causes of action. Uniformed Firefighters Ass'n v. City of New York, 676 F.2d 20, 22 (2d Cir.), cert. denied, 459 U.S. 838, 103 S.Ct. 84, 74 L.Ed.2d 79 (1982). 3 Uniformed Firefighters is on point and is persuasive. It relies on an earlier Second Circuit opinion which, after analyzing the legislative history, described the CETA remedial scheme as follows: 9 The totality of [CETA's] provisions, comprehensive and well-crafted to the Act's administrative, institutional, and political experiences, affirms the primacy and suggests the exclusivity of the grievance procedures, at least in cases seeking redress against a prime sponsor or other recipient of funds. 10 CETA Organizing Comm. v. City of New York, 617 F.2d 926, 930-31 (2d Cir.1980). CETA, and the regulations implementing it, gave a recipient the opportunity to complain of a CETA employer's actions to its prime sponsor, to the DOL, and, failing all, to a federal appellate court. 11 The experiences of both Davis and Maddox illustrate the potential for remediation within the CETA statutory framework. Although Davis was uninformed of her rights and ignored by the Consortium, she was able to obtain a favorable determination by the DOL, the next level in the review process. Maddox went through the local grievance process and through the DOL until finally choosing to bring a Sec. 1983 action rather than appeal under 29 U.S.C. Sec. 817(a). 12 However, the Supreme Court has held that resort to Sec. 1983 is not to be foreclosed lightly. In Wright v. Roanoke, 479 U.S. 418, 107 S.Ct. 766, 771-73, 93 L.Ed.2d 781 (1987), the Court held that a Sec. 1983 action could be brought against local housing authorities for their violation of the Federal Housing Act. Like CETA, the Federal Housing Act requires local authorities to establish grievance procedures. However, the Housing Act provides no administrative mechanism whereby individuals can enforce those regulations against the local authorities. The Supreme Court analyzed the role of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in enforcing the Housing Act: 13 HUD itself has never provided a procedure by which tenants could complain to it about alleged failures of [local authorities] to abide by their annual contribution contracts, the Brooke Amendment or HUD regulations; nor has it taken unto itself the task of reviewing [local] grievance procedure decisions. 14 Id. 107 S.Ct. at 772. Tenants with grievances against local authorities cannot formally go to HUD with their complaints. CETA employees, on the other hand, had the right to pursue their grievances to the DOL and beyond. The Housing Act's administrative remedial framework is significantly less comprehensive than CETA's. See also Gonzalez v. Pingree, 821 F.2d 1526, 1529 (11th Cir.1987) (action under Sec. 1983 permitted to enforce Food Stamp Act where no administrative procedure allowed complaints to be brought against local authorities). The remedial framework established by CETA evidences Congressional intent to foreclose resort to Sec. 1983 for violations of CETA and regulations implementing it. 15 Davis and Maddox argue that the savings clause contained in CETA explicitly preserved their Sec. 1983 cause of action: 16 The existence of remedies under the section shall not preclude any person, who alleges that an action of a prime sponsor or of any other recipient violates any of the provisions of the Act or the regulations promulgated under the Act, from instituting a civil action or pursuing any other remedies authorized under federal, state, or local law. 17 29 U.S.C. Sec. 816(l ). Appellants argue that the savings clause is unambiguous and clearly authorized Sec. 1983 actions. In Uniformed Firefighters, 676 F.2d at 23, the Second Circuit rejected appellants' interpretation, stating briefly that in Sea Clammers, 453 U.S. at 20-21 n. 31, 101 S.Ct. at 2626-27 n. 31, the Supreme Court had held that a very similar savings clause in the Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C.A. Sec. 1365(e), did not preserve Sec. 1983 actions based on violations of the Clean Water Act itself. 18 One decision of this Court has interpreted the CETA savings clause. See Black v. Broward Co. Emp. and Training Admin., 846 F.2d 1311, 1313-14 (11th Cir.1988) (pursuing remedies in CETA administrative procedures did not toll statute of limitations for Title VII claim). The Court in Black divided the universe of potential suits into CETA based claims (i.e., failure by a grantee to follow a CETA regulation), and non-CETA based claims (i.e., Title VII or federal constitutional claims arising out of CETA employment). It held that a Title VII claimant's cause of action was not tolled during the time she pursued her CETA administrative remedies and stated, When the action is based upon the federal Constitution or a federal statute other than CETA, as in this case, it is plain that there is no exhaustion, because the savings clause authorized an immediate suit. Id. at 1313-14. The Court in Black noted that Uniformed Firefighters, 676 F.2d at 23, seemed to support such an interpretation, because after holding no Sec. 1983 cause of action was authorized by the savings clause, the Second Circuit did go on to address the merits of the non-CETA equal protection claims presented. See also International Paper Co. v. Ouellette, 479 U.S. 481, 107 S.Ct. 805, 812, 93 L.Ed.2d 883 (1987) (actions against a polluter based on the state law of the location of the polluter are authorized by the savings clause of the Clean Water Act). 19 The Court in Black provides a solid rationale for accepting the Second Circuit's rejection of a Sec. 1983 cause of action based solely on a violation of CETA or regulations promulgated thereunder. Therefore, we hold that appellants' Sec. 1983 claims based on the federal constitutional right to due process are authorized by the savings clause, while their purely CETA based claims are not.