Opinion ID: 746435
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: jurisdiction

Text: 18 Before we reach the merits of the Government's appeal, we must first decide whether we have jurisdiction to review the district court's injunction. The Government contends that we may review the district court's injunction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1292, which provides jurisdiction over appeals from: 19 (1) Interlocutory orders of the district courts of the United States ... and the District Court of the Virgin Islands ... granting, continuing, modifying, refusing or dissolving injunctions, or refusing to dissolve or modify injunctions except where a direct review may be had in the Supreme Court.... 20 28 U.S.C. § 1292(a)(1). Anderson disagrees and argues that the District Court's injunction does not fall within Section 1292's jurisdictional grant because its subject matter (the propriety of the Department's surveillance operation) differs from the crux of Anderson's employment discrimination claim. 21 Anderson brought a motion for preliminary relief under Rule 65(a) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the District Court expressly ruled on and granted that motion. Ordinarily, our analysis should end here. When a claimant makes a Fed.R.Civ.P. 65(a) motion for a preliminary injunction, and the court expressly rules on it, there is no difficulty in identifying the order as falling within Section 1292(a)(1). Such explicit orders must fall within the plain language of the section. Cohen v. Board of Trustees of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, 867 F.2d 1455, 1466 (3d Cir.1989). Anderson nevertheless contends that his motion for relief differed from a routine Rule 65 motion because the relief requested in that motion (the cessation of surveillance) was only incidental to his employment discrimination claim. Anderson supports his argument with the district court's prediction that its order is not appealable because its relief is incidental and unrelated to the underlying merits of the employment discrimination complaint. Anderson, No.1996-118, at 44. See also Anderson, 947 F.Supp. at 900. The district court, however, does not have the last word on this matter. Cf. Bailey v. Systems Innovation, Inc., 852 F.2d 93, 96 (3d Cir.1988) (district court's characterization of order not dispositive). 22 To be appealable under Section 1292, an order need not grant all of the relief requested in a complaint. Rather, an order is treated as injunctive within the meaning of Section 1292(a)(1) when it adjudicates even some of the relief sought in the complaint. If the order grants part of the relief requested by the claimant, the label put on an order by the district court does not prevent the appellate tribunal from treating it as an injunction for purposes of section 1292(a)(1). Cohen, 867 F.2d at 1466 (emphasis provided). Thus, the district court's view of its own order is irrelevant. In addition, the relief granted by the district court need not encompass the entire (or even the most important part of) the complaint. So long as the order touches the merits of part of the complaint, it will fall within Section 1292's grasp, assuming it is also directed at a party and can be enforced by contempt of court. See United States v. Santtini, 963 F.2d 585, 591 (3d Cir.1992). See also 16 Charles Alan Wright, et. al., Federal Practice and Procedure § 3922. 23 After comparing Anderson's First Amended Complaint with the subject matter of the district court's order, we conclude that the district court's injunction is appealable under Section 1292. Paragraphs 19-25 of Anderson's First Amended Complaint explicitly describe the Virgin Islands Police Department's surveillance of Anderson and his attorney. Count VIII and Count XII of the First Amended Complaint incorporate these allegations and demand damages for and injunctive relief from such conduct. Finally, Anderson's own appellate brief states that the criminal and intentional Constitutional violations committed by these Defendants/Appellants will be presented to the jury in this matter at trial. Anderson Brief, at 25. Thus, we must conclude that the district court's injunction grants at least a portion of the relief requested by Anderson in his Complaint and deals with at least a portion of the merits of the claims contained therein. As a result, it is indeed injunctive within the meaning of Section 1292 and we may exercise appellate jurisdiction to review it. 5