Opinion ID: 483611
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Immunity for Scribner and the Federal Defendants

Text: 37 The district court relied upon Harlow v. Fitzgerald, 457 U.S. 800, 102 S.Ct. 2727, 73 L.Ed.2d 396 (1982), in concluding that state defendant Scribner and federal defendants Milam and Tween are immune from liability. 19 Harlow shields governmental officials performing discretionary functions from civil liability insofar as their conduct does not violate clearly established statutory or constitutional rights of which a reasonable person would have known. 457 U.S. at 818, 102 S.Ct. at 2738 (citing Procunier v. Navarette, 434 U.S. 555, 565, 98 S.Ct. 855, 861, 55 L.Ed.2d 24 (1978); Wood v. Strickland, 420 U.S. 308, 322, 95 S.Ct. 992, 1000-01, 43 L.Ed.2d 214 (1975)). 20 38 In 1980, government employees had a clearly established constitutional right to inform the public of significant mismanagement of a public project when no substantial disruption of the project would result. Inasmuch as the defendants' interest in preventing the substantial disruption of the eradication program may have been served by restrictions on the free speech rights of Project employees (see supra Sec. 1), we are not in a position to determine whether the above named defendants violated clearly established constitutional rights. If, for example, Allen's speech did appear to threaten the Project's efficient operation, then the defendants probably are entitled to immunity. If, on the other hand, it appeared clearly unlikely that Allen's speech would disrupt the Project's work and the defendants acted against Allen because of his speech, then the defendants are not entitled to immunity. As a matter of law, they would have violated Allen's clear constitutional right. See Mitchell v. Forsyth, 472 U.S. 511, 105 S.Ct. 2806, 86 L.Ed.2d 411 (1985). Of course, if they acted for other reasons--e.g., because of Allen's insubordination or lack of cooperation in the field--they have no liability. A jury must decide the issue of motivation. 21