Opinion ID: 773536
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Termination of Plaintiffs' 4-H Membership

Text: 17 On March 2, 1998, Warner had a telephone conversation with Bakos. Warner claims that Bakos told her that he and Gorman-Bakos were resigning as 4-H members; the Bakoses claim that they never resigned. On March 3, 1998, Elliott and Warner sent plaintiffs a letter confirming their resignation, and wrote to inform the parents of members of the Horse & Hounds Club of the resignation. The next day, plaintiffs mailed Warner a letter denying their alleged resignation. On March 6, 1998, the Bakoses' attorney also sent Elliott a letter denying that his clients had resigned and demanding an immediate retraction. On April 27, 1998, an executive session of the Board of Directors voted to reaffirm with the Bakos their decision to resign and if they refuse to accept it, to terminate them as volunteers. 18 In describing plaintiffs' participation in 4-H, defendants allege that plaintiffs' conduct disrupted the Cooperative's operation. For example, the Cooperative states that [t]he content, form and context of plaintiffs' complaints herein clearly show that plaintiffs [sic] comments were motivated by their own personal agenda rather than any regard for the greater public good. Plaintiffs' complaints were made in the context of their efforts to have things done their way. Defendants claim that [t]he manner in which plaintiffs communicated their concerns was disruptive and undermined the functioning of the organization. Plaintiffs were clearly not seeking to engage in serious debate on matters of public concern; but rather were engaging in repeated outbursts of petulance and boorishness when they did not get their way. Plaintiffs dispute these characterizations of their conduct. 19 On August 19, 1998, plaintiffs filed suit under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, alleging violations of their First, Fifth and Fourteenth Amendment rights, and under the New York State Constitution, alleging violations of their free speech, due process and equal protection rights. The factual basis for these claims was plaintiffs' allegation that the Cooperative retaliated against them by, among other things, terminating their volunteer status and enrollment in 4-H because, in discussions with Cooperative members and staff as well as with local elected officials, plaintiffs advocated policies contrary to those of defendants. After discovery, defendants moved for summary judgment, which was granted on July 13, 2000, because the district court held that plaintiffs had failed to provide sufficient evidence of a causal connection between their exercises of free speech and the allegedly retaliatory actions taken by defendants. The district court declined to exercise supplemental jurisdiction over plaintiffs' state law claims.