Meade v. Moraine Valley Community College

Federal 7th Circuit Court
Civil Court
First Amendment
Citation
Case Number: 
No. 14-1217
Decision Date: 
October 30, 2014
Federal District: 
N.D. Ill., E. Div.
Holding: 
Reversed and remanded
Dist. Ct. erred in granting defendant-employer’s motion to dismiss plaintiff’s section 1983 action alleging that defendant terminated plaintiff in violation of her First Amendment rights in retaliation for writing letter to third-party that contained multiple claims that defendant was mistreating its adjunct professors. Although plaintiff was also adjunct professor and could have been affected by proposed changes in defendant’s policies, plaintiff’s speech was protected conduct under First Amendment since topics in letter that linked alleged mistreatment of adjunct professors to student performance scores pertained to matters of public concern. Dist. Ct. also erred in dismissing plaintiff’s claim that her termination violated her due process rights where, as here, his employment contract, which set forth number of classes and time frame for teaching said courses, qualified as protectible property interest.