Kovats v. Rutgers

633 F. Supp. 1469, 32 Educ. L. Rep. 594, 1986 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 26333
CourtDistrict Court, D. New Jersey
DecidedApril 24, 1986
DocketCiv. A. 82-2000
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 633 F. Supp. 1469 (Kovats v. Rutgers) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. New Jersey primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kovats v. Rutgers, 633 F. Supp. 1469, 32 Educ. L. Rep. 594, 1986 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 26333 (D.N.J. 1986).

Opinion

OPINION

DEBEVOISE, District Judge.

This is an action brought by a group of professors formerly employed at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Plaintiffs Gabor Kovats, Steven C. Procuniar, Joy L. Davis, Roberta M. Delson, Hace Tishler, and Anna Beck filed a Complaint on June 21, 1982 against defendants Rutgers, the Board of Governors of Rutgers, Dr. Edward Bloustein, as President of Rutgers and individually and John Martin, as Vice-President for University Personnel and individually. Plaintiffs allege they acquired academic tenure by virtue of University Regulation 60.1 and that their respective discharges without notice- and hearing violated their due process rights under the Fourteenth Amendment. Plaintiffs seek relief pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Defendants now move for summary judgment and leave to amend the Answer. Plaintiffs cross-move for leave to amend the Complaint.

Facts

I entered an Order on October 7, 1982 administratively terminating this action pursuant to the abstention doctrine of Railroad Commission v. Pullman Company, 312 U.S. 496, 61 S.Ct. 643, 85 L.Ed. 971 (1941). After final disposition of related state court litigation, I granted the motion of plaintiffs Procuniar, Davis, and Delson to reopen the action on September 26,1983. The remaining plaintiffs, Kovats, Tishler, and Beck, voluntarily dismissed their claims in the state court proceedings in July 1983. I granted summary judgment in favor of defendants on grounds of res judicata in January 1984. The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit reversed and remanded the case for determination of the property issue. Kovats v. Rutgers, 749 F.2d 1041 (3d Cir. 1984).

Defendants now move for summary judgment arguing the Eleventh Amendment poses a bar to maintenance of this action against Rutgers, the Board of Governors, and Bloustein and Martin in their official capacities. In the alternative, they contend Rutgers and the Board of Governors are not persons within the meaning of 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and cannot be sued under that statute. They also argue that the declaratory and injunctive relief plaintiffs seek cannot be obtained from Bloustein and Martin in either their official or individual capacities. Finally, they seek leave to amend the Answer to include the affirmative defense of qualified immunity. Defendants maintain that plaintiffs have alleged insufficient personal involvement on the part of Bloustein and Martin to satisfy 42 U.S.C. § 1983, and that monetary relief against them in their individual capacities should be dismissed on the ground of qualified immunity.

*1472 Plaintiffs contend that Rutgers and the Board of Governors are not instrumentalities of the state and, therefore, the Eleventh Amendment poses no bar to this action. Even if Rutgers is the alter ego of the state, they argue the University has waived its Eleventh Amendment Immunity. Plaintiffs also maintain that Rutgers, the Board of Governors, and agents acting in their official capacity are persons within the meaning of 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Plaintiffs seek leave to amend the Complaint to add specific allegations against Bloustein and Martin. They further assert defendants should not be allowed to add the prejudicial and futile defense of qualified immunity. Lastly, plaintiffs argue this court may exercise jurisdiction to grant declaratory and prospective injunctive relief against defendants even if they are entitled to immunity in accordance with Ex parte Young, 209 U.S. 123, 28 S.Ct. 441, 52 L.Ed. 714 (1908).

Discussion

The Third Circuit, after reviewing the res judicata question on appeal, concluded its opinion with the following instruction: “On remand the district court should address the property issue.” Kovats, 749 F.2d at 1049. The present motions pertain to the Eleventh Amendment and qualified immunity but do not reach the property issue. By entertaining these motions, I am not unmindful of the Third Circuit’s directive. However, on remand a case is before the district court “in the same posture it originally came — ” Union Pacific Railroad Company v. Johnson, 249 F.2d 674, 676 (9th Cir.1957). Disposition of a question is implied if that question was necessarily implied in the claim before the appellate court or if failure to raise it constitutes an implied waiver. Sprague v. Ticonic Bank, 307 U.S. 161, 168, 59 S.Ct. 777, 780, 83 L.Ed. 1184 (1938). The issue of immunity falls within neither category. Thus, I am guided by the Supreme Court’s finding in Sprague that “(w)hile a mandate is controlling as to matters within its compass, on the remand a lower court is free as to other issues.” Id.; see also Illinois Bell v. Slattery, 102 F.2d 58 (7th Cir.1939). I construe the Third Circuit’s instruction to mean the property question should be reached if necessary. Accordingly, these motions are properly before me.

I. Eleventh Amendment Immunity

In Miller v. Rutgers, 619 F.Supp. 1386 (D.N.J.1985), I held that Rutgers is entitled to Eleventh Amendment immunity from suit in a federal court. I applied the factors set forth by the Third Circuit in Urbano v. Board of Managers of New Jersey State Prison, 415 F.2d 247 (3d Cir. 1969), cert. denied, 397 U.S. 948, 90 S.Ct. 967, 25 L.Ed.2d 129 (1970) to determine whether a state entity is considered the alter ego of a state and concluded that most of the Urbano factors demonstrate Rutgers’ entitlement to Eleventh Amendment immunity. Plaintiffs assert several new arguments not considered in Miller and, in effect, urge reconsideration of that opinion. Because of the substantial concerns raised, it is appropriate to review the question of Rutgers’ status.

Two considerations lead me to conclude that my decision in Miller was erroneous: (i) Review of additional financial data not submitted in Miller leads to the conclusion that Rutgers has non-state assets and recurring non-state income sufficient to ensure that any judgment against it need not be paid from the state treasury, (ii) Although the opinion in the recent Third Circuit case of Mauriello v. The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey,

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Kovats v. Rutgers, The State University
822 F.2d 1303 (Third Circuit, 1987)
Gabor G. Kovats, Steven C. Procuniar, Joy L. Davis, Roberta M. Delson, Hace Tishler, and Anna Beck v. Rutgers, the State University, Board of Governors of Rutgers, the State University, Edward Bloustein, as President of Rutgers, the State University and Individually and John R. Martin, as Vice-President for Personnel of Rutgers, the State University and Individually and Susan A. Cole, as Vice-President for Personnel of Rutgers, the State University. Appeal of Rutgers, the State University Board of Governors of Rutgers, the State University Edward Bloustein as President of Rutgers, the State University and Individually, and John R. Martin, as Vice-President for Personnel of Rutgers, the State University and Individually. Margaret Varma, on Behalf of Herself and All Others Similarly Situated and Rutgers Council of Aaup Chapters v. Edward J. Bloustein President of Rutgers, the State University, T. Alexander Pond Executive Vice-President and Chief Academic Officer of Rutgers, the State University Norman Samuels Provost of the Newark Campus of Rutgers, the State University James Young Former Provost of the Newark Campus of Rutgers, the State University Walter Gordon Provost of the Camden Campus of Rutgers, the State University Kenneth Wheeler Provost of the New Brunswick Campus of Rutgers, the State University Jean Parrish Acting Provost of the New Brunswick Campus of Rutgers, the State University Professors Hans Fisher, Noemie Killer, Richard Poirier, Paul Fussell, Lawrence Fisher, Jane Scanlon, Harvey Feder and Amelie Rorty of Rutgers, the State University Susan A. Cole Vice-President for Personnel at Rutgers, the State University, Elizabeth Mitchell Assistant Vice-President for Faculty Affairs of Rutgers, the State University Robert Pack Associate Provost for Personnel, New Brunswick Members of the Board of Governors of Rutgers, the State University Linda Stamato Chair Donald Dickerson Vice-Chair Floyd Bragg Sanford Jaffe Robert Kaplan Harold Perl Norman Reitman Lawrence S. Schwartz and David Werblin, All Individually and in Their Corporate Capacities and Rutgers, the State University the Promotion Review Committee, of Rutgers, the State University. Appeal of Edward J. Bloustein T. Alexander Pond Norman Samuels James Young Walter Gordon Kenneth Wheeler Jean Parrish the Promotion Review Committee Susan A. Cole Elizabeth Mitchell Robert Pack Linda Stamato Donald Dickerson Floyd Bragg Sanford Jaffee Robert Kaplan Harold Perl Norman Reitman Lawrence S. Schwartz and David Werblin and Rutgers, the State University
822 F.2d 1303 (Third Circuit, 1987)

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Bluebook (online)
633 F. Supp. 1469, 32 Educ. L. Rep. 594, 1986 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 26333, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kovats-v-rutgers-njd-1986.