Jonathan G. Newell v. Susan Runnels

Summary

The court held that disputed facts precluded summary judgment on the constitutional claims arising from the employees' termination after campaigning for the defeated incumbent, because the record did not establish either that the employees were subject to patronage dismissal or that the employer's interests outweighed their speech rights. It also held that factual disputes supported reconsideration of individual immunity, that the statutory political-activity protections could support an independent abusive-discharge claim, and that factual disputes precluded summary judgment on whether the County was a joint employer for overtime purposes. The opinion is truncated before the final disposition and before the court's analysis of all remaining issues.