Griffin v. Deloach
Griffin v. Deloach
Opinion of the Court
In this appeal, Matthew Griffin challenges the final summary judgment entered by the trial court in favor of the Putnam County Sheriff's Office (Sheriff's Office) on Griffin's claim brought pursuant to section 112.3187 of the Florida Statutes (2015) (the Whistle-blower's Act). We affirm.
Griffin began working for the Sheriff's Office in 2009.
*931In late June of that same year, Griffin received additional information that he believed strengthened his prior suspicions about his fellow officer. Within hours, he disclosed this new information to his supervisor who directed the allegations up the chain of command. An inquiry into the officer's actions commenced, and Griffin signed a confidentiality agreement as a witness in the investigation.
Roughly a week later, Griffin began recruiting an individual to assist in an unrelated drug investigation as a confidential informant. Concerned that the prospective informant's appearance at a dependency hearing would endanger her and undermine the drug investigation, Griffin appeared in person before the circuit court judge to ask that the prospective informant be excused from the hearing. While in court, Griffin appeared to represent that the prospective informant was, in fact, a confidential informant and under his protection. The judge called the Sheriff's Office after this hearing to inquire into Griffin's statements. Griffin was put on paid administrative leave later that day, and an investigation into his actions commenced in which all witnesses, including Griffin, were required to sign confidentiality agreements.
Homer Deloach, then a lead officer within the Sheriff's Office, was assigned to conduct the inquiry on both investigations. Deloach interviewed four people relevant to the search warrant incident and found the allegations against the accused officer unfounded. As to the investigation of Griffin, Deloach interviewed six people and ultimately sustained the allegations that Griffin had lied to a judge during the dependency hearing and also disclosed information to a close friend in violation of his confidentiality agreement.
Deloach included these findings in a report, which was forwarded to Griffin's District Commander. The District Commander recommended dismissal, and Griffin's Department Director and the Chief of Staff concurred.
At Griffin's request, a predetermination hearing was held to allow him to present a defense. Accompanied only by his father, Griffin attended the hearing and presented two written statements advancing his position. Ultimately, the three-member board conducting the hearing unanimously agreed with the disciplinary recommendation. The Sheriff later concurred in that recommendation, and Griffin was terminated on September 10, 2014.
Griffin timely filed a complaint alleging that he had been terminated in violation of the Whistle-blower's Act. The Sheriff's Office answered the complaint and subsequently filed a motion for summary judgment. After a hearing,
"The standard of review for a summary judgment is de novo." Garcia v. First Cmty. Ins.,
The burden-shifting framework established in McDonnell Douglas
In this case, we conclude that the Sheriff's Office produced a legitimate, non-retaliatory reason for firing Griffin, i.e., that he was discharged after an independent investigation confirmed employment-related misconduct.
Griffin argues that the Sheriff's Office reached the wrong conclusion after the investigation, therefore an issue of material fact exists for jury consideration. However, a factually incorrect result after an employer's investigation does not, by itself, create a disputed factual issue, nor is it evidence of a pretext on the part of the Sheriff's Office. See Burley v. Nat'l Passenger Rail Corp.,
Therefore, we affirm the final summary judgment.
COHEN, C.J., and EDWARDS, J., concur.
We set forth the facts in the light most favorable to Griffin, the nonmoving party. See Delandro v. Am.'s Mortg. Servicing, Inc.,
The record on appeal does not include a transcript of the hearing.
McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green,
Since we affirm on the issue of pretext, we do not reach the effect of the Supreme Court's ruling in University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center v. Nassar,
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Matthew G. GRIFFIN v. Homer DELOACH, in His Official Capacity as Sheriff of Putnam County
- Cited By
- 7 cases
- Status
- Published