Kate Adams v. County of Sacramento

FOR PUBLICATION

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT

KATE ADAMS, No. 23-15970

Plaintiff-Appellant, D.C. No. 2:22-cv-01499- v. WBS-KJN

COUNTY OF SACRAMENTO;

SCOTT JONES, Sheriff, OPINION

Defendants-Appellees.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California William B. Shubb, District Judge, Presiding

Argued and Submitted May 16, 2024 San Francisco, California

Filed September 9, 2024

Before: Sidney R. Thomas, Consuelo M. Callahan, and Gabriel P. Sanchez, Circuit Judges.

Opinion by Judge Sidney R. Thomas; Dissent by Judge Consuelo M. Callahan SUMMARY *

First Amendment / Employment Retaliation

In an interlocutory appeal, the panel affirmed the district court’s dismissal of First Amendment retaliation and derivative conspiracy claims brought by Kate Adams, the former Chief of Police for the City of Rancho Cordova, alleging that she was forced to resign from her post over allegations that while working for the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office she sent racist text messages. In evaluating the First…