Thompson

Thompson v. Regents of University

Good Law
206 F. App'x 714
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth CircuitNovember 14, 2006No. 04-16855California337 words

Opinion

Lead Opinion

MEMORANDUM ***

Harvey J. Thompson, III, appeals pro se the district court’s dismissal of his action under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”), 29 U.S.C. §§ 201 et seq., against the Regents of the University of California (“the Regents”) because it lacked subject matter jurisdiction due to the Regents’ Eleventh Amendment immunity. We review de novo a district court’s conclusion that it lacks subject matter jurisdiction, Quillin v. Oregon, 127 F.3d 1136, 1138 (9th Cir.1997) (per curiam), and we affirm.

Thompson contends that the Regents consented to be sued in federal court, and thereby waived its immunity under the Eleventh Amendment. He points to Article IX, Section 9(f) of the California Constitution, which states that California has the power to sue and be sued, and to the Regents’ Personnel Policies for Staff Members (“PPSM”), which states that non-exempt employees “shall be subject to all FLSA provisions.” However, the language in both the California Constitution and in the Regents’ PPSM falls short of the express surrender of sovereignty required for a waiver of Eleventh Amendment immunity. See Florida Dep’t Health v. Florida Nursing Home Ass’n, 450 U.S. 147, 150 , 101…

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