Kirkpatrick

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 6 ANNE KIRKPATRICK, Case No. 20-cv-05843-JSC

Plaintiff,

ORDER RE: DEFENDANT’S MOTION

v. FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

CITY OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, Re: Dkt. No. 84 Defendant.

12 Anne Kirkpatrick, the former Chief of the Oakland Police Department, brings retaliatory discharge and First Amendment claims against her former employer, the City of Oakland. The City’s motion for summary judgment, or in the alternative, partial summary judgment, is now pending before the Court. (Dkt. No. 84.) Having considered the parties’ briefs and the relevant legal authority, and having had the benefit of robust oral argument on March 31, 2022, the Court DENIES the motion for summary judgment, with one small exception. Plaintiff has met her burden of demonstrating that a reasonable trier of fact could conclude that her whistleblowing activity was a contributing factor in her termination and that she was terminated in violation of her First Amendment rights. 22 …