Because of what he termed a classic “Catch-22,” a federal judge has ruled that a government employee who appeals his demotion to the state civil service commission and through the state courts cannot later file suit in federal court to bring new constitutional and whistleblower claims.
In his 12-page opinion in Villela v. City of Philadelphia, U.S. District Judge Herbert J. Hutton ruled that under the Rooker-Feldman doctrine, a plaintiff who never raised any constitutional claims before the state courts is nonetheless barred from doing so later in federal court since the state courts would have entertained them.
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law are third party online distributors of the broad collection of current and archived versions of ALM's legal news publications. LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law customers are able to access and use ALM's content, including content from the National Law Journal, The American Lawyer, Legaltech News, The New York Law Journal, and Corporate Counsel, as well as other sources of legal information.
For questions call 1-877-256-2472 or contact us at [email protected]
