Dalvan M. Coger v. Board of Regents of the State of Tennessee , a

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RECOMMENDED FOR FULL-TEXT PUBLICATION
Pursuant to Sixth Circuit Rule 206
ELECTRONIC CITATION: 2000 FED App. 0118P (6th Cir.)
File Name: 00a0118p.06
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE SIXTH CIRCUIT
_________________
DALVAN M. C OGER; J OSEPH
K. DAVIS; C AROLYN THORPE
FURR; LUCILLE GOLIGHTLY ;
THOMAS M. HUGHES; J ANIE
S. KNIGHT ; C HARLES E.
LONG , J R.; HARRY R ICHARD
M AHOOD ; R AMONA M ADSON
M AHOOD ; R OBERT
M ARSHALL; BETTY HULL
OWEN ; J UNE R OSE R ICHIE ;
S TEVE S CESA ; C HARLES R.
S CHROEDER; R OBERT A.
S NYDER; BOB J. TUCKER;
S HARON L. VAN OTEGHEN ,
Plaintiffs-Appellants,
W ILLIAM W ELCH ,
Plaintiff,
UNITED S TATES OF AMERICA ,
Intervenor,
v.
BOARD OF R EGENTS OF THE
S TATE OF TENNESSEE , a
;>

No. 97-5134

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2 Coger, et al. v. Bd. of Regents of
the State of TN, et al.
No. 97-5134
Subdivision of the State of
Tennessee; MEMPHIS S TATE
UNIVERSITY , An Institution
Operated by the State Board
of Regents; THOMAS G.
C ARPENTER, Individually and
as President of Memphis State
University; VICTOR E. FEISAL,
Individually and as Vice-
President of Academic Affairs
at Memphis State University,
Defendants-Appellees.

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On Remand from the United States Supreme Court.
No. 89-02374—Julia S. Gibbons, Chief District Judge.
Argued: April 30, 1998
Decided and Filed: April 4, 2000
Before: JONES, MOORE, and COLE, Circuit Judges.
_________________
COUNSEL
ARGUED: Donald A. Donati, DONATI LAW FIRM,
Memphis, Tennessee, for Appellants. Michael E. Moore,
OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL, CRIMINAL
JUSTICE DIVISION, Nashville, Tennessee, for Appellees.
Seth M. Galanter, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, CIVIL
RIGHTS DIVISION, APPELLATE SECTION, Washington,
D.C., for Intervenor. Jeffrey S. Sutton, OFFICE OF THE
ATTORNEY GENERAL, Columbus, Ohio, for Amicus
Curiae. ON BRIEF: Donald A. Donati, DONATI LAW
FIRM, Memphis, Tennessee, Jeffrey L. Atchley,
No. 97-5134 Coger, et al. v. Bd. of Regents
of the State of TN, et al.
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NORWOOD, WILSON & ATCHLEY, Memphis, Tennessee,
for Appellants. Michael E. Moore, OFFICE OF THE
ATTORNEY GENERAL, CRIMINAL JUSTICE DIVISION,
Nashville, Tennessee, Sheri H. Lipman, BURCH, PORTER
& JOHNSON, Memphis, Tennessee, for Appellees. Seth M.
Galanter, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, CIVIL
RIGHTS DIVISION, APPELLATE SECTION, Washington,
D.C., for Intervenor. Douglas A. Hedin, LAW OFFICE OF
DOUGLAS A. HEDIN, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Thomas W.
Osborne, AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF RETIRED
PERSONS, Washington, D. C., Jeffrey S. Sutton, Jack W.
Decker, OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL,
Columbus, Ohio, for Amici Curiae.
_________________
OPINION
_________________
R. GUY COLE, JR., Circuit Judge. In our prior opinion in
this case, Coger v. Board of Regents, 154 F.3d 296, 307 (6th
Cir. 1998), we concluded that Congress intended to abrogate
the states’ Eleventh Amendment immunity from suit by its
enactment of the 1974 amendments to the Age Discrimination
in Employment Act (“ADEA”), 29 U.S.C. § 621 et seq., and
that it had the authority to do so pursuant to Section 5 of the
Fourteenth Amendment. The Supreme Court, in a plurality
opinion, now has determined that although the ADEA does
contain a clear statement of Congress’ intent to abrogate the
states’ immunity, the abrogation exceeded Congress’
authority under Section 5 of the Fourteenth Amendment. See
Kimel v. Florida Bd. of Regents, 120 S. Ct. 631, 649-50
(2000).
Having carefully considered the present case in light of
Kimel, we conclude that the faculty members cannot maintain
their ADEA suit against the University, a state employer. We
therefore VACATE our prior judgment and AFFIRM the
district court’s order dismissing the plaintiffs’ ADEA action.

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