DISCLAIMER:  The following unofficial case summaries are prepared by the clerk's office
                        as a courtesy to the reader. They are not part of the opinion of the court.

993911P.pdf   10/02/2000  Laverne Belk  v.  City of Eldon et al.
   U.S. Court of Appeals Case No:  99-3911
   Western District of Missouri   
   Civil case - civil rights. Terminated public employee 
   established her speech addressed a matter of public concern 
   and that her interests in her First Amendment rights exceeded 
   the public interest in smooth functioning of the city's 
   government; defendants were not entitled to qualified 
   immunity as public employee's protection from retaliatory 
   discharge was clearly established at the time of their actions, 
   and their reliance on legal counsel was not reasonable as 
   counsel's investigation was incomplete; award of ten years 
   front pay affirmed.