Beecham v. Henderson County

Plaintiff-Appellant June Beecham appeals the district courts July 2, 2004, order granting motions for summary judgment filed by Defendants-Appellees Henderson County, Tennessee, and Kenny Cavness. Plaintiffs complaint was brought under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, alleging retaliation for the exercise of her right to intimate association under the First Amendment. Plaintiff claimed that Defendants wrongfully terminated her at-will employment with the county because of her intimate association with one Steve Milam, which included an engagement to be married. Defendants responded that Plaintiffs relationship was "adulterous" and, under our decision in Marcum v. McWhorter, 308 F.3d 635 (6th Cir. 2002), not entitled to First Amendment protection. The district court agreed with Defendants, granting them summary judgment. We affirm the judgment of the district court, although on different grounds.