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Smith v. NH BLLS, 95-1520 (1995)

Court: Court of Appeals for the First Circuit Number: 95-1520 Visitors: 10
Filed: Nov. 28, 1995
Latest Update: Mar. 02, 2020
Summary: , _______________ _______________, Jeffrey R. Howard, Attorney General, and Stephen J. Judge, Senior, _________________ ________________, Assistant Attorney General, on brief for appellees New Hampshire Board, of Land Surveyors and Members.rehearing and direct appeal of Board orders, see N.H.
USCA1 Opinion




November 28, 1995 [NOT FOR PUBLICATION]

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FIRST CIRCUIT


____________________


No. 95-1520

ROBERT F. SMITH AND JOANNE M. SMITH,

Plaintiffs, Appellants,

v.

NEW HAMPSHIRE BOARD OF LICENSURE FOR LAND SURVEYORS, ET AL.,

Defendants, Appellees.


____________________

APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE DISTRICT OF NEW HAMPSHIRE


[Hon. Paul J. Barbadoro, U.S. District Judge] ___________________

____________________

Before

Cyr, Boudin and Lynch,
Circuit Judges. ______________

____________________

Robert F. Smith and Joanne M. Smith on brief pro se. _______________ _______________
Jeffrey R. Howard, Attorney General, and Stephen J. Judge, Senior _________________ ________________
Assistant Attorney General, on brief for appellees New Hampshire Board
of Land Surveyors and Members.
Donald F. Whittum and Cooper, Hall, Whittum & Shillaber, P.C. on _________________ ________________________________________
brief for appellee David Richard Noyes.


____________________


____________________




















Per Curiam. Plaintiffs-appellants filed an amended __________

complaint under 42 U.S.C. 1983 alleging violations of the

First Amendment, due process and equal protection clauses,

all based on the refusal of the New Hampshire Board of

Licensure to hold a formal hearing on plaintiffs'

disciplinary charges against defendant Noyes. The district

court dismissed the complaint for failure to state a

cognizable claim.

Plaintiffs challenge the court's ruling that they

did not plead the deprivation of an interest protected by the

due process clause. They say that the court erroneously

failed to recognize a constitutional deprivation in the

alleged violation of their state law rights to notice and a

hearing on their disciplinary complaint against Noyes. Even

if a protected interest could be identified, however, an

unauthorized deviation from state procedure does not rise to

the level of a constitutional due process violation unless

the state fails to provide a suitable post-deprivation

remedy. See Licari v. Ferruzzi, 22 F.3d 344, 348 (1st Cir. ___ ______ ________

1994). New Hampshire law provides such a remedy through

rehearing and direct appeal of Board orders, see N.H. Rev. ___

Stat. Ann. 310-A:71 (1995) ("Orders of the board shall be

subject to rehearing and appeal in the manner prescribed by

RSA 541."); N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. 541:1-541:6 (1974 & Supp.

1994), or petition for an extraordinary writ. See N.H. Rev. ___



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Stat. Ann. 490:4 (1983). Plaintiffs' remaining contentions

also fail substantially for the reasons stated by the

district court.

Reviewing the district court's decision de novo, _______

the judgment is affirmed. ________











































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Source:  CourtListener

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