LOUISE W. FLANAGAN, District Judge.
The matter is before the court on defendants' motion for summary judgment (DE 62) pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56. Also before the court is plaintiff's motion for a settlement conference (DE 72). The issues raised have been fully briefed and are ripe for adjudication. For the following reasons, the court grants in part and denies in part defendants' motion for summary judgment. The court denies plaintiff's motion for a settlement conference.
On September 9, 2013, plaintiff, a state inmate, filed this civil rights action, pro se, pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983, against defendants Sergeant Alperstein ("Alperstein"), Y. Hale ("Hale"), Kenneth Lassister ("Lassiter"), Robert C. Lewis ("Lewis"), Correctional Officer Miles ("Miles"), Hattie B. Pimpong ("Pimpong"), Edward B. Thomas ("Thomas"), and Correctional Officer Urieta ("Urieta"). In his complaint, plaintiff alleged that the disciplinary procedures for several of his disciplinary convictions violated his rights to due process pursuant to the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution and that his prison conditions in administrative segregation violated the Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Plaintiff also alleged that defendants acted with deliberate indifference to his serious medical needs in violation of the Eighth Amendment. Plaintiff subsequently filed a motion to amend his complaint and a motion to appoint counsel.
On May 22, 2014, the court granted plaintiff's motion to amend and denied plaintiff's motion to appoint counsel. In the same order, the court conducted a frivolity review of plaintiff's action and dismissed without prejudice plaintiff's Eighth Amendment claim arising out of alleged missing snack bags. The court also dismissed without prejudice for failure to exhaust administrative remedies all claims plaintiff asserted relating to Warren and Tabor Correctional Institutions which arose subsequent to the filing of this action. The court allowed plaintiff to proceed with his remaining claims.
On July 28, 2014, plaintiff filed a motion for leave to file a second supplemental complaint to initiate a class action alleging that prison officials at Tabor were violating his right to access the courts and right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment. Plaintiff next filed a motion to appoint counsel, a motion to strike defendants' answer, a motion for entry of default, and a motion for a temporary restraining order. On September 18, 2014, the court entered an order denying plaintiff's request to proceed as a class action and denying as futile plaintiff's motion for leave to file a second supplemental complaint. The court also denied plaintiff's motion to appoint counsel and directed defendants to respond to plaintiff's motions to strike, motion for entry of default, and motion for a temporary restraining order. Defendants subsequently complied with the court's order and filed the responses as directed.
On October 1, 2014, plaintiff filed a motion for return of exhibits and then filed a motion to compel discovery. On November 6, 2014, the court entered an order denying plaintiff's motion for entry of default, motion for a temporary restraining order, and motion to strike. The court granted plaintiff's motion for the return of his exhibits and denied as premature plaintiff's motion to compel. Plaintiff subsequently filed a second motion to compel discovery. On March 11, 2015, the court entered an order granting in part and denying in part plaintiff's motion to compel discovery. The court also extended the dispositive motion deadline at defendants' request.
On April 21, 2015, defendants filed the instant motion for summary judgment, arguing that plaintiff is unable to establish a constitutional violation. Defendants attach to their motion the following documents: plaintiff's Offender Information Report; plaintiff's April 6, 2010, May 11, 2010, April 26, 2011, September 6, 2011, March 7, 2012, October 20, 2012, February 7, 2013, and April 22, 2013, disciplinary packages; the North Carolina Department of Public Safety's Policy and Procedures regarding inmate disciplinary proceedings; and affidavits from defendants Thomas, Alperstein, and Urieta. Defendants also filed a motion for a protective order. Plaintiff responded to defendants' motion for summary judgment and attached the following documents to his response: plaintiff's affidavit; medical records; three witness statements; and excerpts from the Health Services Policy and Procedures Manual. Plaintiff also filed a motion for a temporary restraining order and a motion for discovery.
On June 11, 2015, the court entered an order denying plaintiff's motion for a temporary restraining order and denying as moot plaintiff's motion for a protective order. On January 4, 2016, plaintiff filed a motion for a settlement conference. The motion was fully briefed.
Except as otherwise noted below, the undisputed facts are as follows. Plaintiff's cause of action arises out of several disciplinary proceedings regarding incidents occurring at Central Prison on March 19, 2010, April 18, 2010, April 9, 2011, August 11, 2011, February 2, 2012, September 14, 2012, December 29, 2012, and January 6, 2013. The facts pertaining to each of these disciplinary incidents are set forth in turn below.
On March 20, 2010, DPS staff administratively charged plaintiff with a C-8 disciplinary offense for wrongfully taking state property and with a D-3 disciplinary offense for possession of contraband. (Def.s' Ex. B, pp. 6, 7; Ex. J.) Both disciplinary charges were dismissed. (
Next, on April 24, 2010, DPS staff administratively charged plaintiff with an A-12 disciplinary offense for the manufacture of an alcoholic beverage, a D-3 disciplinary charge for the possession of contraband not constituting a threat of escape or a danger of violence, and a D-7 disciplinary charge for possessing excess clothing/linen/sheets. (Def.s' Ex. C, pp. 1, 7; Ex. J.) Each of the three disciplinary charges ultimately were dismissed "[a]fter review of the package and speaking with supervisory staff[.]" (
On April 10, 2011, DPS staff administratively charged plaintiff with an A-12 disciplinary offense and a C-8 disciplinary offense for wrongfully taking public property. (Def.s' Ex. D, pp. 1, 8; Ex. J.) On April 26, 2011, the disciplinary hearing officer ("DHO") conducted a hearing on the charges, and set forth the following summary of the record:
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On August 15, 2011, DPS staff administratively charged plaintiff with an a B-1 disciplinary offense for the possession of an instrument to aid in an assault, insurrection, or riot. (Def.s' Mem. Exs. E p. 6, J.) This disciplinary charge ultimately was dismissed on appeal. (
In the course of the disciplinary proceedings for the B-1 charge, plaintiff states that he was transferred to the administrative segregation unit for the time period of September 6, 2011, through September 27, 2011. (Compl. p. 9.) Plaintiff states that while on the administrative segregation unit, "feces and urine was all over the block and the officers wouldn't allow the janitor to clean it up. Other prisoners would go into the recreation cages and throw feces and urine on each other, daily when allowed to rec[reation.]" (
On February 16, 2012, DPS staff administratively charged plaintiff with an A-12 disciplinary offense. (Def.s' Mem. Ex. F, p. 5; Ex. J.) Plaintiff refused to enter a plea as to the charge. (
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Following his disciplinary conviction, plaintiff states that he was transferred to the segregation unit without a bed roll, hygiene items, clothes, personal property, and medication for a period of three days. (Compl. p. 8.) Plaintiff also states that he was subjected to "freezing" temperatures during this time period. (
On September 15, 2012, DPS staff administratively charged plaintiff with an A-18 disciplinary offense for knowingly making a false oral or written allegation about a staff member, that, if true, could expose the staff member to criminal liability. (
On October 2, 2012, the DHO conducted a disciplinary hearing on the charges and set forth the following summary of the record:
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Based upon the reporting party's statement and the evidence presented, the DHO found plaintiff guilty of the charge. (
On December 29, 2012, DPS staff administratively charged plaintiff with a C-6 disciplinary offense for failure to report to a job facility. (Compl. Ex. H, p. 3; Ex. J.) The charge was dismissed on February 25, 2013. (
Plaintiff states he was transferred to the segregation unit on December 29, 2012, and noticed toxic fumes in the air. (
On January 6, 2013, DPS staff administratively charged plaintiff with an A-3 disciplinary offense for committing an assault on a staff member, a B-18 offense for threatening to harm or injure a staff member, and a C-2 offense for using profane language. (
On January 22, 2013, the DHO conducted a disciplinary hearing and set forth the following summary of the record:
(Def.'s Mem. Ex, I, p. 3.) Based upon the reporting party's statement and the evidence presented, the DHO found plaintiff guilty of all charges. (
Plaintiff states that after he was transferred to the administrative segregation unit after receiving his January 6, 2013, disciplinary charges, he was "denied medical attention and adequate medical care." (Compl. p. 5.) Plaintiff also states that he was placed on a "filthy and unsanitary block" with "freezing air coming from the ventilation" and "toxic fumes in the air." (
Plaintiff additionally states the following with respect to his medical care:
(Compl. pp. 11-12.) Specifically, plaintiff states that he is HIV positive and requires daily medication. (Pl.'s Aff. (DE 69) ¶¶ 5, 6; Pl.'s Resp. Ex. 2.) Plaintiff states that because he was prevented access to his medications for a period of 3-4 days each time he was transferred to the segregation until, he has developed a resistance to some of the medications used for his HIV medication therapy. (
Summary judgment is appropriate when there exists no genuine issue of material fact, and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a);
Defendants assert the affirmative defense of qualified immunity. Government officials are entitled to qualified immunity from civil damages so long as "their conduct does not violate clearly established statutory or constitutional rights of which a reasonable person would have known."
Defendants assert that any claims arising out of plaintiff's March 19, 2010, and April 18, 2010, disciplinary proceedings are barred by the statute of limitations. There is no federal statute of limitations for actions brought under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Instead, the analogous state statute of limitations applies.
Although the limitations period for claims brought under section 1983 is borrowed from state law, the time for accrual of an action is a question of federal law.
Here, the disciplinary proceedings arising out of the March 19, 2010, and April 18, 2010, incidents concluded on April 6, 2010, and May 11, 2010, respectively.
The court now turns to plaintiff's due process claims arising out of the remaining disciplinary proceedings. The Due Process Clause mandates several procedural safeguards before an inmate may be punished for violating prison disciplinary rules with the loss of protected liberty interest, such as earned good-time credit, or with deprivation of property.
Here, plaintiff's disciplinary convictions did not result in the loss of good-time credit. (Def.'s Mem. Exs. B-I.) In fact, plaintiff's August 18, 2011 and December 29, 2012, disciplinary charges were dismissed and resulted in no punishment.
Alternatively, plaintiff's disciplinary proceedings, which resulted in his April 26, 2011, March 7, 2012, October 2, 2012, and January 22, 2013, disciplinary convictions comported with both substantive and procedural due process. Plaintiff asserts that defendant Alperstein erroneously represented to the DHO that she provided plaintiff with written notice of his January 6, 2013, disciplinary charge on that date. (
Plaintiff does not contest that he received written notice of the DHO's findings. Accordingly, the court moves to the third
On a related note, plaintiff contends that his due process rights were violated because Sergeant Manley participated in his April 2011 disciplinary proceedings as both a witness and investigative officer. To satisfy
Plaintiff's final claim pursuant to the third
To the extent plaintiff contends that his due process rights were violated because he did not receive adequate notice of requests for any extensions of time, his claim is without merit. Notice of an extension of time is not a due process right set forth in
To the extent plaintiff alleges that defendant Pimpong was impartial in adjudicating his appeal, his claim lacks merit. Plaintiff makes only conclusory allegations of Pimpong's alleged impartiality. Such conclusory allegations are insufficient to establish a due process violation.
To the extent plaintiff seeks expungement of his dismissed disciplinary charges from his prison records, plaintiff is not entitled to relief. Plaintiff claims that prison officials have made decisions regarding potential transfers and work assignments based upon the dismissed charges recorded in his prison record. Plaintiff, however, does not have a constitutional right to choose his place of incarceration or to a work assignment.
To the extent plaintiff asserts a constitutional claim arising out of prison officials' alleged failure to follow policy, a claim that prison officials have not followed their own policies or procedures does not amount to a constitutional violation.
Lastly, to the extent plaintiff asserts that there was insufficient evidence to support his April 26, 2011, March 7, 2012, October 2, 2012, and January 22, 2013, disciplinary convictions, the record establishes "some evidence" was presented to find plaintiff guilty of the offenses. (Exs D, F, G, I, p. 2.) Based upon the foregoing, plaintiff failed to establish a due process violation in the course of his disciplinary proceedings, and defendants' motion for summary judgment is GRANTED.
Plaintiff alleges that his conditions of confinement while in segregation violated the Eighth Amendment. Specifically, plaintiff alleges that he was subjected to "freezing" temperatures, improper air ventilation, as well as urine and feces covered cell blocks. Plaintiff also states that each time he was transferred to administrative segregation, he was denied bed roll, hygiene items, clothes, personal property, and medication for a period of up to four days. The court must view the conditions of which plaintiff complains in their totality.
Defendants briefly address plaintiff's prison conditions claims in a conclusory fashion, and failed to provide any evidence in support their motion for summary judgment seeking judgment as a matter of law with respect to these claims. The court notes that defendants do reference a "Panter Affidavit" in support of their motion for summary judgment as to plaintiff's prison conditions claims, but the affidavit is not named as an exhibit or attached to their motion for summary judgment. Thus, on this record, the court denies defendants' motion for summary judgment as to plaintiff's prison conditions claims.
Plaintiff also alleges that defendants acted with deliberate indifference to his serious medical needs in violation of the Eighth Amendment. Specifically, plaintiff asserted in his pleadings that each time he was placed on administrative segregation, his HIV medication was confiscated and withheld for a period of up to four days. Plaintiff stated that as a result of such conduct, he has developed immunities to several medications used for his HIV therapy. Plaintiff also alleged that medical staff refused to see him while he was in segregation following his January 22, 2013, disciplinary conviction. Defendants have wholly failed to address these claims in their motion for summary judgment.
B. Motion for a Settlement Conference
Plaintiff requests that the court refer this action for alternative dispute resolution. This case does not properly fall within a category of case automatically to be selected for mediation pursuant to this court's Local Civil Rule 101.1a(b). In the event the parties agree to mediation following the resolution of any forthcoming dispositive motions addressing the claims remaining in this action, the court will address the issue at that time. Thus, plaintiff's motion is DENIED.
For the foregoing reasons, defendants' motion for summary judgment (DE 62) is GRANTED IN PART AND DENIED IN PART. Defendants' motion is GRANTED as to plaintiff's due process claims arising out of his disciplinary convictions; however, because the issues of deliberate indifference to plaintiff's serious medical needs and prison conditions claims were not adequately briefed, summary judgment as to these claims is DENIED without prejudice. Accordingly, the court permits the parties
SO ORDERED.