Haff v. Cooke

923 F. Supp. 1104, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5523, 1996 WL 180689
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Wisconsin
DecidedApril 12, 1996
DocketCiv. A. 94-C-0332
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 923 F. Supp. 1104 (Haff v. Cooke) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Wisconsin primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Haff v. Cooke, 923 F. Supp. 1104, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5523, 1996 WL 180689 (E.D. Wis. 1996).

Opinion

DECISION AND ORDER

REYNOLDS, District Judge.

INTRODUCTION

Lawyers are supposed to winnow and sift. When faced with a mass of facts, the attorney must locate the critical facts, develop the best claims or defenses, and then argue the theory to the judge or jury. Instead of the winnow and sift approach, both sides in this case have adopted the kitchen sink approach: no fact is too minute and no legal theory is too tenuous for submission to the court. At the same time, the parties have often ignored the legal background in which they argue their claims. 1

As a result of the litigation strategies, the court has a summary judgment record that stands almost six inches high (excluding the exhibits of seized documents) with little organization. In reality, the ease is quite simple. In December 1993, guards at the Kettle Moraine Correction Institution (“KMCI”) seized Haffs Aryan Nation material. Captain Haf-erman reviewed the material and investigated Haffs activity, suspecting that Haff was recruiting for a white supremacist gang. The following March, Haff contacted a lawyer to help him get his seized materials returned. That day, Haff was placed in temporary lockup. Haferman issued a conduct report, and Haff was found guilty after a hearing. Haff lost good time credit and was placed in segregation. Mr. Haff alleges that Captain Haferman retaliated against him either for his Aryan Nation beliefs or for his decision to call a lawyer.

Rather than rest on this allegation, Haff argues that almost every action KMCI officials took between December 1993 and April 1994 violated the Constitution, claims which mostly clutter the case. Haffs claim that the seizure of his Aryan Nation materials violates the Religious Freedom Restitution Act (“RFRA”) and the First Amendment, his claim that he was denied due process in his disciplinary hearing, his claim that being placed in temporary lockup violated due process, his claim that he was denied access to his counsel, and his claim that failing to receive notice of undelivered mail violated due process, all fail to survive summary judgment.

The court grants summary judgment on all claims except the retaliation claim. Further, the court grants defendant Haferman thirty days to file a motion and brief for summary judgment on the retaliation claim.

Although a court must tolerate acrimony between the parties, the parties do not have a license to monopolize the court’s time or resources. At some point, the parties’ exces *1108 sive filings close the courthouse to other litigants who have legitimate disputes.

FACTS

While Haffs story begins and ends with the Columbia Correctional Institution (“CCI”) (a maximum security prison), it takes place primarily in the KMCI and includes a digression into the relatively obscure religion known as Identity Christianity. For this decision, the court will assume, without deciding, that Identity Christianity is a religion. 2 Haff was a prisoner in the Columbia Correctional Institution, serving a sentence for First Degree Sexual Assault. There, he practiced his religion: Church of Jesus Christ Christian, Aryan Nation (“CJCC”). Haff asserts that the Aryan Nation, like other Identity Christian groups, believes that the pre-Christian Angles, Saxons, Celts and Teutonic tribes were the descendants of the ten lost tribes of Israel. Based on that principle, Identity Christians believe that whites, as the descendants of the lost tribes, must remain racially pure. Some sects also espouse anti-black and anti-Semitic hatred.

In 1991, CCI officials seized some of Haffs materials, fearing that they were a threat to security. Later the warden allowed Haff to have his materials. (Haff Supp.Aff. ¶ 12.) On November 12, 1993, the Department of Corrections (“D.O.C.”) transferred Haff to KMCI, a medium security facility. At the check-in, guards examined all the material that would eventually be confiscated; however, no one seized any of the material. (Id. ¶¶ 15-17.)

After Haff found out that Duane Hutter and Steven Isbel, two of Haffs dorm mates, were also Identity Christians, (Id. ¶ 22), the three decided to form an Identity Christian group. (Haff. Reply Aff.Ex. 1.) Haff began researching the procedures for obtaining approval for an Identity Christian group. Hut-ter, Isbel, and Haff met regularly to discuss their application. (Haff Supp. Aff. ¶ 2(b); Haff Reply Aff. ¶ 2(b).) The three never practiced their religion during these meetings or at any other group meeting. At no time did Haff try to recruit other inmates into his religion or into a prison gang. None of the meetings affected prison security or caused any disturbances among the participants or between the participants and either prison officials or other inmates. (Haff Supp.Aff. ¶ 32.)

Haffs troubles began on December 8, 1993, when incident 083378 occurred. Several inmates told Officer Galligan that Haff was recruiting people for the Aryan Brotherhood (a gang unrelated to the Aryan Nation). Because Galligan believed that Haff may have been engaged in unauthorized group or gang activity, he filed a conduct report. (Galligan Aff. ¶ 9.) Despite acting on the inmates’ information, Galligan’s report omitted the names of the inmates who told him about Haffs recruitment. (Defs.’ Answer to Inter-rog. 5.) Galligan did report that Haff used a red, three-ring binder in trying to recruit the inmates. (Haferman Aff.Ex. C.)

As a result of Galligan’s report, Officer Immel searched Haffs cell and possessions. Immel found four pamphlets, two letters, and three papers with the SS insignia. Immel also found a 3-ring binder entitled “Heraldry of the Aryan Nations Standards.” Immel seized the material and, without examining it himself, gave it to Captain Haferman for review. (Haferman Aff.Ex. D.) Haferman decided to investigate whether Haff was violating prison rules. (Id. ¶ 16.) After the seizure, Haff talked with Lieutenant Schwandt, who had worked at CCI and knew that CCI had allowed the material. Lieutenant Schwandt told Haff that she would pass along that information to Haferman. (Haff Supp.Aff. ¶ 40.)

As part of his investigation, Haferman reviewed the disruptive group files and reviewed Haffs prison records. Haff had a prior disciplinary action for recruitment that occurred on October 2,1991. (Haferman Aff. ¶ 9.) Haff had written anti-Semitic letters that referred to Hitler and the Aryan Nation. *1109 Haff wrote “I’m sick of this fucking Zion conspiracy,” “fucking zionswine ways of life,” and “jew boy.” Haff gave addresses for receiving Aryan Nation literature. One of the letters was signed with a swastika and an SS symbol. (Id. Ex. B.)

Although Haferman took no statements from any inmate and relied on no information provided by other inmates, (Defs.’ Answer to Interrog. 5.), he periodically observed Haff meeting with Hutter and Isbel in the library. (Haferman SuppAff. ¶ 12.) While Haferman was viewing one of these meetings on December 12, 1993, Haff approached Haferman and asked whether the review of his materials had been completed.

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Bluebook (online)
923 F. Supp. 1104, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5523, 1996 WL 180689, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/haff-v-cooke-wied-1996.