Hatori v. Haga

751 F. Supp. 1401, 1989 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17242, 1990 WL 190603
CourtDistrict Court, D. Hawaii
DecidedNovember 17, 1989
DocketCiv. No. 84-0868 ACK
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 751 F. Supp. 1401 (Hatori v. Haga) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Hawaii primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hatori v. Haga, 751 F. Supp. 1401, 1989 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17242, 1990 WL 190603 (D. Haw. 1989).

Opinion

ORDER PARTIALLY ADOPTING AND PARTIALLY REJECTING MAGISTRATE’S REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION

KAY, District Judge.

This matter comes before the Court pursuant to Plaintiff’s pro se 42 U.S.C. § 1983 civil rights action alleging that Defendants violated Plaintiff’s procedural due process rights when Plaintiff was placed in administrative segregation from May 23, 1984 to October 25, 1984 without notice or hearing. Plaintiff further alleges that during the period of May 23, 1984 to August 7, 1984 (date Complaint filed) his administrative segregation was not reviewed.

[1404]*1404On August 2, 1989, Magistrate Tokairan filed his Report and Recommendation proposing that this Court grant Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment. The Magistrate concluded that Plaintiff’s placement in administrative segregation without hearing or notice did not constitute a violation of his due process rights because administrative segregation does not inhere an interest protectable under the Due Process Clause of the United States Constitution.

In addition, the Magistrate concluded that (i) the suit against Defendants in their official capacities is barred by the Eleventh Amendment and Sovereign Immunity, and (ii) to the extent Defendants are sued in their individual capacities, they are protected by qualified immunity because there existed at the time of their actions no clearly established law holding their conduct unlawful.

At all times pertinent hereto, Plaintiff was an inmate incarcerated at the Oahu Community Correctional Center (“OCCC”) and Defendants were employees of OCCC.

Summary Judgment Standard

Summary Judgment shall be granted where there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c). One of the principal purposes of the summary judgment procedure is to identify and dispose of factually unsupported claims and defenses. Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 323, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 2552, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). The Supreme Court of the United States has declared that Summary Judgment must be granted against a party who fails to demonstrate facts to establish an element essential to his case where that party will bear the burden of proof of that essential element at trial. Id. at 322, 106 S.Ct. at 2552. The Ninth Circuit has fully adopted and implemented the Celotex rule:

[I]f the nonmoving party will bear the burden of proof at trial as to an element essential to its case, and that party fails to make a showing sufficient to establish a genuine dispute of fact with respect to the existence of that element, then summary judgment is appropriate. California Architectural Bldg. Products, Inc. v. Franciscan Ceramics, Inc., 818 F.2d 1466, 1468 (9th Cir.1987), citing, Celotex, 477 U.S. at 323 [106 S.Ct. at 2552],

There can be no genuine issue as to any material fact where there is a complete failure of proof as to an essential element of the nonmoving party’s case because all other facts are thereby rendered immaterial. Celotex, 477 U.S. at 323, 106 S.Ct. at 2552.

The Movant bears the initial burden of informing this Court of the basis for its motion and identifying those sections of the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with affidavits, if any, which the Movant believes demonstrate the absence of a genuine issue of material fact. There is, however, no requirement that the Movant support its motion with affidavits or other evidence negating the nonmoving party’s claims. Celotex, 477 U.S. at 323, 106 S.Ct. at 2552.

In order to withstand a motion for summary judgment, therefore,

[T]he nonmoving party must show that there are “genuine factual issues that properly can be resolved only by a finder of fact because they may reasonably be resolved in favor of either party. Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 250 [106 S.Ct. 2505, 2511, 91 L.Ed.2d 202] (1986).... [I]f the factual context makes the nonmoving party’s claim implausible, the party must come forward with more persuasive evidence than would otherwise be necessary to show that there is a genuine issue for trial. California Architectural, 818 F.2d 1466, 1468 (emphasis in original), citing, Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 587 [106 S.Ct. 1348, 1356, 89 L.Ed.2d 538] (1986).

Rule 56(e) explicitly states that the non-moving party “may not rest upon the mere allegations or denials of his pleading, but ... must set forth specific facts showing that there is a genuine issue for trial.” It follows that the nonmoving party can with[1405]*1405stand a properly supported motion for summary judgment only by establishing the existence of a proper jury question as to a genuine issue of material fact. Anderson, 477 U.S. at 249, 106 S.Ct. at 2510. Although the movant has the burden of showing that there is no genuine issue of fact,

[The nonmoving party] is not thereby relieved of his own burden of producing in turn evidence that would support a jury verdict_ [he] must 'present affirmative evidence in order to defeat a properly supported motion for summary judgment. Anderson, 477 U.S. at 256-57 [106 S.Ct. at 2514] (emphasis added).

Regarding “materiality,” the substantive law determines which facts are material:

Only disputes over facts that might affect the outcome of the suit under the governing law will properly preclude the entry of summary judgment. Anderson, 477 U.S. at 248 [106 S.Ct. at 2510].

Regarding “genuine,” the nonmov-ing party has met his burden if he has established evidence of a material fact such that “a reasonable jury could return a verdict for the nonmoving party.” Anderson, 477 U.S. at 248, 106 S.Ct. at 2510. But where such evidence is merely colorable or is not significantly probative, summary judgment is properly granted. Id. at 249-50, 106 S.Ct. at 2510-11.

It is apparent that potential application of Rule 56 Summary Judgment has been substantially broadened. The Ninth Circuit has established that “[n]o longer can it be argued that any disagreement about a material issue of fact precludes the use of summary judgment.” California Architectural, 818 F.2d 1466, 1468. Moreover, the Supreme Court recently stated that “[w]hen the moving party has carried its burden under Rule 56(c), its opponent must do more than simply show that there is some metaphysical doubt as to the material facts.” Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 586, 106 S.Ct. 1348, 1355.

The Supreme Court has outlined the proper form of judicial inquiry when considering the merits of a motion for summary judgment:.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
751 F. Supp. 1401, 1989 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17242, 1990 WL 190603, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hatori-v-haga-hid-1989.