Jones v. Nelson

861 F. Supp. 983, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12401, 1994 WL 477270
CourtDistrict Court, D. Kansas
DecidedAugust 5, 1994
Docket93-3159-DES
StatusPublished

This text of 861 F. Supp. 983 (Jones v. Nelson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jones v. Nelson, 861 F. Supp. 983, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12401, 1994 WL 477270 (D. Kan. 1994).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

SAFFELS, District Judge.

This is a civil rights action filed pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 by an inmate while he was incarcerated at El Dorado Correctional Facility (EDCF) in El Dorado, Kansas. *984 Plaintiff complains the defendants violated his First, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendment rights. It appears that plaintiffs chief complaint is that employees and officials of the EDCF subjected him to cruel and unusual punishment. Also, plaintiff asserts that employees and officials of EDCF violated his First Amendment rights when he was given a disciplinary report for calling a correctional officer a “bitch.” Plaintiff seeks declaratory relief and compensatory and punitive damages in the amount of $95,000.

Defendants herein have outlined a detailed statement of facts in their memorandum in support of defendants’ motion for summary judgment entitled statement of uncontroverted facts. There are no major differences in this statement of facts and those limited, believable facts alleged by plaintiff. The court adopts the defendants’ statement of facts as the facts of the case and incorporates same into this memorandum and order by reference.

This matter is before the court on defendants’ motion for summary judgment.

A court shall render summary judgment upon a showing that there is no genuine issue of material fact and that the movant is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law. Fed. R.Civ.P. 56(c). The rule provides that “the mere existence of some alleged factual dispute between the parties will not defeat an otherwise properly supported motion for summary judgment; the requirement is that there be no genuine issue of material fact.” Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 247-48, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 2509-10, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1985). The substantive law identifies which issues are material. Id. at 248, 106 S.Ct. at 2510. A dispute over a material fact is genuine when the evidence is such that a reasonable jury could find for the nonmovant. Id. Only genuine disputes over facts that might affect the outcome of the suit under the governing law will preclude the entry of summary judgment. Id.

The movant has the initial burden of showing the absence of a genuine issue of material fact. Shapolia v. Los Alamos Nat. Laboratory, 992 F.2d 1033, 1036 (10th Cir.1993). The movant may discharge its burden “by ‘showing’—that is, pointing out to the district court—that there is an absence of evidence to support the [nonmovant’s] ease.” Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 325, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 2554, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). The movant need not negate the nonmovant’s claim. Id. at 323, 106 S.Ct. at 2553. Once the movant makes a properly supported motion, the nonmovant must do more than merely show there is some metaphysical doubt as to the material facts. Matsushita Elec. Industrial Co. v. Zenith Radio, 475 U.S. 574, 586, 106 S.Ct. 1348, 1355, 89 L.Ed.2d 538 (1985). The nonmovant must go beyond the pleadings and, by affidavits or the depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, designate specific facts showing there is some genuine issue for trial. Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c). See also Celotex, 477 U.S. at 324, 106 S.Ct. at 2553 (interpreting 56(e)).

Rule 56(c) requires the court to enter summary judgment against a nonmovant who fails to make a showing sufficient to establish the existence of an essential element to that party’s case, and on which that party will bear the burden of proof. Celotex, 477 U.S. at 322, 106 S.Ct. at 2552. Such a complete failure of proof on an essential element of the nonmovant’s case renders all other facts immaterial. Id. at 323, 106 S.Ct. at 2553.

When examining a motion for summary judgment, the court must view the facts in the light most favorable to the nonmovant and allow the nonmovant the benefit of all reasonable inferences to be drawn from the evidence. See, e.g., United States v. O’Block, 788 F.2d 1433, 1435 (10th Cir.1986) (stating that “[t]he court must consider factual inferences tending to show triable issues in the light most favorable to the existence of those issues”).

Essentially, the court performs the threshold inquiry of determining whether a trial is necessary. Anderson, 477 U.S. at 250, 106 S.Ct. at 2511. That is, the court decides whether there are any genuine factual issues that can be resolved only by a trier of fact because they reasonably may be resolved in favor of either party. Id.

While the court must construe plaintiffs complaint liberally, Haines v. Kerner, 404 U.S. 519, 520, 92 S.Ct. 594, 595, 30 *985 L.Ed.2d 652 (1972), and consider the record in a light most favorable to the non-moving party, the plaintiff in the present case has failed to demonstrate that there are any genuine issues of material fact preventing the granting of summary judgment. The plaintiffs claims regarding collusion by the defendants are factually unsupported and are merely conclusory allegations. Such eonelusory allegations are not sufficient to establish constitutional violations. Wise v. Bravo, 666 F.2d 1828, 1333 (10th Cir.1981). Applying these standards to plaintiffs complaint, the defendants are entitled to judgment as a matter of law and the court so finds.

Defendants did not act with deliberate indifference to plaintiffs safety needs, thus subjecting him to cruel and unusual punishment and the court so finds.

Plaintiff asserts that the actions of Officers Ingram, Summers, Marks and Bottorff in detaining him and placing him into segregation constituted cruel and unusual punishment and violated his Fourteenth Amendment rights due to the officers’ use of excessive force. In Graham v. Connor, 490 U.S. 386, 109 S.Ct. 1865, 104 L.Ed.2d 443 (1989), the United States Supreme Court discussed Whitley v. Albers, 475 U.S. 312, 106 S.Ct. 1078, 89 L.Ed.2d 251 (1986), and distinguished excessive force claims brought by free citizens from such claims brought by incarcerated individuals. The standard set forth in Whitley controls the present case. In Whitley,

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Related

Haines v. Kerner
404 U.S. 519 (Supreme Court, 1972)
Wood v. Strickland
420 U.S. 308 (Supreme Court, 1975)
Procunier v. Navarette
434 U.S. 555 (Supreme Court, 1978)
Butz v. Economou
438 U.S. 478 (Supreme Court, 1978)
Pennhurst State School and Hospital v. Halderman
465 U.S. 89 (Supreme Court, 1984)
Atascadero State Hospital v. Scanlon
473 U.S. 234 (Supreme Court, 1985)
Whitley v. Albers
475 U.S. 312 (Supreme Court, 1986)
Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc.
477 U.S. 242 (Supreme Court, 1986)
Graham v. Connor
490 U.S. 386 (Supreme Court, 1989)
Hudson v. McMillian
503 U.S. 1 (Supreme Court, 1992)
Johnson v. Glick
481 F.2d 1028 (Second Circuit, 1973)
John v. Johnson
414 U.S. 1033 (Supreme Court, 1973)

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Bluebook (online)
861 F. Supp. 983, 1994 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12401, 1994 WL 477270, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jones-v-nelson-ksd-1994.