Simpson v. Horn

80 F. Supp. 2d 477, 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 283, 2000 WL 32129
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedJanuary 14, 2000
Docket2:95-cv-08028
StatusPublished

This text of 80 F. Supp. 2d 477 (Simpson v. Horn) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Simpson v. Horn, 80 F. Supp. 2d 477, 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 283, 2000 WL 32129 (E.D. Pa. 2000).

Opinion

EXPLANATION AND ORDER

ANITA B. BRODY, District Judge.

Plaintiff Seifuddin M.A. Simpson (“Simpson”) brought this § 1983 lawsuit against Pennsylvania Corrections Commissioner Martin Horn and several officials at SCI-Graterford (“SCIG” or “Graterford”), *479 alleging that the classification system for assigning cellmates violates the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. 1 The history of this case is set out in my August 28, 1998 Memorandum and Order, in which I denied summary judgment on plaintiffs equal protection claim against defendants, SCI-Graterford Superintendent Donald Vaughn, and four other Graterford officials, Unit Managers William Conrad and Joseph Murphy and Lieutenants Rick Sundermier and William Mash. Plaintiff seeks compensatory and punitive damages as well as declaratory and injunctive relief. All defendants move for summary judgment. For the reasons set forth below, to the extent that plaintiff seeks injunctive relief, summary judgment will be granted on plaintiffs claim for in-junctive relief. Summary judgment will otherwise be denied.

I. Scope of Complaint

In his complaint, plaintiff states “that he has been made to feel that he cannot be placed in a cell with another inmate of another race because as an African American he will be considered a threat to any other inmate of another race.” (Pl.Compl. ¶ 28). Defendants first contend that the complaint alleges racial discrimination on August 30, 1995, the date of plaintiffs cell assignment on D-Block, not during plaintiffs entire stay on D-Block. Defendants concede, however, that the Court may interpret plaintiffs complaint to include his entire stay on D-Block, from August 30, 1995 to September 6, 1996. I interpret plaintiffs complaint to encompass his entire stay on D-Bloek as plaintiffs complaint states that “there is continual discrimination because inmates are housed according to race.” (Pl.Compl. ¶ 23).

Second, defendants argue that plaintiffs claim is limited to his stay on D-Block and therefore, plaintiffs experiences on the “new side” 2 and on B-Block, where plaintiff is currently housed, are irrelevant to plaintiffs claim. Plaintiff contends that his claim includes his entire incarceration at Graterford. After reviewing plaintiffs complaint and recognizing that plaintiffs complaint was drafted when plaintiff was proceeding pro se, 3 I interpret plaintiffs complaint to include his stay on the “new side.” However, I do not construe plaintiffs complaint to include plaintiffs incarceration on B-Block, where plaintiff is currently housed, as no allegation of discrimination regarding this block exists.

To summarize, I find that plaintiffs complaint encompasses his stay on the “new side” and his entire incarceration on D-Block.

II. Discussion

To bring a successful claim under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 for a denial of equal protection, Simpson must show that: 1) defendants intentionally discriminated on the basis of race in making cell assignments; 2) plaintiff suffered a legally cognizable injury; and 3) defendants were personally involved in the alleged violation.

Defendants contend that summary judgment should be granted in their favor. First, defendants have not racially discriminated in cell assignments, and therefore have not violated plaintiffs right to equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment. Second, plaintiff has not alleged a cognizable injury. Third, defendants lack the requisite personal involvement to establish liability for an equal protection violation under § 1983. Further, defendants *480 argue that plaintiffs claim for injunctive relief is moot and that defendants are entitled to qualified immunity from monetary damages. I will address each of these arguments in turn.

A. Racial Discrimination in Cell As signments

SCIG has a double-celling policy statement that lists compatibility factors to be considered in making celling assignments. Exhibit D-l, an Administrative Memorandum dated March 29, 1990, with the heading “Inmate Housing-Double Celling,” lists “race and ethnic biases of the inmate” as one of the factors to be considered in making involuntary double-celling assignments. Exhibit D^i, a policy statement from the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections on single celling (“Z code”) and double celling housing policy, dated December 23, 1996, adds the following proviso to the race and ethnic bias factor: “this factor shall not be interpreted to mean that only inmates of the same race should be celled together-rather its intent is to ensure that inmates who have exhibited documented history of interracial violence or a propensity to engage in such, should not be celled with a person upon whom they would be likely to act out.”

In my August 28, 1998 opinion, I determined that the official policy in place at SCIG for classification of inmates for cell assignment meets the reasonableness standard set forth in Turner v. Safley, 482 U.S. 78, 89, 107 S.Ct. 2254, 96 L.Ed.2d 64 (1987). However, at that time I found that at issue was whether this stated policy was in fact the actual policy used by defendants in making cell assignments. To establish a violation of Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, a plaintiff must show that a defendant intended to racially discriminate. See Village of Arlington Heights v. Metropolitan Housing Development Corp., 429 U.S. 252, 265-66, 97 S.Ct. 555, 50 L.Ed.2d 450 (1977); Washington v. Davis, 426 U.S. 229, 241, 96 S.Ct. 2040, 48 L.Ed.2d 597 (1976). In my August 28, 1998 opinion, I concluded that three pieces of evidence were “some evidence of intent.” Additionally, based on the record before me at the time, I could not determine whether plaintiff had adequately tied each defendant to the classification system allegedly used for making cell assignments to establish liability.

1. Whether defendants practice official DOC policy

Defendants assert that they practice the DOC’s official double-celling policy. (Defs. Motion for Summ. J at 23). In support, defendants refer to the depositions of the four defendants responsible for giving inmates cell assignments. Defendants cite to the depositions of two of the four defendants, Lt. Sundermier 4 and Unit Manager Conrad in which they testified that they practice initial random “celling” subject to inmate requests for reassignment and DOC policy. Conrad explained that an inmate was assigned “randomly” and that race can be considered as a compatibility factor if evidence of racial bias exists. (Conrad Dep. at 11-12, 15). Defendants also point to the deposition of Lt.

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Bluebook (online)
80 F. Supp. 2d 477, 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 283, 2000 WL 32129, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/simpson-v-horn-paed-2000.