Dmitry Pronin v. Troy Johnson

Filing

UNPUBLISHED PER CURIAM OPINION filed. Originating case number: 5:12-cv-03416-DCN Copies to all parties and the district court. [999673763]. Mailed to: Dmitry Pronin. [15-6534]

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UNPUBLISHED
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT

No. 15-6534

DMITRY PRONIN,
Plaintiff – Appellant,
v.
LIEUTENANT
TROY
JOHNSON;
OFFICER
FLOURNOY;
OFFICER
MIDDLEBROOK; OFFICER WILSON; OFFICER CRAWFORD; KENNETH
ATKINSON;
DANIEL
FALLEN;
REX
BLOCKER;
LOUISA
FUERTES-ROSARIO; SANDRA K. LATHROP; BRANDON BURKETT; JAKE
BURKETT; JOHN BRYANT; PATINA WALTON-GRIER; HENRI WALL;
EDWARD
HAMPTON;
WILLIAM
JOHNSON;
LIEUTENANT
EDA
OLIVERA-NEGRON, Operations,
Defendants – Appellees,
and
SHU STAFF MEMBERS,
Defendant.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of
South Carolina, at Orangeburg. David C. Norton, District Judge.
(5:12-cv-03416-DCN)

Submitted:

August 20, 2015

Decided:

October 7, 2015

Before MOTZ, FLOYD, and HARRIS, Circuit Judges.

Affirmed in part; vacated and remanded in part by unpublished
per curiam opinion.

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Dmitry Pronin, Appellant Pro Se. Barbara Murcier Bowens,
Assistant United States Attorney, Columbia, South Carolina, for
Appellees.

Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.

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PER CURIAM:
Dmitry

Pronin

appeals

from

the

district

court’s

order

granting summary judgment to Defendants in Pronin’s 42 U.S.C.
§ 1983 (2012) action.
arguments on

appeal,

We have reviewed the record and Pronin’s
and

we

agree

with

the

district

disposition of the vast majority of Pronin’s claims.

court’s
However,

for the reasons that follow, we vacate and remand Pronin’s claim
that he was denied access to courts for further proceedings.
I.
We review de novo a district court’s order granting summary
judgment, viewing the facts and drawing reasonable inferences
therefrom in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party.
Bonds v. Leavitt, 629 F.3d 369, 380 (4th Cir. 2011).

Summary

judgment shall be granted when “there is no genuine dispute as
to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a
matter of law.”

Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a).

A district court should

grant summary judgment unless a “reasonable jury could return a
verdict

for

the

nonmoving

party”

on

the

evidence

presented.

Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248 (1986).

An

otherwise properly supported motion for summary judgment will
not

be

defeated

by

the

existence

of

some

factual

dispute;

“[o]nly disputes over facts that might affect the outcome of the
suit under the governing law will properly preclude the entry of
summary judgment.”

Id.

Mere conclusory allegations and bare
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denials are insufficient to support the nonmoving party’s case.
Erwin v. United States, 591 F.3d 313, 319-20 (4th Cir. 2010).
While

a

party

cannot

withstand

summary

judgment

by

relying

solely on his own self-serving allegations unsupported by any
corroborating evidence, Williams v. Giant Food Inc., 370 F.3d
423, 433 (4th Cir. 2004), summary judgment should not be made on
the basis of conflicting affidavits.

See Gray v. Spillman, 925

F.2d 90, 95 (4th Cir. 1991) (not the province of trial court to
make credibility determinations in a summary judgment setting).
II.
Prisoners
effective,

have

and

a

constitutional

meaningful”

access

to

right

the

to

“adequate,

courts.

Bounds

v.

Smith, 430 U.S. 817, 822 (1977); see Lewis v. Casey, 518 U.S.
343, 351 (1996).
access

to

suffered

the

an

To prevail on a claim that he was denied

courts,

actual

a

prisoner

injury,

such

must

as

demonstrate

missing

a

that

he

court-imposed

deadline or being unable to file a complaint because of the
Defendants’ actions.
Pronin’s

claim

Lewis, 518 U.S. at 351-52.
of

denial

of

access

to

courts

revolves

around the loss of his legal papers, which he alleges resulted
from

Officer

Pronin

was

J.

Burkett’s

removed

from

failure

his

cell

to
and

secure
Officer

his

disposal of a portion of the documents.

papers

Troy

when

Johnson’s

The district court

ruled that it was undisputed that J. Burkett did not intend to
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damage Pronin’s documents and that Pronin had failed to show an
injury as he was able to file a 28 U.S.C. § 2255 (2012) motion
which was still pending.
On appeal, Pronin raises two claims of error regarding the
district court’s rejection of his claim.
the

district

affidavit

was

declarations
Pronin’s

court

erred

in

uncontested.
showing

complaints

that
against

First, he asserts that

concluding
Pronin

J.

claims

Burkett

his

that
that

was

brother,

J.

Burkett’s

he

provided

retaliating

Officer

B.

for

Burkett.

Second, Pronin claims that, while his § 2255 motion is still
pending, the loss of his medical records have so hampered his
ability to seek relief that he has satisfied his requirement to
show an actual injury.
In

his

objections

recommendation,

Pronin

to

the

magistrate

asserted

as

judge’s

follows:

On

report

and

September

25,

2012, J. Burkett told Pronin that Burkett was aware that he was
complaining about his brother.

In October 2012, both brothers

filed

him

incident

reports

against

that

were

dismissed.

On

November 11, J. Burkett left Pronin’s legal documents with his
cellmate, and they were partially destroyed.
Johnson threw out the remaining documents.

On November 13,

These documents were

medical records from Russia allegedly showing that Pronin was a
vulnerable adult, that he suffered from bipolar disorder and

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borderline personality, and that he had been diagnosed with a
nervous neck tick and epilepsy.
In direct contradiction, Johnson’s declaration states that
he did not throw out any of Pronin’s paperwork, but that it was
instead returned to him.

J. Burkett’s declaration similarly

avers that, when Pronin was moved, his property was secured and
given

to

him.

We

conflict.

Pronin

Defendants

find
has

dispute

that

the

provided

the

affidavits

dates

veracity

of

and

are

clearly

details,

Pronin’s

and

in
the

allegations.

Accordingly, it was error for the district court to conclude
that J. Burkett’s declaration was uncontested.
Turning to the injury requirement, the Defendants alleged
in their motion for summary judgment that Pronin was able to
file

his

§

2255

motion

which

District Court of Delaware.
courts

includes

whatever

“the

pleadings

currently

pending

in

the

However, the right of access to the

opportunity
or

is

other

to

prepare,

documents

are

serve

and

file

necessary

or

appropriate in order to commence or prosecute court proceedings
affecting one’s personal liberty, or to assert and sustain a
defense therein.”

Silva v. Di Vittorio, 658 F.3d 1090, 1103

(9th Cir. 2011).

Prisoners have a right under the First and

Fourteenth

Amendments

to

litigate

claims

challenging

their

sentences or the conditions of their confinement to conclusion
without active interference by prison officials.
6

Id.

To show

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injury, the plaintiff must show that he lost or will lose the
opportunity

to

pursue

a

“nonfrivolous”

and

“arguable”

claim.

Christopher v. Harbury, 536 U.S. 403, 415 (2002).
We have reviewed the filings in Pronin’s pending § 2255
motion.

In the relevant claims, Pronin avers that he received

ineffective assistance of counsel when he asked his attorney to
pursue a “neuropsychiatric” evaluation but his attorney refused.
He

also

seeks

condition.

a

downward

In

support,

departure
he

based

submitted

upon

two

his

mental

neuropsychiatric

evaluation reports from 2015 that conclude that he suffers from
post

traumatic

stress

disorder

and

bipolar

disorder.

(See

United States v. Pronin, No. 1:11-cr-00033-LPS-1 (D. Del.) at
Docket Nos. 27, 35).
In his sentencing memorandum, Pronin’s counsel argued for a
variance

sentence

providing

any

based

supporting

upon

Pronin’s

documentation.

depression,
The

without

district

court

rejected this request, and Pronin was sentenced near the high
end

of

his

Guidelines

range.

The

Government’s

sentencing

memorandum painted Pronin as a particularly dangerous criminal.
In light of these circumstances, we find that evidence of
serious

mental

disorders,

would

illness,
have

including

supported

bipolar

Pronin’s

case

and

borderline

at

sentencing.

Pronin need only show a “reasonable probability” that, absent
ineffective assistance, his sentence might have been different.
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See

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Gray

v.

(finding

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Branker,

that

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F.3d

counsel’s

220,

failure

to

236-38

(4th

provide

Cir.

mental

2008)
health

evidence at capital sentencing was ineffective where evidence
would have provided a “significant boost” to mitigation evidence
and would not have conflicted with mitigation strategy).

While

Pronin is able to submit mental health evidence from 2015 in his
§ 2255 proceeding to show that he currently suffers from mental
illnesses,

the

Defendants’

alleged

destruction

of

his

legal

materials prevents him from providing the court with his medical
history showing that these illnesses had been diagnosed prior to
his

criminal

activity.

This

evidence

could

be

helpful

in

showing that his attorney should have investigated his mental
health.

Without expressing an opinion as to Pronin’s likelihood

of success in his § 2255 proceeding, we find that Pronin has
raised a material question of fact as to whether he can show a
nonfrivolous

and

arguable

question

regarding

whether

such

materials would result in a successful § 2255 motion.
The district court did not analyze these issues.

The court

instead decided that (1) J. Burkett’s affidavit of intent was
uncontested and (2) Pronin’s allegations of injury were vague.
We find that both of these conclusions were error and that both
the

intent

material

and

fact.

injury

issues

Accordingly,

we

8

involved
vacate

disputed
the

issues

district

of

court’s

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order and remand for further proceedings consistent with this
opinion.
III.
Pronin contends that the district court erred in rejecting
his claim that Doctor Rex Blocker’s delay of more than a year
before

prescribing

medication

for

Pronin’s

sufficient to show deliberate indifference.
the delay resulted in a seizure.
delayed

prescription

of

epilepsy

was

Pronin claimed that

The district court ruled that

medication

does

not

constitute

a

constitutional deprivation.
To

succeed

on

his

claims

of

constitutionally

inadequate

medical care, Pronin was required to show acts or omissions on
Blocker’s

part

harmful

enough

to

constitute

indifference to his serious medical needs.
429 U.S. 97, 106 (1976).
showing

that

Blocker

deliberate

Estelle v. Gamble,

Meeting this high standard requires a
actually

knew

of

and

disregarded

a

substantial risk of serious injury or that he actually knew of
and ignored a serious need for medical care.

Young v. City of

Mt. Ranier, 238 F.3d 567, 575-76 (4th Cir. 2001).

A prisoner’s

accusation that the care he is receiving is not adequate to
treat

his

medical

indifference.

needs

may

support

a

claim

of

deliberate

De’lonta v. Johnson, 708 F.3d 520, 526 (4th Cir.

2013) (“[While] a prisoner does not enjoy a constitutional right
to the treatment of his or her choice, the treatment a prison
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facility does provide must nevertheless be adequate to address
the prisoner’s serious medical need.”).
may,

on

closer

prisoner’s

inspection,

disagreement

amount

with

his

Although such claims

to

nothing

diagnosis

more
or

than

a

prescribed

treatment, prison doctors violate the Eighth Amendment if they
decline

to

provide

the

level

of

care

they

deem

medically

necessary or fail to adequately address a prisoner’s complaints
that the care he is receiving is not effective.

See Sosebee v.

Murphy, 797 F.2d 179, 182 (4th Cir. 1986) (failure to respond to
an

inmate’s

known

medical

needs

raises

an

inference

of

deliberate indifference to those needs).
We

conclude

Blocker.

summary

judgment

was

properly

granted

to

It is undisputed that, when Pronin arrived at the

institution, he was not on any seizure medication, and he gave
conflicting
submitted
suffered

accounts
no

and

as

evidence
complained

to

to
of

his

seizure

support

his

history.

Pronin

allegations

seizure-like

activity

that
after

he
his

arrival at the institution and prior to his alleged seizure in
February 2013, and he presents only conclusory statements and no
details
treatment

regarding
for

his

his

alleged

seizure

attempts

symptoms

to

prior

obtain
to

this

medical
date.

Moreover, his grievances and medical records do not support his
allegations, and while he requested seizure medication, there is
no evidence that he complained of seizure-like activity prior to
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Further,

Pronin’s

assertions

that

he

suffered grave injury from his seizure are not supported by the
record.

Finally, Pronin does not dispute Blocker’s statements

that, for a substantial portion of the time Pronin contends he
was being deliberately indifferent, Blocker was actually either
on medical leave or not the first line of medical treatment for
Pronin.

Based on the foregoing, we find that Pronin has failed

to raise a material issue of fact as to whether Blocker was
deliberately indifferent to a serious medical need.
IV.
Pronin
equal

his

next

protection

altercation

with

alleges

his

that

Officer

rights

when,

cellmate,

Olivera-Negron
after

Olivera-Negron

violated

Pronin

had

removed

an

Pronin,

who is Jewish, from his cell but allowed his cellmate, who is
Hispanic, to remain.

Pronin contend that the district court

erred in crediting Olivera-Negron’s assertions that she was not
the one who moved Pronin from his cell in the face of Pronin’s
affidavit that she questioned his cellmate and not him and then
gave the order to move Pronin.
conflicting

affidavits,

we

Setting aside the issue of the
find

that

Pronin’s

claim

is

insufficient in any event to survive summary judgment.
“To succeed on an equal protection claim, a plaintiff must
first

demonstrate

that

he

has

been

treated

differently

from

others with whom he is similarly situated and that the unequal
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treatment

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was

the

discrimination.”
Cir. 2001).
protection

result

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of

intentional

or

purposeful

Morrison v. Garraghty, 239 F.3d 648, 654 (4th

Though a valid claim for a violation of equal
need

not

allege

discrimination

as

the

defendant’s

sole motive, it must allege the requisite discriminatory intent
with more than mere conclusory assertions.

Thus, to state valid

claims for violation of equal protection and thereby to survive
a motion for summary judgment, Pronin must put forward specific,
non-conclusory
motive.

factual

allegations

that

establish

improper

Williams v. Hansen, 326 F.3d 569, 584 (4th Cir. 2003).

In delving into the minds of prison officials, we may look
to

circumstantial

and

direct

evidence

of

intent.

Invidious

discriminatory purpose may often be inferred from the totality
of the circumstances.

Courts should look to the direct impact

of the challenged official action; the historical background of
the

decision,

which

may

take

into

account

any

history

of

discrimination by the Defendant; the specific sequence of events
leading

up

to

the

particular

decision

being

challenged,

including any significant departures from normal procedures; and
contemporary statements by the decisionmaker.

Id. at 584-85.

We find that Pronin has failed to put forth any evidence of
discriminatory

intent,

aside

from

the

bare

fact

that

Jewish and his cellmate and the officer are Hispanic.

he

is

Pronin

cites no relevant statements or similar history on the part of
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Olivera-Negron.

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Finally, Pronin has provided no details from

which to determine whether he and his cellmate were similarly
situated.

Accordingly, the district court correctly ruled that

Pronin’s claim could not survive summary judgment.
V.
We have reviewed the remainder of Pronin’s claims, and we
find no reversible error.

Accordingly, we affirm the remainder

of the district court’s order for the reasons stated by the
district

court.

Pronin

(D.S.C. Mar. 31, 2015).
vacate

the

district

v.

Johnson,

No.

5:12-cv-03416-DCN

Based on the foregoing reasoning, we

court’s

grant

of

summary

judgment

on

Pronin’s denial of access to courts claim and remand for further
proceedings

consistent

with

district’s order is affirmed.

this

opinion.

The

rest

of

the

We dispense with oral argument

because the facts and legal contentions are adequately presented
in the materials before the court and argument would not aid the
decisional process.
AFFIRMED IN PART;
VACATED AND REMANDED IN PART

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