Alexander #182285 v. Washington et al
Filing
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OPINION ; signed by Judge Robert Holmes Bell (Judge Robert Holmes Bell, kcb)
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF MICHIGAN
SOUTHERN DIVISION
JOHN ALLEN ALEXANDER,
Plaintiff,
Case No. 1:15-cv-1264
v.
Honorable Robert Holmes Bell
HEIDI WASHINGTON et al.,
Defendants.
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OPINION
This is a civil rights action brought by a state prisoner pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983.
The Court has granted Plaintiff leave to proceed in forma pauperis. Under the Prison Litigation
Reform Act, PUB. L. NO. 104-134, 110 STAT. 1321 (1996), the Court is required to dismiss any
prisoner action brought under federal law if the complaint is frivolous, malicious, fails to state a
claim upon which relief can be granted, or seeks monetary relief from a defendant immune from such
relief. 28 U.S.C. §§ 1915(e)(2), 1915A; 42 U.S.C. § 1997e(c). The Court must read Plaintiff’s pro
se complaint indulgently, see Haines v. Kerner, 404 U.S. 519, 520 (1972), and accept Plaintiff’s
allegations as true, unless they are clearly irrational or wholly incredible. Denton v. Hernandez, 504
U.S. 25, 33 (1992). Applying these standards, Plaintiff’s action will be dismissed for failure to state
a claim.
Factual Allegations
Plaintiff is incarcerated in the Lakeland Correctional Facility (LCF). In his pro se
complaint, he sues Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) Director Heidi Washington and
the following LCF employees:
Warden B. Hoffner, Lieutenant (Unknown) Chrisman and
Corrections Officer (Unknown) Friend.
Plaintiff was transferred to LCF on February 6, 2015. That evening, Plaintiff and
several other prisoners were called to the property room to collect their personal property. While
leaving the property room, Plaintiff noticed a couple of rulers laying on the floor. Plaintiff asked the
other prisoners if the rulers belonged to them and they all replied in the negative. After all of the
prisoners had collected their property, Officer Leo (not a Defendant in this action), the property room
officer, noticed that someone had tampered with the storage cart located in the main hallway.
Officer Leo took Plaintiff and three other prisoners to the control center for a search. When it was
Plaintiff’s turn to be searched, he told Officer Leo that he found two rulers on the floor that did not
belong to any of the other prisoners collecting their property. Plaintiff maintained that he did not
steal the rulers or know they were stolen. Nevetheless, after consulting with Defendants Chrisman,
Officer Leo wrote a Class II misconduct report against Plaintiff for theft and possession of stolen
property. (See Class II Misconduct Report, ECF No. 1-1, Page ID.10.)
When Plaintiff was called to the control center on February 7, 2015, Chrisman stated
in a loud voice, “You’re here to get your theft ticket?”, which Plaintiff construed as an attempt to
harass and belittle him. (Compl., ECF No. 1, PageID.4.) On February 12, Chrisman stated to
another officer while Plaintiff was present, “Watch that guy he is a thief.” (Id. at PageID.5.)
Defendant Chrisman held a misconduct hearing on February 15. Chrisman found Plaintiff guilty of
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the offense and sanctioned him with 20 days loss of privileges. (See Class II Misconduct Hearing
Report, ECF No. 1-1, Page ID.11.) When Plaintiff received a copy of the hearing report, he saw that
Defendant Friend had signed as the hearing investigator, even though Plaintiff had not had the
assistance of a hearing investigator in connection with the misconduct charge. Plaintiff’s appeal of
the conviction was denied.
Plaintiff asserts violations of the Due Process Clause, as well as MDOC policy and
state administrative rules, in the misconduct proceedings.
Discussion
A complaint may be dismissed for failure to state a claim if it fails “‘to give the
defendant fair notice of what the . . . claim is and the grounds upon which it rests.’” Bell Atl. Corp.
v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555 (2007) (quoting Conley v. Gibson, 355 U.S. 41, 47 (1957)). While
a complaint need not contain detailed factual allegations, a plaintiff’s allegations must include more
than labels and conclusions. Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555; Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009)
(“Threadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported by mere conclusory statements,
do not suffice.”). The court must determine whether the complaint contains “enough facts to state
a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.” Twombly, 550 U.S. at 570. “A claim has facial
plausibility when the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable
inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.” Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 679. Although
the plausibility standard is not equivalent to a “‘probability requirement,’ . . . it asks for more than
a sheer possibility that a defendant has acted unlawfully.” Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678 (quoting Twombly,
550 U.S. at 556). “[W]here the well-pleaded facts do not permit the court to infer more than the
mere possibility of misconduct, the complaint has alleged – but it has not ‘show[n]’ – that the
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pleader is entitled to relief.” Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 679 (quoting FED. R. CIV. P. 8(a)(2)); see also Hill
v. Lappin, 630 F.3d 468, 470-71 (6th Cir. 2010) (holding that the Twombly/Iqbal plausibility
standard applies to dismissals of prisoner cases on initial review under 28 U.S.C. §§ 1915A(b)(1)
and 1915(e)(2)(B)(i)).
To state a claim under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, a plaintiff must allege the violation of a right
secured by the federal Constitution or laws and must show that the deprivation was committed by
a person acting under color of state law. West v. Atkins, 487 U.S. 42, 48 (1988); Dominguez v. Corr.
Med. Servs., 555 F.3d 543, 549 (6th Cir. 2009). Because § 1983 is a method for vindicating federal
rights, not a source of substantive rights itself, the first step in an action under § 1983 is to identify
the specific constitutional right allegedly infringed. Albright v. Oliver, 510 U.S. 266, 271 (1994).
I.
Defendants Washington and Hoffner
It is a basic pleading essential that a plaintiff attribute factual allegations to particular
defendants. See Twombly, 550 U.S. at 544 (holding that, in order to state a claim, a plaintiff must
make sufficient allegations to give a defendant fair notice of the claim). Where a person is named
as a defendant without an allegation of specific conduct, the complaint is subject to dismissal, even
under the liberal construction afforded to pro se complaints. See Frazier v. Michigan, 41 F. App’x
762, 764 (6th Cir. 2002) (dismissing the plaintiff’s claims where the complaint did not allege with
any degree of specificity which of the named defendants were personally involved in or responsible
for each alleged violation of rights); Griffin v. Montgomery, No. 00-3402, 2000 WL 1800569, at *2
(6th Cir. Nov. 30, 2000) (requiring allegations of personal involvement against each defendant));
Rodriguez v. Jabe, No. 90-1010, 1990 WL 82722, at *1 (6th Cir. June 19, 1990) (“Plaintiff’s claims
against those individuals are without a basis in law as the complaint is totally devoid of allegations
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as to them which would suggest their involvement in the events leading to his injuries.”); see also
Wright v. Smith, 21 F.3d 496, 501 (2d Cir. 1994); Krych v. Hvass, 83 F. App’x 854, 855 (8th Cir.
2003); Potter v. Clark, 497 F.2d 1206, 1207 (7th Cir. 1974); Williams v. Hopkins, No. 06-14064,
2007 WL 2572406, at *4 (E.D. Mich. Sept. 6, 2007); Eckford-El v. Toombs, 760 F. Supp. 1267,
1272-73 (W.D. Mich. 1991). Plaintiff fails to even mention Defendants Washington and Hoffner
in the body of his complaint. His allegations fall far short of the minimal pleading standards under
FED. R. CIV. P. 8 (requiring “a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is
entitled to relief”).
Moreover, government officials may not be held liable for the unconstitutional
conduct of their subordinates under a theory of respondeat superior or vicarious liability. Iqbal, 556
U.S. at 676; Monell v. New York City Dep’t of Soc. Servs., 436 U.S. 658, 691(1978); Everson v. Leis,
556 F.3d 484, 495 (6th Cir. 2009). A claimed constitutional violation must be based upon active
unconstitutional behavior. Grinter v. Knight, 532 F.3d 567, 575-76 (6th Cir. 2008); Greene v.
Barber, 310 F.3d 889, 899 (6th Cir. 2002). The acts of one’s subordinates are not enough, nor can
supervisory liability be based upon the mere failure to act. Grinter, 532 F.3d at 576; Greene, 310
F.3d at 899; Summers v. Leis, 368 F.3d 881, 888 (6th Cir. 2004). Moreover, § 1983 liability may
not be imposed simply because a supervisor denied an administrative grievance or failed to act based
upon information contained in a grievance. See Shehee v. Luttrell, 199 F.3d 295, 300 (6th Cir.
1999). “[A] plaintiff must plead that each Government-official defendant, through the official’s own
individual actions, has violated the Constitution.” Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 676. Plaintiff has failed to
allege that Defendants Washington and Hoffner engaged in any active unconstitutional behavior.
Accordingly, he fails to state a claim against them.
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II.
Defendants Chrisman and Friend
Plaintiff contends that Defendants Chrisman and Friend violated his due process
rights in the misconduct proceedings. A prisoner’s ability to challenge a prison misconduct
conviction depends on whether the convictions implicated any liberty interest. A prisoner does not
have a protected liberty interest in prison disciplinary proceedings unless the sanction “will
inevitably affect the duration of his sentence” or the resulting restraint imposes an “atypical and
significant hardship on the inmate in relation to the ordinary incidents of prison life.” See Sandin
v. Conner, 515 U.S. 472, 486-87 (1995). Under Michigan Department of Corrections Policy
Directive 03.03.105, ¶ B, a Class I misconduct is a “major” misconduct and Class II and III
misconducts are “minor” misconducts. The policy further provides that prisoners are deprived of
good time or disciplinary credits only when they are found guilty of a Class I misconduct. (See
Policy Directive 03.03.105, ¶ AAAA). The Sixth Circuit routinely has held that misconduct
convictions that do not result in the loss of good time are not atypical and significant deprivations
and therefore do not implicate due process. See, e.g., Ingram v. Jewell, 94 F. App’x 271, 273 (6th
Cir. 2004); Carter v. Tucker, 69 F. App’x 678, 680 (6th Cir. 2003); Green v. Waldren, No. 99-1561,
2000 WL 876765, at *2 (6th Cir. June 23, 2000); Staffney v. Allen, No. 98-1880, 1999 WL 617967,
at *2 (6th Cir. Aug. 12, 1999). Plaintiff, therefore, fails to state a due process claim against
Defendants Chrisman and Friend arising from his Class II misconduct conviction.1
1
To the extent Plaintiff intended to raise a claim arising from Defendant Chrisman’s alleged verbally harassment,
the use of harassing or degrading language by a prison official does not rise to constitutional dimensions. See Ivey v.
Wilson, 832 F.2d 950, 954-55 (6th Cir. 1987); see also Johnson v. Dellatifa, 357 F.3d 539, 546 (6th Cir. 2004)
(harassment and verbal abuse do not constitute the type of infliction of pain that the Eighth Amendment prohibits);
Violett v. Reynolds, No. 02-6366, 2003 WL 22097827, at *3 (6th Cir. Sept. 5, 2003) (verbal abuse and harassment do
not constitute punishment that would support an Eighth Amendment claim); Thaddeus-X v. Langley, No. 96-1282, 1997
WL 205604, at *1 (6th Cir. Apr. 24, 1997) (verbal harassment is insufficient to state a claim).
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While Plaintiff also contends that Defendants violated MDOC policy and state
administrative rules, the failure to comply with an administrative rule or policy does not itself rise
to the level of a constitutional violation. Laney v. Farley, 501 F.3d 577, 581 n.2 (6th Cir. 2007);
Brody v. City of Mason, 250 F.3d 432, 437 (6th Cir. 2001); Smith v. Freland, 954 F.2d 343, 347-48
(6th Cir. 1992); Barber v. City of Salem, 953 F.2d 232, 240 (6th Cir. 1992); McVeigh v. Bartlett, No.
94-23347, 1995 WL 236687, at *1 (6th Cir. Apr. 21, 1995) (failure to follow policy directive does
not rise to the level of a constitutional violation because policy directive does not create a protectible
liberty interest). Section 1983 is addressed to remedying violations of federal law, not state law.
Lugar v. Edmondson Oil Co., 457 U.S. 922, 924 (1982); Laney, 501 F.3d at 580-81. Plaintiff’s
assertion that Defendants violated state law therefore fails to state a claim under § 1983.
Moreover, to the extent that Plaintiff seeks to invoke this Court’s supplemental
jurisdiction over a state-law claim, the Court declines to exercise jurisdiction. In determining
whether to retain supplemental jurisdiction, “[a] district court should consider the interests of judicial
economy and the avoidance of multiplicity of litigation and balance those interests against needlessly
deciding state law issues.” Landefeld v. Marion Gen. Hosp., Inc., 994 F.2d 1178, 1182 (6th Cir.
1993). Ordinarily, where a district court has exercised jurisdiction over a state-law claim solely by
virtue of supplemental jurisdiction and the federal claims are dismissed prior to trial, the court will
dismiss the remaining state-law claims. Id. Dismissal, however, remains “purely discretionary.”
Carlsbad Tech., Inc. v. HIF Bio, Inc., 556 U.S. 635, 639 (2009) (citing 28 U.S.C. § 1367(c)); Orton
v. Johnny’s Lunch Franchise, LLC, 668 F.3d 843, 850 (6th Cir. 2012). Here, the balance of the
relevant considerations weighs against the continued exercise of supplemental jurisdiction.
Accordingly, Plaintiff’s state-law claim will be dismissed without prejudice.
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Conclusion
Having conducted the review required by the Prison Litigation Reform Act, the Court
determines that Plaintiff’s action will be dismissed for failure to state a claim pursuant to 28 U.S.C.
§§ 1915(e)(2) and 1915A(b), and 42 U.S.C. § 1997e(c).
The Court must next decide whether an appeal of this action would be in good faith
within the meaning of 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(3). See McGore v. Wrigglesworth, 114 F.3d 601, 611
(6th Cir. 1997). For the same reasons that the Court dismisses the action, the Court discerns no
good-faith basis for an appeal. Should Plaintiff appeal this decision, the Court will assess the
$505.00 appellate filing fee pursuant to § 1915(b)(1), see McGore, 114 F.3d at 610-11, unless
Plaintiff is barred from proceeding in forma pauperis, e.g., by the “three-strikes” rule of § 1915(g).
If he is barred, he will be required to pay the $505.00 appellate filing fee in one lump sum.
This is a dismissal as described by 28 U.S.C. § 1915(g).
A Judgment consistent with this Opinion will be entered.
Dated: December 23, 2015
/s/ Robert Holmes Bell
ROBERT HOLMES BELL
UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE
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