Richards v. Cox et al
Filing
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ORDER that Defendant's 60 Motion for Summary Judgment is Granted in part and Denied in part. Plaintiff's second, third, and fourth causes of action are dismissed. Additionally, plaintiff's sole remaining § 1983 claim is di smissed as to Defendants Byrne, Fletcher, and Gittere. Plaintiff's § 1983 claim shall proceed against CO Boardman, Director Cox, and Warden Baker. Signed by Judge James C. Mahan on 5/23/2019. (Copies have been distributed pursuant to the NEF - SLD)
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
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DISTRICT OF NEVADA
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STACEY M. RICHARDS,
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Plaintiff(s),
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Case No. 2:16-CV-1794 JCM (BNW)
ORDER
v.
GREG COX, et al.,
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Defendant(s).
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Presently before the court is defendants Eric Boardman, Renee Baker, Michael Byrne,
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Greg Cox, Michael Fletcher, and William Gittere’s (collectively, “defendants”) motion for
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summary judgment. (ECF No. 60). Plaintiff Stacey Richards (“Richards”) filed a response
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(ECF No. 67), to which defendants replied (ECF No. 71).
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I.
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Facts
This § 1983 civil rights case arises out of a shooting incident that took place at Ely State
Prison (“ESP”) in Ely, Nevada, to which plaintiff was an innocent bystander. (ECF No. 67).
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On April 21, 2015, at about 7:15 p.m., plaintiff and approximately 25 inmates were
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congregating on the lower tier of their unit during free time. (ECF No. 67 at 7). While the
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inmates were congregating, prison correctional officers (“COs”) and staff were in the control
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room, known as “the bubble.” Id.
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Without warning, four inmates began attacking a fifth inmate, punching and kicking him.
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Id. Plaintiff was not involved in this altercation but was instead standing and talking to some
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other inmates at a table nearby. Id. Relative to the bubble, plaintiff was adjacent to and behind
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the spot where the fight broke out. Id.
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James C. Mahan
U.S. District Judge
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Defendant Eric Boardman (“CO Boardman”) noticed the fight from the bubble and yelled
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out to the inmates, “stop fighting, get on the ground.” Id. Inmates not involved in the fight
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began to get on the floor, but the five inmates involved in the altercation continued fighting. Id.
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The parties dispute what happened next. Defendants submit that, after CO Boardman
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yelled for the inmates to get on the ground, he fired a blank shotgun cartridge in compliance with
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Nevada Department of Corrections (“NDOC”) policy. (ECF No. 60 at 3). When the inmates
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continued fighting, CO Boardman alleges he again verbally ordered all inmates to get on the
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ground, to no avail. Id.
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Finally, CO Boardman alleges that he “then discharged the weapon with a live round of
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7.5 birdshot.” Id. CO Boardman asserts that he fired the live round at the ground in the vicinity
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of the fighting inmates, which is known as a “skip shot.” Id. According to CO Boardman, the
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skip shot “was used in order to reduce the danger of engaging in this type of fight or disturbance
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control, as it ensured that the pellets would remain below the belt line.” Id. However, multiple
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pellets from the second shot struck plaintiff in the face, permanently blinding him in his left eye,
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and causing him to lose nearly all vision in his right eye. (ECF No. 67 at 10).
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Plaintiff disputes that CO Boardman ever fired a blank shotgun cartridge prior to
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shooting a live round. Id. at 7. See (ECF No. 68 at 2–3). Rather, plaintiff asserts that when he
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heard the first gunshot, he simultaneously “felt his right shoulder hit with several pellets.” (ECF
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No. 67 at 7. According to plaintiff, the impact from the first round caused him to raise his head
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“instinctively,” which left his face exposed to the pellets from the second shot, resulting in the
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injuries to his eyes.1 Id. at 7–8.
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The parties agree that, during the incident, CO Boardman was acting pursuant to NDOC
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and ESP policies and training. See (ECF No. 60 at 10); (ECF No. 67 at 2). Specifically, CO
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Boardman acted pursuant to NDOC’s administrative regulation (“AR”) 405, which specifies the
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James C. Mahan
U.S. District Judge
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NDOC investigators did not recover the shotgun shells following the incident, which
would have revealed whether CO Boardman shot two live rounds, or one blank round followed
by a single live round. (ECF No. 67). See also (ECF No. 71 at 8). It is not the court’s function
to weigh the evidence and make credibility determinations at summary judgment; therefore, the
court will construe the facts in the light most favorable to the non-movant. See Anderson v.
Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. at 249, 255.
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protocol for the use of force, including deadly force. See (ECF No. 60-1) (AR 405). AR 405
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provides that force must be limited to the minimum degree necessary to resolve a situation and
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that, when possible, verbal commands will be used prior to any use of force. Id. at 3.
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AR 405 specifically authorizes the use of skip shots, which are enumerated among the list
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of “non-deadly force” tactics to be used “as the situation dictates.” Id. at 3–4. According to the
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regulation, skip shots are designed to strike offenders “in their lower extremities to temporarily
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incapacitate or immobilize” them. Id. at 4. Defendant NDOC Director Greg Cox (“Director
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Cox”) signed AR 405, which was thereafter adopted by the board of prisons. (ECF No. 71 at
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Additionally, CO Boardman acted pursuant to ESP’s operational procedure (“OP”) 405,
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which substantially mirrors AR 405. (ECF No. 67 at 4); (ECF No. 62-1). OP 405 also classifies
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skip shots as “non-deadly” uses of force. (ECF No. 62-1 at 7). It requires that “blank round
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warning shots” be fired “upward and away from any persons,” before “live rounds may be fired
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into the ground near the problem inmates or disturbance.” Id. Defendant ESP Warden Renee
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Baker (“Warden Baker”) enacted OP 405. (ECF No. 67 at 4). See (ECF No. 1).
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Plaintiff initiated this action on July 28, 2016, asserting four causes of action: (1) 42
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U.S.C. § 1983 claim for excessive force under the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments; (2)
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negligent training, supervision, and retention; (3) battery; and (4) negligence. (ECF No. 1).
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Plaintiff sues all defendants in their individual capacities. Id. He asserts claims against CO
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Boardman, Director Cox, and Warden Baker for their direct participation in promulgating—and
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acting pursuant to—the policies that led to plaintiff’s injuries. Id. He asserts his claims against
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the remaining defendants, ESP Associate Wardens Byrne, Fletcher, and Gittere, for their roles in
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staffing and training the COs at ESP. Id.
The court now considers defendants’ motion for summary judgment on all claims. (ECF
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No. 60).
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II.
Legal Standard
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The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure allow summary judgment when the pleadings,
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depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if
James C. Mahan
U.S. District Judge
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any, show that “there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to a
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judgment as a matter of law.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a). A principal purpose of summary judgment
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is “to isolate and dispose of factually unsupported claims.” Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S.
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317, 323–24 (1986).
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For purposes of summary judgment, disputed factual issues should be construed in favor
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of the non-moving party. Lujan v. Nat’l Wildlife Fed., 497 U.S. 871, 888 (1990). However, to
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be entitled to a denial of summary judgment, the nonmoving party must “set forth specific facts
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showing that there is a genuine issue for trial.” Id.
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In determining summary judgment, a court applies a burden-shifting analysis.
The
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moving party must first satisfy its initial burden.
“When the party moving for summary
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judgment would bear the burden of proof at trial, it must come forward with evidence which
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would entitle it to a directed verdict if the evidence went uncontroverted at trial. In such a case,
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the moving party has the initial burden of establishing the absence of a genuine issue of fact on
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each issue material to its case.” C.A.R. Transp. Brokerage Co. v. Darden Rests., Inc., 213 F.3d
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474, 480 (9th Cir. 2000) (citations omitted).
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By contrast, when the nonmoving party bears the burden of proving the claim or defense,
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the moving party can meet its burden in two ways: (1) by presenting evidence to negate an
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essential element of the non-moving party’s case; or (2) by demonstrating that the nonmoving
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party failed to make a showing sufficient to establish an element essential to that party’s case on
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which that party will bear the burden of proof at trial. See Celotex Corp., 477 U.S. at 323–24. If
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the moving party fails to meet its initial burden, summary judgment must be denied and the court
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need not consider the nonmoving party’s evidence. See Adickes v. S.H. Kress & Co., 398 U.S.
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144, 159–60 (1970).
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If the moving party satisfies its initial burden, the burden then shifts to the opposing party
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to establish that a genuine issue of material fact exists. See Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith
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Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 586 (1986). To establish the existence of a factual dispute, the
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opposing party need not establish a material issue of fact conclusively in its favor. It is sufficient
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that “the claimed factual dispute be shown to require a jury or judge to resolve the parties’
James C. Mahan
U.S. District Judge
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differing versions of the truth at trial.” T.W. Elec. Serv., Inc. v. Pac. Elec. Contractors Ass’n,
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809 F.2d 626, 631 (9th Cir. 1987).
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In other words, the nonmoving party cannot avoid summary judgment by relying solely
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on conclusory allegations that are unsupported by factual data. See Taylor v. List, 880 F.2d
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1040, 1045 (9th Cir. 1989).
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allegations of the pleadings and set forth specific facts by producing competent evidence that
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shows a genuine issue for trial. See Celotex, 477 U.S. at 324.
Instead, the opposition must go beyond the assertions and
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At summary judgment, a court’s function is not to weigh the evidence and determine the
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truth, but to determine whether there is a genuine issue for trial. See Anderson v. Liberty Lobby,
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Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 249 (1986). The evidence of the nonmovant is “to be believed, and all
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justifiable inferences are to be drawn in his favor.” Id. at 255. But if the evidence of the
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nonmoving party is merely colorable or is not significantly probative, summary judgment may be
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granted. See id. at 249–50.
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III.
Discussion
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As a preliminary matter, plaintiff consents to dismissal of his second, third, and fourth
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claims for relief because “the Eleventh Amendment precluded [p]laintiff from suing the State of
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Nevada”—a prerequisite for supplemental state law claims.
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Accordingly, the court grants defendants’ motion for summary judgment as to plaintiff’s second,
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third, and fourth claims for relief.
(ECF No. 67 at 3, n. 3).
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Next, as to plaintiff’s sole remaining claim under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, defendants argue that
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CO Boardman is entitled to qualified immunity. (ECF No. 60). Defendants further argue that
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the remaining defendants are entitled to summary judgment because plaintiff cannot establish
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either personal participation or supervisory liability against them. Id.
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a. Qualified immunity
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42 U.S.C. § 1983 allows suits against government officials in their individual capacities
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who, under color of law, violate individuals’ constitutional rights. However, some government
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officials are protected from such suits based on a defense of qualified immunity. Harlow v.
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Fitzgerald, 457 U.S. 800, 818 (1982). Qualified immunity protects law enforcement officers,
James C. Mahan
U.S. District Judge
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including prison officials and guards, from civil damage suits resulting from discretionary acts
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unless their conduct violates “clearly established statutory or constitutional rights of which a
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reasonable person would have known.” Id.
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While courts ordinarily look to prior law to determine whether a right was clearly
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established at the time of the misconduct, that does not mean that the “very action in question
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[must have] previously been held unlawful.” Alexander v. Perrill, 916 F.2d 1392, 1398 (9th Cir.
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1990) (“[T]he law simply does not require that we find a prior case with the exact factual
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situation in order to hold that the official breached a clearly established duty.”). Rather, qualified
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immunity is inappropriate where the preexisting law was sufficient to provide the defendant with
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“fair warning” that his conduct was unlawful. Schwenk v. Hartford, 204 F.3d 1187, 1197 (9th
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Cir. 2000).
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A prison official violates the Eighth Amendment when he or she “knows of and
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disregards an excessive risk to inmate health or safety.” Id. (quoting Farmer v. Brennan, 511
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U.S. 825, 837 (1994)) (internal quotations omitted). “This standard requires that the official be
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subjectively aware of the risk; it is not enough that the official objectively should have
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recognized the danger but failed to do so.” Id. (citation omitted). Further, it is well-established
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that when an inmate alleges an Eighth Amendment violation for excessive force, the core inquiry
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is whether the force was applied in a good faith effort to maintain or restore discipline or was
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done maliciously and sadistically. Whitley v. Albers, 475 U.S. 312, 321 (1986); see also Wilkins
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v. Gaddy, 559 U.S. 34, 37 (2010).
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Defendants argue that, if CO Boardman acted in compliance with AR 405 and OP 405,
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he would have had no reason to believe that his actions constituted a violation of plaintiff’s
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“clearly established” constitutional rights. (ECF No. 60 at 10). Accordingly, defendants argue,
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CO Boardman is entitled to qualified immunity. Id. However, the only evidence regarding
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whether CO Boardman fired a blank round prior to firing a live skip shot is conflicting
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deposition testimony, incident reports, and declarations by the parties. Because the court is not
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permitted to weigh the credibility of this evidence, the court finds that a genuine dispute of
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material fact exists for trial.
James C. Mahan
U.S. District Judge
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Indeed, if the jury were to find that CO Boardman disregarded ESP and NDOC policy by
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failing to fire a blank round prior to his firing a live skip shot, it could then reasonably conclude
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that CO Boardman committed an Eighth Amendment violation by showing deliberate
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indifference to the health and safety of the inmates who were laying on the ground in compliance
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with his verbal commands. The Ninth Circuit has held that, where such a question of fact exists
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for the jury, the “officials’ actions are not protected by qualified immunity.” Clement v. Gomez,
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298 F.3d 898, 906 (9th Cir. 2002).
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Accordingly, the court declines to grant qualified immunity as to CO Boardman and
plaintiff’s first claim for relief shall proceed against him.
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b. The remaining defendants
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Director Cox, Warden Baker, and ESP Associate Wardens Byrne, Fletcher, and Gittere
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argue that they are entitled to summary judgment because plaintiff has failed to establish either
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personal participation in the offense or supervisory liability against them. (ECF No. 60 at 11).
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“Liability under section 1983 arises only upon a showing of personal participation by the
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defendant.”
Taylor v. List, 880 F.2d 1040, 1045 (9th Cir. 1989) (citation omitted).
“A
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supervisor is only liable for constitutional violations of his subordinates if the supervisor
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participated in or directed the violations, or knew of the violations and failed to act to prevent
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them. There is no respondeat superior liability under section 1983.” Id. (citation omitted).
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Plaintiff does not dispute that Associate Wardens Byrne, Fletcher, and Gittere did not
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personally participate in the incident that led to plaintiff’s injuries, nor does he dispute that they
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did not have any role in promulgating AR 405 or OP 405. See (ECF No. 67). Accordingly, the
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court finds that there can be no § 1983 liability for plaintiff’s excessive force claim as to these
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defendants. Defendants’ motion for summary judgment is thus granted as to defendants Byrne,
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Fletcher, and Gittere.
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However, plaintiff argues that Director Cox and Warden Baker “deliberately adopted the
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[skip shot] policies, AR and OP 405, and maintained them without regards to the obvious risk
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posed to bystander inmates, and with actual knowledge of the infliction of birdshot injuries on
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bystanders, including staff.” (ECF No. 67 at 12). Where claims against prison officials arise
James C. Mahan
U.S. District Judge
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from the implementation of prison policies that lead to the deprivation of constitutional rights,
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district courts are required to find “a policy so deficient that the policy itself is a repudiation of
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constitutional rights and is the moving force of the constitutional violation” before denying
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prison officials qualified immunity.
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(quoting Redman v. County of San Diego, 942 F.2d 1435, 1446 (9th Cir. 1991) (internal
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quotations omitted)).
Jeffers v. Gomez, 267 F.3d 895, 914 (9th Cir. 2001)
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Defendants do not dispute that Director Cox and Warden Baker personally participated in
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the promulgation of AR 405 and OP 405 and knew of prior incidents where innocent bystanders
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were injured as a result of those policies. See (ECF No. 71). Moreover, this court and other
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courts in this district have previously held that the skip shot policies at issue in this case are
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indeed “so deficient that they, themselves constitute ‘the moving force’ behind the constitutional
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violation. Olivas v. Nevada, No. 2:14-cv-01801-JCM-VCF, 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 201059 at
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*14 (D. Nev. Nov. 27, 2018). See also Perez v. Nevada, No. 2:15-cv-01572-APG-CWH, 2017
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U.S. Dist. LEXIS 152897 (D. Nev. Sept. 20, 2017).
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The court finds that this district’s previous holdings are equally applicable to the facts of
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the instant case. Accordingly, the court finds that Director Cox and Warden Baker are not
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entitled to summary judgment on plaintiff’s § 1983 claim against them.
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IV.
Conclusion
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In light of the foregoing, plaintiff’s second, third, and fourth causes of action are
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dismissed. Additionally, plaintiff’s sole remaining § 1983 claim is dismissed as to defendants
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Byrne, Fletcher, and Gittere. Plaintiff’s § 1983 claim shall proceed against CO Boardman,
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Director Cox, and Warden Baker.
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James C. Mahan
U.S. District Judge
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Accordingly,
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IT IS HEREBY ORDERED, ADJUDGED, and DECREED that defendants’ motion for
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summary judgment (ECF No. 60) be, and the same hereby is, GRANTED in part and DENIED
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in part, consistent with the foregoing.
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IT IS SO ORDERED.
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DATED May 23, 2019.
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__________________________________________
UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE
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James C. Mahan
U.S. District Judge
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