McCallister v. Call
| Decision Date | 09 October 2014 |
| Docket Number | No. 10-CV-610 (FJS/CFH),10-CV-610 (FJS/CFH) |
| Parties | CHARLES McALLISTER a/k/a/ Charles McCallister, Plaintiff, v. HAROLD CALL, Vocational Supervisor, Mohawk Correctional Facility, Defendant. |
| Court | U.S. District Court — Northern District of New York |
KEITH J. STARLIN, ESQ.
Assistant Attorney General
Plaintiff pro se Charles McAllister ("McAllister), a former inmate who was, at all relevant times, in the custody of the New York Department of Corrections and CommunitySupervision ("DOCCS"),2 brings this action pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 alleging that defendant Harold Call ("Call"), Vocational Supervisor, Mohawk Correctional Facility ("Mohawk"), violated his constitutional rights under the First, Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments. Am. Compl. (Dkt. No. 64) ¶¶ 33, 34; 4. McAllister initially commenced this civil rights action against defendants Brian Fischer, Lucien J. LeClaire, Patricia LeConey, Carol Woughter, and John and Jane Does. Defendants moved for summary judgment. Dkt. No. 49. By report and recommendation dated July 6, 2012, (1) all claims against identified defendants were dismissed; and (2) defendant was directed to join Call, who was identified in the motion papers as a John Doe defendant. Dkt. No. 55; Dkt. No. 58. The report and recommendation was accepted in its entirety, and McAllister was directed to file an amended complaint to "include only one cause of action - a procedural due process claim in connection with his disciplinary hearing - and one Defendant - hearing officer Call." Dkt. No. 58 at 4. McAllister thereafter filed his amended complaint wherein he requested punitive and compensatory damages. Am. Compl. at 4. Presently pending is Call's motion for summary judgment on the amended complaint pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 56. Dkt. No. 74. McAllister did not respond. For the following reasons, it is recommended that Call's motion be granted in part and denied in part.
The Court notified McAllister of the response deadline and extended the deadline for his opposition papers on two occasions. Dkt. No. 75; Dkt. No. 77; Dkt. No. 80. Call also provided notice of the consequence of failing to respond to the motion for summaryjudgment in his motion papers. Dkt. No. 74-1. Despite these notices and extensions, McAllister did not respond.
Summary judgment should not be entered by default against a pro se plaintiff who has not been given any notice that failure to respond will be deemed a default." Champion v. Artuz, 76 F.3d 483, 486 (2d Cir. 1996). Thus, "[t]he fact that there has been no response to a summary judgment motion does not . . . mean that the motion is to be granted automatically." Id. at 486. Even in the absence of a response, defendants are entitled to judgment only if the material facts demonstrate their entitlement to judgment as a matter of law. Id.; FED. R. CIV. P. 56 (c). "A verified complaint is to be treated as an affidavit . . . and therefore will be considered in determining whether material issues of fact exist . . . ." Colon v. Coughlin, 58 F.3d 865, 872 (2d Cir. 1995) (internal citations omitted); see also Patterson v. Cnty. of Oneida, N.Y., 375 F.3d 206, 219 (2d Cir. 2004) (same). The facts set forth in defendant's Rule 7.1 Statement of Material Facts (Dkt. No. 74-2) are accepted as true as to those facts that are not disputed in McAllister's amended complaint. N.D.N.Y.L.R. 7.1 (a) (3) ("The Court shall deem admitted any properly supported facts set forth in the Statement of Facts that the opposing party does not specifically controvert.").
The facts are reviewed in the light most favorable to McAllister as the non-moving party. See subsection III (A) infra. At all relevant times, McAllister was an inmate at Mohawk. Am. Compl. ¶ 3.
On or about July 15, 2009, nonparty Correction Officer Femia, pursuant to authorization from nonparty Captain Dauphin, searched McAllister's personal property while McAllisterwas confined in a secure housing unit ("SHU").3 Dkt. No. 74-3, Exh. A, at 14; Am. Compl. ¶¶ 5-6. Femia confiscated approximately twenty documents from McAllister's locker, including five affidavits that were signed by other inmates. Dkt. No. 74-3, Exh. A, at 14. As a result of the search, Femia issued McAllister a Tier III misbehavior report, alleging violations of prison rules 113.154 (unauthorized exchange) and 180.17 (unauthorized assistance).5 Id.; Am. Compl. ¶ 7.
McAllister was assigned as his inmate assistant nonparty Correction Officer A. Sullivan. Am. Compl. ¶ 7; Dkt. No. 74-3, Exh. A, at 11. McAllister requested five inmate witnesses, documents, prison directives 4933 and 4982, and a facility rule book. Am. Compl. ¶ 8; Dkt. No. 74-3, Exh. A, at 11. He also asked Sullivan for permission to retrieve documents from his personal property. Id. The requested witnesses were those inmates whose signatures were affixed to the five confiscated affidavits. Dkt. No. 74-3, Exh. A, at 14. Sullivan retrieved the requested materials, and all inmate witnesses agreed to testify. Id. at 11.
On or about July 21, 2009, a Tier III disciplinary hearing was held before Call, who served as the hearing officer. Am. Compl. ¶ 10. McAllister pleaded not guilty to both alleged violations. Dkt. No. 74-3, Exh. A, at 38. McAllister objected to the misbehaviorreport as violative of prison directive 4932 because the copy he was given (1) provided insufficient notice of the charges against him and (2) differed from the report that Call read into the record. Id. at 39-41. McAllister stated that his copy did not list the names of the inmates to whom the confiscated affidavits allegedly belonged. Id. Call acknowledged the difference between the reports but concluded that the misbehavior report informed McAllister of the charges against him and the bases for the charges. Id. at 39, 41-42. McAllister also argued that his copy of the misbehavior report referred to confiscation of twenty documents from his cell, but did not identify the papers that were taken. Id. at 42. He contended that the misbehavior report's general reference to "legal work" was insufficient to provide him with notice of the documents to which the report was referring because he had several volumes of legal work. Id. at 42, 59. In response to this objection, Call recited the body of the misbehavior report, which described the confiscated documents as "[a]rticles of paper which appear to be legal work including some signed affidavits" and asked McAllister, Id. at 42. Call also expressed his belief that the affidavits qualified as legal work. Id. at 45, 57-58.
McAllister next argued that he did not provide unauthorized legal assistance to another inmate in violation of rule 180.17 because the inmate affidavits were used as evidence to prove that the Division of Parole had a "practice" of "fail[ing] to respond to appeals over the last four years . . . ." Dkt. No. 74-3, Exh. A at 45-49, 56. These inmates were aware that their affidavits were created for, and to be used solely in support of, McAllister's case and that they were receiving no legal benefit. Id. at 48-49. McAllister further contended that he did not need permission from prison personnel to collect the affidavits. Id. at 64.
McAllister also argued that rule 113.15 is ambiguous because it does not list the specific items which, if found in an inmate's possession, would violate the rule. Dkt. No. 74-3, Exh. A, at 54. Finally, to the extent it can be determined from the hearing transcript, McAllister objected to the SHU procedures for handling his personal property. Id. at 70.
At the conclusion of the hearing, Call informed McAllister that he would be considering testimony from a confidential witness. Dkt. No. 73-3, Exh. A, at 13, 38, 73. McAllister objected to consideration of confidential testimony without being informed of the contents. Id. at 74. Finally, McAllister declined to call the inmates that he had requested as witnesses. Id. at 37, 71.
Call found McAllister guilty of violating prison rules 113.15 and 180.17. Dkt. No. 74-3, Exh. A, at 8-9, 76. He imposed a penalty of three months in SHU and three months loss of privileges. Id. at 8. Call relied upon the misbehavior report, the confidential testimony, the packet of legal work containing the other inmates' affidavits, and McAllister's testimony and statements. Id. at 9.
The disciplinary determination was reversed upon administrative appeal on the ground that the evidence failed to support a finding of guilt. Dkt. No. 74-3, Exh. B, at 79; Exh. C, at 81. In May 2010, McAllister commenced this action pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983.
McAllister argues that Call violated his rights under (1) the First Amendment, by (a) retaliating against him by finding him guilty and (b) hindering his access to the courts;(2) the Eighth Amendment, by imposing a three-month SHU assignment, plus ten additional days following reversal of the disciplinary hearing; and (3) the Fourteenth Amendment, because (a) he was given insufficient notice of the charges against him, (b) he was denied advance notice of the use of a confidential witness, (c) he was forced to spend approximately fifty-two days in SHU as a result of the misbehavior report, (d) Call failed to follow certain DOCCS directives and prison regulations, (e) Call demonstrated bias against him during the Tier III hearing and prejudged his guilt, and (f) he was denied equal protection.
A motion for summary judgment may be granted if there is no genuine issue as to any material fact, it was supported by affidavits or other suitable evidence, and the moving ...
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