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No Immunity for Smoke Exposure
Loaded on April 15, 1998
published in Prison Legal News
April, 1998, page 20
The court of appeals for the fifth circuit held that prison officials were not entitled to qualified immunity for exposing a prisoner to Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS, AKA second hand smoke). Raymond Rochon, a Louisiana state prisoner, filed suit claiming various prison, state and city officials had violated his eighth …
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More from this issue:
- Rural Prison as Colonial Master, by Christian Parenti
- French Robertson Prisoner Wins Suit
- Texas Warden Not Victim of Staff Assault, by T.Q.
- In Memory - Reverends Ernest Bromley and Maurice McCrackin, by John Perotti
- Mystery of Guard's Death Unlocked, by B K
- From the Editor, by Dan Pens
- Weights Banned in California, by Willie Wisely
- The Limits of the Law, by Mumia Abu-Jamal
- Third Circuit Applies ADA to Prisoners; Supreme Court Grants Review
- Even Nominal Damages May Justify Attorney Fee Award
- $9,500 Award for Involuntary Psychotropic Drugging Affirmed
- MA and WA Parole Suits Not Cognizable Under § 1983
- Folsom New Year's Riot Over Haircut Policy
- Community Notification Upheld by Three Circuits
- $1.1 Million Award in Sexual Assault
- Failure to Protect Informant Claim Set for Trial
- $225,000 Jury Award in CDC Shooting Affirmed
- BOP Sentence Reductions Cannot Be Denied Based Upon Firearm Enhancements
- BJS Reports Prison Litigation Statistics
- PLRA Termination Provisions Constitutional
- Prolonged SHU Confinement May Implicate Liberty Interest But No Damages
- BOP Exceeds Statutory Authority in Denying Sentence Reduction
- News in Brief
- Pretrial Detainees Not Covered by FLSA
- Damage Award and Attorney Fees in Censorship Suit Affirmed
- U.S. Liable for Loss of Prisoner's Property
- 4th Circuit Establishes Detainee Excessive Force Standard
- PA DOC Not 'Victim' for Restitution Purposes
- Heck Applied to Segregation Claims
- No Immunity for Hearing Officer's Failure to Examine CI Credibility
- No Immunity in Jail Suicide for Medical Contractor
- $450,000 Award in Sexual Assault Case Not Excessive
- 5th Cir. Holds IFP Dismissals Are With Prejudice
- No Immunity for Smoke Exposure
- Florida Prisoners Have Property Interest Under DOC Rules
- Refusal to Waive Interest States Claim
- Alaska Computer Printer Ban Questioned
- Conditions in Camden County Jail Unconstitutional
More from these topics:
- $2.75 Million Paid by Washington County and NaphCare for Jail Detainee’s Suicide, April 1, 2026. Naphcare, Qualified Immunity, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Suicides, Deliberate Indifference.
- $10.3 Million Paid for Teen’s Death at Kansas Juvenile Detention Facility, April 1, 2026. Restraints, Qualified Immunity, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Wrongful Use of Force.
- Eighth Circuit Revives Case Against Guards Who Failed to Intervene As Chaplain Sexually Assaulted Arkansas Prisoner, March 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Failure to Protect (General), Prison Rape Elimination Act, Qualified Immunity, Failure to Train/Supervise.
- Sixth Circuit Revives Michigan Prisoner’s Challenge to Guard Tackle That Broke His Foot, March 1, 2026. Evidentiary Ruling (Disciplinary Hearings), Guard Brutality/Beatings, Summary Judgment, Qualified Immunity, Wrongful Use of Force.
- Louisiana Prisoner Sustains Claim Against Prison Doctor for Allowing Assignment to “Field Duty” Despite Known Ankle Injury, March 1, 2026. Inability to Work, Skeletal Injury, Summary Judgment, Qualified Immunity, Deliberate Indifference.
- Tenth Circuit Affirmed Denial of Guards Qualified Immunity in Disabled Detainee’s Fourteenth Amendment Claim, March 1, 2026. Failure to Treat, Qualified Immunity, Fourteenth Amendment, rights, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Deliberate Indifference.
- Michigan Claws Back $1.2 Million Paid to Wrongfully Convicted Former Prisoner, Feb. 1, 2026. Police Misconduct, Wrongful Imprisonment, Qualified Immunity, Forensic Sciences, Fabrication of Evidence.
- Ninth Circuit: Notice of Appeal of Order Denying Qualified Immunity Must Be Filed Within 30 Days of Entry, Feb. 1, 2026. Liberty Interests, Evidence, Qualified Immunity, Fourteenth Amendment, rights.
- Sixth Circuit Affirms Denial of Qualified Immunity for Michigan Jailer Accused of Retaliatory Assault, Jan. 1, 2026. Retaliation, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Qualified Immunity, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Deliberate Indifference.
- $600,000 Awarded So Far in Disgraced Georgia Sheriff’s Trial for Abusing Detainee in Restraint Chair, Jan. 1, 2026. Exposure to Cold, Restraints, Qualified Immunity, Damages - Compensatory, Wrongful Use of Force.

