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5th Circuit Upholds Prisoner’s Due Process Rights

On September 18, 2007, the 5th Circuit filed its decision in a civil rights action filed by Louisiana prisoner Richard Mahogany, Jr., against a number of Louisiana prison officials.
Mahogany filed his initial complaint pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 alleging his due process rights were violated in a disciplinary hearing when officials failed to provide him with a written statement of the evidence used against him. To resolve the issue, Mahogany requested the restoration of the good-time credits he lost in the hearing, the reversal and expungement of the disciplinary board’s decision finding him guilty, and monetary damages. The district court dismissed the complaint for failing to state a cognizable claim under §1983.

On appeal, the 5th Circuit reviewed the pertinent case law and affirmed the district court’s decision to dismiss Mahogany’s claim in regard to the outcome of the disciplinary proceeding. It was further determined, however, that the court erred in dismissing the due process claim and his right to monetary damages for that violation. Therefore, that aspect of the district court’s order was reversed and remanded for further proceedings. See: Mahogany v. Stalder, et al., 242 Fed. Appx. 261 (5th Cir. 2007).

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Related legal case

Mahogany v. Stalder