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Fourth Circuit Reinstates Virginia Prisoner’s Spoliation Motion for Lost Video of His Alleged Assault by Guards
by David M. Reutter
On July 25, 2022, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit held that a district court in Virginia abused its discretion by implicitly overruling a prisoner’s spoliation objections when several critical issues were left unresolved by the magistrate judge.
The Court’s …
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More from this issue:
- Convictions at Any Cost: DOJ Report Slams Three Decades of Snitches and Due Process Violations in California’s Orange County, by Benjamin Tschirhart
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- New BOP Director Clears Up First Step Act Implementation, by Benjamin Tschirhart
- Incarcerated People Have Few Ways to Fight Back Against Censorship in Prisons, by Tamar Sarai
- Burning Tires Left Louisiana Prisoners With Migraines, Breathing Problems, and Minimal Medical Care As black smoke poured out of a burning tire dump in Louisiana, people inside the prison next door struggled to keep the fumes out., by Alleen Brown
- Ninth Circuit Says Statements Relayed at Criminal Trial By Nurse and Doctor Are Admissible, Not Hearsay, by David Reutter
- $959,000 Paid by Pennsylvania County in Deaths of Two Detainees, Plus at Least $750,000 from PrimeCare, by Ashleigh Dye
- Fourth Circuit Reinstates Virginia Prisoner’s Spoliation Motion for Lost Video of His Alleged Assault by Guards, by David Reutter
- Federal Judge in Pennsylvania Rules BOP Must Honor Transgender Prisoner’s Legal Name Change, by Casey Bastian
- Tenth Circuit Says Prison Work Assignment Covered Under ADA Protections, by Kevin Bliss
- Seventh Circuit: Indiana Prisoner Who Failed to Formalize Grievance Also Failed to Exhaust Remedies, by David Reutter
- Investigation Reveals “Black Market in Broad Daylight” for Prison Food, by Benjamin Tschirhart
- Record Deaths at Rikers Island Blamed on Guards’ Absenteeism, Abuse and Corruption, by Anthony Accurso, David Reutter
- $20,000 Paid by Centurion and MHM Health Professionals to Arizona Prisoner for Alleged Deliberate Indifference and Medical Negligence, by Jacob Barrett
- Third Circuit Strips Qualified Immunity From Delaware Guards Who Held Mentally Ill Prisoner in Solitary for Seven Months, by David Reutter
- Too Many Alabama Prisoners Still Dying with Too-Few Guards, Many Corrupt, by Jo Ellen Nott
- Former Tennessee Police Chief Sentenced to Six Years for Abusing Arrestees, by Kevin Bliss
- Florida Jailers Leave Detainees Out of Evacuation Plans During Hurricane, by David Reutter
- Ninth Circuit Revives Failure-to-Protect Claim of Arizona Prisoner Beaten by Gang, by David Reutter
- Ninth Circuit Says California Felons Can Fight Fires While Imprisoned, But Not After, by Benjamin Tschirhart
- Arizona DOC Accused of Cheating Both Guards and Prisoners Out of Hourly Wages, by Keith Sanders
- Fourth Circuit Says Prisoners with Gender Dysphoria not Excluded from ADA Protection, by Harold Hempstead
- Former Texas Prisoner Wins 12-Year Fight for Justice, by Kevin Bliss
- Arizona Resumes Executions, by Eike Blohm, MD, Chuck Sharman
- Student Loan Debt and Prisoners, by Edward Lyon
- After Federal Judge Censors Lawyer’s Tweets About CoreCivic, Company Settles Suit Over Tennessee Prisoner’s Murder by Cellmate, by Harold Hempstead
- New Report Estimates U.S. Prisons Hold Nearly 50,000 People in Solitary Confinement, by Jennifer Taylor
- Virginia Supreme Court Upholds Derivative Sovereign Immunity for Jail Physician, by Matthew Clarke
- Fourth Circuit Says Three-Strikes Federal Prisoner’s Imminent Danger Claim Must Be Evaluated on ‘Totality of Circumstances’, by Benjamin Tschirhart
- Nevada Federal Court Says Prisoner’s § 1983 Suit Should’ve Been a Habeas Petition, But Returns Filing Fee, by David Reutter
- Fifth Circuit: No Qualified Immunity for Mississippi Sheriffs in Suit Over Mentally Ill Man’s Years-long Unlawful Detention, by Matthew Clarke
- Georgia Jails Faulted in Struggle With High COVID-19 Infection Rates, by Kevin Bliss
- PLN Contributor’s Retaliation Suit Against Oregon Prison Officials Survives, by Jacob Barrett
- Seventh Circuit Trims What Indiana Prisoner Owes Jail Doctor in Lost Lawsuit, by David Reutter
- Prisoner Health Update: Hepatitis C, by Eike Blohm, MD
- Under New Mississippi Law, State Chooses Execution Method, by David Reutter
- Florida Makes Parolees Criminally Liable for Accidental Voter Registration Fraud, by David Reutter
- Award Slashed for Delaware Prisoner Sexually Groped by Guard, by Kevin Bliss
- Oklahoma Jail Guard Gets 46 Months for Setting Up White Supremacist Attack on Black Detainees, by David Reutter
- Federal Judge Refuses to Shorten Corruption Sentence for Former Head of New York City Jail Guards’ Union, by Matthew Clarke
- DOJ Releases Special Report on U.S. Prison COVID-19 Response, by Eike Blohm, MD
- Former Judges in Pennsylvania ‘Kids for Cash’ Scandal Must Pay $206 Million in Damages, by Ashleigh Dye
- $60,000 Paid by Pennsylvania County to Jail Detainee Savagely Beaten by Cellmate While Guards Allegedly Ignored Cries for Help, by Benjamin Tschirhart
- $300,000 Paid by Colorado to Prisoner Sexually Harassed by Guard with Foot Fetish, by Harold Hempstead
- $98,000 Paid by BOP to Immigrant Detainees Racially Profiled as Terrorists in New York City Lockup, by Kevin Bliss
- $480,000 Paid by California County to Detainee Whose Newborn Died After Guards Stopped at Starbucks en Route to Hospital, by Ashleigh Dye
- Former BOP Warden Convicted of Sexually Abusing Prisoners in California ‘Rape Club’ Scandal, by Kevin Bliss
- Fifth Circuit Denies Qualified Immunity to Mississippi Cops Who Let Injured Hemophiliac Bleed Out in Jail, by Matthew Clarke
- News in Brief
More from David Reutter:
- Eight Circuit Reverses Denial of Partial Qualified Immunity in Detainee’s Pepper Ball Claim, Remands Excessive Force Claims, Sept. 1, 2026
- Nevada Prisoners, Families Call Out Predatory Tablet Program, Sept. 1, 2026
- Fourth Circuit: Error in Granting Judgment Prior to Adjudging Spoliation Motion, Sept. 1, 2026
- Fourth Circuit Affirms Qualified Immunity in Strip Searches Resulting from Anonymous Tips, Sept. 1, 2026
- Tenth Circuit: Colorado Governor Unentitled to Eleventh Amendment Immunity on Claim Related to DOC Religious Policies, Aug. 1, 2026
- Michigan Appeals Court: Witnesses Cannot be Forced to Wear Jail Clothes at Trial, Aug. 1, 2026
- Sixth Circuit Affirms Denial of State-Law Qualified Immunity in Scabies Case, Aug. 1, 2026
- Fourth Circuit Revives Disabled Prisoner’s Claim for Denial of Out-of-Cell Exercise Time, Aug. 1, 2026
- Sixth Circuit Announces State-Law Exceptions to Appeal Deadlines Preserve “Pending” Status Under AEDPA, Holding Belated-Appeal Procedures Toll Federal Habeas Limitations Period, April 1, 2026
- Florida Supreme Court Announces Rule 3.170(f)’s Good-Cause Plea-Withdrawal Standard Does Not Apply at Post-Appeal Resentencing, April 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- Wave of Staff Arrests Exposes Persistent Misconduct at South Carolina Jail, Sept. 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, Jail Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Obstruction of Justice.
- Eight Circuit Reverses Denial of Partial Qualified Immunity in Detainee’s Pepper Ball Claim, Remands Excessive Force Claims, Sept. 1, 2026. Guard Brutality/Beatings, Stun Guns/Tasers, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Qualified Immunity, Wrongful Use of Force.
- Four Massachusetts Guards Face Charges for Assault on Prisoners During Brawl, Sept. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings.
- Last of 11 Guards Sentenced in Death of New York Prisoner, Sept. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), False Statements/Perjury, Obstruction of Justice.
- $500,000 for Mentally Ill Detainee Beaten by Guard at Ohio Jail, Sept. 1, 2026. Guard Brutality/Beatings, Summary Judgment, Settlements, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Monell Liability.
- Troubled Illinois Lockup Sees Guard Abuses, Prisoners on Hunger Strike, Sept. 1, 2026. Hunger Strikes, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Restraints, Administrative Detention/Segregation.
- Buried in Plain Sight: How Digital Discovery Turns Disclosure Itself Into Concealment, Aug. 15, 2026. Videotaping, Suppression of Identity Evidence, Eyewitness Identification, Withholding of Exculpatory Evidence.
- At Least Three Guards Charged for Assaulting Two Massachusetts Prisoners, Aug. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Assaults on Staff, Wrongful Use of Force.
- Ombudsman Report Finds Use of Force Misapplied in Contraband Search, Aug. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Failure to Treat, Body Cavity Searches, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas.
- $1.2 Million for Elderly Detainee Shoved Out the Door of Sacramento Jail by Guard, Aug. 1, 2026. Guard Brutality/Beatings, Americans with Disabilities Act, Rehabilitation Act, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights.

