Judge Immune From § 1983 Action by Judge Immune From § 1983 Action The U.S. Supreme Court held that an Indiana circuit judge acting under Indiana law was immune from liability under 42 U.S.C. 1983, even if he issued an erroneous ruling. A woman and her husband filed suit under …
Evidentiary Hearing Required for Legal Mail Rights by The Seventh Circuit held that federal prisoners' First Amendment rights with regard to mail inspection by prison officials warranted an evidentiary hearing. Christopher John Martin and Brett C. Kimberlin sought to enjoin the practice of prison officials treating all incoming mail as …
Indiana Prisoners Win Censorship Suit on Communist Literature and Nude Photos by Indiana prisoners Win Censorship Suit on Communist Literature and Nude Photos A U.S. District Court in South Bend, Indiana held that the Indiana State Prison violated prisoners' right to due process, and unlawfully censored books, newspapers, magazines and …
Post-sentence Report Adequate Where Pre-sentence Report Unavailable by The U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals held that a post-sentence report was an adequate substitute for a pre-sentence report where the latter was unavailable. Kendall Warner was convicted in 1985 of sending threatening communications through the mail, 18 U.S.C. §876, ¶ …
$210,000 Awarded Indiana Guard for Retaliation by Supervisors by An Indiana federal jury awarded guard Nancy Spiegla $210,000 in a lawsuit alleging retaliation for her protected speech rights. Spiegla had worked at Indiana's Westville Correctional Facility since 1985. She was known as a stickler for applying rules, and for years …
Indigents Cannot be Denied Post-Conviction Transcripts or Appeals by The United States Supreme Court held that a state may not deny post-conviction appellate review to a prisoner, who could not afford the to acquire a transcript of the proceedings. Oddly, this case stems from the 1945 Indiana enactment of the …
Disciplinary Conviction, Loss of Good Time Upheld by The U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals denied habeas corpus review to a prisoner appealing disciplinary segregation and loss of good time credits. Richie Rivera, a prisoner at the Indiana State Prison (ISP), was sanctioned by the conduct adjustment board (CAB) with …
Prison Doctor, Administrators Not Indifferent; Prison Nurse Was by The U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals held that an Indiana prisoner's complaint stated a claim for deliberate indifference to a serious medical need against a prison nurse but did not state a claim against either the prison's physician or administrators. …
$35,000 Award In Indiana Prison Guard Gender Discrimination Suit by On April 18, 2002 an Indiana federal jury awarded Johnana Horn, a prison lieutenant at the Wabash Valley Prison, a $35,000 verdict for gender discrimination by her employer the Department Of Corrections (DOC). In 1998 Horn was working the night …
Not Allowing Prisoner to View Disciplinary Video Upheld by The petitioner was disciplined for stealing a mattress, as supposedly revealed by a videotape; he was not permitted to see the videotape because prison officials "did not want the offenders to know the capabilities of the cameras for security reasons." The …
Delousing Shampoo Process Upheld by A Johnson County, Indiana, jail policy requiring incoming inmates to use a delousing shampoo did not violate their due process right to be free from unwanted medical treatment. The court assumes without deciding that use of the shampoo constitutes medical treatment and says that the …
Prison Officials Cannot Refuse to Process Grievances by The plaintiff's injunctive claims against prison officials are moot because he has been transferred to another prison. Use of Force (815): The plaintiff's allegation that officers used excessive and unnecessary force against him states a claim. Medical Care--Standards of Liability--Deliberate Indifference (816): …
79 Day Indiana Death Row Lockdown Upheld by The plaintiffs alleged that a 79-day lockdown of a death row unit after a death row prisoner was murdered during recreation violated their rights. Although the case was removed from state court, the district court holds it must screen it under 28 …
Indiana Handcuff Injury Suit Dismissed by The plaintiff refused to allow his handcuffs to be removed on re-entering his cell, so the defendant officers pulled his hands through the cuff port of the cell door and then removed the handcuffs, against the plaintiff's resistance, causing a cut to his left …
Indiana Guard States Retaliation Claim by The district court should not have dismissed a correction officer's claim that after she voiced concern to a higher-level supervisor about a new policy not to search state vehicles entering the prison, and reported her observation of two staff members transferring material from private …
Indiana Prisoner Raped By Staff Ordered to Amend Complaint by Since Indiana has a tort claims act, plaintiff's allegation that defendants took a watch from him does not state a due process claim. At 972: "Denying an inmate nutritious food may constitute an Eighth Amendment violation, but conditions that would …
$54,000 Attorney Fees Awarded in Indiana Disability Discrimination Suit by An Indiana federal district court has awarded $54,000 in attorney fees and costs in a prisoner's disability discrimination lawsuit. The award came after a $5,000 summary judgment settlement between the parties. James Kennington was arrested and booked into Indiana's Marion …
No Absolute Immunity for Parole Officials by The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower court's dismissal of a suit against several parole officials, finding they were not entitled to absolute immunity. In 1990, Lance Dawson was convicted of Indiana criminal charges and placed on probation for 3 years, …
Correctional Institution's Security Concerns Can Override Rights To Free Speech, Political Expression by Correctional Institution's Security Concerns Can Override Rights To Free Speech, Political Expression Indiana State prisoner Eric Smith appealed the 2005 dismissal of his complaint for constitutional violation of right to free speech by Department of Corrections (DOC) …
Jail Rape Claim Fails for Lack of Notice to Jailers by The plaintiff was raped by other prisoners. He had previously told officers that he was "having problems in the block," and his mother said she told an unidentified jail employee shortly before the assault that her son had been …
