Ex Post Facto Parole Claim Can Be Brought Under § 1983 by The plaintiff challenged the retroactive application of new parole eligibility regulations under the Ex Post Facto Clause. That claim is not barred by Heck and Balisok since a challenge to eligibility rules does not "necessarily imply" the invalidity …
Resisting Arrest Doesn't Bar Excessive Force Suit against Police by It is clearly established that using substantial force without any prior inquiry against an already subdued unarmed and unresisting individual violates the Fourth Amendment. The plaintiff's conviction for resisting arrest does not foreclose the possibility of a finding of excessive …
Parole Retaliation Suit Dismissed by The plaintiff alleged that prosecutors reneged on a plea bargain by failing to submit favorable letters to the parole board and instead submitting unfavorable letters, and that the parole board retaliated against him for having filed federal court litigation. The plaintiff's claim for breach of …
Ohio Religious Grievance Process Doesn't Exhaust Claim by The plaintiff, who declared himself Jewish in prison, was denied various religious accommodations on the ground that he was "not Jewish enough." He used the general inmate grievance procedure, rather than the separate religious accommodation grievance procedure, and consequently did not exhaust. …
Cash Only Bail Violates Ohio Constitution by The Ohio Supreme Court held that cash-only bail violates Article I, Section 9, of the Ohio Constitution and Crim.R.46. On May 16, 2001, Gary Smith was arrested for the shooting of four individuals and his bond was set at $250,000. One of the …
RLUIPA Kouplock Injunction Reversed; Deference to Prison Officials Required by David Reutter By David M. Reutter The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has reversed an Ohio federal district court's temporary injunction that allowed a Native American Indian prisoner to grow and maintain a kouplock. The district court, using RLUIPA as …
Tight Handcuffs, Exposure to Heat in Police Car Actionable by At 944-45: The right to be free from "excessively forceful handcuffing" is a clearly established right for qualified immunity purposes, . . . and applying handcuffs so tightly that the detainee's hands become numb and turn blue certainly raises concerns …
OH Prisoner's Criminal Retaliation Conviction Reversed by In April of 2000, Justin Farthing, an Ohio state prisoner, sent a letter to another prisoner at the Pickaway Correctional Institution in Pickaway County, Ohio. The letter suggested that they both rape his former parole officer, Susan Johnson, who'd violated Farthings parole on …
Registration Requirements Expanded to Non-Sex Crimes and Unconvicted Offenses by Matthew Clarke by Matthew T. Clarke Ohio and Illinois have recently expanded the scope of persons required to register with the state as sex offenders to include persons who have never been charged with or convicted of a sex crime. …
Prosecutors Check Prospective Jurors’ Background, Hoping to Disqualify Them by Prosecutors Check Prospective Jurors' Background, Hoping to Disqualify Them An Ohio murder case has exposed a new tactic that prosecutors are using to disqualify potential jurors -- the use of a federal criminal records database to run background checks. Timothy …
OH Jail Injunction Affirmed by The court of appeals for the Sixth circuit affirmed an injunction and declaratory judgment finding conditions in the Lucas county jail in Ohio to be unconstitutional. The court held that federal court abstention was not appropriate and the ordering of relief which required the county …
Lucas County, OH Jail Conditions Unconstitutional by A federal district court held that conditions of confinement in the Lucas County jail in Ohio were unconstitutional. Ruling and injunction were affirmed at Jones v. Metzger, 456 F.2d 854 (6th Cir. 1972). See: Jones v. Metzger, 323 F. Supp. 93 (ND OH …
Right to Complain Clearly Established by The court of appeals for the Sixth circuit affirmed a district court ruling that an Ohio prisoner's First amendment rights were violated when he was infracted and punished for sending a petition signed by other prisoners complaining of guard harassment to the warden. The …
PLRA Controls Hourly Rate of Attorney Fees by The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio held that the maximum hourly rates for attorney fees in prison litigation is controlled by the Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA), and the rate for Ohio had not been increased by the …
Exculpatory DNA Evidence Insufficient for New Trial by The Eighth District Court of Appeals of Ohio, in a split decision, has reversed the grant of a new trial to an Ohio prisoner by the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas. Frederick Luckett, an Ohio prisoner, was convicted at jury trial …
Reimbursement of Prison Guard's Legal Expenses Denied Despite Verdict by The Ohio Court of Claims, in a case of first impression, denied an Ohio prison guard reimbursement of legal expenses he incurred defending himself in a prisoner's civil rights suit, despite the return of a "not guilty" verdict by a …
Clemency Proceedings Require Only Rudimentary Due Process by The United States Supreme Court, affirming Ohio's clemency procedures, held that the due process requirements for clemency hearings are rudimentary. Eugene Woodard was convicted of murder in the course of carjacking and was sentenced to death. Forty-five days prior to his scheduled …
Abstention Doctrine Discussed by The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals held that a federal court may not abstain from jurisdiction over a case because resolution of a federal question may result in the overturning of a state policy. This action brought by the next of kin of four young people …
Court Not Obligated to Pay Indigent Prisoner's Witness Fees by The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit held that an indigent prisoner pursuing a civil rights action was responsible for his own witness fees. Willard Johnson brought an in forma pauperis (IFP) civil rights action against two psychiatrists …
Unlawful Withdrawal of Prisoner's Funds Warrants Only Nominal Damages by The U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed an Ohio federal district court decision awarding only nominal damages to a state prisoner in an action alleging that Ohio corrections officials unlawfully withdrew money from the prisoner's account. Kenneth Brown, a …
