Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca10-91-03317/USCOURTS-ca10-91-03317-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 550
Nature of Suit: Prisoner - Civil Rights (U.S. defendant)
Cause of Action: 

---

FI .L I'..1 1) United Statl!S Coart (!f Ap~ab UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS 'f',.... '-- ,.. ~- ~. 

TENTH CIRCUIT 

LOREN LEE WHISNANT, ) 

) 

Plaintiff-Appellant, ) 

) 

vs. ) 

) 

ROBERT T. STEPHAN; GARY STOTTS; ) 

D. McCONE; GARY RAYL; RAYMOND ROBERTS; ) 

CALLISON, Warden; STUPAR, Assistant ) 

Warden; BUFORD, Assistant Warden; ) 

JOHN W. RUTLEDGE; C.E. McCRAY; LENNY ) 

EWELL; DAVID SHIPMAN; JOHN STEWART; ) 

TIMMY KING, ) 

) 

Defendants-Appellees. ) 

ORDER AND JUDGMENT* 

APR 1 4 1992 

ROBE!tT L. HOECKER 

Clerk 

No. 91-3317 

(D.C. No. 91-CV-3281-S) 

( D. Kan.) 

Before SEYMOUR, ANDERSON and BALDOCK, Circuit Judges.** 

Plaintiff-appellant Loren Lee Whisnant, a Kansas prison 

inmate, appeals from the district court's dismissal of his 42 

U.S.C. § 1983 civil rights action. Plaintiff sought injunctive 

relief and damages stemming from prison officials' allegedly 

unconstitutional actions in terminating his prison employment, 

* This order and judgment has no precedential value and shall 

not be cited, or used by any court within the Tenth Circuit, 

except for purposes of establishing the doctrines of the law of 

the case, res judicata, or collateral estoppel. 10th Cir. R. 36.3. 

** After examining the briefs and appellate record, this panel 

has determined unanimously that oral argument would not materially 

assist the determination of this appeal. See Fed. R. App. P. 

34(a); 10th Cir. R. 34.1.9. The cause therefore is ordered 

submitted without oral argument. 

Appellate Case: 91-3317 Document: 010110242307 Date Filed: 04/14/1992 Page: 1
providing unsafe working conditions and housing him with violent 

offenders. The district court dismissed his prose complaint as 

frivolous pursuant to 28 u.s.c. § 1915(d). 

Plaintiff does not have a legal interest in his claims of 

workplace safety violations, and his employment termination claim 

does not state a basis for relief under any arguable legal theory. 

The district court's dismissal under 28 u.s.c. § 1915(d) of these 

two claims therefore was appropriate. See Hall v. Bellman, 935 

F.2d 1106, 1109 (10th Cir. 1991) (pursuant to§ 1915(d), court may 

dismiss as frivolous claims alleging legal interests that do not 

exist, claims based on inarguable legal theories, and claims based 

on implausible factual allegations). 

Regarding Plaintiff's final claim, we note that the failure 

of prison officials to protect inmates from attacks by other 

inmates may rise to the level of an Eighth Amendment violation. 

See Harris v. Maynard, 843 F.2d 414, 416 (10th Cir. 1988); 

Blankenship v. Meachum, 840 F.2d 741, 742 (10th Cir. 1988). 

However, plaintiff's allegations regarding both the housing 

arrangements and the deliberate indifference of the prison 

officials are vague and conclusory. See Harris, 843 F.2d at 416 

(prison officials' conduct must amount to a "wanton or obdurate 

disregard of or deliberate indifference to the prisoner's 

[safety]"). Construing plaintiff' s pleadings liberally as 

required under Haines v. Kerner, 404 U.S. 519, 520 (1972), we are 

satisfied that plaintiff could not possibly obtain relief under 

the facts alleged. Therefore, sua sponte dismissal under Fed. R. 

-2-

Appellate Case: 91-3317 Document: 010110242307 Date Filed: 04/14/1992 Page: 2
Civ. P. 12(b)(6) is appropriate. See McKinney v. Department of 

Human Services, 925 F.2d 363, 365 (10th Cir. 1991) (citing Baker 

v. Director, 916 F.2d 725, 726 (D.C. Cir. 1990) (per curiam)). 

In the absence of "a rational argument on the law or the 

facts," Plaintiff's request to proceed in forma pauperis is 

DENIED, and the appeal is DISMISSED. See Coppedge v. United 

States, 369 U.S. 438, 448 (1962); 28 U.S.C. § 1915(d). 

SO ORDERED. 

-3-

Entered for the Court 

Bobby R. Baldock 

Circuit Judge 

Appellate Case: 91-3317 Document: 010110242307 Date Filed: 04/14/1992 Page: 3