Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-azd-2_09-cv-00327/USCOURTS-azd-2_09-cv-00327-2/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 555
Nature of Suit: Prisoner - Prison Condition
Cause of Action: 42:1983 Prisoner Civil Rights

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1

Plaintiff has since been transferred to the ASPC-Yuma, Cibola Unit in San Luis,

Arizona (Doc. 41).

2

Upon screening, the Court dismissed Senior Chaplain Webster as a Defendant (Doc.

3). Defendant Chaplain William Whittenberger was dismissed for failure to serve (Doc. 23).

JDN

WO

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA

John Daniel McReaken, 

Plaintiff, 

vs.

Dora B. Schriro, et al.,

Defendants. 

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No. CV 09-0327-PHX-DGC (MHB)

ORDER

Plaintiff John Daniel McReaken brought this civil rights action under 42 U.S.C.

§ 1983 against various Arizona Department of Corrections (ADC) officials (Doc. 1). Before

the Court are Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment (Doc. 44) and Plaintiff’s Motion

for Order to Transfer Retention Funds (Doc. 47). The Court will grant Defendants’ motion,

deny Plaintiff’s motion as moot, and terminate the action.

I. Background

Plaintiff’s claim arose during his confinement at the Arizona State Prison Complex

(ASPC)-Yuma, Cheyenne Unit in San Luis, Arizona (Doc. 1 at 1).1

 He sued former ADC

Director Dora Schriro, Warden Jerry Sterns, and Deputy Warden James Franco (id.).2

Plaintiff is a Wiccan, and in his Complaint he alleged that Defendants’ “religious

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3

The Court issued a Notice, required under Rand v. Rowland, 154 F.3d 952, 962 (9th

Cir. 1998), informing Plaintiff of his obligation to respond to Defendants’ motion (Doc. 46).

4

The Court rejects Defendants’ argument that because PSOF does not include

corresponding numbered paragraphs opposing each of one of their paragraphs, their entire

DSOF should be deemed admitted (Doc. 59 at 1-2). PSOF clearly establishes disputes with

DSOF; thus, in light of Plaintiff’s pro se status, the Court will consider his PSOF. See

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discrimination and favoritism” violated his Fourteenth Amendment equal protection rights

(id. at 3; Doc. 58, Ex. 3, Pl. Decl. ¶ 3). Plaintiff claimed that the ADC policy governing

inmates’ religious activities—Department Order (DO) 904—provides Native American

inmates dedicated land upon which to perform their religious ceremonies and these

ceremonies may not be interrupted except for legitimate security concerns (Doc. 1 at 3). He

alleged that this policy discriminates against non-Native Americans because his religious

group is required to hold its ceremonies in an open recreation yard with no privacy and his

group’s religious services are frequently interrupted by detention officers (id.). Plaintiff

averred that this difference in treatment is based on a policy established by Schriro and,

although they have the power to do so, neither Sterns nor Franco made any effort to correct

the discriminatory practice through the issuance of Institutional Orders (id.). Plaintiff sued

for money damages and injunctive relief (id. at 6).

II. Pending Motions

Defendants move for summary judgment on the grounds that (1) Schriro did not enact

the challenged portion of DO 904 as it was part of the policy before her tenure; (2) there is

no evidence of any discriminatory policy or practices related to Native American Sweat

Lodge ceremonies versus the Multi-faith gatherings that Plaintiff participated in; and

(3) Sterns and Franco have no authority to enact Institutional Orders (Doc. 44). In support

of their motion, Defendants submit a separate Statement of Facts (DSOF) and various

exhibits, including a copy of DO 904, numerous declarations, copies of grievances, and

depositions excerpts (Doc. 45, Exs. 3-13).

Plaintiff opposes Defendants’ motion (Doc. 57).3

 He submits his own separate

Statement of Facts (PSOF),4

 which is supported by deposition excerpts, declarations, and

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28 Thomas v. Ponder, 611 F.3d 1144, 1150 (9th Cir. 2010) (courts should avoid applying

summary judgment rules strictly against pro se inmates).

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copies of grievance documents (Doc. 58, Exs. 2-8).

Meanwhile, Plaintiff moves for injunctive relief in the form of an order directing the

ADC to transfer funds from Plaintiff’s retention account to his spendable account so that he

may access the funds to pay legal expenses (Doc. 47).

III. Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment

A. Legal Standards

1. Summary Judgment

A court must grant summary judgment “if the movant shows that there is no genuine

dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.”

Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a); see also Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322-23 (1986). Under

summary judgment practice, the movant bears the initial responsibility of presenting the basis

for its motion and identifying those portions of the record, together with affidavits, that it

believes demonstrate the absence of a genuine issue of material fact. Celotex, 477 U.S.

at 323.

If the movant meets its initial responsibility, the burden then shifts to the nonmovant

to demonstrate the existence of a factual dispute and that the fact in contention is material,

i.e., a fact that might affect the outcome of the suit under the governing law, and that the

dispute is genuine, i.e., the evidence is such that a reasonable jury could return a verdict for

the nonmovant. Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248, 250 (1986) ; see Triton

Energy Corp. v. Square D. Co., 68 F.3d 1216, 1221 (9th Cir. 1995). The nonmovant need

not establish a material issue of fact conclusively in its favor, First Nat’l Bank of Ariz. v.

Cities Serv. Co., 391 U.S. 253, 288-89 (1968); however, it must “come forward with specific

facts showing that there is a genuine issue for trial.” Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co., Ltd. v.

Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 587 (1986) (internal citation omitted).

At summary judgment, the judge’s function is not to weigh the evidence and

determine the truth, but to determine whether there is a genuine issue for trial. Anderson,

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477 U.S. at 249. In its analysis, the court must believe the nonmovant’s evidence and draw

all inferences in the nonmovant’s favor. Id. at 255.

2. Equal Protection

The Fourteenth Amendment Equal Protection Clause requires the State to treat all

similarly situated people equally and entitles each prisoner to “a reasonable opportunity of

pursuing his faith comparable to the opportunity afforded fellow prisoners who adhere to

conventional religious precepts.” Shakur v. Schriro, 514 F.3d 878, 891 (9th Cir. 2008)

(internal quotation omitted). To show a violation under the Equal Protection Clause, a

plaintiff must demonstrate that the defendant acted with a discriminatory intent or purpose

that was based upon the plaintiff’s membership in a protected class. Serrano v. Francis, 345

F.3d 1071, 1082 (9th Cir. 2003). A prisoner cannot prevail on an equal protection claim “if

the difference between the defendants’ treatment of him and their treatment of [other

religious] inmates is ‘reasonably related to legitimate penological interest.’” Shakur, 514

F.3d at 891 (internal quotation omitted); see Turner v. Safley, 482 U.S. 78, 89-90 (1987). 

B. Analysis

1. Schriro

The Court finds unavailing Defendants’ argument that Schriro cannot be liable for an

alleged unlawful ADC policy because she did not originally enact the policy. That she

maintained and carried out the policy is sufficient to establish liability if that policy caused

a constitutional deprivation (see Doc. 45, DSOF ¶¶ 36-37). See al-Kidd v. Ashcroft, 580

F.3d 949, 965 (9th Cir. 2009); Coronel v. Paul, 225 Fed. Appx. 575, at *1 (9th Cir. 2007)

(unpublished) (even though prison regulation at issue was already in place before the

defendants worked at the facility, they oversaw and carried out the regulation and were

therefore subject to supervisory liability based on personal participation) (cited pursuant to

Ninth Circuit Rule 36-3). 

2. Department Order 904

Department Order 904 governs both Multi-faith services and Native American Sweat

Lodge ceremonies (Doc. 45, DSOF ¶¶ 6-7; Doc. 58, PSOF ¶ 5). Multi-faith gatherings

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involve several different religious groups and their services are held once a week on the

recreation field. Each religious group meets in a separate area within the space designated

for the Multi-faith gatherings (DSOF ¶¶ 9-11; PSOF ¶¶ 6-7). The recreation field at the

Cheyenne Unit is in the center of the housing units and is a large area—it contains a softball

field, basketball court, and circuit training course (PSOF ¶ 8; DSOF ¶ 14). 

Sweat Lodge ceremonies are held once a month (DSOF ¶ 23). The sweat lodge is

located in a separate, designated location for safety and fire management reasons because the

ceremony involves building a fire and using heated rocks (id. ¶¶ 25-26). The sweat lodge

must be purified, and if a non-Native American enters, the sweat lodge cannot be used again

until purification is redone (id. ¶ 28). Therefore, if there is a security concern during a Sweat

Lodge ceremony, instead of entering the lodge, staff members have inmate-participants

vacate the area (id.). But under certain circumstances, such as an assault of an inmate, staff

will enter the sweat lodge when necessary (id. ¶ 29). 

There is a provision within DO 904 providing that Sweat Lodge ceremonies “shall not

be interrupted except for legitimate security concerns” (Doc. 45, Ex. 3, DO 904.04 § 1.4.1)

The provisions specific to Multi-faith gatherings do not include the same language limiting

interruptions to legitimate security concerns (id. §§ 1.4.2-1.4.4). Also, under DO 904, at any

prison facility with a sufficient number of Native American inmates, there must be a separate

site on which to construct a sweat lodge (id. § 1.4.1.1). The locations for Multi-faith

gatherings are arranged through the prison Chaplain and other officials and are usually

limited to the recreational areas (id. § 1.4.2; DSOF ¶ 9).

There is no question that these provisions treat Native American inmates differently

from similarly situated inmates of other faiths, like Plaintiff. Defendants contend that the

difference in treatment is due to past problems specific to Sweat Lodge ceremonies and

legitimate safety and security concerns (Doc. 44 at 3-5). They proffer the declaration of

Michael Linderman, the ADC Pastoral Administrator, who explains that the specific

language concerning interruption of Sweat Lodge ceremonies was added to DO 904 because

previously there were more interruptions to Sweat Lodge ceremonies solely due to the

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restricted view into the lodge structure (Doc. 45, Ex. 6, Linderman Decl. ¶ 21). Thus, the

specific language in the policy resulted from ADC’s attempt to correct problems with

unnecessary interruptions of Sweat Lodge ceremonies. This was a reasonable response by

ADC and served the legitimate objective of ensuring Native American inmates’ free exercise

rights while maintaining security needs. See Cutter v. Wilkinson, 544 U.S. 709, 722, 725

n. 13 (2005) (prison security is a compelling state interest, and accommodation of religious

activities should not be elevated over security needs); Hudson v. Palmer, 468 U.S. 517, 523

(1984) (“[p]risoners must be provided ‘reasonable opportunities’ to exercise their religious

freedom”). 

Defendants also describe how the locations for the Sweat Lodge ceremonies and for

the Multi-faith gatherings ensure safety and security (Doc. 45, Ex. 6, Linderman Decl. ¶¶ 15-

16). As mentioned, fire management needs require a separate, isolated location for the sweat

lodge (id.). In his declaration, Franco states that the perimeter of the sweat lodge is small

enough that staff can monitor most activities without entering it, but due to the size of the

recreation field, staff must monitor the Multi-faith gatherings from within and they approach

a group only if a security concern arises (id., Ex. 8, Franco Decl. ¶¶ 11, 13). Franco explains

that although inmates are searched when they enter the recreation field, given the location

of the field, it is possible for inmates who are not participating in the Multi-faith gathering

to pass items through the fence that surrounds the field to inmates inside after they have been

searched (id. ¶ 10). This evidence establishes that the differences in monitoring of the Sweat

Lodge ceremonies and Multi-faith gatherings is reasonably related to the attending security

concerns. See Overton v. Bazzetta, 539 U.S. 126, 132 (2003) (courts “must accord

substantial deference to the professional judgment of prison administrators, who bear a

significant responsibility for defining the legitimate goals of a corrections system and for

determining the most appropriate means to accomplish them”). In addition, Defendants

assert that no religious services—of any faith—are to be interrupted unless there is a

legitimate security concern, and any religious service may be interrupted if necessary for

security reasons (id., Ex. 5, Schriro Decl. ¶ 11; Ex. 6, Linderman Decl. ¶ 21). 

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Plaintiff does not challenge the purpose for the language in DO 904 precluding

interruptions of Sweat Lodge ceremonies, nor does he dispute that the separate location of

the sweat lodge serves fire management and safety needs or that there is a security risk

present during Multi-faith gatherings (see Doc. 58, PSOF). Instead, Plaintiff argues that—as

to the provisions governing Multi-faith gatherings—the lack of any specific language

precluding interruptions absent a legitimate security concern has led to intrusions by ADC

staff for minor violations or for no legitimate security reason (Doc. 57 at 4). He identifies

two specific instances when ADC staff interrupted his religious services: (1) in August 2007,

a ceremony was interrupted so staff could confiscate a contraband hair spray bottle; and

(2) on February 4, 2009, staff broke up a holy day celebration at about 7:00 p.m. and ordered

Plaintiff and other inmates back to their housing units despite a memorandum the inmates

held showing written authorization from Franco to conduct the ceremony up to 7:30 p.m.

(Doc. 58, Ex. 2, Pl. Dep. 23:12-25:11, June 30, 2010). Plaintiff also testifies that there were

regular minor intrusions, such as officers stepping in to monitor grooming regulations (id.,

Pl. Dep. 24-26). He proffers the sworn statements of two other prisoners who describe

similar interruptions to their Multi-faith religious services for reasons such as officers did not

know what the inmates were doing and inmates were being too loud (Doc. 58, Ex. 4,

Balsursson Decl. ¶¶ 4-7; Ex. 5, Esparza Decl. ¶¶ 3-7). 

Defendants submit sufficient evidence to demonstrate that the August 2007

interruption was pursuant to a legitimate security concern (Doc. 45, Exs. 10-11). Moreover,

in his deposition, Plaintiff admitted that the hair spray bottle was contraband (Doc. 58, Ex.

2, Pl. Dep. 23:3-4). Defendants acknowledge and do not explain the February 2009 early

termination of services by ADC staff, but there is no evidence that this isolated action was

due to a discriminatory policy or intent. See Serrano, 345 F.3d at 1082; see also Village of

Arlington Heights v. Metro. Housing Dev. Corp., 429 U.S. 252, 265 (1977) (proof of

discriminatory intent or motive is necessary to show a violation of the Equal Protection

Clause). Standing alone, Plaintiff’s allegation that “Defendants clearly acted with purpose

and intent to discriminate against all Arizona inmates who are not Native American Sweat

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5

Plaintiff also cites to the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act

(RLUIPA), 42 U.S.C. § 2000cc(a)(1), to support his claim for a separate ritual space for

Wiccan ceremonies (Doc. 57 at 5). Plaintiff did not raise a RLUIPA claim in his Complaint,

and he presents nothing to show that ADC’s policy amounts to a zoning regulation subject

to RLUIPA or that it imposes a substantial burden on his religious exercise. See 42 U.S.C.

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Lodge participants” is insufficient to create an issue of material fact (Doc. 57 at 6). See

Taylor v. List, 880 F.2d 1040, 1045-46 (9th Cir. 1989) (conclusory allegations insufficient

to defeat summary judgment). 

With respect to the other interruptions by staff, Plaintiff testified that they were

“minor interruptions. You know, nothing major,” and that “none of these are really highly

intrusive[.]” (Doc. 58, Ex. 2, Pl. Dep. 25:14-15, 26:20-21). There is no evidence that these

interruptions stemmed from a purposeful intent to discriminate against Plaintiff because of

his religion. See Village of Arlington Heights, 429 U.S. at 265. Nor is there any evidence

to show that Native American inmates do not experience comparable interruptions or

difficulties when practicing their religion. See McCollum v. California, 610 F. Supp. 2d

1053, 1057-58 (N.D. Cal. 2009) (refusing to accept Wiccan Chaplain’s assumption that

difficulties he encountered were not common to all volunteer clergy). Plaintiff has

established only that the minor interruptions result in some inconvenience and lack of privacy

(see Doc. 58, Ex. 3, Pl. Decl. ¶¶ 13, 15), which is significantly different from the

consequences of a sweat lodge intrusion that terminates the Sweat Lodge ceremony and

requires purification of the lodge before it can be used again (Doc. 45, Ex. 6, Linderman

Decl. ¶ 19). 

Plaintiff also fails to allege that ADC’s policy prevents him from practicing his

religion. See O’Lone v. Estate of Shabazz, 482 U.S. 342, 352 (1987) (that prisoners were

not deprived of “all means of expression,” but could participate in other religious

observances, supported the conclusion that the restrictions at issue were reasonable); Turner,

482 U.S. at 92. Indeed, he specifically testified that the policy has not denied him a

reasonable opportunity to exercise his faith (Doc. 58, Ex. 2, Pl. Dep. 34:2-6). Plaintiff seeks

to have a separate ritual area for Wiccan celebrations (Doc. 58, Ex. 3, Pl. Decl. ¶¶ 6, 10-11).5

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§ 2000cc(a)(1).

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Prisons are not required to provide identical facilities and resources to different faiths. They

need only make a “good faith accommodation of the [prisoners’] rights in light of practical

considerations.” Allen v. Toombs, 827 F.2d 563, 569 (9th Cir. 1987) (citation omitted); see

Cruz v. Beto, 405 U.S. 319, 322 n. 2 (1972). Defendants proffer evidence that ADC’s

Religious Advisory Committee—private citizens who advise ADC of the requirements to

fulfill the practice of each religion—includes a Wiccan member, and this Committee has

never advised that a separate area is necessary for Wiccan practices (Doc. 45, Ex. 6,

Linderman Decl. ¶¶ 22-24). Plaintiff does not respond to this evidence. In short, the fact

that DO 904 affords Native American inmates separate, designated land for ceremonies but

does not provide the same for Wiccan inmates does not amount to an equal protection

violation because Plaintiff retains a reasonable opportunity to practice his religion.

Defendants have established that the difference between ADC’s treatment of Plaintiff

and its treatment of Native American inmates—in terms of policy regulations governing

interruptions of services and space provided for services—is reasonably related to legitimate

penological interests. See Shakur, 514 F.3d at 891. Further, there is no evidence of

discriminatory intent. Plaintiff has failed to present specific facts or evidence to demonstrate

that a material factual dispute exists. Summary judgment is therefore warranted on Plaintiff’s

equal protection claim against Schriro based on DO 904.

3. Sterns and Franco

In light of the determination that DO 904 does not violate Plaintiff’s equal protection

rights, Sterns and Franco cannot be liable for failing to issue an Institutional Order to amend

the policy, even if they had the authority to do so. Accordingly, they are entitled to summary

judgment.

IV. Plaintiff’s Motion for Order to Transfer Retention Funds

Because this order grants summary judgment to Defendants and terminates the action,

Plaintiff’s request for injunctive relief is moot.

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IT IS ORDERED: 

(1) The reference is withdrawn as to Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment

(Doc. 44) and Plaintiff’s Motion for Order to Transfer Retention Funds (Doc. 47).

(2) Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment (Doc. 44) is granted.

(3) Plaintiff’s Motion for Order to Transfer Retention Funds (Doc. 47) is denied as

moot.

(4) The Clerk of Court must terminate this action and enter judgment accordingly. 

DATED this 23rd day of May, 2011.

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