Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca4-15-01894/USCOURTS-ca4-15-01894-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 440
Nature of Suit: Other Civil Rights
Cause of Action: 

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UNPUBLISHED

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT

No. 15-1894

JAY CARPER,

Plaintiff - Appellant,

v.

CLAY COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH, Clay County Health Department; 

NANCY COTTRELL, Individually and As Acting Administrator of 

the Clay County Health Department; JOYCE MCLAUGHLIN, 

Individually and As President/Acting Director of Clay County 

Board of Health; LINDA KLOTZBACH, Individually and As Former 

Administrator of the Clay County Health Department; DR. LEELA 

PATEL, Individually and As An Employee or Local Health Officer 

of Clay County Health Department; CLAY COUNTY COMMISSION; MIKE 

PIERSON; JERRY LINKINOGGER; PETER TRIPLETT, Individually and 

As An Employee of the Clay County Clerk's Office,

Defendants – Appellees, 

and

GREGORY G. SKINNER, Senior Assistant Attorney General, State 

of West Virginia; LAURA S. RHODES, Director, The West Virginia 

Board of Examiners for Registered Professional Nurses; ANDY 

WADELL, Individually and As Poster and Publisher of the 

website, www.clayberry.org; DELTA COMMUNICATIONS, LLC, as the 

Owner and Operator of the Newspaper Known as “The 

Communicator” and the Owner and Operator of the Website, 

www.clayberry.org,

Defendants.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern 

District of West Virginia, at Charleston. Joseph R. Goodwin, 

District Judge. (2:14-cv-12114)

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Submitted: April 29, 2016 Decided: May 17, 2016

Before MOTZ and HARRIS, Circuit Judges, and DAVIS, Senior Circuit 

Judge.

Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinion.

Hiram C. Lewis, IV, LEWISLAW, Procious, West Virginia, for 

Appellant. Wendy E. Greve, PULLIN, FOWLER, FLANAGAN, BROWN & POE, 

PLLC, Charleston, West Virginia, for Appellees.

Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.

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PER CURIAM:

Jay Carper appeals the district court’s order granting 

summary judgment to Defendants — the Clay County Board of Health, 

the Clay County Commission, and certain current and former 

employees of these entities — on his 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (2012) 

complaint. We agree with the district court that Carper has not

supported his claims against Defendants because he presented no 

more than a scintilla of evidence that Defendants publicly 

disclosed the reason for his termination and that the allegations

resulting in his termination were false. See Dash v. Mayweather, 

731 F.3d 303, 311 (4th Cir. 2013) (providing standard). 

Accordingly, we affirm the district court’s judgment. Carper v. 

Clay Cty. Bd. of Health, No. 2:14-cv-12114 (S.D. W. Va. July 9, 

2015). We dispense with oral argument because the facts and legal 

contentions are adequately presented in the materials before this 

court and argument would not aid the decisional process.

AFFIRMED

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