Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca10-90-01021/USCOURTS-ca10-90-01021-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Robert M. Cooke
Appellee
Roger W. Persons
Appellant

Document Text:

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UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS 

TENTH CIRCUIT 

ROGER W. PERSONS, 

Plaintiff-Appellant/ 

Cross-Appellee, 

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FILED 

United Sti~ Court of Appeals 

Ti>nth Circuit 

UG 1 ·1 1990 

&OBERT L. HOECKER 

Clerk 

v. 

ROBERT M. COOKE, PhD., 

Defendant-Appellee/ 

Cross-Appellant. 

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Nos. 90-1021 & 90-1030 

(D.C. No. 89-M-169) 

(District of Colo.) 

ORDER AND JUDGMENT * 

Before McKAY, MOORE, and BRORBY, Circuit Judges. 

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 case is therefore ordered submitted without oral argument. 

This case involves the appeal and cross-appeal of the district court's judgment for defendant and its decision not to grant 

defendant attorney fees. We affirm the district court's grant of 

* 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. 

Appellate Case: 90-1021 Document: 010110040917 Date Filed: 08/17/1990 Page: 1 
summary judgment to the defendant based on a lack of proof of 

state action and of conspiracy. After reviewing the record, we 

find ample support for the district court's conclusion that 

defendant was merely a private psychologist acting in response to 

a request for his professional opinion from a quasi-state official. This is not the type of action 42 u.s.c. § 1983 (1988) was 

intended to allow. 

In addition, plaintiff admitted at the hearing that there was 

no evidence of a conspiracy between defendant and the state. 

Plaintiff has presented no evidence on appeal to allow us to find 

the district court's finding of no conspiracy clearly erroneous. 

We also affirm the district court's decision not to award 

attorney fees. The district court did not abuse its discretion in 

choosing not to award fees. The court found that there was enough 

evidence disclosed to at least support the further inquiry possible only after a lawsuit is filed. This conclusion was not 

clearly erroneous. Thus, the district court acted within its discretion in choosing not to award fees. 

AFFIRMED. The mandate shall issue forthwith. 

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Entered for the Court 

Monroe G. McKay 

Circuit Judge 

Appellate Case: 90-1021 Document: 010110040917 Date Filed: 08/17/1990 Page: 2