UNPUBLISHED

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT

No. 16-1196

TODD W. SHORT,

Plaintiff - Appellant,

v.

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA; COUNTY OF BUNCOMBE, NC; RICHARD 

SCHUMACHER, individually and in his official capacity as Clerk 

and former Clerk of Superior Court for North Carolina Unified 

Court System; ROBERT H. CHRISTY, JR., individually and in his 

official capacity as Clerk and former Clerk of Superior Court 

for North Carolina Unified Court System; EDWIN D. CLONTZ, 

individually and in his official capacity as Clerk and former 

Clerk of Superior Court for North Carolina Unified Court 

System; STEVEN DOUGLAS COGBURN, individually and in his 

official capacity as Clerk and former Clerk of Superior Court 

for North Carolina Unified Court System; TAMMY C. CASE, 

individually and in her official capacity as Clerk and former 

Clerk of Superior Court for North Carolina Unified Court 

System; NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES; 

BLUE RIDGE MENTAL HEALTH AREA DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES & 

SUBSTANCE ABUSE SERVICES; WESTERN HIGHLANDS NETWORK AREA 

AUTHORITY; LAWRENCE E. THOMPSON, III, individually and in his 

official capacity as Guardian; CYNTHIA L. ALLEMAN, 

individually and in her professional capacity as Attorney/GAL 

and in her official capacity as Guardian ad Litem; WILLIAM E. 

LOOSE, individually and in his professional capacity as 

attorney; MATNEY & ASSOCIATES, P.A.; DAVID EARL MATNEY, III, 

individually and in his official capacity as third party 

guardian and in the professional capacity as attorney; 

JENNIFER B. FORMICHELLA, individually and in her official 

capacity as third party Guardian and in the professional 

capacity as attorney; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, substituted 

for John Bramlett; GUM, HILLIER & MCCROSKEY, P.A.; DAVID 

RICHARD HILLIER, individually and in his professional capacity 

as attorney; BLAIR H. CLARK, individually and in her official 

capacity as Partner/ Owner/ Director of Parkway Behavioral 

Health, LLC d/b/a SB Services and in her professional 
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capacity; SANDRA O. LAYTON, individually and in her official 

capacity as Partner/ Owner/ Director of Parkway Behavioral 

Health, LLC d/b/a SB Services and in her professional 

capacity; MARIANNE E. REDMOND, individually and in her 

professional capacity as Licensed Clinical Social Worker and 

Licensed Substance Abuse Specialist; SCOTTSDALE INSURANCE 

COMPANY; CHERYL A. DOMMER, individually and in her official 

capacity as Claims Adjustor for Scottsdale Insurance Company; 

ACE AMERICAN INSURANCE COMPANY; VIVIAN M. NIJIB, individually 

and in her official capacity as Director of Claims for Ace 

American Insurance Company; MARTINEAU & KING, PLLC; ELIZABETH 

A. MARTINEAU, individually and in her professional capacity 

as Attorney; GUISELLE F. MAHON, individually and in her 

professional capacity as Attorney; ROBERTS & STEVENS, P.A., 

Attorneys at Law; FRANCIS LACHICOTTE ZEMP, JR., individually 

and in his professional capacity as Attorney; CARTER & 

KROPELNICKI; STEVEN KROPELNICKI, JR., individually and in his 

professional capacity as Attorney; GREAT AMERICAN INSURANCE 

COMPANY; CLERKS OF SUPERIOR COURT, for the North Carolina 

Unified Court System; NORTH CAROLINA; ANN MELTON, individually 

and in her official capacity as Clerk and former Clerk of 

Superior Court for North Carolina Unified Court System; SMOKY 

MOUNTAIN CENTER; ARTHUR CARDER, individually and in his 

official capacity as Guardian; PARKWAY BEHAVIORAL HEALTH, LLC; 

DOES 1-15,

Defendants – Appellees,

and 

PHILIP M. HANNAH, individually and in the official capacity 

as Guardian; ROBYN S. MORRIS; SURETY AGENCY, LLC; KAREN BEARD, 

individually and in her official capacity as insurance broker 

for Surety Agency, LLC; TRAVELERS CASUALTY AND SURETY COMPANY 

OF AMERICA; THOMAS BOWES, individually in his official 

capacity as Claims Adjustor for Travelers Casualty and Surety 

Company of America; SB SERVICE, LLC, f/k/a Parkway Behavioral 

Health, LLC; DOES 1-20,

Defendants.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Western 

District of North Carolina, at Asheville. Graham C. Mullen, Senior 

District Judge. (1:15-cv-00044-GCM-DSC)
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Submitted: September 13, 2016 Decided: September 16, 2016

Before TRAXLER, AGEE, and THACKER, Circuit Judges.

Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinion.

Todd W. Short, Appellant Pro Se. Philip Scott Anderson, LONG, 

PARKER, WARREN, ANDERSON & PAYNE, PA, Asheville, North Carolina; 

Neal Thomas McHenry, NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, 

Raleigh, North Carolina; Amy Prakash Mody, SMOKY MOUNTAIN LME/MCO, 

Asheville, North Carolina; William E. Loose, Asheville, North 

Carolina; Ervin L. Ball, Jr., BALL, BARDEN & BELL, PA, Asheville, 

North Carolina; Elizabeth A. Martineau, MARTINEAU KING PLLC, 

Charlotte, North Carolina; Francis Lachicotte Zemp, Jr., Eric 

Patrick Edgerton, ROBERTS & STEVENS, PA, Asheville, North 

Carolina; Rachel Ellen Daly, Sonny Sade Haynes, WOMBLE CARLYLE 

SANDRIDGE & RICE, PLLC, Winston-Salem, North Carolina; James M. 

Dedman, IV, GALLIVAN, WHITE & BOYD, PA, Charlotte, North Carolina; 

Steven Kropelnicki, Jr., STEVEN KROPELNICKI, PC, Asheville, North 

Carolina; Nicholas Thomas Moraites, Francis Joseph Nealon, ECKERT 

SEAMANS CHERIN & MELLOTT, LLC, Washington, D.C., for Appellees.

Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.
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PER CURIAM:

Todd Short appeals the district court’s order accepting the 

recommendation of the magistrate judge and denying relief on his 

complaint in which he asserted violations of federal and state 

law. We have reviewed the record and find no reversible error. 

Accordingly, although we grant Short’s motions for leave to proceed 

in forma pauperis and for leave to file an oversized brief, we 

affirm for the reasons stated by the district court. Short v. 

North Carolina, No. 1:15-cv-00044-GCM-DSC (W.D.N.C. Feb. 22, 

2016). We deny Short’s motion to disqualify counsel and his motion 

for civil contempt, and we deny as moot his motion for an expedited 

decision on the motion for contempt. 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