# U ni te d S ta te s Co ur t of A pp ea ls For the Eig hth Circu it

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No. 1 7- 32 34

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Is m ael Pau l M art in ez

ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll l Pla in ti

ff - App el le e

v.
Larry Nor ris , Direc to r, Arka ns as Depa rtment o f Co rrec ti on ; Wend y Kell ey , Dire ct or , Arka ns as Depa rtment o f Co rrec ti on ; J am es Gib so n, Warde n, ADC, Del ta Uni t; Sh am on e Mc Ph ad de n, Cl as si fic at io n Off ic er, ADC, Delt a Uni t; Larry Man ni ng , Lieu te na nt , ADC, Delt a Uni t

ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll l Defe nd

an t s

Ton i Pe rry , Serg ean t, ADC, Del ta Uni t (o rig in al ly nam ed as T. Per ry ); Lad ari us W il li am s, Co rp or al , ADC, Delt a Uni t (o rig in al ly nam ed as Wil li am s) ; S. Ba ke r,

Trai ne e Offi cer, ADC, Del ta Uni t

ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll ll l Defe nd

an ts - App el la nt

s

__ __ __ __ __ __ App eal fro m

Uni te d S ta te s Di st ric t Co ur t fo r th e Eas te rn Dis tri ct of Ark an sa s - P in e Bl uf f

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Su bm it te d: Decem

be r 13 , 20 18 Fi le d: Feb ru ary 8, 2 01 9 [Un pu bl is he d]

__ __ __ __ __ __ Befo re SM ITH, Chi ef J ud ge , W OLLMAN and GRASZ, Cir cu it Ju dg es

.

__ __ __ __ __ __PER CURI AM.

Is m ael Pau l Mar ti ne z br ou gh t th is 42 U.S.C. § 19 83 a c t i o n ag ai ns t se ve ral Ark an sa s Dep art m en t of Co rrec ti on (ADC) of fic ia ls
, cl ai m in g th at th ey ha d fai le d to
pr ot ect hi m fro m an at ta ck by an ot he r in m at e. The ADC of fic ia ls ap pe al th e di st ric t

co ur t’s in te rlo cu to ry or de r de nyin g th ei r moti on fo r su m m ary jud gm en t ba se d on 1

qu al ifi ed im m

un it y

. The y arg ue th at th e di st ric t co ur t erre d in rel y in g on in ad m is si bl e

ev id en ce, m is st at in g t he law, an d c on cl ud in g t ha t d is pu te d m at eri al fact s prec lu de d

en try o f su m

m ary jud gm en t b as ed on qu al ifi ed im m un it y . For th e reas on s se t fo rth be lo w, we di sm is s t he ap pe al

.

Acco rd in g to Mar ti ne z, he an d sev eral ot he r in m at es ho us ed on two di ffer en t le ve ls in ADC Delt a Uni t were at ta ck ed by a fel lo w in m at e sh or tl y aft er li gh ts ou t on Decem be r 8, 20 14

. The at ta ck s sp an ne d ap pr ox im at el y fif te en m in ut es

. Mar ti ne z

was at ta ck ed aft er he at te m pt ed to a s si st hi s fel lo w in m at e, Ro nn ie Ch ap m an , who ha d be en in

jure d by th e at ta ck er. Mar ti ne z, who is di sa bl ed
, was st ru ck on th e he ad

an d si de
, th ro wn to th e flo or , an d ki ck ed in th e ba ck

. He cl ai m s th at th e at ta ck s

oc cu rred in ful l v ie w of t he pri so n g ua rd s, wh o d id no th in g.

Our juri sd ic ti on ov er an in te rlo cu to ry or de r de nyin g qu al ifi ed im m un it y is li m it ed to rev i e w i n g ab st ract is su es of la w. See, e.g ., Jo ne s v. McNe es e, 74 6 F.3 d
88 7, 89 9 (8 th Ci r. 20 14 ) (rev ie win g ad m is si bi li ty of ev id en ce); Sh an no n v. Koe hl er, 61 6 F.3 d 85 5
, 8 60 -6 2 (8 th Ci r. 20 10 ) (rev ie win g whe th er su m m ary jud gm en t fact s

es ta bl is he d a vi ol at io n of a cl earl y es ta bl is he d co ns ti tu ti on al rig ht ). W e r ev ie w de

no vo th e di st ric t co ur t’s qu al ifi ed im m un it y de te rm in at io n, vi ewin g th e reco rd in th e li gh t m os t fav or ab le to Mar ti ne z, dr awin g al l reas on ab le in fere nc es in hi s fav or , an d

acce pt in g as tru e th os e fact s th at th e di st ric t co ur t fo un d to be su ffi ci en tl y su pp or te d,

to th e ex te nt th ey are no t bl at an tl y co nt rad ic te d by th e reco rd

. See Tho m ps on v. Ci ty

The Ho n o r a b l e Ja m es M. Mo od y , Jr
., Uni te d St at es Dis tri ct Ju dg e fo r th e 1 East ern Dis tri ct of Ark an sa s.

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-of Mo nt ic el lo , 89 4 F .3d 99 3, 9 97 -9 8 (8 th Cir . 20 18 ); S ha nn on , 61 6 F.3d at 86 1- 62

.

W e co nc lu de th at th e di st ric t co ur t’s de ni al of qu al ifi ed im m un it y ba se d on a fin di ng of di sp ut ed m at eri al fact s de pr iv es us of juri sd ic ti on to co ns id er th e or de r. See Rai ne s v. Co un se li ng Ass oc s., In c., 88 3 F .3d 10 71 , 10 74 (8t h C ir. 2 01 8)

.

T he dis tr ic t co ur

t pe rm is si bl y rel ie d on in m at e Ch ap m an ’s ex ce rp te d de posi tio n
te st im on y su bm it te d by th e ADC of fic ia ls wit h th ei r su m

m ary jud gm en t m ot io n. See
Jo ne s, 74 6 F.3 d at 89 9 (req ui rin g ad m is si bl e ev id en ce to de feat su m m ary jud gm en t).
W hi le th e ADC of

fic ia ls no w co nt en d th at Ch ap m an ’s st at em en ts co ns ti tu te d in ad m is si bl e sp ecu la ti on , th ey refl ect ed Ch ap m an ’s fir st ha nd ob se rv at io ns fro m th e ni gh t of th e ev en t an d were th eref or e ad m is si bl e. See Fed

. R. Evi d. 4 0 1 (d efi ni ng rel ev an t ev id en ce); 60 2 (“ Evi de nc e to pr ov e pe rs on al kn owl ed ge m ay co ns is t of th e wit ne ss ’s own te st im on y .”). Fu rth er, th e di st ric t co ur t di d no t ab us e it s di sc ret io n by th erea fte r de n y in g th e ADC of fic ia ls ’ m ot io n to am en d th e jud gm en t by

su pp le m en ti ng th e reco rd wit h th e al read y -p os se ss ed ev id en ce th ey ha d or ig in al ly ch os en no t to su bm it

. See Fed

. R. Ci v. P. 56 (e) (“ If a pa rty fai ls to pr op erl y su pp or t

an as se rti on of fact

. . . th e co ur t m ay

. . . gi ve an op po rtu ni ty to p ro pe rly su pp or t or ad dr es s t he fact .”).

W e ag ree wit h th e ADC of fic ia ls th at th e di st ric t co ur t m is st at ed th e ap pl ic ab le le ga l st an da rd by ru li ng th at Ch ap m an ’s de po si ti on co ns ti tu te d “ ev id en ce fro m whi ch

a jury co ul d co nc l u d e th at Defen da nt s ob jecti ve ly sh ou ld ha ve kn own of th e

su bs ta nt ia l ris k of ha rm to Mar ti ne z.” D. Ct

. Ord er of Sep t. 11
, 20 17
, at 3; se e Je ns en

v. Cl ark e, 94 F.3 d 11 91
, 11 95 (8 th Ci r. 19 96 ) (req ui rin g “ a c t u a l k n o w l ed ge on th e
p a r t o f p ris on of

fic ia ls ”). W e co nc lu de th at th e erro r was ha rm le ss , fo r th e di st r i c t

co ur t fou nd th at Ch ap m an ’s de po si ti on te st im on y al le ge d fact s th at , if cred it ed by a tri er of fact
, co ul d su pp or t a reas on ab le in f eren ce th at th e ADC of

fic ia ls kn ew of a

su bs ta nt ia l ris k of ha rm to Mar ti ne z. See Krei n v. Nor ris
, 30 9 F.3 d 48 7, 49 1 (8 th Ci r. 20 02 ) (“ [P]lai nt iff ’s ev id en ce a t t he su m m ary jud gm en t st ag e su pp or te d th e al le ga ti on s th at , at th e ti m e he was at ta ck e d by Pru et t, de fen da nt s ob jecti ve ly an d

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-su bjec ti ve ly kn ew of

. . . an ex ces si ve ris k of ha rm .”); Co hr s v. Nor ris
, 21 0 F.3 d 37 8

(8 th Ci r. 20 00 ) (u np ub li sh ed ta bl e de ci si on ) (“ [I]t ap pe ars th at Jo hn so n, fro m th e

sa fe ty of th e co nt ro l bo ot h, wit ne ss ed th e twen ty-fiv e-m in ut e fig ht an d di d no th in g.” ). Lik ewis e, Ch ap m an ’s de po si ti on te st im on y co ul d su pp or t a reas on ab le in fere nc e th at th e ADC of

fic ia ls were de li be rat el y in d i f f e r e n t t o th e ris k to Mar ti ne z by fa il in g to in te rv en e in ti m e to pr ev en t hi s in juri e s

. S e e Krei n, 30 9 F.3 d at 49 1 (“ [Pl ai nt iff ’s cl ai m ] ari se s fro m pl ai nt iff ’s su bs ta nt ia te d al le ga ti on t ha t de fen da nt s were de li be rat el y in di ffer en t to a kn own su bs ta nt ia l ris k th at su ch an at ta ck wou ld oc cu r. The di st ric t co ur t th eref

or e di d no t err in de cl in in g to gr an t su m m ary jud gm en t un de r

o u r ‘s ur pr is e at ta ck ’ li ne of cas es .”); cf. Tuc ke r v. Eva ns , 27 6 F.3 d 99 9, 10 0 2 ( 8 t h Ci r. 20 02 ) (“ [B]y th e ti m e Dan ie ls kn ew so m et hi ng was wro ng , th e fig ht was al read y

ov er. The refo re

. . . Dan ie ls wou ld no t ha ve be en ab le to in te rv en e in ti m e to res cu e Tuc ke r.”).

Dep riv ed as we are of juri sd ic ti on by th e ex is te nc e of di sp ut ed m at eri al fact s, we di sm is s t he ap pe al

.

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