# 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- 14 83

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Mat th ew W . Barn et t

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

ff - App el la nt

v.

W en dy Kelle y , Direc to r, Arka ns as Depa rtment o f Co rrec ti on ; Dex te r Payne,
Ass is ta nt Dire ct or , Arka ns as Depa rtment o f Co rrec ti on ; Pe gg y S. Durh am , Grie va nc e Co or di na to r, Arka ns as Depa rtment o f Co rrec ti on ; R. Ra m se y ,

Cl as si fic at io n M em

be r, Grim es Uni t, ADC

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

an ts - App el le es

Grim es Co rrec ti on al Uni t

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

an t

P e a r c e , C l a s s i f

i c a t i o n M e m b e r , G r i m e s U

n i t
, A D C ; A rk an sa s D ep ar tm en t of Co rr ec t i o n

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

an ts - App el le es

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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 - B at es vi ll e

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Su bm it te d: Octo be r 5, 2 01 7 Fi le d: Octo be r 11 , 20 17 [Un pu bl is he d]

__ __ __ __ __ __Befo re GRUENDER, BENTON, and KELLY , Cir cu it Ju dg es

.

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PER CURI AM.

Mat th ew Barn e t t, cu rren tl y in carc erat ed at th e Grim es Uni t of th e Ark an sa s Dep art m en t of Co rrec ti on (A D C)

, ap pe al s fo llo w in g th e di st ric t co ur t’s 1 ad ve rs e gr an t

of jud gm en t on th e pl ead in gs

. Barn et t br ou gh t th is pr o se act io n ag ai ns t th e ADC an d

va rio us AD C e mp lo y ees , as se rti ng vi ol at io ns of th e Due Pro ces s Cl au se , Equ al

Pro te ct io n Cl au se , Tit le II of th e Am eri can s wit h Dis ab il it ie s Act (ADA), an d se ct io n
50 4 of th e Reh ab il it at io n Act of 19 73 (RA). He al le ge d th at fro m Ja nu ary 20 15 un ti l

Nov em be r 20 16 he was de ni ed co ns id erat io n fo r th e ADC’s wor k- rel eas e p r o g ram
be cau se he su ffer s from

gra nd -m al sei zu res an d t ha t d efen da nt s’ just ifi cat io n— th at

hi s tra ns fer el ig ib il it y (TE) da te ha d pa ss ed an d he was sc he du le d to ap pe ar be fo re th e

pa ro le bo ard in Octo be r 20 16 —was a pr et ex t fo r di sa bi li ty di sc riminat io n. On

ap pe al

, B a rn et t arg ue s th at th e di st ric t co ur t erre d in gr an ti ng jud gm en t pr io r to

di sc ov ery, in di sm is si ng each of hi s cl ai m s, an d in de nyin g hi s po st jud gm en t m ot io n

to joi n a dd it io na l p art ie s.

Fo r th e fo ll owi ng reas on s, we affi rm

. Se e Mon ti n v. Moo re , 84 6 F.3 d 28 9, 29 3 (8 th Ci r. 20 17 ) (s ta nd ard of rev ie w). Fi rs t, ru li ng on th e m ot io n was no t pr em at ur e.
Se e Fed

. R. Ci v. P. 12 (c) (p art y m ay m ov e fo r jud gm en t on pl ead in gs aft er pl ead in gs

are cl os ed ). Seco nd

, we ag ree wit h th e di st ric t co ur t th at Barn et t’s du e-p ro ces s cl ai m
fai le d be cau se he la ck s a pr ot ect ed li be rty in t e r e s t in be in g co ns id ered fo r wor k

rel eas e. Se e Mah

fo uz v. Lo ckh ar t
, 82 6 F.2 d 79 1, 79 3- 94 (8 th Ci r. 19 87 ) (p er cu ria m ).

1 The Hon or ab le Bri an S. Mi ll er, Ch ie f Ju dg e, Uni te d St at es Dis tri ct Co ur t fo r th e East ern Dis tri ct of Ark an sa s, ad op ti ng th e rep or t an d rec o mm e n d a t i on s of th e Hon or ab le Bet h Deere

, Uni te d St at es Ma g i s t rat e Ju dg e fo r th e East ern Dis tri ct of
Ark an sa s.

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-His eq ua l-p ro te ct io n cl ai m li ke wis e fai le d be cau se he di d no t id e n t ify di ffer en ti al

tre at m en t of si m il arl y si tu at ed in di vi du al s. Se e Mil ls v. Ci ty of Gr a n d Fo r k s , 61 4

F.3 d 49 5, 50 0 (8 th Ci r. 20 10 ) (ex pl ai ni ng th at
, to st at e an eq ua l-p ro te ct i o n c l a i m , pl ai nt iff s m us t de m on st rat e th at de fen da nt s tre at ed th em di ffer en tl y fro m si m il a rly

si tu at ed in di vi du al s)

.

As to th e ADA an d RA cl ai m s, after care fu l revi ew of th e pl ead in gs , we ho ld

th at Barn et t di d no t pl ead su ffi ci en t fact s to su pp or t a pl au si bl e in fere nc e th at he was
de ni ed co ns id erat io n fo r wor k re le as e be cau se of hi s di sa bi li ty, rat he r th an be cau se
he was ab ou t to ap pe ar fo r a pa ro le he ari ng

. Se e Ash cr of t v. Iq ba l

, 55 6 U.S. 66 2, 67 8,

68 2 (2 00 9) (co m

pl ai nt m us t co nt a i n s u f

f i ci en t fact ua l m at te r to st at e cl ai m th at is pl au si bl e on it s face ; as be twee n an “ ob vi ou s al te rn at iv e ex pl an at io n” a n d t h e

pu rp os efu l, i nv id io us di sc riminat io n Iq ba l as ke d Co ur t to in fer, di sc riminat io n was

no t a pl au si bl e co nc lu si on ); De Boi se v. Ta se r In t’l

, In c. , 76 0 F.3 d 89 2, 89 9 (8 th Ci r.
20 14 ) (Tit le II pl ai nt iff m us t de m on st rat e th at he i s a q u a li fie d in di vi du al wit h a
di sa bi li ty w ho was de ni ed pa rti ci pa ti on in or th e be ne fit s of se rv ic es , pr og ram s, or

act iv it ie s o f a p ub li c en ti ty becau se of h is di sa bi li ty). Fina ll y , we con cl ud e th at th e

co ur t di d no t ab us e it s di sc ret io n in de nyin g Barn et t’s joi nd er m ot io n. Se e In t’l Bhd

. of Tea mst er

s v. Co mme r c i a l Wa re ho us e Co

. , 84 F.3 d 29 9, 30 2 (8 th Ci r. 19 96 ) (s ta nd ard of r ev ie w).

Acco rd in gl y , we affi rm

th e jud gm en t. Se e 8t h C ir. R . 47 B.

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