FI L ED U.S. COURT OF APPEAL S EL EVENTH CI RCUI T J ANUARY 12, 2012 J OHN L EY CL ERK [DO N OT PUBLISH]

IN THE UN ITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE ELE VENTH CIRCUIT

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ No. 1 1- 11 34 6 Non -Arg um en t Ca le nd ar

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ D.C. Dock et No. 3 :0 8- cv -0 10 05 -MM H-TEM

CURTIS ANTONIO W AY,
Plai nt iff -Ap pe ll an t,
GALANTE PHILLIPS, et al.,
Plai nt iff s,

ve rs us JOHN H. RUTHERFORD, Sh eri ff, GORDON BASS, Dire ct or of C or rect io ns , TARA W ILDES, Chi ef at PTDF,
Defen da nt s- App el le es , G. M. CARLTON, Lieu te na nt , et al ., Defen da nt s.

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ App eal fro m

th e Uni te d S ta te s Di st ric t Co ur t fo r th e Mi dd le Dis tri ct of F lo rid a

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ (J an ua ry 12 , 20 12 )Befo re MAR CUS, MARTIN an d B LACK, Circ ui t J ud ge s.

PER CURI AM:

Cu rti s A. W ay , a pr is on er pr oc eed in g pr o se , ap pe al s th e di st ric t co ur t’s gr an t
of su m m ary jud gm en t in fav or of Ja ck so nv il le Pre- tri al Dete nt io n Faci li ty em pl oyees
Jo hn H. Ru th erfo rd , Gor do n Bas s, an d Tara W il de s (“ PTDF”) in hi s 42 U.S.C. § 19 83

act io n al le gi ng a vi ol at io n of hi s co ns ti tu ti o n a l r ig ht of acce ss to th e co ur ts

. The
di st ric t co ur t gr an te d PTDF’s m ot io n to di sm is s, co ns tru ed as a m ot io n fo r su m m ary jud gm en t, aft er co nc lu di ng th a t W ay ha d fai le d to pr ov id e ev id en ce th at PTDF’s

act io ns cau se d hi m t o s u f f e r an act ua l in

jury in a di rect cri m in al ap pe al , ha be as

pe ti ti on , or ci vi l rig ht s cas e. The co ur t a l s o r u l e d th at ev en if W ay ha d pr ov id ed

ev id en ce o f an act ua l in

jury, PTDF’s act io ns were con st it ut io na l beca us e th ey were

reas on ab ly relat ed to leg it im at e p en ol og ic al in te res ts

. On ap pe al , W ay arg ue s th at th e di st ric t co ur t im pr op erl y gr an t e d su m

m ary jud gm en t in fav or of PTDF, be cau se : (1 ) PTDF ha s de la y ed , de ni ed , im pe de d, or
hi nd ered hi s pu rs ui t of nu m ero us no nf riv ol ou s cas es ; (2 ) th e cl os ur e of th e la rg er la w
li br ary an d op en in g of a sm al le r, ov er c r o w d ed la w li br ary was co ns ti tu ti on al ly

i na de qu at e; (3 ) as a res ul t of PTDF’s act io ns , h e ha s su ffer ed act ua l in jury, su ch a s
di sm is sa ls wit h pr ejud ic e; an d (4 ) PTDF d i d n o t ha ve a reas on ab ly rel at ed or

2le gi ti m at e go ve rn m en t in te res t in res tri ct in g ph y si cal acce ss to th e la w li br ary. Afte r

th or ou gh rev ie w, we affi rm

. W e rev ie w a di st ric t co ur t’s gr an t of sum m ary jud gm en t de no vo , vi ewin g al l

ev id en ce an d dr awin g al l reas on ab le in fere nc es in fa v or of th e no n- m ov in g pa rty.
Sh iv er v. Ch ert of

f, 54 9 F.3 d 13 42 , 13 43 (1 1t h Ci r. 20 08 ). Und er Ru le 56 , su m m ary jud gm en t is pr op er if th e m ov an t sh ows th at th ere is no ge nu in e is su e as t o a ny

m at eri al fact an d th e m ov an t is en ti tl ed to jud gm en t as a m at te r of la w. Fed .R.Ci v.P

. 5 6 ( a )

. The m ov in g pa rty b ears th e bu rd en of pr od uc ti on , a nd if th is bu rd e n i s met ,

“ th e no nm ov in g pa rty m

us t pr es en t ev id en ce be y on d th e pl ead in gs sh owi n g th at a

reas on ab le jury co ul d fin d in it s fav or .” Sh iv er, 54 9 F.3 d at 13 43 (q uo ta ti on om it te d)

. Fu rth erm or e, a co ur t m

us t en te r “ su m

m ary jud gm en t ag ai ns t a pa rty who fai ls to m ak e

a sh owi ng su ffi ci en t to es ta bl is h th e ex is te nc e of an el em en t es se nt ia l to th at pa rty’ s

cas e, an d on whi ch th at pa rty wil l be ar th e bu rd en of pr oo f at tri al .” Id

. at 13 44 (q uo ti ng Cel ot ex Co rp . v. Cat ret t, 4 77 U.S. 31 7, 3 22 (19 86 )).

Pri so ne rs ha ve a cl earl y es ta bl is he d co ns ti tu ti on al rig ht of acce ss to th e co ur ts

. Barb ou r v. Hale y , 47 1 F.3 d 12 22 , 12 25 (1 1t h Ci r. 20 06 ). Thi s “ rig ht of acce ss to th e

co ur ts req ui res pr is on au th or it ie s to as si st in m at es in th e pr ep arat io n an d fil in g of

m ean in gf ul le ga l pa pe rs by pr ov id in g pr i s on ers wit h ad eq ua te la w li br ari es or
ad eq ua te as si st an ce fro m pe rs on s tra in ed in th e la w.” Bo un ds v. Sm it h, 43 0 U.S. 81 7,

382 8 (1 97 7)

. Howev er, an in m at e al le gi ng a vi o l a ti on of th is rig ht m us t sh ow an

act u al in jury. Lewis v. Cas ey , 51 8 U.S. 34 3, 34 9- 51 (1 99 6)

. To sh ow an act ua l

in jury, th e in m at e m

us t dem on st rat e th at “ th e pr is on off ic ia ls ’ act io ns

. . . fru st rat ed

o r i mp e de d th e in m at e’s effo rts to pu rs ue a no nf riv ol ou s le ga l cl ai m .” Bas s v
. Si ng le ta ry , 14 3 F.3 d 14 42 , 14 45 (1 1t h Ci r. 19 98 ). Mo reo ve r, th at le ga l cl ai m “ m us t
be an ap pe al fro m a co nv ic ti o n f o r whi ch th e in m at e was in carc erat ed , a ha be as

pe ti ti on , or a civ il rig ht s ac ti on .” Id . (ci ti ng Lewis , 51 8 U.S. at 35 2- 57 ).

A pl ai nt iff can no t st at e a cl ai m by si m pl y al le gi ng syste m ic de ni al of acce ss to

a la w li br ary or le ga l res ou rces

. W il so n v. Bl an ke ns hi p, 16 3 F.3d 12 84 , 12 91 (1 1t h
Ci r. 19 98 ). “ At th e su m

m ary jud gm en t st ag e, ge ne ral fact ua l al le ga ti on s of in jury wil l

no t su ffi ce.” Barb ou r, 47 1 F.3 d at 12 25

. In st ead , th e pl ai nt iff mu s t s e t f o r t h by
affi da vi t or ot he r ev id en ce sp eci fic fact s, whi ch wil l be acce pt ed as tru e fo r pu rp os es
of th e su m m ary jud gm en t m ot io n. Id

. Eve n if a pr is on reg ul at io n im pi ng es on an in m at e’s co ns ti tu ti on al rig ht s, it is

ne ve rth el es s “ va li d if it is reas on ab ly rel at e d to le gi ti m at e pe no lo gi cal in te res ts .”

Turn er v. Safe ly, 48 2 U.S. 78 , 89 (1 98 7)

. To de te rm in e whe th er a pr is on reg ul at io n
is reas on ab le , we an al y ze th e fo ll owi ng fact or s: (1 ) whe th er th ere is a “ va li d, rat io na l

co nn ect io n” be twee n th e pr is on reg ul at io n and th e le gi ti m at e go ve rn m en ta l in te res t

pu t f o r t h to jus ti fy th e reg ul at io n; (2 ) whe th er, un de r th e res tri ct io n im po se d,

4pr is on ers ha ve al te rn at iv e m ean s fo r ex erci si ng th e as se rte d co ns ti tu ti on al rig ht ; (3 )

th e im pa ct th at acco m

m od at in g th e as se rte d con st it ut io na l rig ht wil l hav e on pr is on

st aff, in m at es , an d th e al lo cat io n of pr is on res ou rces ; an d (4 ) whe th er th e reg ul at io n
in qu es ti on is an “ ex ag ge rat ed res po ns e” t o p ris on co nc ern s. Id . at 8 9- 91

. In this cas e, th e di st ric t co ur t pr op erl y gr an te d su m m ary jud gm en t be ca

use W ay

m ad e on ly ge ne ral fact ua l al le ga ti on s, an d fai le d to pr ov id e sp eci fic ev id en c e, th at

P TDF ’s act io ns cau se d hi m an act ua l in jury in a pa rti cu la r no nf

riv ol ou s cr i mi n a l

ap pe al , ha be as pe ti ti on , or ci vi l rig ht s cl ai m

. Bu t ev en as su m in g arg ue nd o th at W ay
ha d al le ge d an act ua l in

jury, PTDF’s act io ns di d no t vi ol at e hi s rig ht of acce ss to th e

co ur ts be cau se t he y were reas on ab ly rel at ed to le gi ti m at e pe no lo gi cal in te res ts

. PTDF cl os ed th e la w li br ary aft er an in m at e br ut al ly rap ed an of

fic er in si de

. All pr o

se in m at es ha d al te rn at iv e m ean s of acce ss in g li br ary m at eri al s du rin g th e te m po rary
cl os ur e, an d on ce th e la w li br ary reo pe ne d, al l in m at es co ul d ph y si cal ly vi si t th e
li br ary an d co nd uc t res earc h us in g p r i n t m at eri al s an d ne wly acq ui red co m pu te r

res ou rces . There fo re, t he di st ric t co ur t d id no t er r in co nc lu di ng th at th e te m po rary

res tri ct io ns on th e la w li br ary were reas on ab ly rel at ed to pe no lo gi cal in t e r e st s.
Acco rd in gl y , we affi rm

. AFFIRMED.

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