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v. FE L SN I K , Per s onal and C apac i ty ; M C C O O L , Per s onal and C apac i ty ; D O SK Y , Per s onal and C apac i ty ; PE T E R SO N , Per s onal and C apac i ty ; W I L L I A M C I C E N I A , C orr ect i on O ffi cer , Per s onal and C apac i ty , a/k/ a J ohn D oe ( 1) ; W I L L I A M M C C O O L , C orr ect i on Off i c e r , Pe r s o n a l a n d Ca p a c i ty , a / k / a J o h n Doe ( 2 ) ; SCOTT T H E R IA U L T , C o rre c tio n O f f ice r, P e rso n a l an d C a p a c ity , a/k /a J ohn D oe ( 3) ; W I L L I A M L A N FR A N K , C orr ect i on O ffi cer , Per s onal and C apac i ty , a/k/ a J ohn D oe ( 4) ; D O N A L D W I N K L E R , C orr ect i on O ffi cer , Per s onal and C apac i ty , a/k/ a J ohn D oe ( 5) Y us uf Shabaz z, A ppel l ant

___________________ O n A p p ea l Fro m the U n it ed S tat es D istri ct C o u rt

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A pr i l 21, 2005 B efor e: R E N D E L L , A M B R O and FU E N T E S, C i r cui tJ udges

( Fi l ed : M ay4, 2005)2 ________________ OP I NI ON

________________ P E R C UR I AM Y u su f S h ab az z a p p ea ls from jud g m en t entere d in f av o r of d ef en d an ts after a ju ry tr i a l i n th e Un i t e d S t a t e s Di s tr i c tCo u r tf o rth e Di s tr i c to f

Ne w J e r s e y . W e wi l l a f f i r m. Shabazz ’ compl ai ntw as bas ed on the fol l ow i ng al l egat i ons . O n February18, 2 0 0 0 , Y u su f

A li S h a b a z z w a s in c a rc e ra ted a t th e M o rris C o u n tyJa il. H e a lleg e d in h is compl ai ntthatar ound 11: 00 p. m . , O ffi cerFel s ni k opened hi s cel l , al l ow i ng O ffi cer M cC ool t o ent er , al though t heyw er e notauthor i zed t o be i n hi s cel l w i thouta s upervi s i ng s er geantpr es ent . M cC ool then bec ame “bel l i ger ent , di s r es pect ful and veryaggr es s i ve” to w a rd s S h a b a z z . A ro u n d 1 2 :4 5 a .m ., S g t. D o sk ya n d f iv e o th e r d e f

e n d a n ts c a m e to Shabazz ’ cel l , hog- t i ed hi m , and ca rr i ed hi m t o l ock- up. I n the pr oces s , Shabazz ’ r i ght sh o u ld e r w a s d islo c a ted a n d h e su sta in e d a f ra c tu re o f

th e rig h t ar m a n d sw e lli n g in b o th a r ms . He wa s e x a mi n e d b ya p r i s o n d o c t o rth e n e x td a ya n d r e f e rr e d t o M o rr i s t o wn M emori al H os pi t al fortr eatm entof hi s i nj ur i es . Shabazz fi l ed a c om pl ai ntal l egi ng exce s s i ve for ce a nd al s o al l egi ng vi ol at i on of due pr oces s w hen he w as s anct i oned for15 day s di sci pli narydetent i on w i tho ut due process. O n Ju n e 2 6 , 2 0 0 1 , the D istric t C o u rt d ism iss e d th e d u e p ro c e ss c laim f o r f a ilu re to s ta te a c la im , f

in d in g th a t S h a b a z z ’ 1 5 -d a yd e te n tio n w a s n o t s u b s ta n tia l o r a typ ic a l. H ow ever , the C our tal l ow ed the Ei ghth A m endmentexce s s i ve for ce c l ai m t o go forw ar d.T h e C o u rt a lso late r d e n ied h is re n e w e d m o tio n s f o r a p p o in tm e n t o f

c o u n se l. 1 A l though Shabazz fi l ed a mot i on fora new tr i al , he di d notappea l the or derdeny i ng 2 thatm ot i on. 3 I n February2002, the M agi s tr at e J udge as s i gned t o the ca s e deni ed Shabaz z’ m ot i on for ap p o intm en t of

co u n sel. F o ll o w ing d isco v ery , the m att er p roc ee d ed to a th ree -da yjury

1 tr i al . T he j uryr eturned a ve r di cti n favorof def endant s and aga i ns tShabazz . Shabazz f i l e d a t i me l ya p p e a l f

r o m th e j u d g me n te n t e r e d a g a i n s th i m. 2 I n hi s br i ef, Shabazz r ai s es thr ee gr ounds forr el i ef. Fi r s t , he ar gues thatthe D i s tr i ctC our ti m pr oper l ydeni ed hi s m ot i ons forappoi nt m entof couns el . Second, he al l eges thathe had i nadequa t e di s covery . T hi r d, he al l eges thatther e w er e no mi nor i t i es o n h i s j u ry. T he D i s tr i ctC our tpr oper l yappl i ed the fa ct or s s etfor th i n T abr on v. G r ace , 6 F. 3d 147 ( 3d C i r . 1993) , i n deny i ng Shabazz ’ m ot i ons forcouns el . Fi r s t , the C our tnot ed that th e leg a l an d f

a c tu a l issu e s w e re n o t co m p lex . T h e m a tter c o n c e rn e d w h e th e r c e rta in corr ect i onal offi ci al s us ed exc es s i ve for ce, pr i m ar i l ya fa ctques t i on forthe j ury . T he C o u rtalso fo u n d that S h ab az z w as a b le t o arti cu lat e h is i ssu es. T h e c ase d id n o t r eq u ir e expertt es t i m ony . W e hol d t hatthe C our tdi d notabus e i t s di s cr et i on i n deny i ng Shabazz ’
m ot i ons . T abr on, 6 F. 3d at158 ( s t at i ng thatcourt ’ s deci s i on t o denyappoi nt m entof co u n sel i s rev iew ed fo r ab u se o f d iscreti o n ). Shabazz ’ s econd c l ai m i s thathe w as deni ed ade quat e di s covery . A ppel l ees ar gue th a t th e yp ro d u c e d e v e ry th in g re q u e ste d in d isc o v e ry , inc lu d in g c o m p lete c o p ies o f h is4

m edi cal r ecor ds and r eport s of the i nves t i gat i on of the al l eged a s s aul t . A l though i ti s not en ti relyclea r, itap p ea rs th at S h ab az z c lai m s tha t th e it em s p rod u ce d in d isco v eryw ere a ltere d to c o v e r u p w h a t h a p p e n e d . H is u n su p p o rte d a lleg a tio n s a re n o t su f f icie n t to s uppor tappel l at e r el i ef. S h a b a z z ’ th ird c laim is th a t m in o rities w e re e x c lu d e d f ro m h is ju ry . A p lain tiff in a ci vil act i on w ho cl ai m s that r aci al dis cri m i nati on occu rr ed in j urysel ect i on m ust estab li sh a p ri m a f

ac ie ca se, i n clud ing inf

o rm ati o n ab o u t w h ethe r th ere h as b ee n a p att ern o f s tr ik e s a g a in s t m e m b e rs o f a p a rt ic u la r r a c e . E d m o n s o n v . L e e s v ille C o n c re te C o ., 5 0 0 U. S . 6 1 4 , 6 3 1 ( 1 9 9 1 ) . S h a b a z z h a s p r o v i d e d n o e v i d e n t i a rys u p p o r tf o rth i s c l a i m. F o rth e f o r e g o i n g r e a s o n s , we wi l l a f f i r m.