### IN THE UNI TED STAT ES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FIF TH CIRCU IT

N o

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- 2 0 1 3 5

S u m m a r y C a l e n d a r

R O B E R T A L E X A N D E R T U F T

,

P l a i n t i f f

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v

.

THE STATE OF TEXAS; VERNON PIT TMAN, Warden- Jester 3; JEROLD BRAGGS,
Assistant Warden, Jester 3; GUY SMITH, Assi sta nt Regiona l Director-Texas

D e p a r t m e n t o f C r i m i n a l J u s t i c e ; D O U G W A L D R O N

, A s s i s t a n t Regiona l Director-Texas Department of Criminal Justice; J . P. GU YTON, Assistant

R e gi o n al Di r e c t o r

- Texa s Department of Crim in al Ju s t ic e ; S US A N DO S TA L, Un iv e r s it y of Texa s Medical Branch Medical Program Administra t o r; NATHANI EL QUARTERMAN, Director Texa s Department of Criminal Justice-Corr ectional

Instituti ons Div ision; MELANIE POTT ER, MLP P.A., U n i v e rs i ty of Texa s Medical Branch; JALYN WILSO N, P. T. Un iv e r s ity of Texa s Medical Branch; PATSY GUERRA, (Velasqu e z ), Texa s Department of Criminal Justice Acc ess to Courts ; VICKY BARROWS, Texa s Departm e n t of Criminal Justice Acc ess to Courts ; ARLINE WALKER, Texa s Department of Criminal Justice Acc ess to Courts ; RACH EL CROSBY, C.O.V. Texa s Department of C rimina l J ustice; CHERY L LAWSON , Tex as Department of Criminal Justice Grieva nce Ana lyst; MARK A. ANDREWS, Texa s Department of Cr i m i nal Justice Chaplai n; JOHN AND JANE DOE(S), Texa s Department of Criminal Justice/U niversity of Texa s Medical Branch, Texa s Department of Crimina l J ustice-Cor rectional I nstitutions Di visi on Staff,

D e f e n d a n t s

- A p p e l l e e s

A p p e a l f

r o m t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s D i s t r i c t C o u r t

f o r t h e S o u t h e r n D i s t r i c t o f T e x a s U S D C N o

. 4 : 0 9

- C V

- 8 4 6 U n i te d S ta te s C o u rt o f A p p ea l s
F i ft h C i rc u i t 

### F I L E D

Octob er 4, 20 10

Lyle W . Cayce
Clerk Case: 10-20135 Document: 00511251911 Page: 1 Date Filed: 10/04/2010N o

. 1 0

- 2 0 1 3 5

B e f o r e H I G G I N B O T H A M

, B E N A V I D E S

, a n d E L R O D

, C i r c u i t J u d g e s

.

P E R C U R I A M : *

R o b e r t T u f

t

, T e x a s p r i s o n e r # 1 0 6 2 9 6 6

, a p p e a l s t h e d i s m i s s a l o f h i s 4 2

U

. S

. C

. § 1 9 8 3 c i v i l r i g h t s a c t i o n f o r f a i l u r e t o p r o s e c u t e u n d e r F e d e r a l R u l e o f

C i v i l P r o c e d u r e 4 1 ( b )

. T u f t ’ s a m e n d e d c o m p l a i n t a g a i n s t o v e r a d o z e n

d e f e n d a n t s r a i s e d n i n e c l a i m s r e l a t i n g t o t h e c o n d i t i o n s o f h i s c o n f i n e m e n t

, t h e

f a i l u r e t o e v a c u a t e f o r a h u r r i c a n e , t h e d e n i a l o f a c c e s s t o t h e c o u r t s , t h e

i n f r i n g e m e n t o f h i s r e l i g i o u s f r e e d o m , a n d r e t a l i a t i o n b y p r i s o n o f f i c i a l s

. T h e

d i s t r i c t c o u r t o r d e r e d T u f t t o f i l e a s e c o n d a m e n d e d c o m p l a i n t t h a t c o n t a i n e d

o n l y c l a i m s r e l a t e d t o a s i n g l e s e t o f f a c t s i n a c c o r d a n c e w i t h F e d e r a l R u l e s o f

C i v i l P r o c e d u r e 1 8 a n d 2 0

. W h e n h e f a i l e d t o d o s o , d i s t r i c t c o u r t d i s m i s s e d

T u f t ’ s l a w s u i t w i t h o u t p r e j u d i c e u n d e r R u l e 4 1 ( b )

.

W e r e v i e w s u c h a d i s m i s s a l “ f o r a b u s e o f d i s c r e t i o n

. ” L a r s o n v

. S c o t t

, 1 5 7

F

. 3 d 1 0 3 0

, 1 0 3 2 ( 5 t h C i r

. 1 9 9 8 )

. H o w e v e r , b e c a u s e a t l e a s t s o m e o f T u f t ’ s c l a i m s

w o u l d n o t b e t i m e b a r r e d

, t h e s c o p e o f t h e d i s c r e t i o n i s n a r r o w e d

. S e e B e r r y v

.

C I G N A / R S I

- C I G N

A

, 9 7 5 F

. 2 d 1 1 8 8

, 1 1 9 0

- 9 1 ( 5 t h C i r

. 1 9 9 2 )

.

U n d e r R u l e 2 0 ( a ) ( 2 )

, p a r t i e s m a y b e j o i n e d a s d e f e n d a n t s i f t h e p l a i n t i f f

a s s e r t s a c l a i m a g a i n s t t h e m “ j o i n t l y , s e v e r a l l y , o r i n t h e a l t e r n a t i v e w i t h r e s p e c t

t o o r a r i s i n g o u t o f t h e s a m e t r a n s a c t i o n , o c c u r r e n c e , o r s e r i e s o f t r a n s a c t i o n s o r

o c c u r r e n c e s ” a n d “ a n y q u e s t i o n o f l a w o r f a c t c o m m o n t o a l l d e f e n d a n t s w i l l a r i s e

i n t h e a c t i o n

. ” A d i s t r i c t c o u r t h a s d i s c r e t i o n u n d e r R u l e 2 0 ( a ) t o c o n t r o l t h e

s c o p e o f a l a w s u i t b y l i m i t i n g t h e n u m b e r o f d e f e n d a n t s a p l a i n t i f f m a y h a i l i n t o

c o u r t i n a p a r t i c u l a r c a s e

. A r r i n g t o n v

. C i t y o f F a i r f i e l d

, 4 1 4 F

. 2 d 6 8 7

, 6 9 3 ( 5 t h

C i r

. 1 9 6 9 )

. I n a d d i t i o n , “ t h e c r e a t i v e j o i n d e r o f a c t i o n s ” b y p r i s o n e r p l a i n t i f f s t o

a v o i d t h e s t r i c t u r e s o f t h e P r i s o n L i t i g a t i o n R e f o r m A c t o f 1 9 9 5 ( P L R A )

, P u b

. L

.

1 0 4

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, § § 8 0 4

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, 1 1 0 S t a t

. 1 3 2 1

, 1 3 2 1

- 7 3 t o

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Pur sua nt to 5 T H C I R

. R. 47.5

, the cour t has d ete rm ined t hat this op inion sho uld not *

be publ ish ed and is not pr ece dent excep t unde r the lim ite d cir cum st ance s se t for th in 5 T H C I R

. R. 47.5 .4.

2 Case: 10-20135 Document: 00511251911 Page: 2 Date Filed: 10/04/2010N o

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p a r t a t 2 8 U

. S

. C

. § § 1 9 1 5

, 1 9 1 5 A )

, s h o u l d b e d i s c o u r a g e d

. P a t t o n v

. J e f f e r s o n

C o r r

. C t r

. , 1 3 6 F

. 3 d 4 5 8

, 4 6 4 ( 5 t h C i r

. 1 9 9 8 )

.

I n t h i s c a s e , t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t p r o p e r l y f o u n d t h a t T u f

t ’ s a m e n d e d

c o m p l a i n t t r a n s g r e s s e d t h e l i m i t a t i o n s i n R u l e 2 0 ( a )

. H o w e v e r , w h e r e a n a c t i o n

i s t i m e b a r r e d f

o l l o w i n g a d i s m i s s a l w i t h o u t p r e j u d i c e , t h e s t a n d a r d o f r e v i e w i s

t h e s a m e a s i f t h e a c t i o n h a d b e e n d i s m i s s e d w i t h p r e j u d i c e

. B e r r y , 9 7 5 F

. 2 d a t

1 1 9 1

. I n t h i s c a s e , t h e r e i s n o t a “ c l e a r r e c o r d o f d e l a y o r c o n t u m a c i o u s c o n d u c t

, ”

a n d t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t h a s n o t “ e x p r e s s l y d e t e r m i n e d t h a t l e s s e r s a n c t i o n s w o u l d

n o t p r o m p t d i l i g e n t p r o s e c u t i o n

. ” I d

. I n a d d i t i o n , t h e r e c o r d d o e s n o t s h o w “ t h a t

t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t e m p l o y e d l e s s e r s a n c t i o n s t h a t p r o v e d t o b e f u t i l e

. ” I

d

.

I n f a c t

, u n d e r F e d e r a l R u l e o f C i v i l P r o c e d u r e 2 1

, “ [ m ] i s j o i n d e r o f p a r t i e s

i s n o t a g r o u n d f

o r d i s m i s s i n g a n a c t i o n

. ” I n s t e a d

, a d i s t r i c t c o u r t

, “ o n m o t i o n

o r o n i t s o w n , . . . m a y a t a n y t i m e , o n j u s t t e r m s , a d d o r d r o p a p a r t y ” a n d “ m a y

a l s o s e v e r a n y c l a i m a g a i n s t a p a r t y

. ” F E D

. R

. C I V

. P

. 2 1

. I n o t h e r w o r d s , a c o u r t

f a c e d w i t h m i s j o i n d e r “ ‘ h a s t w o r e m e d i a l o p t i o n s : ( 1 ) m i s j o i n e d p a r t i e s m a y b e

d r o p p e d o n s u c h t e r m s a s a r e j u s t ; o r ( 2 ) a n y c l a i m s a g a i n s t m i s j o i n e d p a r t i e s

m a y b e s e v e r e d a n d p r o c e e d e d w i t h s e p a r a t e l y

. ’ ” A c e v e d o v

. A l l s u p ’ s

C o n v e n i e n c e S t o r e s , I n c

. , 6 0 0 F

. 3 d 5 1 6

, 5 2 0 ( 5 t h C i r

. 2 0 1 0 ) ( q u o t i n g D i r e c t T V

,

I n c

. v

. L e t o , 4 6 7 F

. 3 d 8 4 2

, 8 4 5 ( 3 d C i r

. 2 0 0 6 ) ( i n t e r n a l q u o t a t i o n m a r k s a n d

c i t a t i o n o m i t t e d ) ) )

. B e c a u s e t h e r e c o r d d o e s n o t s h o w t h a t T u f t d e l a y e d t h e

p r o c e e d i n g s i n t h i s c a s e , a c t e d c o n t u m a c i o u s l y , o r d e l i b e r a t e l y d i s o b e y e d c o u r t

o r d e r s , t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t a b u s e d i t s d i s c r e t i o n “ w h e n i t d i s m i s s e d t h i s e n t i r e

a c t i o n , r a t h e r t h a n s i m p l y d i s m i s s i n g ” m i s j o i n e d c l a i m s , d r o p p i n g p a r t i e s , o r

b o t h

. I d

. a t 5 2 2 ; s e e a l s o B e r r y , 9 7 5 F

. 2 d a t 1 1 9 1

- 9 2

.

A c c o r d i n g l y , w e a f

f i r m t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t ’ s f i n d i n g o f m i s j o i n d e r , r e v e r s e t h e

d i s m i s s a l o f T u f

t ’ s e n t i r e l a w s u i t

, a n d r e m a n d t h e c a s e f o r f u r t h e r p r o c e e d i n g s

c o n s i s t e n t w i t h t h i s o p i n i o n

. W e d i s c l a i m a n y l i m i t a t i o n o n t h e d i s t r i c t c o u r t ’ s

a u t h o r i t y o n r e m a n d t o d i s m i s s a n y o f T u f t ’ s c l a i m s o n a n y o t h e r b a s i s , s u c h a s

3 Case: 10-20135 Document: 00511251911 Page: 3 Date Filed: 10/04/2010N o

. 1 0

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a n y P L R A p r o v i s i o n s t h a t m a y b e a p p l i c a b l e

. S e e , e

. g

. , 2 8 U

. S

. C

. § 1 9 1 5 ;

§ 1 9 1 5 A ; 4 2 U

. S

. C

. § 1 9 9 7 e ( e )

.

A F F I R M E D i n p a r t ; R E V E R S E D i n p a r t ; R E M A N D E D

.

4 Case: 10-20135 Document: 00511251911 Page: 4 Date Filed: 10/04/2010