2005 D e c i sion s O p inion s of the U nit e d S t at e s C our t of Appe al s for the Thir d C ir c uit 11-3-2005 

# Gri ffin v . D eRo s a P r e c e de nt i al or N on-P r e c e de nt i al : N on-P r e c e de nt i al D ocke t N o . 04-2785

F o llow thi s and a dd it ion al work s at : http://d i git alc ommon s .l a w . vi ll anova . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2005

Thi s de c i sion i s br ou ght t o you for f r e e and ope n a c c e s s b y the O p inion s of the U nit e d S t at e s C our t of Appe al s for the Thir d C ir c uit at V i ll anova U nive r sity S choo l of L a

w Di git al Reposit ory

. It h as be e n a c c ept e d for inclusion in 2005 D e c i sion s b y an author i z e d a dmini s tr at or of V i ll anova U nive r sity S choo l of L a

w Di git al Reposit ory

. F or mor e inform at ion, p le as e c ont a ct Be n j amin . C arl s on@l a

w . vi ll anova . e du . Re c omme nde d C it at ion " Gr i ffin v . D eRos a" (2005). 2005 D e cisio n s . P ape r 271. http://d i git alc ommon s .l a

w . vi ll anova . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2005/271NOT P RE CE DE NT I AL UN I TED STATES CO UR T OF A PP EALS F O R T H E T H IR D C IR C U IT N O . 04- 2785

________________ 

### W I LL I E J . GRI FF IN, Appe l l ant v. C. J . DEROSA, Ft . Di x W ar de n; BABCOCK, Ca

pt a i n, Ft . Di x; WRIG H T , L t., et al.

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

Fort he D i s t r i ctof N ew J er s ey ( D . C . C i v. N o. 03- cv- 05597) D istri ct Ju d g e: H o n o rab le R o b ert B . K u g ler

_______________________________________ Subm i t t ed U nderT hi r d C i r cui tL A R 34. 1( a)

A ugus t10, 2005 Be f o r e : RO TH, M c KEE an d ALD I SERT, CI RCU I T J UD GES

( Fi l ed: N ovember3, 2005)

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OP I NI ON

_______________________ P E R C UR I AM A p p e llan t, W ill ie J . G rif f in , ap p e a ls f

ro m th e D istric t C o u rt’s o rd e r d ism iss in g h is c o mp l a i n tu n d e r2 8 U. S . C. § 1 9 1 5 ( e ) ( 2 ) . W e wi l l a f f i r m.2

I n N ovember2003, G r i ffi n fi l ed a c i vi l r i ght s compl ai ntal l egi ng thatthe abs ence of s ecur i t ydur i ng a bl ackoutatFC I - For tD i x, dur i ng w hi ch a r i oterupt ed, cons t i tut ed deli berat e i nd i fference to hi s safetyi n v i olat i on of the E i gh t h A m end m ent. G ri ffi n als o a l l e g e s t h a th e h a s b e e n s u b j e c t e d t o c ru e l a n d u n u s u a l p u n i s h me n tb e c a u s e th e r e s t r o o ms i n t he pr i s on do nothave ve nt i l at i on and he ha s been e xpos ed t o “envi r onm ent al t obacc o sm o k e” (“E T S ”) in the restroo m s fo r th e p ast tw en tym o n ths. T h e D istri ct C o u rt di s m i s s ed hi s i n form a paupe r i s compl ai ntforfai l ur e t o s t at e a c l ai m pur s uantt o 28 U .S .C . § § 1 9 1 5 (e )( 2 ) & 1 9 1 5 A (b )( 1 ). W e have appel l at e j ur i s di ct i on pur s uantt o 28 U . S. C . § 1291. O urr evi ew of the D istric t C o u rt’s d ism iss a l f o r f a ilu re to sta te a c laim u n d e r 2 8 U .S .C . § 1 9 1 5 (e )(2 ) is p l e n a r y . S e e Al l a h v . S e i v e r l i n g , 2 2 9 F . 3 d 2 2 0 , 2 2 3 ( 3 d Ci r . 2 0 0 0 ) . Ac c o r d i n g l y , “ we m us tacc eptas t rue the fa ctual al l egat i ons i n t he compl ai ntand al l r eas onabl e i nfer ence s that ca n b e d raw n there fro m . ” N am i v. Fa u v er, 82 F . 3 d 6 3 , 6 5 (3d C ir . 1 9 9 6 ). T he D i s t r i ctC our tdi d noterri n hol di ng thatG r i ffi n di d nots t at e a c l ai m for fai l ur e t o pr ot ect . T o pr evai l on an Ei ght h A m endmentfai l ur e t o pr ot ectcl ai m , a pl ai nt i ff i s r equi r ed t o s how t hat( 1) he i s i ncar cer at ed undercondi t i ons pos i ng a s ubs t ant i al r i s k of se rio u s h a rm (th e o b

jec tiv e e lem e n t); an d (2 ) p riso n o f f icia ls a c ted w ith d e lib e ra te in d if f e re n c e , i. e ., th a t p riso n o f f icia ls k n e w o f

a n d d isre g a rd e d a n e x c e ss iv e risk to in m a te heal t h ors afe t y( the s ubj ect i ve el ement ) . See Farm erv. B r ennan, 511 U . S. 825, 833- 34 (1 9 9 4 ).3

G r i ffi n as s er t s t hat , dur i ng t he 10- hourbl ackout , corr ect i onal offi cer s l ocked a l l of t he fi r e es cape door s and aba ndoned the bui l di ng. Fi r e al arm s s ounded and l i ght s fl as hed f o r a p p ro x im a telysix h o u rs, b u t p riso n o f f icia ls f a iled to re sp o n d to th e a lar m s. G rif f in a l s o s t a t e s t h a ti n ma t e s we r e s c r e a mi n g , u r i n a t i n g a n d d e f e c a t i n g a l l o v e rth e b a t h r o o ms t hr oughoutt hi s per i od. A s a r es ul t , he s l i pped i n a pool of ur i ne on the fl oorand another i nm at e s t epped on hi m . G r i ffi n as s ert s thathe fe ar ed forhi s l i fe dur i ng the i nci dent , and t hathe now s uffe r s fr om i ns om ni a. U nderor di narycondi t i ons , G r i ffi n m ayhave be en abl e t o es t abl i s h t hats l i ppi ng i n a pool of ur i ne on a r es t r oom fl oorpos ed a s ubs t ant i al r i s k. B eca us e he c oncede s t hatt hi s w as an emer gencybl ackoutdue t o a pow erfai l ur e, h o w ev er, w e c o n clud e tha t his plea d ing s are insu ff ici en t t o sh o w that the o ff icers w ere d e lib e ra te ly in d if

f e re n t. T h e D istric t C o u rt a lso d id n o t er r in h o ld in g th a t G rif f in f a iled to sta te a c laim bas ed on ET S expos ur e. L i abi l i t ybas ed on expos ur e t o E T S r equi r es pr oof of ( 1) expos ur e t o unr eas onabl yhi gh l evel s of ET S cont r aryt o cont empora r ys t andar ds of d e c e n c y ; a n d (2 ) d e lib e ra te in d if f e re n c e b yth e a u th o ri tie s to th e e x p o s u re to E T S . H e llin g v . M c K in n e y , 5 0 9 U .S . 2 5 , 3 5 (1 9 9 3 ). 

### Gri ffi n a l l e ge s that , ove r ape ri od of twe nty m onths , heha s be e n e xp os e d t o E TS i n ina de qu at e ly ve nti l at e d re s tr oo m s . He al so cl ai m s that e very

tim e he goes t o any

pris onre stroom , he finds at le as t e ight to te n inm at es smok ing there . G rif f in d o e s n o t alle g e th a t 

### he was e xp osed to le vels of ET S that p o se anunreaso n ab le risko f d am ag e to h is f

uture h ealth . C om par e, e. g. , H el l i ng, 509U . S. at35 ( hol di ng t hatbunki ng w i th a ce l l m at e w ho s m oked fi ve pac ks of ci gar ett es per

dayexpos ed an i nm at e t o an unr eas onabl e r i s k of futur e harm fr om E T S expos ur e) , and A t ki ns on v. T ay l or, 316 F. 3d 257, 259 ( 3d C i r . 2003) ( hol di ng thata pr i s onerw ho c laim e d th a t h e h a d sh a re d a c e ll w ith c o n sta n t sm o k e rs f o r m a n ym o n th s s tate d a c laim fora vi ol at i on of a c l ear l yes t abl i s hed r i ght ) w i t h R i char ds on v. Spur l ock, 260 F. 3d 495, 498 ( 5t h C i r . 2001) ( hol di ng t hats i t t i ng nears om e s m oker s s om et i m es i s notan u n r e a s o n a b l e e x p o s u r e t o ET S ) a n d P r y o r - El v . Ke l l y , 8 9 2 F . S u p p . 2 6 1 , 2 6 7 ( D. D. C. 1995) ( di s m i s s i ng an ET S cl ai m i n w hi ch the pl ai nt i ff a l l eged “ onl ythatvar i ous unnamed i nm at es and pr i s on offi ci al s s m oke ‘ i n t he TV r oom , games r oom , and the l ett erw r i t i ng ro o m ’” ). F o r t h e f o re g o in g re a s o n s , w e w ill a f f ir m .

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