2009 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 4-28-2009 

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w . vi ll anova . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2009/14671 NOT 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. 08- 1669 W A Y N E P R IT C H E T T , A ppel l ant

v. R IC H A R D E L L E R S ; J OHN S YM ONS O n A p p ea l from the U n it ed S tat es D istri ct C o u rt f o r th e M id d le D istric t o f P e n n sy lv a n ia D i s t r i ctC our tN o. 06- C V - 00265 D i s t r i ctJ udge: T he H onor abl e Sy l vi a H . R ambo Subm i t t ed Pur s uantt o T hi r d C i r cui tL . A . R . 34. 1( a)

A pr i l 16, 2009 B e f o re : M c K E E , S M IT H , a n d V A N A N T W E R P E N , C i r cui tJudges

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OP I NI ON2

S M IT H , C i r cui tJudge . W ayne Pr i t chett , a pr i s oneri n t he Penns y l vani a St at e C orr ect i onal I ns t i tut i on at R ock view (SC I- R ock view ) duri ng 20 04 , suffered from pap i l l om a of the l arynx , w hich i s a condi t i on aggr avat ed byenvi r onm ent al t obacc o s m oke ( E T S) . A ft erunder goi ng s u rg e ry in m id -J u n e o f

2 0 0 4 , D r. K a o , h is s u rg e o n , re c o m m e n d e d th a t h e a v o id E T S . A l though SC I - R ockvi ew had a non- s m oki ng pol i cy , i tw as notenfor ced a nd i nm at es s m oked i n t hei rhous i ng uni t s . B eca us e Pr i t chettw as expos ed t o s m oki ng, he compl ai ned th a t h e w a s n o t r e c e iv in g a d e q u a te c a re a n d s h o u ld b e p la c e d in a s in g le c e ll. Si ngl e ce l l i ng form edi cal r eas ons r equi r ed i nputfr om a phy s i ci an. Forthat r eas on, R i char d E l l er s , t he hea l t h car e admi ni s t r at oratthe fa ci l i t y , s poke w i t h D r . J ohn Sy m ons , a phy s i ci an empl oy ed bySC I - R ockvi ew . A l t hough D r . Sy m ons found no m edi cal j us t i fi cat i on fora s i ngl e ce l l as s i gnm ent , he conf err ed w i t h E l l er s aboutr educi ng Pr i t chett ’ s expos ur e on s ever al occa s i ons . Si nce s m oki ng on t he ce l l bl ocks expos ed Pr i t chettt o E T S, E l l er s cont act ed otheroffi ci al s atSC I - R ockvi ew t o i nves t i gat e w hether P ritch e tt’s c e ll m a te s m o k e d a n d w h e th e r c h a n g in g P ritch e tt’s c e ll as sig n m e n t w o u ld re d u c e o r e lim in a te h is e x p o s u re to E T S . P ri tc h e tt, h o w e v e r, o p p o s e d a n ys u c h c h a n g e . N o n e th e les s, in O c to b e r a n d N o v e m b e r, E llers c o n tac ted o f f icia ls w ith in th e P e n n sy lv a n ia D epart m entof C or r ect i ons ( D O C ) abouttr ans ferr i ng Pr i t chettt o a fa ci l i t ythatw as s m oke f re e . B ylate N o v e m b e r o f 2 0 0 4 , P ritch e tt req u ire d a d d iti o n a l o u tp a tien t su rg e ryo n h is th r o a t . On De c e mb e r9 , 2 0 0 4 , Dr . Ka o a g a i n r e c o mm e n d e d th a tP r i t c h e t ta v o i d E T S . OnT he D i s t r i ctC our texer ci s ed j ur i s di ct i on pur s uantt o 28 U . S. C . § 1331. W e have 1 j ur i s di ct i on overt hi s fi nal or derunder28 U . S. C . § 1291. W e exe r ci s e pl enaryr evi ew o v e r a D is tr ic t C o u rt ’s g ra n t o f s u m m a ry ju d g m e n t. T a y lo r v . P h o e n ixv ill e Sc h . D ist. , 184 F .3 d 2 9 6 , 3 0 5 (3 d C ir . 1 9 9 9 ). 3 D ece m ber14, t he D O C t r ans ferr ed Pr i t chettt o t he St at e C orr ect i onal Faci l i t yatFay et t e, w h ic h w a s a lle g e d ly a s m o k e f re e f a c ility. In F e b ru a ry o f

2 0 0 6 , P ri tc h e tt f

ile d a c o m p la in t a lle g in g , in tera lia , thatE l l er s and D r . Sy m ons had bee n del i ber at el yi ndi ffe r entt o hi s s er i ous m edi cal needs i n vi ol at i on of the Ei ghth A m endmentt o t he U ni t ed St at es C ons t i tut i on and thathe had be en d isc rim in a ted a g a in st o n th e b a sis o f a d isa b ili tyin v io latio n o f th e A m e ric a n s w ith D i s abi l i t i es A ctof 1990 ( A D A ) . Pr i t chett ’ s A D A cl ai m agai ns tD r . Sy m ons w as d ism issed . A fter the clos e o f d isco v ery , E ll ers a n d D r. S ym o n s m o v ed fo r sum m ary j udgm ent . T he D i s t r i ctC our tgr ant ed both m ot i ons . Pr i t chettappea l ed. 1 W i th r es pectt o t he A D A cl ai m agai ns tE l l er s , the D i s t r i ctC our tconcl uded thatt he evi dence thatPr i t chett ’ s voi ce w as “r as py ” w as notenough t o s how an i m pai r m entthat s ubs t ant i al l yl i m i t ed the maj orl i fe a ct i vi t yof s peaki ng, and ther ebydi d notcons t i tut e a d i s a b i l i ty. W e a g r e e w i t h t h e D i s t r i c tC o u r t . U n d e rth e A D A , th e “ t e r m ‘ d i s a b i l i t y’ m eans . . . [a] phy s i cal orm ent al i m pai r m entthats ubs t ant i al l yl i m i t s one orm or e of the m a jo r life a c tiv iti e s o f

su c h in d iv id u a l.” 4 2 U .S .C . § 1 2 1 0 2 (1 ). S p e a k in g is s p e c if ica lly c ited b yth e sta tu te a s a m a jo r life a c tiv ity . 4 2 U .S .C . § 1 2 1 0 2 (2 )(A ). H o w e v e r, “[ i]t is in su f f icie n t f o r in d iv id u a ls a ttem p tin g to p ro v e d isa b ili tysta tu s [ u n d e r th e A D A ] . . . to4

m er el ys ubm i tevi dence of a medi cal di agnos i s of an i m pai r m ent . ” Toyota Mot orM f g. v. Wi l l i a ms , 5 3 4 U. S . 1 8 4 , 1 9 8 ( 2 0 0 2 ) ( o v e r ru l e d o n o t h e rg r o u n d s b yth e ADA A m endment s A ctof 2008, Pub. L . 110- 325, 122 St at . 353 ( 2008) ) . Y etthati s w hat Pr i t chettadduce d: a r eportfr om D r . K ao r egar di ng hi s m edi cal di agnos i s and evi dence thathi s voi ce i s “r as py . ” W hi l e hi s “r as py ” voi ce mayi m pactthe vol um e of hi s s peec h, ther e i s no evi dence i n t he r ecor d befor e us thatPr i t chettw as unabl e t o art i cul at e w or ds and t o comm uni cat e w i t h ot heri ndi vi dual s . N orhave w e bee n di r ect ed t o anyevi dence of r ecor d thats ugges t s t hathi s condi t i on caus ed other s t o have di ffi cul t ycompre hendi ng P ri tc h e tt’ s s p e e c h . See Cal ef v. G i l l et t e C o. , 322 F. 3d 75, 84 ( 1s tC i r . 2003) ( concl udi ng thata medi cal as s es s m entt hatverbal abi l i t i es w er e w i t hi n t he ave r age r ange, i ncl udi ng a rticu latio n , flu e n c y , g ra m m a r a n d sy n tax , an d th a t p lain tiff w a s a b le to sa tisf

a c to rily s peak w i th cus t om er s fai l ed t o demonstr at e a s ubs t ant i al l i m i t at i on of the maj orl i fe a c tiv ityo f

sp e a k in g ); D avi ds on v. Mi del f or tC l i ni c, Ltd. , 1 3 3 F . 3 d 4 9 9 , 5 0 7 (7th C ir . 1998) ( obs ervi ng t hatt he l i fe a ct i vi t yof s peaki ng “s ur el ydoes ent ai l m or e than the p h y sical asp ec ts of

v o ca li za ti o n ”). I n the a b sen ce o f re co rd e v iden ce that P ri tche tt ’s i m pai rm ents ubs t ant i al l yl i m i t ed hi s m aj orl i fe a ct i vi t yof s peaki ng, w e w i l l aff i r m the D is tr ic t C o u rt ’s g ra n t o f s u m m a ry ju d g m e n t in f a v o r o f E lle rs o n P ri tc h e tt’ s A D A c la im . W e a lso f

in d n o e rro r in th e g ra n t o f su m m a ryju d g m e n t o n th e d e lib e ra te ind iffe ren ce claim s. T h e D istri ct C o u rtco n clud ed that the c o n d u ct of E ll ers a n d D r. Sy m ons i n t r y i ng t o acc om m odat e the nee d t o avoi d E T S w as nei t heri ndi ffe r entnor5

d e lib e ra te . W e a g re e . I n cons i der i ng Pr i t chett ’ s cl ai m s agai ns tE l l er s and D r . Sy m ons , w e mustbe m i ndful thatacc om m odat i ng D r . K ao’ s r ecomm endat i on r equi r ed cons ul t at i on betw een E l l er s and D r . Sy m ons . E l l er s w as nota phy s i ci an and D r . Sy m ons di d notpos s es s the au tho ri tyto u n il aterall ych an g e a n inm ate’s h o u sing statu s. A s a re su lt , E ll ers a n d D r. S ym o n s co n fe rred in an ef fo rtto ad d ress P ri tche tt ’s m ed ical ne ed s. T o that en d , E ll ers m ade i nqui r i es i n O ct oberand N ovembert o offi ci al s atSC I - R ockvi ew and w i t hi n t he D O C aboutacc om m odat i ng t he nee d t o avoi d E T S. Pr i t chett ’ s tr ans feroccurr ed on D ece m ber14, 2004. U ndert hes e ci r cumst ance s , ther e i s no evi dence of an i nt ent i onal r efus al t o addr es s t he r ecomm endat i on of D r . K ao t o avoi d E T S. N ori s ther e any ev iden ce to su g g est th at th ere w as a d eli b era te disreg ard o f th e risk o f c o n ti n u ed ex p o su re a t S C I- R o c k v ie w . See Farm erv. B r ennan , 5 1 1 U. S . 8 2 5 , 8 3 7 ( 1 9 9 4 ) . Ac c o r d i n g l y , we w i l l no tdis turb t he D i stri ctC ou rt ’s j ud gm ent i n fav or of E l l ers and D r. S ym on s.