2006 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 2-9-2006 

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w Di git al Reposit or y

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

w . vi l l a no va . e du . Re c omme nde d C it at ion " J or d a n v . H or n" (2006). 2006 D e cisio n s . P ape r 1615. http://d i git alc ommon s .l a

w . vi l l a nova . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2006/1615D PS-61 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. 03- 3541 

### TH OM AS J ORDAN, Appe l l ant

v. M A R T INH O R

N , S ecretary , D ep artm ent o f C o rrectio n s; W I LLI AM LOVE; J OHN DOE, 1; J OHN DOE, 2; ROBERT BI TNER, Chi e f He ari ng Exami ne r ; FREDERI CK A. ROSEMEYER; JAM ES C. HEND ER SO N; DA VI D W . PI TKINS ; J OHN P AU L; NI CH OL AS PO NC HI ON E; CA PT AIN J OHN W I LL I AM S; MI CH AE L F LYNN ;

VI CKI E V I SH ; SE RG EANT TS I KA LA S; JAM ES BENC H; LI EU TENANT HI LE R; LI EU TENANT MC GU FF ; LI EU TENANT CO RRAN ; OF FI CE R C RI SS EY ; RAYM ON D J . SO BINA ; DE PU TYFI LINO ; SYLVI A GI BSON; J OSEPH H. ROLLINS; KERRICROSS; LI EUTENANT WI RECK; CAPTAIN PAPUGA; SUSAN DARR; CORRECTI ONAL OFFI CER DOYKA; CORRECTI ONAL OFFI CER VI GAS;

CO RREC TI ON AL OF FI CE R G OT TS CH AL K

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O n A p p ea l Fro m the U n it ed S tat es D istri ct C o u rt F o r th e W e ste rn D istric t o f P e n n sy lv a n ia (D . C . C i v. N o. 00 -C V -0003 6J) D i s t r i ctJ udge: H onor abl e D avi d St ew ar tC er cone

______________________________________________________ Subm i t t ed ForPoss i bl e D i s m i s s al U nder28 U . S. C . § 1915( e) ( 2) ( B ) or S u m m a ry A c tio n U n d e r T h ir d C ir c u it L A R 2 7 .4 a n d I.O .P . 1 0 .6

D ece m ber1, 2005 Be f o r e : RO TH, FUEN TES AND VA N A NTW ERPEN, CI RCU I T J UD GES

( Fi l ed February9, 2006 )_________________________________ OP I NI ON

_________________________________ P E R C UR I AM T hom as J or dan, a Penns y l vani a pr i s oner , fi l ed thi s § 1983 act i on al l egi ng vi ol at i ons of hi s r i ght s undert he Fi r s t , E i ght h, and Four t eenth A m endment s , ar i s i ng pr i m ar i l youtof an i nci denti n J une, 1999. J or dan al l eges t hathe w as verbal l yt hr eat ened and har as s ed w i t h r aci al comm ent s byC or r ect i onal O ffi cerFl ynn atS. C . I . L aur el H igh land s (th e “ F lyn n incid en t”). T he fa ctual and pr ocedur al backgr ound of the ca s e i s w el l know n t o t he part i es and i s ful l ys etfor t h i n t he M agi s t r at e J udge’ s R epor tent er ed J ul y1, 2003. W e af fi r m ed the D i s t r i ctC our t ’ s or derent er ed J une 29, 2001 t o t he ext entt hati tdi s m i s s ed J or dan’ s r ace di s cr i m i nat i on, di s pr opor t i onat e di s ci pl i narys anct i ons , pr ocedur al due pr oces s , deni al of acc es s t o t he court s , and r et al i at or yt r ans ferand mai l confi s cat i on cl ai m s . See J or dan v. Ho r n , C. A. No . 0 1 - 2 8 4 3 ( 3 d Ci r . Oc t . 1 7 , 2 0 0 2 ) . W e v a c a t e d t h e o r d e ra s t o t wo c l a i ms t hatcert ai n defe ndant s r et al i at ed aga i ns tJ or dan forpur s ui ng a compl ai ntt o t he W ar den an d p ri so n g ri ev an ce co n ce rnin g the F lyn n incid en t bysu b jecti n g h im to f

alse d isci p li n ary char ges on J une 23, 1999 and J ul y9, 1999, and hi s cl ai m t hatcert ai n l egal and non- l egal pr oper t yw as l os tordes t r oy ed upon hi s t r ans fert o S. C . I . Som er s etw i t houtpr ocedur al due pr oces s ( t he “de s t ruct i on of pr oper t ycl ai m ”) . O n r emand, t he D i s t r i ctC our tadopt ed the M ag istrate Ju d g e’s R ep o rtan d g ran ted s u m m aryjud g m en t i n the d ef en d an ts’ fa v o r, di s m i s s i ng t he des t ruct i on of pr oper t ycl ai m and one of t he r et al i at i on cl ai m s . J or dant i m el yappea l ed. W e r emanded forcons i der at i on of the r emai ni ng r et al i at or ydi s ci pl i ne

cl ai m , butr et ai ned j ur i s di ct i on. T he D i s t r i ctC our thas gr ant ed s um m aryj udgm enton t h a tc l a i m. W e exe r ci s e pl enaryr evi ew overt he D i s tr i ctC our t ’ s gr antof s um m aryj udgm ent p u r s u a n tt o F e d . R . C i v . P . 5 6 ( c ) . P u b l i c I n t e r e s tR e s e a r c h o f N . J . v . P o w e l l D u f

f r yn T erm i nal s , I nc. , 913 F. 2d 64, 71 ( 3d C i r . 1990) . B eca us e thi s appea l pr es ent s “no s ubs t ant i al ques t i on, ” 3d C i r . L A R 27. 4 and I . O . P. 10. 6, w e w i l l s um m ar i l yaff i r m t he D i s t r i ctC our t ’ s or der s ent er ed A ugus t18, 2003, and Sept ember15, 2005. W e c o n c lu d e th a t th e D istric t C o u rt p ro p e rlyg ra n ted su m m a ryju d g m e n t as to b o th o f Jo rda n ’s retal iat ion claim s fo r th e re aso n s set fo rth in the M ag istrate Ju d g e’s R ep o rt i s s ued on J ul y1, 2003, and byt he D i s t r i ctC our ti n i t s M emora ndum O pi ni on ent er ed S e p tem b e r 1 5 , 2 0 0 5 . W ith re sp e c t to th e d e stru c tio n o f p ro p e rtyc laim , the M a g istra te Ju d g e d eterm ined that the D O C co n d u cted an ind ep en d en t i n v esti g ati o n o f Jo rda n ’s l os t/ des t r oy ed pr oper t ygr i evanc es w hi ch s how ed thatt he pr oper t yw as i nvent or i ed at bot h pr i s on s i t es and thatJ or dan s i gned the appr opr i at e i nvent or ys heet s acknow l edgi ng t hatt hi s pr oper t yand hi s l egal m at er i al s had bee n r etur ned t o hi m . B eca us e the D O C had i nves t i gat ed the gr i evanc e and r es ponded t o J or dan, t he M agi s t r at e J udge conc l uded that t he abs ence of a f

i nal r es pons e t o J or dan’ s appea l of the deni al of hi s gr i evanc e di d not re n d e r in a d e q u a te a n o th e rw ise a d e q u a te p o st-d e p riv a tio n re m e d y . Jo rd a n d id n o t su b m it anyevi dence contr adi ct i ng t he s ubs t ance of the D O C i nves t i gat i on. W e agr ee w i t h t he M agi s t r at e J udge’ s concl us i on t hatt he def endant s w er e ent i t l ed t o s um m aryj udgm entonW e fi nd t hi s cas e fa ctual l ydi s t i ngui s habl e fr om Fr eeman v. D ep’ tof 1 C o rre c tio n s, 9 4 9 F .2 d 3 6 0 (1 0 C ir. 1 9 9 1 ). T h e re , F re e m a n h a d n o m e a n in g f u l ac c e ss to th anypos t - depr i vat i on r emedybeca us e the def endantpr i s on offi ci al s act i vel yt hw ar t ed Fr eeman’ s at t empt s t o gr i eve the l os s of hi s s t er eo pl ay ert hr ough t he pr i s on gr i evanc e sy ste m a n d th e yc a u se d h im to d ro p h is c iv il co u rt law su it o n th e ir f a lse p ro m ise th a t h is ste re o p layer w o u ld b e re tu rn e d to h im . In F re e m a n ’s c a se , ev e n th e c o u rt f a iled to re sp o n d to h is n u m e ro u s re q u e sts re g a rd in g th e sta tu s o f h is la w su it. the d estruc ti o n o f p rop ertyclaim . A lth o u g h the f ail u re o f th e C en tr al O ff ice to re n d er a d ec isi o n o n Jo rda n ’s ap p ea l i s n o t com m en d ab le, w e c an n o t saythat su ch a f ail u re depr i ved J or dan of a nym eani ngful acc es s t o a pos t - depr i vat i on r emedy , bas ed on the u n d ispu ted f

ac ts i n this case . T h ere fo re, th e D istri ct C o u rtp rop erlyg ran ted s u m m ary 1 j u d g me n twi t h r e s p e c tt o t h i s c l a i m. A c c o rd in g ly , w e w ill a f f irm th e ju d g m e n t o f

th e D istric t C o u rt.