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 5-27-2005 

# V irgi li v . Alleghe n y 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 . 04-3873

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 authori z e d a dmini s tr at or of V i ll anova U nive r sity S choo l of L a

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. 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
" V irgi l i v . Alle ghe n y " (2005). 2005 D e cisio n s . P ape r 1120. http://d i git alc ommon s .l a

w . vi ll anova . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2005/11201 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. 04- 3873 R O B E R T V IR G IL I, J R .,

A ppel l ant v. A L L E G H E N Y C O U N T Y ; G A R Y D A L E Y , i ndi vi dual l yand o f f i c i a l l y ; T HOMAS L E I GHT , i n d i v i d u a l l ya n d o f f i c i a l l y ; WI L L I AM E M E RI CK , in d iv id u a llya n d o f

f icia lly ; C A L V IN L IG H T F O O T , ind iv id u a llya n d o f f icia lly a n d K E N N E T H F U L T O N , ind iv id u a llya n d o f f icia lly

____________ APP EAL F ROM THE UNI TE D ST ATE S DI S TRI CT C OURT F O R T H E W E S T E R N D IS T R IC T O F P E N N S Y L V A N IA

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M ay4, 2005 B efore: M cK E E , V A N A N T W E R P E N and W E IS, C i rcui tJudg es. Fi l ed M ay27, 2005

____________ OP I NI ON W E I S, C i r cui tJ udge.

A f te r b e in g a c c u s e d o f

p ro v id in g m a ri

ju a n a to a n in m a te , P la in tif f , a corr ect i onal offi ceratthe A l l eghenyC ountyJ ai l , w as s us pended w i thoutpayand2

f o rm a llya rre ste d a f

e w d a y s la ter . F o llo w in g h is a tto rn e y ’s a d v ice , h e d id n o t ap p e a r a t a di s ci pl i naryhear i ng s chedul ed forA ugus t26, 2003, abouts even w eeks aft erthe i nci dent atthe j ai l . V i r gi l i ’ s uni on r epr es ent at i ve w as pr es entatthe hea r i ng and t ook an appe al fr om the adve r s e rul i ng. V i r gi l i att ended a hear i ng on O ct ober16, 2003 w hen the w ar den a n n o u n c e d th a t th e d istric t atto rn e yh a d d ro p p e d th e c rim in a l ch a rg e s a n d th a t V irg ili w o u l d b e r e i n s t a t e d w i th f u l l b a c k p a y. V i rgi l i fi l ed suiti n the D i stri ctC ou rtal l eging (1) that hi s suspensi on w as a deni al of hi s D ue Pr oces s r i ght s ; ( 2) thatther e w as no pr obabl e ca us e forhi s arr es t ; and (3) tha t th e c o u n tyw as g u il tyo f n eg li g en t sup erv isi o n an d tr ainin g . T h e D istri ct C o u rt e n ter e d su m m a ryju d g m e n t f o r th e d e f

e n d a n ts, in c lu d in g th e in v e stig a tin g o f f ice rs, c o u n ty j ai l offi ci al s and the countyi t s el f.

T h e f a c ts a re w e ll k n o w n to th e p a rties a n d n e e d n o t b e re p e a ted in d e tail her e. I ns t ead, w e w i l l br i efl ys um m ar i ze the s al i enti nform at i on.

A c tin g o n a tip th a t a c o rre c tio n a l o f f ice r w o u ld d e liv e r d ru g s to a n in m a te d u rin g a se ss io n a t th e jail lib ra ry , d e f e n d a n ts, in ter n a l se c u rityo f f ice r L e ig h t an d c o u n ty det ect i ve D al ey , arr anged f ora s ear ch of the i nm at es l eavi ng the l i br ary . I nm at e G l over w a s f o u n d in p o ss e ss io n o f

p a c k s o f m a riju a n a . U n d e r q u e stio n in g b yD a ley an d L e ig h t, G l overi m pl i cat ed anotheri nm at e and V i r gi l i . B oth i nm at es w er e arr es t ed thateveni ng b a s e d o n a n a f

f id a v its o f

p ro b a b le c a u s e ; th e a f

f id a v its d e s c ri b e d V ir g ili’ s in v o lv e m e n t. O n thatsam e even i ng , aft er r ecei ving his Mi r anda r i ght s , V i r gi l i deni ed3

c o m p licitya n d w a s s e n t h o m e . O n th e f o llo w in g m o rn in g , d e f

e n d a n t L e ig h t to ld V irg ili thathe w as s us pended w i thoutpay . A few day s l at er , an arr es tw arr antforV i r gi l i w as is s u e d a n d h e re p o rt e d to a d is tr ic t ju s tic e f o r a rr a ig n m e n t. V i r gi l i al l eges thatthe ens ui ng publ i ci tydamaged hi s r eput at i on and r es ul t ed i n a fr eez i ng of hi s s ecur i tycl ear ance as a mem berof the Penns y l vani a N at i onal G u a rd . O urr evi ew of a D i s tr i ctC our t ’ s deci s i on t o gr ants um m aryj udgm enti s de n o v o . B la irv . S c o tt S p e c ia lity G a s e s , 2 8 3 F .3 d 5 9 5 , 6 0 2 -0 3 (3 d C ir . 2 0 0 2 ).

T he D i s tr i ctC our tcorr ect l yconcl uded thatpr obabl e ca us e exi s t ed for V i r gi l i ’ s arr es t . T he t i p gi ven i n advanc e, the r ecove ryof nar cot i cs and the as s ert i ons of i nm at e G l overcol l ect i vel ycons t i tut ed gr ounds forbel i evi ng thata cr i m e had be en comm i t t ed, des pi t e V i r gi l i ’ s deni al s . See, e. g. , O r s att i v. N ew J er s eySt at e Pol i ce, 71 F. 3d 4 8 0 (3d C ir . 1 9 9 5 ); S h arrar v . F elsi n g , 1 2 8 F . 3 d 8 1 0 (3d C ir . 1 9 9 7 ).

L i ke hi s pr obabl e ca us e ar gum ent , V i r gi l i ’ s ar gum entaboutl ack of due p ro c e ss in h is s u sp e n sio n m u st f a il. V irg ili h a d a c o n stitu tio n a llyre c o g n ize d p ro p e rty i nt er es ti n t enur e i n hi s pos i t i on thati s pr ot ect ed bynot i ce a nd hear i ng r equi r ement s . T he not i ce a nd hear i ng r equi r ement s do notal w ay s r equi r e pre term ination p roc ed u res. I n s om e s i tuat i ons , a hea r i ng m ayt ake pl ace aft ert erm i nat i on. See G i l bertv. H om ar , 520 U .S . 9 2 4 (1 9 9 7 ); M c D a n ie ls v . F lic k , 5 9 F .3 d 4 4 6 (3 d C ir . 1 9 9 5 ).

I n t hi s cas e, V i r gi l i w as gi ven an opportuni tyt o s t at e hi s cas e t o L ei ghtand4

D al eybefor e he w as t erm i nat ed and he offe r ed t o t ake a l i e det ect ort es t . O n the f o llo w in g m o rn in g , h o w e v e r, h e re v e rse d th a t d e c isio n . H e w a s s c h e d u led f o r a f u ll h e a ri n g s ix w e e k s la te r, b u t d id n o t ta k e th a t o p p o rt u n ity.

It is u n d e rsta n d a b le th a t, giv e n th e p e n d e n c yo f c rim in a l p ro c e e d in g s, h e d id notw i s h t o t es t i fyatthatt i m e. N everthel es s , an opportuni tyfora pr om pthear i ng w as p ro v id e d a n d d u e p ro c e ss re q u ire m e n ts m a d e a v a ilab le. T h e re is n o in d ica tio n th a t a h e a rin g sc h e d u led f

o r o n e o r tw o d a y s a f

ter th e in c id e n t w o u ld lik e lyh a v e p ro c e e d e d in v ie w o f th e p e n d in g c ri m in a l m a tte rs . W e not e thatful l back pa yw as aw ar ded and thatV i r gi l i ’ s s t atus i n the Penns y l vani a N at i onal G uar d w as r ei ns t at ed. I n the ci r cumst ance s her e, V i r gi l i i s not ent i t l ed t o a “na m e cl ear i ng hear i ng. ” See G r aham v. C i tyof Phi l adel phi a, 402 F. 3d 139 (3d C ir . 2 0 0 5 ).

T h e p lain tiff ’s c h a rg e s o f in a d e q u a te tra in in g a n d su p e rv isio n m u st a lso f a il beca us e ther e i s no evi dence of a c ons t i tut i onal vi ol at i on caus ed bys uch fa ct or s . T he due p ro c e s s m e a s u re s re q u ir e d b yth e c o u n ty ru le s a n d p ra c tic e s w e re c a rr ie d o u t.

F in a lly , w e c o n c lu d e th a t th e D istric t C o u rt a c ted p ro p e rlyin d e c lin in g to adj udi cat e the s t at e l aw cl ai m s . W hen a di s tr i ctcourtdi s m i s s es on the mer i t s the fe der al c laim s th a t in iti a llyp ro v id e d ju risd ictio n , the p ro p e r re so lu tio n o f p e n d e n t sta te c laim s is t o r el i nqui s h t hem t o t he s t at e court s . I n Penns y l vani a, a s t at e s t atut e s peci fi cal l ypr ovi des f o r s u c h tr a n s f

e r.