DL D- 2 4 4 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. 10- 1796

___________ A N TH O N Y ZA N D ER S,

A ppel l ant v . OF F I CE R F E RK O; DE P UT Y GL UNT ; S UP E RINT E NDE NT RO Z UM

____________________________________ 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 W e ste rn D istric t o f P e n n sy lv a n ia ( D . C . C i vi l N o. 3: 10- cv- 00009) D i s tr i ctJ udge: H onor abl e K i m R . G i bs on

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o rP o s s i b l e Di s mi s s a l P u r s u a n tt o 2 8 U. S . C. § 1 9 1 5 ( e ) ( 2 ) ( B) o r S u m m a ry A c tio n P u rs u a n t to T h ir dC ir c u it L A R 2 7 .4 a n dI.O .P . 1 0 .6 J ul y15, 2010 B efor e: FU E N T E S, J O R D A N A N D H A R D I M A N , C i r cui tJ udges

( O pi ni on fi l ed: A ugus t6, 2010)

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_________ P E R C UR I AM A nthonyZ ander s , a Penns y l vani a s t at e pr i s onerpr ocee di ng pr o s e, appea l s the D is tr ic t C o u rt ’s o rd e r d is m is s in g , s u a s p o n te , h is c o m p la in t f o r f a ilu re to s ta te a c la im . Forthe r eas ons thatfol l ow , w e w i l l s um m ar i l yvaca t e the j udgm entand r emand t o theW e h a v e ju ri s d ic tio n o v e r th is ap p e a l p u rs u a n t to 2 8 U .S .C . § 1 2 9 1 . 1 2 D i stri ctC ou rtfor further proceedings. I. In January20 10 , Z and ers fi l ed a p ro se com plai nt i n the D i stri ctC ou rtagainst S u p e rin ten d e n t R o z u m , D e p u tyG lu n t, an dO f f ice r F e rk o , all p riso n o f f icia ls a t th e S tate C orr ect i onal I ns t i tut i on atSom er s et( SC I - Som er s et ) i n Penns y l vani a. T he compl ai nt a lle g e dth a t O f

f ic e r F e rk o “ s ta rt e da c h a in o f e v e n ts th a t le a d[ s ic ] t o th is s tr o k e I h a d ,” a n dth a t O f

f ice r F e rk o “ th re a ten [ e d ] m e n o t to f o llo w th ro u g h w ith th is s u it. ” A ttac h e dto th e c o m p lain t w e re se v e ra l d o c u m e n ts, in c lu d in g a g rie v a n c e Z a n d e rs p u rp o rte d ly s ubm i tt ed t o pr i s on offi ci al s on J ul y27, 2009, and corr es pondence betw een hi m s el f and th e p ri s o n ’s p h y s ic ia n . In h is g ri e v a n c e , Z a n d e rs a lle g e dth a t “ [ o ]n 7 -2 6 a n d7 -2 7 o f 0 9 , I

. . . w as deni ed mybr eakf as tm eal s and myl unch meal s ( that ’ s fourm eal s ) byO ffi cer F erk o . . . . ” O n the s am e d ayZ an d ers f il ed h is grieva n ce , h e w rote to th e p ri so n ’s p h y s i c i a n , c l a i mi n g th a t“ [ l ] a s twe e k[ Of f i c e rF e rk o ] d i dth e s a me th i n g ( d e n i e dme m eal s ) and I had t o be r emoved fr om m ycel l and have m ybl ood pr es s ur e moni t or ed over n ig h t b e c a u s e it w a s s o h ig h . . . .” T he D i s tr i ctC ourtr efe rr ed Zander s ’ s compl ai ntt o a M agi s tr at e Judge, w ho i s s ued a r eportr ecomm endi ng thatthe courtdi s m i s s the compl ai nt– w i thoutl eave t o amend – forfai l ur e t o s t at e a c l ai m . O n February24, 2010, the D i s tr i ctC ourtadopt ed the M agi s tr at e Judge’ s r ecomm endat i on and di s m i s s ed the compl ai nt . T hi s appea l fol l ow ed. 13 II. If a co m p lai n t i s v u lnera b le t o d ism issal fo r fa ilu re to state a c lai m , a D istri ct C o u rt m us tgr antthe pl ai nt i ff l eave t o amend “unl es s an amendm entw oul d be i nequi t abl e or fu ti le. ” S ee A lst o n v . P ark er, 36 3 F . 3 d2 2 9 , 2 3 5 (3d C ir . 2 0 0 4 ). H ere , Z an d ers’s compl ai ntm ayhave f

ai l ed t o s t at e “s uffi ci entfac tual m att er ” t o s upportthe pl aus i bi l i tyof hi s cl ai m s , and the D i s tr i ctC ourtpr oper l ydi s m i s s ed the compl ai nt . See A s hcr oftv. Iq b a l, 12 9 S . C t. 19 3 7 , 1 9 4 8

– 4 9 (2 0 0 9 ). T h e D istric t C o u rt, h o w e v e r, d idn o t ex p licitly hol d, norcan w e conc l ude, thatamendm entw oul d be fut i l e ori nequi t abl e. I n l i ghtof Zander s ’ s cl ai m thathe s uffe r s fr om di abet es , hi gh bl ood pr es s ur e, and h e a rt p ro b lem s, h e m ig h t b e ab le to a lleg e f a c ts s u f f icie n t to sta te a c laim f

o r d e lib e ra te i ndi ffe r ence underthe Ei ghth A m endmentbas ed on pr i s on offi ci al s ’ al l eged w i thhol di ng of m eal s . See Fos t erv. R unnel s , 554 F. 3d 807, 815 n. 5 ( 9th C i r . 2009) ( not i ng that

“ [ t]h is c o n c lu sio n , tha t th e d e lib e ra te a n du n n e c e ss a ryw ith h o ld in g o f f o o de ss e n tial to m ai ntai n n orm al health can viol at e the E i gh th A m end m ent, i s w el l supp ort ed b ycase law ” ) (c itatio n s o m itt e d ). A d d iti o n a lly , h is a lleg a tio n th a t O f f ice r F e rk o th re a ten e dh im nott o pur s ue thi s l aw s ui tm i ght , w i th m or e fa ctual al l egat i ons , s t at e a c l ai m forr et al i at i on underthe Fi r s tA m endment . See M i t chel l v. H orn, 318 F. 3d 523, 530 ( 3d C i r . 2003) ( “A pr i s oneral l egi ng r et al i at i on m us ts how ( 1) cons t i tut i onal l ypr ot ect ed conduc t , ( 2) an adver s e ac t i on bypr i s on offi ci al s s uffi ci entt o det era per s on of or di naryfi rm nes s fr om e x e rc isin g h is c o n stitu tio n a l rig h ts, a n d(3 ) a c a u sa l li n kb e tw e e n th e e x e rc ise o f h is4

cons t i tut i onal r i ght s and the adve r s e ac t i on t aken a gai ns thi m . ”) ( i nt ernal quot at i on m arks and ci t at i on om i tt ed) . Fi nal l y , aff or di ng Z ander s an opportuni tyt o amend w oul d notbe in e q u itab le. H e h a s n o t ac ted in b a df a ith o r c a u se du n d u e d e lay i n th is c a se ; n o r w o u ld A ppel l ees be pr ej udi ced bygr ant i ng l eave t o amend, as i tappear s thattheyhave noty et b ee n serv ed w ith the c o m p lai n t. S ee A lst o n , 3 6 3 F . 3 dat 23 6 (cit ati o n o m itted). Ac c o r d i n g l y , th e Di s tr i c tCo u rte rr e di n s u a s p o n t e d i s mi s s i n g Za n d e r s ’ s c l a i ms w i thoutpr ovi di ng hi m an opportuni tyt o amend hi s compl ai nt . B ecaus e thi s appea l does notpr es enta s ubs t ant i al ques t i on, w e w i l l s um m ar i l yvaca t e the D i s tr i ctC ourt ’ s or derand rem an dw ith instruction s to g ran t Z an d ers leav e to a m en dh is co m p lai n t. S ee 3 dC ir . L A R 27. 4; 3d C i r . I . O . P. 10. 6.