2008 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 5-19-2008 

# G iddings v . J o seph C ole m an C tr 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 . 07-1736

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_2008

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 2008 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

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
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. J os ep h C o le m an C tr " (2008). 2008 D e cisio n s . P ape r 1207. http://d i git alc ommon s .l a

w . vi ll anova . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2008/1207NOT P RE CE DE NT I AL I N THE UNI TE D ST A TE S C OURT

OF A PP EALS F O R T H E T H IR D C IR C U IT
N O S. 07- 1736 and 07- 2407
DE NI AL S
. GI DDI NGS A ppel l ant
v . J OS E P H C OL E M AN C E NT E R; RO NAL D T . M OR RI S ON, De p u tyDi r e c t o r , J o s e p h E . Co l e ma n Ce n t e r ; P AM E L A B RO WN, Un i tS u p e r v i s o r , J o s e p h E . Co l e ma n Ce n t e r , S UE M AR T I N, Re g i s t e r e d Nur s e , J o s e p h E. Col e ma n Ce n t e r ; KEV I N N AN CE, O p era ti o n s S h iftS u p erv isor, Jo sep h E . C o lem an C en ter; A G E N T A M Y C L E W E L L , Penns y l vani a B oar d of Pr obat i on and Par ol e; W A R R A N T O FFICE R W I L L I E PU L L I N S, Penns y l vani a B oar d of Pr o b a t i o n a n d Pa r o l e ; W AR RA NT O FF I CER D EBO RA H M CK NI GH T, P e n n s y l v a n i a Bo a r d o f

P r o b a t i o n a n d P a r o l e ; M ANUE L AR RO YO, Fa c i l i tyDi r e c t o r , J o s e p h E. Col e ma n Ce n t e r ; KELLY RA SCOE, U n it M a n a g e r, Jo se p h E . C o lem a n C e n ter ; E A R L H A W K IN S , U n it C ouns el or , J os eph E. C ol eman C ent er ; J O SE PH B U T L E R , O per at i ons

Super vi s or , J os eph E. C ol eman C ent er

O n A p p ea l Fro m the U n it ed S tat es D istri ct C o u rt Forthe East ern D i s tr i ctof Penns y l vani a ( D . C
. C i vi l A ct i on N o. 04- cv- 04382) D i s tr i ctJ udge: H on. A ni t a B . B r ody
A r gued February12, 2008 BE F OR E : S L OVI T E R, S M I T H a n d S T AP L E T ON,

C i r cui tJudges2 ( O pi ni on Fi l ed: M ay19, 2008)

D enni s R . Suppl ee St ephen A
. Fogdal l ( A r gued) S c h n a d e r, H a rriso n , S e g a l & L e w is 1600 M arketSt r eet- Sui t e 3600 Phi l adel phi a, PA 19103 A t t orney s forA ppel l ant T h o m as W . C o rbe tt , Jr. A t t orneyG ener al C l audi a M . T es or o ( A r gued) Seni orD eputyA t t orneyG ener al C al vi n R . K oons Seni orD eputyA t t orneyG ener al Jo h n G
. K n o rr, III C hi ef D eputyA t t orneyG ener al C hi ef, A ppel l at e Li t i gat i on Sect i on O ffi ce of the A t t orneyG ener al 21 Sout h 12th St r eet , T hi r d Fl oor Phi l adel phi a, PA 19107 A t t orney s forA ppel l ees

OPI NI ON O F THE COURT

ST A PL E T O N , C i r cui tJ udge: D e n ial S . G id d in g s a p p e a ls th e D istric t C o u rt’s g ra n t o f su m m a ryju d g m e n t in f a v o ro f p a r o l e a g e n tAmyCl e we l l
. W e wi l l a f f i r m. I.3

B eca us e w e w r i t e onl yforthe part i es w ho ar e fa m i l i arw i th the fa ctual cont extand proced ural his t oryof the case, w e setforth o nlytho se fact s necessaryt o o ur anal y si s. O n t he eve ni ng of D ece m ber2, 2003, the J os eph C ol eman C ent ercont act ed A gent C l ew el l aft erfi ndi ng r es i dentD eni al S. G i ddi ngs , a par ol ee w i th a hi s t oryof m ent al i l l nes s , pr es s i ng a r azorbl ade a gai ns thi s arm . A ft ers he arr i ved, and af t erthe i nci dent
w as r es ol ved, C l ew el l deci ded t o arr es tG i ddi ngs forvi ol at i ng hi s par ol e – meani ng that he w oul d be s entt o S. C
. I . G r at er for d as s oon as tr ans por t at i on coul d be arr anged. A l ack of ava i l abl e off

i cer s pr event ed anytr ans ferthateveni ng, s o as an i nt er i m s ol ut i on, C l ew el l agr eed w i th t he r ecomm endat i on of the C ol eman C ent er ’ s di r ect orthatG i ddi ngs b e h o u s e d in th e C e n te r’ s m e n ta l h e a lth u n it o v e rn ig h t. B efor e r et i r i ng forthe eve ni ng, nei therC l ew el l northe C ol eman C ent er ’ s s t aff
s ear ched G i ddi ngs orthe r oom w her e he w oul d be s t ay i ng. A ppar ent l y , G i ddi ngs t ook advant age of

thi s over s i ghtbyei thers m uggl i ng a r azorbl ade i nt o the r oom , orfi ndi ng one thatw as al r eadyther e, and byus i ng i tt o carve a de ep gas h i nt o hi s for earm . T he next
m orni ng, w hen s he di s cover ed thi s new i nj ury , C l ew el l cont act ed the on- dutynur s e, w ho,
a f t e rt e n d i n g t o th e wo u n d , a s s u r e d Cl e we l l th a ti twa s s a f e t o tr a n s p o r tGi d d i n g s . He
w a s th e n d is p a tc h e d to S .C .I. G ra te rf o rd
. B as ed on thes e fa ct s , G i ddi ngs s ued A gentC l ew el l and other s ar gui ng thatthey
w e re d e lib e ra telyin d if

f e re n t to h is s e rio u s m e d ica l n e e d s a n d th e re f o re v io late d h is E ig h th A m e n d m e n t rig h t to b e f re e f ro m c ru e l an d u n u su a l p u n ish m e n t, as w e ll as h isW e have j ur i s di ct i on pur s uantt o 28 U
. S. C
. § 1291, r evi ew the D i s tr i ctC our t ’ s gr ant 1 o f su m m a ryju d g m e n t de novo , and w i l l aff i r m s o l ong as w e ar e s at i s fi ed thatno m at er i al i s s ue of f actexi s t s w hen the fa ct s ar e vi ew ed i n the l i ghtm os tfavor abl e t o the n o n -m o v in g p a rt y . Lazy O i lC o. v. W i t co C or p. , 1 6 6 F . 3 d 5 8 1 , 5 8 5 -87 (3d C ir
. 1 9 9 9 ); P en n . C o a l A ss’n v. B a b b itt , 6 3 F .3 d 2 3 1 , 2 3 6 (3 d C ir. 1 9 9 5 ); F ED . R. C IV . P. 5 6 (c). 4 Four t eenth A m endmentD ue Pr oces s r i ght s , ci t i ng s peci fi cal l ythe s t at e- cr eat ed dange r d o c trin e . T h e D istric t C o u rt g ra n ted su m m a ryju d g m e n t in f a v o r o f C lew e ll (the o n ly defe ndantr emai ni ng i n t hi s cas e) bas ed on i t s vi ew thatthe evi dence s i m pl ydi d not
su p p o rt a n yf

in d in g th a t a c o n stitu tio n a l v io latio n o c c u rre d . In th e a ltern a tiv e , it sugg est ed thatC l ew el l w as ent i t l ed to qua l i fi ed im m un i ty . G i dd i ng s now app eal s. 1 II. T h e o n lyasp ec t of

G idd ing s’ ap p ea l th at m erit s d iscu ssion is w h ethe r C lew ell ’s fai l ur e t o s ear ch hi m and the r oom he w oul d be occ upy i ng – ort o s ee t o i tthatthe C o lem a n C e n ter ’s s taf

f c o n d u c ted su c h a se a rc h – c o n stitu ted d e lib e ra te in d if f e re n c e to h is s e ri o u s m e d ic a l n e e d s . Este lle v. G a m b le , 429 U
. S. 97, 106 ( 1976) ( art i cul at i ng the
s t andar d)
. T he fr amew or k foras s es s i ng s uch “f ai l ur e t o pr event ” cl ai m s w as es t abl i s hed b y C olburn v. U

p p e r D a rb

y T o w n sh ip , 946 F. 2d 1017, 1023 ( 3d C i r . 1991) ( abr ogat ed on
o ther g rou n d s): a pl ai nt i ff .
. . has the bur den of e s t abl i s hi ng thr ee e l ement s : ( 1) the det ai nee ha d a “part i cul arvul ner abi l i tyt o [the s er i ous condi t i on] , ” ( 2) the cus t odi al offi ceror o ff icers k n ew o r sho u ld h av e k n o w n o f th at vu lnera b il ity , an d (3) tho se o ff icers “ a c t e d w i th [ d e l i b e r a t e ] i n d i f f e r e n c e ” t o th e d e t a i n e e ’ s p a r t i c u l a rv u l n e r a b i l i ty. T aken i n the l i ghtm os tfavor abl e t o G i ddi ngs , the evi dence s uppor t s fi ndi ng thathe w asG id d in g s a lso a rg u e s th a t C lew e ll ex h ib ited d e lib e ra te in d if f e re n c e in n o t se n d in g h im 2 t o a hos pi t al on the eve ni ng of D ece m ber2nd and i n w ai t i ng forthe C ol eman C ent ers t aff t o r etr i eve hi m on the morni ng of D ece m ber3r d. Fi nal l y , he adva nces a s t at e- cr eat ed d an g er c lai m . W e h av e re v iew ed thes e c lai m s an d fin d them to b e w ith o u t m erit
. In a d d i t i o n , wh i l e we a r e u n s u r e a s t o wh e th e rGi d d i n g s i s r a i s i n g th i s i s s u e o n a p p e a l , we per cei ve no del i ber at e i ndi ffe r ence i n the w ayC l ew el l conduct ed her s el f on D ece m ber 3r d. Fi nal l y , beca us e no cons t i tut i onal vi ol at i on occurr ed, w e for go anydi s cus s i on of q u a l i f i e d i m m u n i ty. 5 vul ner abl e t o s el f- m ut i l at i ng behavi or , a s er i ous condi t i on, and thatC l ew el l , w ho w as p re s e n t f o r t h e D e c e m b e r 2 n d in c id e n t, k n e w o f th is p ro c liv ity. Id
. a t 1 0 2 5 n .1 ( “C us t odi ans have be en found t o ‘ know ’ of a pa r t i cul arvul ner abi l i ty. . . w hen theyhave h a d a c tu a l k n o w le d g e o f a n o b v io u s ly se ri o u s . . . th re a t.” ). H ow ever , even though C l ew el l w as aw ar e of G i ddi ngs ’ pr opens i tyfors el fm ut i l at i on, the evi dence w oul d nots uppor ta fi ndi ng thats he w as del i ber at el yi ndi ffe r ent to h is vu lnera b il ity . T h e e v iden ce sh o w s tha t C lew ell too k the a p p rop ri ate step s to a ssu re G i ddi ngs ’ w el far e dur i ng the overni ghthour s byacc ept i ng the r ecomm endat i on of the C o lem an C en ter’s director tha t he b e h o u sed in the C en ter’s m en tal h ea lth u n it
. F u rth er, the C ol eman C ent eras s ur ed C l ew el l thatthe s t aff , w ho knew al l aboutthe s i tuat i on beca us e theyt oo had w i tnes s ed i t , w oul d car e forG i ddi ngs dur i ng hi s s t ay . U nderthe
c irc u m sta n c e s, C lew e ll’s a ss u m p tio n th a t th e yw o u ld n o t let G id d in g s h a v e a c c e ss to
m or e r azorbl ades w as l i kel ya r eas onabl e one. I n anyevent , m aki ng thi s as s um pt i on coul d notbe found t o cons t i tut e ac t i ng w i th del i ber at e i ndi ffe r ence t o G i ddi ngs ’ s er i ous
m edical need s. 26 III . Forthe r eas ons s etfor th above, the j udgementof the D i s tr i ctC our tw i l l be aff i r m ed.