Source: https://casetext.com/case/harbin-bey-v-rutter
Timestamp: 2019-02-19 00:53:30
Document Index: 328566924

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 1983', '§ 1983', '§ 1983', '§ 1983', '§ 1997', '§ 1983']

Harbin-Bey v. Rutter, 420 F.3d 571 | Casetext
420 F.3d 571 (6th Cir. 2005)
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Harbin-Beyv.Rutter
United States Court of Appeals, Sixth CircuitAug 18, 2005
…Retaliation against an inmate for exercising a constitutional right may be a constitutional violation even if…
…Accordingly, the Court "must construe the complaint in a light most favorable to plaintiffs, accept all…
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holding that "an increase in security classification . . . does not constitute an atypical and significant hardship"
Summary of this case from Harden-Bey v. Rutter
holding that a prisoner does not have a constitutional right to be placed in a specific security classification
Summary of this case from Basham v. Burns
holding that "&apos;an increase in security classification, such as being classified as a[n] STG member,&apos; does not constitute an &apos;atypical and significant&apos; hardship in relation to the ordinary incidents of prison life because a prisoner has no constitutional right to remain incarcerated in a particular prison or to be held in a specific security classification."
Summary of this case from McKinney v. Smith
No. 04-1458.
ON BRIEF: Keith Harbin-Bey, Munising, Michigan, pro se.
We review de novo the dismissal of a prisoner's complaint on the basis that it failed to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. McGore v. Wrigglesworth, 114 F.3d 601, 604 (6th Cir. 1997). In determining whether a prisoner has failed to state a claim, we construe his complaint in the light most favorable to him, accept his factual allegations as true, and determine whether he can prove any set of facts that would entitle him to relief. Turker v. Ohio Dep't of Rehab. Corrs., 157 F.3d 453, 456 (6th Cir. 1998).
We also review de novo a district court's grant of summary judgment. Minadeo v. ICI Paints, 398 F.3d 751, 756 (6th Cir. 2005). Summary judgment is proper where there exists no genuine issue of material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c). In considering a motion for summary judgment, the district court must construe all reasonable inferences in favor of the nonmoving party. Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 587, 106 S.Ct. 1348, 89 L.Ed.2d 538 (1986). The central issue is "whether the evidence presents a sufficient disagreement to require submission to a jury or whether it is so one-sided that one party must prevail as a matter of law." Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 251-52, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986).
To state a claim under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, a plaintiff must allege the violation of a right secured by the Constitution or laws of the United States and must show that the deprivation of that right was committed by a person acting under color of state law. West v. Atkins, 487 U.S. 42, 48, 108 S.Ct. 2250, 101 L.Ed.2d 40 (1988). A complaint fails to state a claim upon which relief can be granted when no relief is available under any set of facts that could be proved consistent with the allegations of the complaint. Jones v. City of Carlisle, 3 F.3d 945, 947 (6th Cir. 1993).
Here, the "rational-basis" test applies. Inmates are not a suspect class. Hampton v. Hobbs, 106 F.3d 1281, 1286 (6th Cir. 1997). Nor does Harbin-Bey's claim involve the denial of a fundamental right, because a prisoner does not have a constitutional right to be placed in a specific security classification. See Moody v. Daggett, 429 U.S. 78, 88 n. 9, 97 S.Ct. 274, 50 L.Ed.2d 236 (1976). Although Harbin-Bey claims that his STG designation was based on his religious beliefs, the record clearly shows that he was designated as an STG member because of his gang affiliation, not because of his religion.
The MDOC's policy directive regarding the classification of inmates as STG members is rationally related to the legitimate state interest of maintaining order in the prison. See Jones v. N.C. Prisoners' Labor Union, 433 U.S. 119, 136, 97 S.Ct. 2532, 53 L.Ed.2d 629 (1977) ("There is nothing in the Constitution which requires prison officials to treat all inmate groups alike where differentiation is necessary to avoid an imminent threat of institutional disruption or violence."). Identifying, reclassifying, and separating prisoners who are members of groups that engage in planning or committing unlawful acts or acts of misconduct "targets a core threat to the safety of both prison inmates and officials." In re Long Term Admin. Segregation of Inmates Designated as Five Percenters, 174 F.3d 464, 469 (4th Cir. 1999).
Harbin-Bey has not presented any authority to establish that prisoners are constitutionally entitled to a hearing prior to receiving a special designation. Because the state is not obligated to provide such a hearing, the fact that it offers one for some prison classifications but not for others is of no federal constitutional consequence so long as the choice is not an arbitrary one. See Hadix v. Johnson, 230 F.3d 840, 843 (6th Cir. 2000) ("[R]ational basis review is not a rubber stamp of all legislative action, as discrimination that can only be viewed as arbitrary and irrational will violate the Equal Protection Clause.") (emphasis in original). Threats to prison security presumably demand more immediate attention than the threats presented by the other categories mentioned by Harbin-Bey. The MDOC's differing treatment for the STG classification is therefore not arbitrary. See Jones, 433 U.S. at 136, 97 S.Ct. 2532.
Harbin-Bey's contention is incorrect. A prisoner may file a grievance contesting an STG designation pursuant to MDOC Policy Directive 04.04.113, ¶ AA. Once the prisoner has exhausted the internal grievance process, he may present his claim in federal court. See Brown v. Toombs, 139 F.3d 1102, 1104 (6th Cir. 1998) ("[T]his court will henceforth require that prisoners filing § 1983 cases involving prison conditions must allege and show that they have exhausted all available state administrative remedies.").
In order to state a claim for interference with access to the courts, however, a plaintiff must show actual injury. Thaddeus-X v. Blatter, 175 F.3d 378, 394 (6th Cir. 1999) (en banc) (noting that "the requirement that an inmate show `actual injury' derives from the constitutional principle of standing"). Examples of actual prejudice to pending or contemplated litigation include having a case dismissed, being unable to file a complaint, and missing a court-imposed deadline. Jackson v. Gill, 92 Fed.Appx. 171, 173 (6th Cir. 2004) (unpublished). Harbin-Bey has not demonstrated any cognizable injury as a result of his designation as an STG leader. We therefore conclude that the district court properly dismissed his access-to-the-courts claim.
Cornwell v. Dahlberg, 963 F.2d 912, 917 (6th Cir. 1992) (citing Turner, 482 U.S. at 89, 107 S.Ct. 2254).
C. The district court did not err in granting summary judgment for Rutter on Harbin-Bey's retaliation claim, or in refusing to allow Harbin-Bey to supplement his complaint with respect to a new claim of retaliation 1. Summary judgment
Id. at 394. The relevant question regarding the second prong of the Thaddeus-X test is whether the defendant's adverse conduct was " capable of deterring a person of ordinary firmness." Bell v. Johnson, 308 F.3d 594, 606 (6th Cir. 2002) (emphasis added) (quotation marks omitted). Actual deterrence need not be shown. Id.
Harbin-Bey claims that "direct proof or evidence [of retaliation] is impossible to come by in this type of case," but that he has "presented circumstantial evidence, which constitutes more than bare allegations." Admittedly, retaliation "rarely can be supported with direct evidence of intent." Murphy v. Lane, 833 F.2d 106, 108 (7th Cir. 1987). But conclusory allegations of retaliatory motive "unsupported by material facts will not be sufficient to state . . . a claim under § 1983." Gutierrez v. Lynch, 826 F.2d 1534, 1538-39 (6th Cir. 1987); see also Williams v. Bates, No. 93-2045, 1994 WL 677670, at *3 (6th Cir. Dec.2, 1994) (unpublished) (holding that the plaintiff's claim of retaliatory transfer was "wholly conclusory and so [was] insufficient to state a cause of action under § 1983"). We therefore conclude that the district court did not err in granting Rutter's motion for summary judgment.
Finally, Harbin-Bey argues that the district court erred in ruling that he had failed to exhaust his administrative remedies with respect to Martin and Powell. Pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1997e(a), a prisoner must exhaust all available administrative remedies prior to bringing a § 1983 action with respect to prison conditions, even if the state administrative process does not allow the specific type of relief sought by the prisoner. Porter v. Nussle, 534 U.S. 516, 524, 122 S.Ct. 983, 152 L.Ed.2d 12 (2002) (holding that the exhaustion requirement of the Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA) applied to an inmate's claims that he was beaten by corrections officers without justification). This exhaustion requirement is mandatory and must be enforced by the district court sua sponte. Brown v. Toombs, 139 F.3d 1102, 1104 (6th Cir. 1998) (enforcing the exhaustion requirement sua sponte and dismissing without prejudice a prisoner's complaint on the basis that he had failed to exhaust his administrative remedies). The district court does not have the discretion to order a continuance in the absence of exhaustion. Wright v. Morris, 111 F.3d 414, 417 (6th Cir. 1997) (noting that, prior to the enactment of the PLRA, district courts had such discretion).
Prisoners may grieve the application of a policy directive if it affects them personally and involves a concern over which the MDOC has control, but they may not grieve the content of the policy itself. Policy Directive 03.02.130, ¶ E, F-2. In a grievance, the prisoner must specifically mention the allegedly offending parties so that the prison has an opportunity to address the claims before they reach federal court. Curry v. Scott, 249 F.3d 493, 505 (6th Cir. 2001). Harbin-Bey has submitted documentation to establish that he has filed several grievances against Rutter. But he has not demonstrated that he has filed grievances with regard to his claims against Martin and Powell. As a result, he has not exhausted these claims.