Task: songer_pretrial

What follows is an opinion from a United States Court of Appeals. You will be asked a question pertaining to issues that may appear in any civil law cases including civil government, civil private, and diversity cases. The issue is: "Did the court's rulings on pre-trial procedure favor the appellant?" This includes whether or not there is a right to jury trial, whether the case should be certified as a class action, or whether a prospective party has a right to intervene in the case, but does not include rulings on motions for summary judgment. Answer the question based on the directionality of the appeals court decision. If the court discussed the issue in its opinion and answered the related question in the affirmative, answer "Yes". If the issue was discussed and the opinion answered the question negatively, answer "No". If the opinion considered the question but gave a mixed answer, supporting the respondent in part and supporting the appellant in part, answer "Mixed answer". If the opinion does not discuss the issue, or notes that a particular issue was raised by one of the litigants but the court dismissed the issue as frivolous or trivial or not worthy of discussion for some other reason, answer "Issue not discussed". If the opinion considered the question but gave a "mixed" answer, supporting the respondent in part and supporting the appellant in part (or if two issues treated separately by the court both fell within the area covered by one question and the court answered one question affirmatively and one negatively), answer "Mixed answer". If the opinion either did not consider or discuss the issue at all or if the opinion indicates that this issue was not worthy of consideration by the court of appeals even though it was discussed by the lower court or was raised in one of the briefs, answer "Issue not discussed".

PER CURIAM:
A state prisoner appeals from the dismissal of his § 1983 action to recover damages on account of an assault and threats made against him by two guards at the prison where he was incarcerated, and by reason of the loss of certain prison privileges and good conduct time imposed as a result of prison disciplinary proceedings connected with the assault. In his prayer, he sought actual and pecuniary damages in the sum of $5,600,000, and injunctive relief vacating his “sentence” and requiring the issuance of warrants charging conspiracy against the defendant Oakes and Sergeant Carter and Guard Totten. The District Court dismissed the action without requiring a response from the defendant.
We affirm.
It is obvious on the face of the complaint that no action for assault or threats exists against the defendant Oakes, who neither participated nor acquiesced in such assault or threats under the plaintiff’s allegations. Rizzo v. Goode (1976) 423 U.S. 362, 96 S.Ct. 598, 46 L.Ed.2d 561. The two officers who the plaintiff alleges assaulted and threatened him were Sergeant Carter and Guard Totten. Neither is a defendant. So far as the loss of prison privileges and good conduct time are concerned, they were well within accepted limits of punishment which might be imposed after a prison disciplinary hearing under North Carolina procedure and the plaintiff makes no claim of any defect in the disciplinary proceedings themselves. Under those circumstances, the sentences imposed did not constitute a violation of constitutional rights. The demand for vacation of sentence is improper in a 1983 action. Moreover, even if we were to treat this as a habeas action, there is no allegation of any fact which would warrant the vacation of plaintiff’s sentence or of any punishment imposed as a consequence of the prison disciplinary hearing. Finally, the court was without authority to direct the issuance of arrest warrants as demanded. Hence, the District Court properly dismissed the action as without merit on its face.
AFFIRMED.

Question: Did the court's rulings on pre-trial procedure favor the appellant? This includes whether or not there is a right to jury trial, whether the case should be certified as a class action, or whether a prospective party has a right to intervene in the case, but does not include rulings on motions for summary judgment.
A. No
B. Yes
C. Mixed answer
D. Issue not discussed
Answer:

Answer: D