Opinion ID: 725233
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Dismissal of Defendant O'Dea

Text: 29 Birdo's final argument is that the district court improperly dismissed Warden O'Dea as a Defendant. On appeal, he asserts that Warden O'Dea has implicitly condoned the other Defendants' actions and that Warden O'Dea has a policy of violating constitutional rights. See Birdo's Reply Br. at 13-18. Birdo, therefore, suggests that the dismissal of the warden before discovery was improper. 30 Birdo's claim that the warden was improperly dismissed as a party, however, has not been preserved for appeal. In his objections to the magistrate judge's Report and Recommendation, wherein all Defendants were recommended to be dismissed, Birdo failed to object to the recommended dismissal of Warden O'Dea. That failure precludes Birdo from now asserting that O'Dea was improperly dismissed. United States v. Walters, 638 F.2d 947, 949-50 (6th Cir.1981). Further, Birdo proceeded with this case before the district court against the remaining Defendants without disputing O'Dea's dismissal. In fact, in a pro se Pre-Trial Memorandum to the court, Birdo identified what he perceived as the specific constitutional violations perpetrated by the remaining Defendants. He stated, Officer Stewart is liable for tearing up my letter ... and reading my legal mail.... Lt. E. Compton was liable by taking my diary.... Lt. Thornsberry & Capt. Ed Smith are liable [for] conspiring and having me placed in the segregation unit and unjustly confiscating his legal papers, and Lt. Earl Wagers is liable for not investigating this matter. J.A. at 43-44. In that memorandum, however, Birdo did not allege any liability on behalf of Warden O'Dea. 31 Even if we were to consider the dismissal of O'Dea, we would not agree with Birdo's assignment of error. The district court dismissed the warden, as well as other Defendants, early in the proceedings, finding that they had no direct involvement in the challenged actions. At no juncture, until this appeal, did Birdo suggest that Warden O'Dea's proposed relevance as a Defendant was based on anything other than respondeat superior. It is well settled that respondeat superior cannot serve as the sole basis for liability. Bellamy v. Bradley, 729 F.2d 416, 421 (6th Cir.), cert. denied, 469 U.S. 845 (1984). Further, Warden O'Dea was properly dismissed as a Defendant because he did not participate in Birdo's detention and upon his return, he released Birdo. Birdo simply has failed to assert a claim under which Warden O'Dea would be liable.