Opinion ID: 164119
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Alleged Ex Parte Communication

Text: 53 Next, Plaintiff claims that the district court erred in dismissing his complaint because it allowed an ex parte communication to influence its decision. Plaintiff appears to contend that while Defendants' Motion to Dismiss was pending, a prison attorney told his prison-unit counselor that the case would be dismissed with prejudice. On its face this communication is not a prohibited ex parte communication because it does not allege any communication between an attorney or party and a judicial officer. See D. Colo. Local Rule 77.2 (in the absence of previous authorization, no attorney or party to any proceeding shall send letters, pleadings, or other papers or copies directly to a judicial officer). There is no evidence that any of these individuals had an improper conversation or communication with the magistrate judge or district court, and neither the prison, its attorney, or the unit counselor are parties in this case. Moreover, we do not find record support for Plaintiff's claim that he informed the magistrate judge or district court of any alleged ex parte communication. The documents Plaintiff attached to his brief as support for this allegation do not support his claim, nor do we find any support based upon an independent review of the record.