Opinion ID: 501856
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Retaliation for Continuing Prior Litigation

Text: 20 Harris claims that he has demonstrated a pattern of firings from his job assignments and cell transfers which should have been sufficient to withstand the defendants' motion for summary judgment. 21 In June 1985, according to Harris, an Assistant Attorney General visited him at Menard seeking to settle his pending lawsuit against Menard. Harris declined to settle, and alleges that the defendants knew of this refusal. Harris says that he was fired from his third job as a foodhandler the next day, and that two days later he was transferred against his will into a cell with a known homosexual. Harris claims that he was given no reasons for those actions, and the defendants have not denied that they acted in retaliation. The timing of his firing and transfer, he argues, is enough to make retaliation a jury question. 22 Prior to these incidents, in December 1984, Harris argues, he held two prison jobs, library clerk and salesman for Lifer's Inc. That month Harris achieved a remand from this court of his prior suit against Menard personnel. Within about a week of the remand he lost both jobs. Harris was told that there was inadequate security for him in his work for Lifer's Inc. and that he was fired from the library job because he filed a monthly library form a day late (even though the prison was on lockdown at the time). Harris disputes these reasons as not ringing true, pointing out that when security again reached adequate levels, he was not restored to his Lifer's Inc. job. The library job, Harris says, was important to him in the pursuit of his litigation. 23 Harris has sworn that he was transferred from cell to cell about every six weeks, often enough to prompt the prison psychiatrist to inquire as to the reason. We do not find the answer the psychiatrist may have received. Other prisoners were not so regularly rotated. Ultimately Harris was transferred into the general population against his wishes and, he claims, housed in a cell block with several known enemies of his. 24 The defendants view these events, which they generally concede, in a different light, and find no disputed issue of material fact to withstand summary judgment. The defendants, however, suggest in their brief that Harris was fired from his Lifer's Inc. job in April 1984, but the magistrate in his August 18, 1985 order found the date to be December 1984, as Harris claims. The defendants also argue in their brief that Harris was fired from his library clerk's position eight months after losing his Lifer's Inc. job, instead of within the same week as claimed by Harris. Again the magistrate's order finds the date to be as Harris claimed. There is no dispute as to the date Harris was fired from his foodhandler's job: June 1985. We are unable to reconcile the other time inconsistencies. The defendants assert that the timing, as they chronicle it, which appears to be in error, undercuts any inference that impermissible motives were at work leaving Harris, they argue, with nothing but the conclusory allegation of retaliation. 5 25 The magistrate in his order takes note that removal of a prisoner from his job because of the inmate's legal activities can state a cause of action, citing Rhodes v. Robinson, 612 F.2d 766, 772 (3d Cir.1979). The Robinson case happens also to involve an inmate's removal from a library job allegedly in retaliation for the inmate's legal activities. The magistrate, however, allowed the defendants summary judgment on the basis that there was nothing in Harris's complaint except conclusory statements. Even though Harris was acting pro se at the time, the magistrate found that the minimal standard of particularity was not satisfied. Tarkowski v. Robert Bartlett Realty Co., 644 F.2d 1204, 1207 (7th Cir.1980). The Menard defendants, of course, support the magistrate's conclusions. 26 We cannot find that the magistrate took any notice of certain allegations in Harris's original complaint of August 26, 1985, his amended complaint of March 19, 1986, or his affidavit. The amended complaint expanded on the first complaint with allegations that Harris was discriminated against because of his prior lawsuit, and that his other job and cell problems began within a week of his meeting with the Assistant Attorney General at which he declined to settle his pending litigation. The defendants argue that his claim should have alleged more specific facts and used particular language such as the words arbitrary and capricious. The inartful pleading of a pro se litigant, however, is not to be read with such technical formality. Caldwell v. Miller, 790 F.2d 589, 595 (7th Cir.1986). The timing of the events may be significant but was given no weight by the magistrate, and appears to have been misperceived by defendants. 27 Although the defendants contend that they are viewing the complaint and affidavit in the context of an appeal of summary judgment, that is, in the light most favorable to the nonmovant Harris, their actual position does not appear to us to be quite so generous. We also note that the defendants misunderstand the standard of review. The defendants argue that a jury would not necessarily return a verdict in [Harris's] favor on the charge of retaliation. The nonmovant need not show that a jury would inevitably return a verdict in his favor, only that there was sufficient evidence, taking into account the evidentiary standard of proof and drawing all reasonable inferences in [the nonmovant's] favor, to allow a rational jury to decide for [the nonmovant]. Valley Liquors, Inc. v. Renfield Importers, Ltd., 822 F.2d 656, 659 (7th Cir.), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 108 S.Ct. 488, 98 L.Ed.2d 486 (1987). 28 One of the defendants, Frailey, responded by affidavit to the confinement conditions allegations, but responded incompletely as to job loss and cell transfers. 29 We do not know what the merits of the retaliation claim may be and we express no preliminary view, but Harris's allegations and the differences in timing are enough to require more than summary treatment. In our judgment Harris has raised genuine issues of material fact sufficient to defeat summary judgment on this part of his complaint. His claim, on this record, is therefore not appropriate for disposition as a matter of law. The defendants largely supported their summary judgment motion on the argument that Harris has no due process right to job or cell assignment. The issue, however, is the defendants' possible retaliation for Harris's at least partially successful attempt to exercise his constitutional right of access to the courts, and harm to him through his refusal to settle. See Hossman v. Spradlin, 812 F.2d 1019, 1021 (7th Cir.1987); Matzker v. Herr, 748 F.2d 1142, 1150-51 (7th Cir.1984); Buise v. Hudkins, 584 F.2d 223, 229 (7th Cir.1978), cert. denied, 440 U.S. 916, 99 S.Ct. 1234, 59 L.Ed.2d 466 (1979). There is a time relationship in those events which appears to have been misunderstood or overlooked. This particular claim deserves additional consideration.