Opinion ID: 527859
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The County Defendants Hardiman and Patrick

Text: 33 The district court granted the county defendants', Hardiman and Patrick, motion for summary judgment on Thompson's section 1983 claim. Thompson offers three separate bases for his assertion that Hardiman and Patrick should be held liable for the alleged deprivation of his constitutional rights: (1) that Hardiman and Patrick had a duty to investigate his status as a parolee, (2) that Hardiman and Patrick, or their subordinates, knew that his rights had been, or were being, violated and that they failed to protect his interests, either by taking some action themselves or having in place a process by which their subordinates could take action, and (3) that even if Hardiman and Patrick had a duty to hold him under the facially valid warrant, their duty to obey the state's mandate disappeared once he was acquitted of the charge underlying the warrant. Again without making any determination whether Thompson in fact states a cognizable cause of action under section 1983, we must reject Thompson's contentions. 6 34 In Baker v. McCollan, 443 U.S. 137, 145, 99 S.Ct. 2689, 2695, 61 L.Ed.2d 433 (1979), the Supreme Court considered a plaintiff's section 1983 action for false imprisonment based upon a sheriff's negligent failure to establish certain identification procedures which would have revealed that [he] was not the man wanted in connection with the drug charges on which he was arrested pursuant to an otherwise valid arrest warrant. Id. at 139, 99 S.Ct. at 2692. The Court held that someone executing an arrest warrant is not required by the Constitution to investigate independently every claim of innocence, whether the claim is based on mistaken identity or a defense such as lack of requisite intent. Id. at 145-46, 99 S.Ct. at 2695. The Court further held, Nor is the official charged with maintaining custody of the accused named in the warrant required by the Constitution to perform an error-free investigation of such a claim. Id. at 146, 99 S.Ct. at 2695. 35 On the basis of McCollan, Hardiman and Patrick, as mere jailers, only had a duty to determine the facial validity of the warrant under which Thompson was held; they had no independent duty to investigate Thompson's claims of innocence. See also Ill.Ann.Stat. ch. 125, paragraphs 18, 203 (Smith-Hurd 1967 & Supp.1989); Fowler, 635 F.2d at 480; Zuranski v. Anderson, 582 F.Supp. 101, 108-09 (N.D.Ind.1984) (Indiana law); accord People ex rel. Johnson v. Pate, 47 Ill.2d 172, 174, 265 N.E.2d 144, 146-47 (1970), cert. denied, 402 U.S. 976, 91 S.Ct. 1679, 29 L.Ed.2d 141 (1971). 7 Furthermore, the facial validity of the warrant was not undercut by Thompson's acquittal on the burglary charge. 36 Illinois law specifically mandates that state officials and agencies should monitor the status of parolees, investigate parole violation charges, and conduct parole revocation hearings, not the jailers. Ill.Ann.Stat. ch. 38, paragraphs 1003-3-1, 1003-3-2, 1003-3-7, 1003-3-9(a)(3)(B)(iv) (Smith-Hurd Supp.1989); Ill.Ann.Stat. ch. 125, p 203 (Smith-Hurd 1967 & Supp.1989); accord People v. Gillespie, 45 Ill.App.3d 686, 360 N.E.2d 133, 4 Ill.Dec. 386 (1977). Thus, Hardiman and Patrick cannot be faulted for failing to investigate an inmate's protestation of a procedural irregularity completely beyond the scope of the jail administration's responsibilities. As a practical matter, Hardiman and Patrick had no way of knowing whether the state defendants had some legitimate reason to hold a parole hearing even after his acquittal. 37 For example, at oral argument, counsel for Thompson stated that the standard by which a parole revocation is judged is a preponderance of the evidence. This statement in fact may overstate the standard by which parole is revoked. For example, many courts have found that in parole revocation all that is required is that the evidence and facts reasonably demonstrate that the person's conduct has been as good as required by the terms and conditions of the release.... See, e.g., Mack v. McCune, 551 F.2d 251, 254 (10th Cir.1977) (per curiam ); Robinson v. Benson, 570 F.2d 920 (10th Cir.1978). We agree with the just-quoted statement of law and note the then obvious: the evidence could easily support revocation of his parole even though it does not meet the more stringent beyond a reasonable doubt standard employed in determining guilt. 8 38 We note that dismissal of the charges underlying a parole violation warrant has been found of no consequence in the state's determination of a parole violation. See, e.g., Gholston v. Jones, 848 F.2d 1156, 1160 (11th Cir.1988); Taylor v. United States Parole Comm'n, 734 F.2d 1152, 1155 (6th Cir.1984); Robinson, 570 F.2d at 923. Furthermore, courts have observed that an appellate court's decision to overturn a conviction which was related to the state's decision to revoke parole is of no consequence to that decision. See, e.g., Taylor, 734 F.2d at 1155. Finally, courts have noted that outright acquittal on the charges underlying the parole violation charge does not control the state's decision to revoke parole. See, e.g., Steinberg v. Police Court of Albany, N.Y., 610 F.2d 449, 451-52 (6th Cir.1979) (citing Mack, 551 F.2d at 254). 39 With these decisions to guide us, we find no merit in Thompson's contentions. Thompson cannot question the validity of the warrant because he cannot demonstrate that as a matter of law the acquittal of the state charges removed all factual support from the parole revocation.... Mack, 551 F.2d at 254 (emphasis in original); see also Robinson, 570 F.2d at 923. 40 Based upon McCollan, Illinois statutory law, and Thompson's inability to attack the facial validity of the warrant, we hold that Thompson's arguments must fail. We therefore hold that the district court properly entered summary judgment in favor of Hardiman and Patrick.