Opinion ID: 3217265
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Claims Preserved on Appeal

Text: Defendants argue that Plaintiff has waived all claims against all Defendants other than Officer Tidwell because Plaintiff does not mention any other Defendants by name in his opening brief. Given Plaintiff’s pro se status, his failure to specifically refer to certain Defendants does not necessarily constitute waiver of his claims against those Defendants. We have previously explained that “[w]hile we read briefs filed by pro se litigants liberally, issues not briefed on appeal by a pro se litigant are deemed abandoned.” Timson v. Sampson, 518 F.3d 870, 874 (11th Cir. 2008) (citations omitted). Thus, we look to the substance of Plaintiff’s arguments on appeal (i.e., the “issues . . . briefed,” id.) to determine which claims he has preserved. Upon careful review of Plaintiff’s briefing, we conclude that Plaintiff has adequately preserved the district court’s summary judgment rulings as to the following claims: 20 Case: 14-15484 Date Filed: 06/27/2016 Page: 21 of 40 • An Eighth Amendment excessive force claim against Defendants Reese and Bowns for the use of pepper spray during the July incident. • An Eighth Amendment conditions of confinement claim for the July 2009 incident against Defendants Clay, Reese, Tidwell, and Bowns for not properly decontaminating Plaintiff after spraying him with pepper spray. • An Eighth Amendment excessive force claim against Officer Tidwell for his actions during the September 2009 incident. • A First Amendment retaliation claim against Officer Tidwell for his statements and actions during the September 2009 incident. • An Eighth Amendment excessive force claim against Officer Tidwell for allegedly dispersing the entire contents of a fire extinguisher into Plaintiff’s cell during the October 2009 incident. • An Eighth Amendment conditions of confinement claim against Defendants Faires and Reese for the manner in which Plaintiff was restrained following the October 2009 incident.11