Opinion ID: 810644
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Bivens Action Against Attorney General Holder

Text: A Bivens claim cannot rely on the theory of respondeat superior; that is, in a Bivens action “masters do not answer for the torts of their servants.” Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 675-77 (internal quotation marks omitted). A party may establish liability for deprivation of a constitutional right only through a showing of personal involvement by each defendant. Rode v. Dellarciprete, 845 F.2d 1195, 1207 (3d Cir. 1988). Personal involvement may be shown through personal direction, actual participation in the alleged misconduct, or knowledge of and acquiescence in the alleged misconduct. Id. In this case, insofar as Turney named Attorney General Holder as a defendant, he did not allege that Attorney General Holder was personally involved in the alleged denials of medical care and hygiene products. Although Turney made broad allegations that the treatment he described was retaliation from Attorney General Holder due to Turney’s previous litigation against the Department of Justice, we need not accept these general assertions as true. See Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678 (stating that in a pleading bare assertions, unsupported by facts, are insufficient). We look to the factual allegations Turney presented in support of his legal conclusions. See id. at 679. On review, we 5 conclude that his allegations against Attorney General Holder, lacking in specificity, are not plausible. Even construing Turney’s pleadings liberally, as we must, they do not allow us to infer more than the mere possibility of misconduct, which does not indicate that he is entitled to relief. See id. Simply, the facts pled are consistent with Attorney General Holder directing Turney’s treatment and care, but are compatible with, and more likely explained by, the local officials at FCI Loretto directing Turney’s treatment and care. 2 See id. at 680. Without evidence of personal involvement or knowledge of Turney’s treatment, the claim against Attorney General Holder cannot survive.