Opinion ID: 741909
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Summary of Arguments and Holdings

Text: 14 Sealey contends that factual issues on both the extent of his liberty interest and the process accorded him require that we reverse the judgment below. First, Sealey urges that we find either that (1) he had a liberty interest in avoiding long-term administrative segregation as a matter of law or (2) he should be allowed to create a factual record showing that his long-term administrative segregation constituted an atypical and significant hardship within the meaning of Sandin. See Sandin, 515 U.S. at ----, 115 S.Ct. at 2300. Second, Sealey argues that the district court erred by measuring the process he received against the minimal standard set forth in Hewitt v. Helms, 459 U.S. 460, 103 S.Ct. 864, 74 L.Ed.2d 675 (1983). Sealey contends that he presented competent evidence that his confinement was disciplinary or retaliatory in nature and potentially unlimited in duration, and these facts implicated the more stringent procedural protections mandated in Wolff v. McDonnell, 418 U.S. 539, 94 S.Ct. 2963, 41 L.Ed.2d 935 (1974). Finally, Sealey contends that under either Wolff or Hewitt, he has demonstrated issues of fact as to whether he received the process due him. 15 Defendants respond that assuming Sealey had a liberty interest in remaining free from administrative segregation in the SHU, he received all process rightfully attendant to deprivation of that interest. Defendants also argue that we should find as a matter of law that New York has not created by regulation or statute a liberty interest in freedom from administrative segregation. We decline defendants' invitation to decide whether New York law creates such a liberty interest because this issue was not raised below. We find that Sealey is entitled to develop a record concerning the nature of his deprivation. Further, we hold that Sealey has demonstrated factual issues on the adequacy of the process he received.