Opinion ID: 413311
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: challenges to the district court's factual findings

Text: 37 The parties do not seriously question the extent of the rights which are guaranteed an inmate such as McCann. Rather, the dispute focuses on Judge Brieant's factual findings. McCann claims the court's finding that he waived his right to call witnesses and present a defense is clearly erroneous. McCann also challenges the lower court's conclusions that a clerical error could explain the misstatements in the documents indicating that he appeared before the Adjustment Committee on August 13. 10 38 The evidence adduced at trial clearly demonstrated that no prisoner had ever been allowed to call witnesses before the Adjustment Committee. 11 Committee members did not tell prisoners that they could call witnesses, and indeed, inmate requests were uniformly denied. McCann never asked whether he could bring a witness to corroborate his claim of self-defense. At trial he accounted for this failure by stating that he did not think it would be allowed. 12 39 The district court did not explain its conclusion that McCann waived this right. In the absence of any evidence to support this finding, and on the basis of the overwhelming and uncontradicted evidence that prisoners at Fishkill had never been allowed to call witnesses, the district court's finding must be rejected. McCann cannot be seen as having waived his right by not asking to bring a witness. He reasonably believed, and indeed it is clear, that his request would have been refused. Moreover, the narrow exception to this right carved out by Wolff concerns only the unusual situation where allowing an inmate to call a witness would jeopardize institutional safety. This exception has no relevance to this case, where inmates were never permitted to call witnesses. 40 Judge Brieant's alternative finding, that McCann had no defense, is likewise unsupported by the evidence. McCann did have a claim to present to the Adjustment Committee, but was never allowed to assert it. He contends that he acted in self-defense. At trial he testified that when he tried to raise this claim at the August 14 hearing, he was interrupted, and told that the Committee would proceed to consider the second charged violation. There was no evidence introduced at trial which contradicted this assertion. None of the defendants' witnesses testified that McCann was able to recount his version of the events of August 10, or indicated that he was given an opportunity to explain and failed to do so. 41 Accordingly, we are left with the definite and firm conviction that a mistake has been committed. United States v. United States Gypsum Co., 333 U.S. 364, 395, 68 S.Ct. 525, 541, 92 L.Ed. 746 (1948). The court's finding that McCann either waived his right to present a defense and call witnesses, or that he had no defense is clearly erroneous. We are reluctant to reverse a factual finding by the district court, but if the clearly erroneous standard is to have any significance, we cannot accept a finding that is completely unsupported by the evidence, and, indeed, is contradicted by overwhelming evidence. 42 We decline to reverse the district court's finding on McCann's second challenge. There is no dispute that the statements contained in the August 13 Adjustment Committee reports were false. McCann did not appear before the Committee on that date, and the indications in the reports that he appeared, explained the reasons for the fight with Tarrats, and passed out, are incorrect. The district judge, however, found that these reports were not intentionally falsified. There is evidence in the record which supports this finding. McCann had contact with at least one member of the Adjustment Committee on August 13. In his pro se complaint, where he recounts the events leading up to his collapse and his trip to the medical clinic, McCann refers to several remarks made by Lt. Charest, chairman of the Adjustment Committee. It is possible that the statement appearing in the first report concerning McCann's explanation of the fight, reflects a communication McCann made to Charest on August 13. The statement in the second report, that McCann was unable to sign because he passed out, may be viewed as an explanation for the failure to hold the first hearing. 43 McCann did not introduce any evidence at trial to prove that the August 13 Adjustment Committee reports were intentionally falsified. In the absence of any such evidence, and because of an explanation for the false statements, we have no basis for holding the district court's finding clearly erroneous. We are particularly reluctant to find a district court finding clearly erroneous where that finding concerns motive or intent. See United States v. Yellow Cab Co., 338 U.S. 338, 341, 70 S.Ct. 177, 94 L.Ed. 150 (1949); Palermo v. Warden, Green Haven State Prison, 545 F.2d 286, 293 (2d Cir.1976), cert. dismissed, 431 U.S. 911, 97 S.Ct. 2166, 53 L.Ed.2d 221 (1977).