United States Eighth Circuit

In an Eighth Amendment claim against a prison maintenance supervisor and three correction officers alleging that they willfully and maliciously exposed plaintiff to ultraviolet radiation resulting in physical injury, denial of summary judgment based on qualified immunity is affirmed in part where: 1) defendants relied on their own version of the facts to assert that they took no malicious or retaliatory action towards plaintiff; 2) officers' argument overstated the degree of specificity required in existing law for a constitutional right to be clearly established. However, the order is reversed in part where, as to a maintenance-supervisor defendant, plaintiff failed to allege a constitutional violation, and alleged nothing more than simple negligence.

Appellate Information

• Decided 03/25/2010
• Published 03/25/2010

Judges

Court

• United States Eighth Circuit

Counsel