John Hawkins v. Marlin Gusman , 597 F. App'x 255 ( 2015 )


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  •      Case: 14-30393      Document: 00512968178         Page: 1    Date Filed: 03/13/2015
    IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
    FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT
    No. 14-30393
    Summary Calendar
    United States Court of Appeals
    Fifth Circuit
    FILED
    March 13, 2015
    JOHN HAWKINS,
    Lyle W. Cayce
    Clerk
    Plaintiff-Appellant
    v.
    MARLIN N. GUSMAN, Sheriff; LIEUTENANT ROSS; CYNTHIA PARK,
    Doctor; G. GOLDEN, Deputy; WARDEN OF HUNT RECEPTION AND
    DIAGNOSTIC CENTER,
    Defendants-Appellees
    Appeal from the United States District Court
    for the Eastern District of Louisiana
    USDC No. 2:13-CV-256
    Before JONES, BENAVIDES, and GRAVES, Circuit Judges.
    PER CURIAM: *
    John Hawkins, Louisiana prisoner # 115911, filed a 42 U.S.C. § 1983
    complaint against Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin N. Gusman, and two Orleans
    Parish Prison (OPP) employees: Lieutenant Ross and Deputy G. Golden. He
    also named Cynthia Park, a nurse, and an unidentified warden at the Elayn
    Hunt Correctional Center. He alleged constitutional violations stemming from
    * Pursuant to 5TH CIR. R. 47.5, the court has determined that this opinion should not
    be published and is not precedent except under the limited circumstances set forth in 5TH
    CIR. R. 47.5.4.
    Case: 14-30393    Document: 00512968178     Page: 2   Date Filed: 03/13/2015
    No. 14-30393
    an injury he received while incarcerated at the OPP and his medical treatment
    while housed at OPP and later, following his transfer, at Hunt Correctional
    Center. Hawkins alleged that at the time of the injury, he was stripping floors,
    when he slipped and fell, striking his knee. Hawkins alleged that Golden
    instructed him to mix bleach with the stripping solution, which Hawkins
    contended should not have been done, and that Ross, Golden’s supervisor, did
    nothing to stop Ross from creating a hazardous workplace. Hawkins alleged
    that Gusman, Ross, and Golden were responsible for the fall and that Gusman
    provided inadequate medical care.
    The claims against Park and the unidentified warden were dismissed
    without prejudice for failure to state a claim because Hawkins had failed to
    plead any facts implicating either defendant. Hawkins does not address the
    dismissals. Accordingly, he is deemed to have abandoned the issues on appeal.
    See Yohey v. Collins, 
    985 F.2d 222
    , 224-25 (5th Cir. 1993). The district court
    granted the remaining OPP defendants’ motion for summary judgment and
    dismissed the complaint.
    We review a grant of summary judgment de novo, using the same
    standard as that employed by the district court. Carnaby v. City of Houston,
    
    636 F.3d 183
    , 187 (5th Cir. 2011). Summary judgment is appropriate “if the
    movant shows that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the
    movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” FED. R. CIV. P. 56(a). If
    the moving party establishes this, the burden shifts to the nonmovant to set
    forth specific evidence to support his claims. Duffie v. United States, 
    600 F.3d 362
    , 371 (5th Cir. 2010).     However, conclusory “allegations and denials,
    speculation, improbable inferences, unsubstantiated assertions, and legalistic
    argumentation do not adequately substitute for specific facts showing a
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    No. 14-30393
    genuine issue for trial.” TIG Ins. Co. v. Sedgwick James of Wash., 
    276 F.3d 754
    , 759 (5th Cir. 2002).
    As an initial matter, Hawkins raises for the first time on appeal that the
    OPP defendants were liable for failing to train and supervise the prison staff
    and that Gusman was liable for transferring him to the Hunt Correctional
    Center. These newly raised claims will not be considered. See Stewart Glass
    & Mirror, Inc. v. U.S. Auto Glass Discount Ctrs., Inc., 
    200 F.3d 307
    , 316-17 (5th
    Cir. 2000).
    To the extent that Hawkins sought to hold the OPP defendants liable in
    their official capacities, Hawkins failed to identify any policy or custom that
    served to violate his constitutional rights and failed to show that any policy or
    custom was the cause in fact or moving force behind a constitutional violation.
    See, e.g., Spiller v. City of Texas City, Police Dep’t, 
    130 F.3d 162
    , 167 (5th Cir.
    1997). With regard to any individual capacity claims, Hawkins had to show
    that the OPP defendants were either personally involved in the acts causing
    the deprivation of his constitutional rights or that there was a causal
    connection between an act of the OPP defendants and the constitutional
    violation sought to be redressed. See Lozano v. Smith, 
    718 F.2d 756
    , 768 (5th
    Cir. 1983).
    In the district court, Hawkins did not allege that Gusman had any
    personal involvement in, or even had knowledge of, any acts or omission
    resulting in his injuries and subsequent medical care. Hawkins’s failure to
    allege the requisite personal involvement on the part of Gusman defeats this
    claim. See 
    id. Hawkins’s attempt
    to hold Gusman liable under the theory of
    vicarious liability likewise fails. See Thompkins v. Belt, 
    828 F.2d 298
    , 304 (5th
    Cir. 1987).
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    No. 14-30393
    Hawkins fails to address the district court’s determination that the
    individual capacity claims against Ross and Golden arising from the slip and
    fall were not actionable as a constitutional violation under § 1983, but rather
    were grounded in state tort law as an ordinary slip and fall accident. Because
    Hawkins has not addressed the basis for the district court’s dismissal of the
    claims against Ross and Golden, he has abandoned any challenge thereto. See
    Hughes v. Johnson, 
    191 F.3d 607
    , 613 (5th Cir. 1999). The judgment of the
    district court is AFFIRMED.
    4