BLD-127 NOT PRECEDENTIAL
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE THIRD CIRCUIT
___________
No. 11-4586
___________
ALAN PRESBURY,
Appellant
v.
MICHAEL WENEROWICZ; JAY LANE; ETTA G. WILLIAMS; JOHN DOE
BOONE; JOSEPH YODIS; FRANK REGAN; MICHAEL CUNNINGHAM;
DORINA VARNER; SKIP FIELDS
____________________________________
On Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
(E.D. Pa. Civil No. 11-cv-03701)
District Judge: Honorable Edmund V. Ludwig
____________________________________
Submitted for Possible Dismissal Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2)(B)
or Summary Action Pursuant to Third Circuit LAR 27.4 and I.O.P. 10.6
March 1, 2012
Before: SCIRICA, SMITH and CHAGARES, Circuit Judges
(Opinion filed: March 21, 2012)
_________
OPINION
_________
PER CURIAM
1
Alan Presbury, a Pennsylvania prisoner proceeding pro se, appeals an order
of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
dismissing his civil rights complaint against various prison officials and
employees. For the reasons that follow, we will affirm the judgment of the District
Court.
In his complaint, Presbury alleged that Captain Etta Williams harassed him
and his wife, who visited him in prison. Presbury averred Williams told him on
May 7, 2010, that she wanted him released from his prison job. Presbury further
averred that he was then ordered to report for a support team hearing at which he
was accused of stealing t-shirts, poor attendance at his job, and extortion. He
alleged that he was not permitted to present evidence at the hearing and that he was
removed from his job on May 24, 2010. He also averred that on June 7, 2010, he
learned that his wife’s visitation privileges were suspended. Presbury claimed
violations of his Eighth and Fourteenth Amendment rights and attached to his
complaint copies of his grievance documents and other correspondence purporting
to support his claims.
The District Court granted the defendants’ motion to dismiss Presbury’s
complaint pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). Regarding
Presbury’s due process claim arising from the loss of his prison job, the District
Court held that Presbury had failed to exhaust his administrative remedies. The
2
District Court also stated that, even if it were to reach the merits of the claim,
dismissal would be required because Presbury has no constitutionally-protected
interest in a prison job. The District Court further ruled that Presbury did not have
a cognizable Eighth Amendment claim based on the suspension of his wife’s
visitation privileges. This appeal followed.
We need not decide whether Presbury exhausted his administrative remedies
with respect to his due process claim because, even if he had exhausted his
remedies, Presbury does not state a constitutional claim based on the loss of his
prison job. We have held that there is no liberty interest in a prison job arising
from the Due Process Clause. James v. Quinlan, 866 F.2d 627, 629 (3d Cir. 1989).
Presbury also cannot show that he was deprived of any state-created liberty interest
because the alleged deprivation does not impose “atypical and significant hardship
. . . in relation to the ordinary incidents of prison life.” Torres v. Fauver, 292 F.3d
141, 151 (3d Cir. 2002) (quoting Sandin v. Conner, 515 U.S. 472, 484 (1995)).
Presbury also does not have a protected property interest in his prison job which
would support a due process claim. See Quinlan, 866 F.2d at 630. Absent a
constitutionally-protected interest, Presbury does not state a due process claim.
See id. at 629.
We also agree with the District Court that dismissal was warranted on
Presbury’s claim that his Eighth Amendment rights were violated based on the
3
temporary suspension of his wife’s visitation privileges. See Overton v. Bazzetta,
539 U.S. 126, 137 (2003) (holding regulation restricting visitation for certain
inmates did not violate Eighth Amendment). Finally, to the extent Presbury claims
Williams retaliated against him in violation of his First Amendment rights, he does
not state a claim for relief because he does not contend that Williams’ alleged
actions were in response to any constitutionally-protected activity. See Miller v.
Mitchell, 598 F.3d 139, 147 (3d Cir. 2010) (setting forth elements of retaliation
claim).
Accordingly, because this appeal does not raise a substantial question, we
will affirm the judgment of the District Court. 1
1
The District Court did not afford Presbury an opportunity to amend his complaint,
but we find no prejudice in this case because the documents attached to the
complaint show that providing an opportunity to amend would have been futile.
See Grayson v. Mayview State Hosp., 293 F.3d 103, 111 (3d Cir. 2002).
4