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KENNETH RAY ADKINS, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. BASIL WOLEVER, Defendant-Appellee. |
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Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Western District of Michigan at Grand Rapids.
No. 03-00797—Hugh W. Brenneman, Jr., Magistrate Judge.
Argued: February 6, 2008
Decided and Filed: March 21, 2008
Before: MARTIN and SUTTON, Circuit Judges; OBERDORFER, District Judge.
BOYCE F. MARTIN, JR., Circuit Judge. Kenneth Ray Adkins brought an action in federal court against Basil Wolever, a guard at the Ionia Maximum Correctional Facility in Ionia, Michigan. Adkins alleges that Wolever assaulted him in his cell and caused serious injuries. At trial, Adkins asked the district court for an instruction on the alleged spoliation of the film and photographic evidence of the alleged assault, which Adkins maintains was destroyed in contravention of prison policy. The district court denied the instruction, finding that Michigan law did not provide for a third-party spoliation sanction. Because the district court did not abuse its discretion under the present law of our Circuit, we AFFIRM the verdict, along with the hope that an en banc panel will change this law to recognize the power of the federal courts to order such sanctions in appropriate circumstances.
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DAVID DUNLAP, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY, Defendant-Appellant. |
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Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Middle District of Tennessee at Nashville.
No. 04-00045—William J. Haynes, Jr., District Judge.
Argued: February 6, 2008
Decided and Filed: March 21, 2008
Before: MARTIN and SUTTON, Circuit Judges; OBERDORFER, District Judge.
BOYCE F. MARTIN, JR., Circuit Judge. David Dunlap brought suit under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, alleging racial discrimination by the Tennessee Valley Authority. The district court found that Dunlap had been subjected to discrimination under both disparate treatment and disparate impact analyses, concluding that the TVA’s subjective hiring processes permitted racial bias against both Dunlap and other black job applicants. The TVA now appeals, arguing that the district court erred in each of these analyses. We find that although the district court was correct in finding disparate treatment, the proof was insufficient for a finding of disparate impact. We therefore AFFIRM on the disparate treatment claim, REVERSE on the disparate impact claim, and AFFIRM the court’s award of damages and fees.
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SEAN KING, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. KEVIN AMBS, Columbia Township Police Officer, in his individual capacity, Defendant-Appellee. |
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Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Eastern District of Michigan at Detroit.
No. 04-74867—Paul D. Borman, District Judge.
Argued: April 17, 2007
Decided and Filed: March 21, 2008
Before: ROGERS and COOK, Circuit Judges; O’MALLEY, District Judge.
ROGERS, Circuit Judge. This is an appeal from summary judgment entered in favor of a police officer in a § 1983 action. Officer Kevin Ambs was questioning a third party, Nicholas Klein, when plaintiff Sean King told Klein not to speak to the officer. After King had twice told Klein not to talk to the officer, Officer Ambs threatened to arrest King if he said “one more word.” King told Klein a third time not to speak to the officer, at which point Officer Ambs arrested King. Relying on Houston v. Hill, 482 U.S. 451 (1987), King argues that the arrest violated his First and Fourth Amendment rights. Officer Ambs argues that the arrest did not violate the Constitution and that he is entitled to qualified immunity. The district court granted Officer Ambs’ motion for summary judgment and held that King’s interference with Officer Amb’s investigation provided probable cause for the arrest. We affirm the district court’s judgment.