6 F. Supp. 2d 430 - Douglas v. Murphy’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

Most-quoted passages

The sentences later courts lift from this opinion, ranked by how many decisions quote each — the parts of the opinion doing the work. These counts are smaller than the citation total above because most of the 3 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “The detention of a prisoner beyond the termination of his sentence can state an Eighth Amendment violation if that detention occurs without penological justification. See Moore v. Tartler, 986 F.2d 682, 686 (3d cir.1993). In order to establish § 1983 liability in such a case, a plaintiff must demonstrate three elements: First, a plaintiff must demonstrate that a prison official had knowledge of the prisoner’s problem and thus of the risk that unwarranted punishment was being, or would be, inflicted. Second, the plaintiff must show that the official either failed to act or took only ineffectual action under the circumstances, indicating that his/her response to the problem was a product of deliberate indifference to the prisoner’s plight. Finally, the plaintiff must show a causal connection between the official’s response to the problem and the unjustified detention. Id. at 686, citing Sample v. Diecks, 885 F.2d 1099, 1110 (3d Cir.1989). In evaluating a plaintiffs case, “[a]mong the circumstances relevant to a determination of whether the requisite attitude (deliberate indifference) is present are the scope of the official’s duties and the role the official played in the everyday workings of the prison.” Id. at 686. Moreover, not every official who is aware of a problem will be found to exhibit deliberate indifference by failing to resolve it. See id. A court may find the requisite deliberate indifference in cases where prison officials were put on notice of a prisoner’s dispu”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage · from the majority
   e.g. 557 F. Supp. 2d 532 - Atwell v. Lavan