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Case Name
Blissett v. Coughlin
PC-NY-0046
Docket / Court
84-779 ( N.D.N.Y. )
State/Territory
New York
Case Type(s)
Prison Conditions
Case Summary
Donovan Blissett, a prisoner at Attica Correctional Facility in New York, filed a civil rights lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York against the New York Department of Corrections on June 6, 1984, alleging a violation of his due process rights following an ...
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Donovan Blissett, a prisoner at Attica Correctional Facility in New York, filed a civil rights lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York against the New York Department of Corrections on June 6, 1984, alleging a violation of his due process rights following an internal disciplinary hearing held at the Clinton Correctional Facility. Blissett asserted that his rights were violated because he did not receive adequate notice of the charges against him and was not allowed to present evidence or witnesses on his behalf in the prison disciplinary hearing. In a July 1, 1994 order, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York (Honorable Con. G. Cholakis) granted summary judgment to Blissett on his due process claim. Judge Cholakis found that prisoners do have a due process right to notice of the charges against them when they face possible segregation from the general prison population, but do not have a constitutional right to call witnesses or present evidence. On a Motion for Reconsideration by the defendants, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York granted the defendants' motion for summary judgment and dismissed the case. Blissett v. Coughlin, No. 84-779, 1998 WL 440025 (N.D.N.Y. July 23, 1998) (Judge Lawrence E. Kahn). Judge Kahn found that Blissett's segregation from the general population did not constitute an "atypical and significant hardship on the inmate in relation to the ordinary incidents of prison life," and so did not meet the necessary standards for establishing a violation of his procedural due process rights.
Megan Raynor - 01/23/2006
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Issues and Causes of Action
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Issues
Constitutional Clause
Due Process
General
Disciplinary procedures
Plaintiff Type
Private Plaintiff
Type of Facility
Government-run
Causes of Action
42 U.S.C. ยง 1983
Case Details
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Defendant(s)
New York Department of Corrections
Plaintiff Description
Inmates at the Attica Correctional Facility claiming that his due process rights were violated at a hearing because he was not allowed to present evidence or witnesses on his behalf and that he was not given sufficient notice of the charges against him
Class action status sought
Unknown
Class action status granted
Unknown
Filed Pro Se
Unknown
Prevailing Party
Plaintiff
Public Int. Lawyer
Unknown
Nature of Relief
Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement
Source of Relief
Litigation
Order Duration
1994 - n/a
Filed
1984
Case Ongoing
No
Additional Resources
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Documents
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Court
Docket(s)
N.D.N.Y.
08/14/1998
84-779
PC-NY-0046-9000.pdf
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Detail
Source: PACER [Public Access to Court Electronic Records]
General Documents
N.D.N.Y.
07/23/1998
Memorandum, Decision and Order
(1998 WL 440025)
PC-NY-0046-0001.pdf
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WESTLAW
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Detail
People
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Judges
Kahn, Lawrence E.
(N.D.N.Y.)
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PC-NY-0046-0001 | PC-NY-0046-9000
Plaintiff's Lawyers
Fieman, Colin A.
(New York)
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PC-NY-0046-9000
Vacco, Dennis C.
(New York)
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PC-NY-0046-0001
Defendant's Lawyers
Hall, Christopher W.
(New York)
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PC-NY-0046-9000
Schwartz, Steven H.
(Maryland)
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PC-NY-0046-0001 | PC-NY-0046-9000
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