Dolan v. Connolly, No. 14-2561 (2d Cir. 2015)
Annotate this CasePlaintiff filed suit alleging that defendants violated 42 U.S.C. 1983 and 1985(3) by retaliating against him for exercising his First Amendment right as a member of the Inmate Liaison Committee (ILC) at a correctional facility. The district court dismissed the complaint for failure to state a claim. The court held, however, that action as a member of an ILC, i.e. the filing or voicing of grievances on behalf of a prison population, qualifies as constitutionally protected conduct under the First and Fourteenth Amendments and that retaliation for such conduct is therefore actionable under Section 1983. The court further concluded that the district court properly dismissed the conspiracy claim because plaintiff failed to allege membership in a class protected under Section 1985(3). The court appointed plaintiff counsel in the district court. Accordingly, the court affirmed in part, vacated in part, and remanded for further proceedings.
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.