Donald Glass v. A. Scribner

MEMORANDUM

California state prisoner Donald Glass appeals pro se from the district court’s partial summary judgment, and the jury’s verdict, in his 42 U.S.C. § 1983 action alleging First and Eighth Amendment violations. We have jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291 . We review de novo summary judgment, Rene v. MGM Grand Hotel, Inc., 305 F.3d 1061, 1064 (9th Cir.2002) (en banc), and for an abuse of discretion the district court’s evidentiary rulings, Harper v. City of Los Angeles, 533 F.3d 1010, 1030 (9th Cir.2008). We affirm.

The district court properly granted summary judgment on Glass’s aecess-to-courts claim because Glass failed to raise a genuine dispute of material fact as to whether defendants caused him actual or cognizable harm in pursuing an unrelated appeal. See Lewis v. Casey, 518 U.S. 343, 349-52 , 116 S.Ct. 2174 , 135 L.Ed.2d 606 (1996) (for denial of access, inmate must show actual injury to valid claim); Cornett v. Donovan, 51 F.3d 894, 899 (9th Cir.1995) (right of access does not extend to beyond the pleading stage).

The district court did not abuse its discretion in partially granting Glass’s motion to modify the pretrial order, which rendered moot his request…