PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - A judge has dismissed a federal lawsuit filed by a Rhode Island inmate serving a life term for two murders who argued he was wrongly held in segregation.
The Providence Journal reports U.S. District Court Chief Judge William Smith accepted a magistrate judge’s recommendation to toss Charles “Manny” Pona Jr.’s lawsuit.
Pona argued his due process rights were violated when he was kept in segregation for nearly two years over allegations he was running a heroin trafficking operation in prison.
The 37-year-old was seeking $365,000 each for compensatory damages, emotional distress and punitive damages.
The magistrate judge said inmates don’t have the right to remain in the general prison population, and the punishment Pona received was not “extraordinary” enough for a liberty interest.
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Information from: The Providence Journal, http://www.providencejournal.com
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