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Hanadel v. Blum2/27/2002
MEMORANDUM OPINION AND JUDGMENT
No. 1066
I. INTRODUCTION
Carl Hanadel appeals the grant of summary judgment in favor of his former employer, the State Department of Corrections (state), and his former supervisor, Randy Blum, in a suit by Hanadel asserting multiple state and federal claims stemming from Hanadel's allegedly wrongful administrative termination from his job as a cook in a maximum-security Alaska prison. Because we find that none of Hanadel's claims on the merits is legally sufficient, we affirm the superior court's order. But because the superior court awarded attorney's fees without considering the standard that governs Hanadel's federal civil rights claim, we remand for reconsideration of the order awarding attorney's fees.
II. FACTS AND PROCEEDINGS
A. Background Facts
Carl Hanadel worked as a "Cook II" at the Spring Creek Correctional Center, a maximum-security state prison in Seward, from April 1994 to January 1997. The record reflects a pattern of work-related difficulties for Hanadel, including his filing, over a two-year period, of thirteen formal grievances and twenty-three informal complaint memoranda with various individuals within Spring Creek and the Department of Corrections. These grievances and memoranda chiefly described what Hanadel perceived as unfair treatment by his co-workers and supervisors, particularly his immediate supervisor, Blum.
The tensions between Hanadel and Blum culminated in an incident on January 29, 1997, when Hanadel called for corrections officers to come to his aid during a routine disciplinary meeting with Blum. Apparently feeling "harassed and intimidated" by Blum, Hanadel used his hand-held radio to summon the officers on an emergency basis. When Hanadel explained to the responding officers his reason for summoning them, he was escorted to the prison's administrative offices and was then placed on paid administrative leave.
The following week, Hanadel was evaluated by psychologist Michael Rose at the behest of the State Attorney General's office. This evaluation had originally been scheduled in response to Hanadel's previously filed, stress-based worker's compensation claim. Following the radio incident, the state asked Dr. Rose to conduct a more thorough evaluation. Both Hanadel and Dr. Rose agree that the evaluation went poorly and that there was a general lack of rapport between them. Dr. Rose evaluated Hanadel over the course of several sessions, conducting a diagnostic clinical interview and administering the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory 2 (MMPI-2), the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory 3 (MCMI-3), the Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory (SASSI), and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). In addition, Dr. Rose reviewed Hanadel's medical records, personnel file, and deposition transcript. Dr. Rose diagnosed Hanadel as having a paranoid and narcissistic personality disorder; the doctor advised the state that this disorder made Hanadel psychologically unfit to work in a maximum-security prison.
Hanadel's administrative leave lasted about sixteen months. During this time, the state communicated with Dr. Rose several times to confirm whether it was his belief that there was no position Hanadel could hold in a maximum security prison or in another correctional facility. After a series of exchanges regarding the nature of Dr. Rose's diagnosis and the types of positions available within the department, Dr. Rose identified a single position, Laundry Worker III, that he felt would be appropriate for Hanadel in spite of his diagnosis. The state terminated Hanadel after determining that there were no current openings in thi
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