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NKU Chase 3L Wins Case in Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals
Brett Renzenbrink
Brett Renzenbrink

Aug 18, 2009 - On Thursday, August 6, NKU Chase 3L student Brett Renzenbrink argued on behalf of George Hamilton, a former prisoner who was brutally beaten and almost murdered by the Aryan Brotherhood prison gang. After learning that the gang had threatened his life, Hamilton requested to be placed in protective custody. Hamilton's prison at the time conducted an investigation and concluded that he was at danger and should be placed in protective custody at another prison. But a prison administrator decided that it was enough to transfer Hamilton to another prison and place him in general population rather than protective custody. The administrator's action, however, did not solve the problem because Aryan Brotherhood members exist in every prison in Ohio and have ways to communicate with members who are at other prisons. Eventually, the gang got to Hamilton and nearly killed him. The Ohio Justice & Policy Center (OJPC) then sued the prison official who refused to place Hamilton in protective custody, alleging that the official violated Hamilton's Eighth Amendment right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment. The federal district court denied the defendant's motion for summary judgment based on qualified immunity and the defendant appealed to the Sixth Circuit. Brett argued that the district court was correct in denying summary judgment.

Brett argued the case as part of the Constitutional Litigation Clinic (CLC). The CLC gives third and fourth year Chase students the opportunity to handle OJPC cases in federal and state court under the supervision of Chase Visiting Professor David Singleton. "The guidance and training provided to me by Prof. Singleton and the OJPC team was critical to my success arguing in the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals," said Renzenbrink. "The Constitutional Litigation Clinic is the best thing I've done at Chase."

For more information about the Ohio Justice Policy Center or the Constitutional Litigation Clinic, please contact Prof. David Singleton at (513) 421-1108 ext. 17 or

dsingleton@ohiojpc.org.

http://www.ohiojpc.org/