SEARCH

Segundo Melendez-Garcia v. Jorge L. Sanchez; George v. Hillyer

Thank you for sharing!

Your article was successfully shared with the contacts you provided.

Before Torruella and Lipez, Circuit Judges, and Barbadoro, *fn1 District Judge.

On April 30, 2001, Segundo Melandez-Garcia (“Melandez”), a Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (“ROTC”) officer, was assaulted during a student protest on the University of Puerto Rico’s Rio Piedras campus (“the UPR-RP campus”). Due to the university’s non-confrontation policy, Puerto Rico Police Department (“PRPD”) officers were unable to come to his aid. In April 2002, Melandez sued various university officials pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983, alleging, among other things, that they had violated the equal protection and due process clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment by failing to protect him from injury. He also asserted various state-law claims. After protracted discovery, the district court granted the defendants’ motion for summary judgment on the federal-law claims and dismissed the state-law claims because it concluded that the parties were not diverse.

Melandez now contends that the district court (1) abused its discretion twice when ruling on discovery motions — first, by refusing to issue sanctions under Fed. R. Civ. P. 37 for the defendants’ alleged “massive discovery misconduct,” and second, by failing to grant Melandez’s motion to set aside summary judgment based on the same discovery misconduct; (2) improperly dismissed Melandez’s federal civil rights claims on the ground of qualified immunity; and (3) committed clear error in determining that there was no diversity jurisdiction. For the reasons stated hereinafter, we affirm all of the district court’s rulings.

More From ALM

Premium Subscription

With this subscription you will receive unlimited access to high quality, online, on-demand premium content from well-respected faculty in the legal industry. This is perfect for attorneys licensed in multiple jurisdictions or for attorneys that have fulfilled their CLE requirement but need to access resourceful information for their practice areas.
View Now

Our Team Account subscription service is for legal teams of four or more attorneys. Each attorney is granted unlimited access to high quality, on-demand premium content from well-respected faculty in the legal industry along with administrative access to easily manage CLE for the entire team.
View Now

Bundle Subscriptions

Gain access to some of the most knowledgeable and experienced attorneys with our 2 bundle options! Our Compliance bundles are curated by CLE Counselors and include current legal topics and challenges within the industry. Our second option allows you to build your bundle and strategically select the content that pertains to your needs. Both options are priced the same.
View Now

From Data to Decisions

Dynamically explore and compare data on law firms, companies, individual lawyers, and industry trends.

Exclusive Depth and Reach.

Law.com Compass includes access to our exclusive industry reports, combining the unmatched expertise of our analyst team with ALM’s deep bench of proprietary information to provide insights that can’t be found anywhere else.

Big Pictures and Fine Details

Law.com Compass delivers you the full scope of information, from the rankings of the Am Law 200 and NLJ 500 to intricate details and comparisons of firms’ financials, staffing, clients, news and events.

New York Legal Awards 2025

September 04, 2025
New York, NY

The New York Law Journal honors attorneys and judges who have made a remarkable difference in the legal profession in New York.

Learn More

Complex Claims & Litigation Forum 2025

February 24, 2025 - February 26, 2025
Las Vegas, NV

This conference aims to help insurers and litigators better manage complex claims and litigation.

Learn More

Legalweek Leaders in Tech Law Awards 2025

March 24, 2025
New York, NY

Recognizing innovation in the legal technology sector for working on precedent-setting, game-changing projects and initiatives.

Learn More

President and Dean

Search for the President and Dean California Western School of Law San Diego, California California Western School of Law (California ...

Apply Now ›

Capital Markets Junior Associate (Flex Location/Hybrid Schedule)

Duane Morris LLP has an opening for an associate with 2-3 years of experience with strong capital markets and corporate transactional backgr...

Apply Now ›

(EXCLUSIVE) SENIOR BAD FAITH TRIAL COUNSEL WANTED FOR LEADING PROVIDER OF PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY INSURANCE (Atlanta, GA or Florida)

Our client, an established provider of professional liability insurance, has engaged us to identify a highly-qualified Senior Bad Faith Tria...

Apply Now ›