Castillo v. Day , 790 F.3d 1013 ( 2015 )


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  •                                                             FILED
    United States Court of Appeals
    Tenth Circuit
    June 22, 2015
    PUBLISH        Elisabeth A. Shumaker
    Clerk of Court
    UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
    TENTH CIRCUIT
    CRYSTAL CASTILLO; LISA
    GARELL; ANGELA GAYTAN;
    DANA REEDER; NANCY
    ROBINSON,
    Plaintiffs - Appellees,
    No. 14-6050
    v.
    CHARLOTTE DAY, in her individual
    capacity,
    Defendant - Appellant,
    and
    ANTHONY BOBELU, also known as
    Tony Bobelu; RUSSELL
    HUMPHRIES; BUD DOLAN; RUBY
    JONES-COOPER; JOHN LARSEN;
    JAMES SMITH; MARY PAVLISKA,
    in their individual capacities,
    Defendants.
    _______________________________
    CRYSTAL CASTILLO; LISA
    GARELL; ANGELA GAYTAN;
    DANA REEDER; NANCY
    ROBINSON,
    Plaintiffs - Appellees,
    v.                                            No. 14-6051
    MARY PAVLISKA, in her individual
    capacity,
    Defendant - Appellant,
    and
    CHARLOTTE DAY; ANTHONY
    BOBELU, also known as Tony
    Bobelu; RUSSELL HUMPHRIES;
    BUD DOLAN; RUBY JONES-
    COOPER; JOHN LARSEN; JAMES
    SMITH, in their individual capacities,
    Defendants.
    APPEALS FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
    FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF OKLAHOMA
    (D.C. NO. 5:12-CV-00448-HE)
    Kevin L. McClure, Assistant Attorney General, Office of the Attorney General for
    the State of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, for Defendant-Appellant
    Charlotte Day.
    David W. Lee (Emily B. Fagan with him on the briefs), Lee Law Center, P.C.,
    Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, for Defendant-Appellant Mary Pavliska.
    Derek S. Franseen (Micky Walsh with him on the briefs), Beeler, Walsh & Walsh,
    P.L.L.C., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, for Plaintiffs-Appellees.
    Before GORSUCH, MURPHY, and MORITZ, Circuit Judges.
    MURPHY, Circuit Judge.
    -2-
    I.    Introduction
    Plaintiffs are five women who were formerly incarcerated at the Hillside
    Community Corrections Center (“Hillside”) in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. They
    filed a 42 U.S.C. § 1983 action against multiple defendants, alleging they were
    sexually abused and harassed in violation of the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition
    against cruel and unusual punishment. Plaintiffs’ complaint named fifteen
    defendants, including Defendant-Appellant Charlotte Day and Defendant-
    Appellant Mary Pavliska, both of whom were guards at Hillside during the
    relevant period. Plaintiffs alleged Day and Pavliska were aware of the abuse and
    did nothing to prevent it.
    The claims against several defendants were dismissed without prejudice.
    The remaining defendants, except the alleged perpetrator Anthony Bobelu, moved
    for summary judgment. The district court granted summary judgment to all
    movants except Day and Pavliska. The district ruled a jury could conclude from
    the evidence presented that Day and Pavliska were deliberately indifferent to a
    known substantial risk of serious harm to the Plaintiffs. In this interlocutory
    appeal, Day and Pavliska argue the district court erred by ruling they were not
    entitled to qualified immunity. Exercising jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C.
    § 1291, we dismiss Day’s appeal for lack of jurisdiction and affirm the denial of
    qualified immunity as to Pavliska.
    -3-
    II.   Background
    The district court’s order contains a comprehensive discussion of the
    background facts involving all defendants. We focus only on the background
    facts relevant to the appellate arguments raised by Day and Pavliska. Although
    the facts are largely undisputed, the district court properly adopted the Plaintiffs’
    account if the parties’ versions differed. Scott v. Harris, 
    550 U.S. 372
    , 378
    (2007).
    Day and Pavliska were employed by the Oklahoma Department of
    Corrections and worked at Hillside. The Plaintiffs were all incarcerated at
    Hillside from February 2008 until August 2009. As part of an off-site prison
    work program, Plaintiffs performed landscaping work and grounds maintenance at
    the Oklahoma Governor’s Mansion (the “Mansion”). While Plaintiffs were at the
    Mansion their off-site supervisor was Anthony Bobelu, the Mansion’s
    groundskeeper. No guard from Hillside remained with Plaintiffs during their off-
    site assignment.
    Plaintiffs allege that Bobelu and Russell Humphries, a cook at the Mansion,
    harassed and sexually assaulted them. Plaintiff Reeder alleges Bobelu began
    sexually harassing her in October 2007. She testified that Bobelu sexually
    assaulted her on multiple occasions, and Bobelu and Humphries raped her on
    April 22, 2008. Reeder alleges on January 13, 2009, the day she was released
    from DOC custody, Bobelu forced her to engage in oral sex by threatening to
    -4-
    have her release date delayed. Plaintiff Garell testified that Bobelu raped her in
    December 2008, February 2009, and April 2009. Plaintiff Robinson worked at
    the Mansion until December 2008. She testified Bobelu made sexual advances
    and directed inappropriate sexual remarks toward her. Plaintiff Gaytan testified
    that Bobelu made sexual advances and touched her inappropriately. The dates of
    the incidents involving Gaytan are not clear from the evidence presented.
    Plaintiff Castillo testified she worked at the Mansion in April and May 2009.
    During that time, Bobelu made inappropriate comments, propositioned her, and
    fondled her.
    The specific allegations against Day and Pavliska relate to their knowledge
    of the sexual misconduct and assaults alleged by Plaintiffs. Plaintiff Reeder
    testified she told Pavliska on January 12, 2009, that she had been sexually abused
    by Bobelu and Humphries. Reeder admitted she did not provide any details of the
    assaults but stated she used the phrase “sexual abuse.” According to Reeder,
    Pavliska told her to return to her dorm and she never heard anything else about
    the report she made to Pavliska. To the best of Reeder’s knowledge, Pavliska did
    not refer her complaint to anyone. Pavliska testified she reported the
    conversation to Day, but Day denies being told.
    Plaintiff Garell testified she told Pavliska in February 2009 there were
    “things going on at the governor’s mansion that shouldn’t be going on” and “he
    was doing things that he shouldn’t be doing.” Pavliska told Garell “to be quiet”
    -5-
    or she would only cause problems for herself. Although Garell did not refer to
    Bobelu by name when she spoke to Pavliska, she testified she believed Pavliska
    knew both that Bobelu was involved and that the conduct involved sexual assault
    because Pavliska told her other inmates had made similar reports to her.
    Garell also testified she had a discussion with Day about Bobelu and a
    former inmate named Callie Johnson who was released from incarceration in July
    2008. Plaintiffs have asserted Johnson had a sexual relationship with Bobelu that
    began during her incarceration and continued after her release. According to
    Garell, when Day picked the inmates up from the Mansion shortly after Johnson’s
    release, Day asked her, “So, are you the new Callie Johnson? Are you going to
    have sex with him, too?” Day also told the inmates seated in the van she knew
    “there [were] things going on at the governor’s mansion and she wanted [the
    inmates] to tell her about it.” Garell testified she was “kind of shocked” and did
    not respond to Day’s comments.
    Plaintiffs filed their original complaint on April 24, 2012, and their
    amended complaint on August 15, 2012. Claims were raised against Day and
    Pavliska only in their individual capacities. Both defendants moved for summary
    judgment, asserting they were entitled to qualified immunity. Day argued the
    facts, considered in the light most favorable to Plaintiffs, were insufficient to
    show she had any knowledge of the alleged misconduct of the perpetrators.
    Pavliska made a similar argument, and also asserted Plaintiffs’ allegations of
    -6-
    harassment and abuse, even if true, did not amount to a constitutional violation.
    The district court denied both motions and these interlocutory appeals followed.
    III. Discussion
    A.     Appellate Jurisdiction
    The denial of summary judgment is ordinarily not appealable. Ortiz v.
    Jordan, 
    562 U.S. 180
    , 188 (2011). The Supreme Court, however, has “recognized
    a limited exception to the categorization of summary-judgment denials as
    nonappealable orders” applicable when a defendant has asserted a qualified
    immunity defense. 
    Id. “[I]mmediate appeal
    from the denial of summary
    judgment on a qualified immunity plea is available when the appeal presents a
    purely legal issue . . . . However, instant appeal is not available . . . when the
    district court determines that factual issues genuinely in dispute preclude
    summary adjudication.” 
    Id. (quotation omitted).
    Thus, while this court “lack[s]
    jurisdiction to review the district court’s rulings on the sufficiency of the
    evidence, we nevertheless may determine whether a given set of facts violates a
    clearly established constitutional right.” Riggins v. Goodman, 
    572 F.3d 1101
    ,
    1107 (10th Cir. 2009) (citation omitted). “Insofar as we have jurisdiction to
    review the denial of a qualified-immunity motion for summary judgment, our
    review is de novo.” Deutsch v. Jordan, 
    618 F.3d 1093
    , 1099 (10th Cir. 2010).
    -7-
    B.     Appeal No. 14-6050 - Charlotte Day
    “[A] prison official cannot be found liable under the Eighth Amendment for
    denying an inmate humane conditions of confinement unless the official knows of
    and disregards an excessive risk to inmate health or safety . . . .” Farmer v.
    Brennan, 
    511 U.S. 825
    , 837 (1994). Day moved for summary judgment, asserting
    she was entitled to qualified immunity because Plaintiffs’ evidence was
    insufficient to show she knew of any excessive risk to Plaintiffs’ health or safety.
    Day argued the evidence failed to show she knew any of the Plaintiffs were being
    sexually harassed, sexually assaulted, or raped. According to Day, she first
    learned of the Plaintiffs’ allegations when she saw a television news story
    exposing Bobelu’s romantic relationship with ex-inmate Callie Johnson. At that
    time, Bobelu had already been removed from his job at the Mansion. Day
    disputed she asked Plaintiff Garell, “So, are you the new Callie Johnson? Are
    you going to have sex with him, too?” However, she argued that even if Garell’s
    testimony is true, the most that could reasonably be inferred from the comment
    was that she knew Bobelu and an ex-inmate began a consensual sexual
    relationship after the inmate was released from incarceration. Thus, according to
    Day, the undisputed facts show she had no knowledge of any sexual misconduct
    at the time it was occurring.
    The district court rejected Day’s argument, disagreeing with Day that her
    comment to Garell about Callie Johnson could only be interpreted to mean Day
    -8-
    was asking about a post-incarceration consensual relationship. The court also
    pointed to other evidence from which a jury could conclude Day knew about
    inappropriate conduct at the Mansion while Bobelu was employed there.
    Specifically, the court referenced Reeder’s testimony that she told defendant
    Pavliska she had been sexually abused at the Mansion and Pavliska’s testimony
    that she reported this conversation to Day. According to the district court,
    Pavliska’s testimony alone “is enough to create a fact question for the jury as to
    whether Day was deliberately indifferent to a known substantial risk of serious
    harm to the Hillside inmates.”
    In her appellate briefing, Day challenges the district court’s sufficiency
    determination, arguing she had “no knowledge of any facts of a substantial risk of
    harm to any of the Plaintiffs from which she could have known that she would be
    violating the Plaintiff’s Eighth Amendment rights.” Although Day attempts to
    characterize the issue on appeal as Plaintiffs’ failure to assert a violation of a
    constitutional right under clearly established law, her argument is limited to a
    discussion of her version of the facts and the inferences that can be drawn
    therefrom. Thus, Day’s argument is actually a challenge to the district court’s
    conclusion Plaintiffs presented sufficient evidence to survive summary judgment. 1
    1
    Day’s appellate brief contains a lengthy discussion of supervisor liability,
    arguing the mens rea standard applicable when a plaintiff asserts an Eighth
    Amendment claim based on supervisory liability is not clearly established. Even
    Day acknowledges this argument is wholly irrelevant, prefacing her discussion
    (continued...)
    -9-
    As such, this court lacks jurisdiction to review her appeal at the interlocutory
    stage. See Gray v. Baker, 
    399 F.3d 1241
    , 1247-48 (10th Cir. 2005) (dismissing
    an interlocutory appeal from the denial of summary judgment based on qualified
    immunity because the “arguments involve[d] the district court’s determinations of
    evidence sufficiency”). Accordingly, Day’s appeal is dismissed for lack of
    appellate jurisdiction. 2
    C.     Appeal No. 14-6051 - Mary Pavliska
    1.     Qualified Immunity
    Unlike Day, Pavliska presents an appellate argument over which we do
    have jurisdiction. She asserts Plaintiffs cannot establish a violation of their
    Eighth Amendment rights based on the facts they have alleged.
    In her motion for summary judgment, Pavliska admitted that “an inmate has
    a constitutional right to be secure in her bodily integrity and free from attack by
    1
    (...continued)
    with the statement: “Assuming this Court ignores the fact that Plaintiffs did not
    sue Day in her supervisory capacity . . . .” Day’s appellate brief also contains an
    irrelevant discussion of the continuing violation theory, claiming the district court
    erred by applying the continuing violations doctrine to deny her qualified
    immunity because application of that doctrine to Plaintiffs’ claims is not clearly
    established. This argument is puzzling in light of the district court’s
    unchallenged conclusion that “Day did not move for summary judgment on the
    ground that plaintiffs’ claims were barred by the statute of limitations.”
    2
    Plaintiffs have not argued this court lacks jurisdiction to hear Day’s
    appeal. This court, however, has an independent obligation to examine its own
    jurisdiction at every stage of the litigation. Devon Energy Prod. Co. v. Mosaic
    Potash Carlsbad, Inc., 
    693 F.3d 1195
    , 1208 n.10 (10th Cir. 2012).
    -10-
    prison guards.” Hovater v. Robinson, 
    1 F.3d 1063
    , 1068 (10th Cir. 1993). She
    likewise admitted that the sexual assault of an inmate by a guard is a violation of
    the inmate’s Eighth Amendment rights. See Smith v. Cochran, 
    339 F.3d 1205
    ,
    1212 (10th Cir. 2003) (holding an inmate’s allegations of rape satisfy the
    objective component of an Eighth Amendment excessive force claim because
    “[s]exual abuse is repugnant to contemporary standards of decency”). She
    argued, however, that she was entitled to qualified immunity because (1)
    Plaintiffs did not allege she affirmatively violated their constitutional rights, (2)
    she could not have failed to protect Plaintiffs from alleged constitutional
    violations because the conduct of Bobelu and Humphries does not rise to the level
    of a constitutional violation, and (3) she did not have actual knowledge of the bad
    acts of Bobelu and Humphries. The district court rejected each of these
    arguments. 3
    When a defendant moves for summary judgment on the basis of qualified
    immunity, the burden shifts to the plaintiff to demonstrate, on the facts alleged,
    that (1) the defendant violated her constitutional or statutory rights, and (2) the
    right was clearly established at the time of the alleged unlawful activity. Pearson
    v. Callahan, 
    555 U.S. 223
    , 232 (2009). If the plaintiff cannot meet either part of
    3
    The district court, however, granted summary judgment to Pavliska as to
    the claims raised by Plaintiff Robinson, concluding Robinson’s claims were time-
    barred. Defendant Day did not move to dismiss Robinson’s claims as time-
    barred.
    -11-
    this burden, the defendant is entitled to qualified immunity. Swanson v. Town of
    Mountain View, 
    577 F.3d 1196
    , 1199 (10th Cir. 2009).
    As to the first part of their burden, Plaintiffs assert Pavliska violated their
    Eighth Amendment right to be free from sexual harassment and physical assault
    while incarcerated at Hillside by failing to take reasonable measures to abate the
    risk they faced from Bobelu and Humphries. “[I]t is clearly established that a
    prison official’s deliberate indifference to sexual abuse by prison employees
    violates the Eighth Amendment.” Keith v. Koerner, 
    707 F.3d 1185
    , 1188 (10th
    Cir. 2013). “[A] prison official may be held liable under the Eighth Amendment
    for denying humane conditions of confinement only if he knows that inmates face
    a substantial risk of serious harm and disregards that risk by failing to take
    reasonable measures to abate it.” 
    Farmer, 511 U.S. at 847
    ; 
    id. at 844
    (“[P]rison
    officials who actually knew of a substantial risk to inmate health or safety may be
    found free from liability if they responded reasonably to the risk, even if the harm
    ultimately was not averted.”). Plaintiffs allege Pavliska’s own failure to
    reasonably respond to a substantial risk of serious harm to them violated their
    Eighth Amendment rights. Pavliska, however, argues she cannot be liable for the
    actions of Bobelu and Humphries because she did not actively participate in the
    sexual harassment and abuse alleged by Plaintiffs and she had no official
    authority over Bobelu or Humphries. As we understand her position, she argues a
    prison guard can never be liable under the Eighth Amendment when
    -12-
    unconstitutional acts are committed by another guard unless the perpetrator was
    her subordinate. 4
    More than three decades ago, this court held that the Eighth Amendment
    imposes a duty on prison officials to protect prisoners from violence at the hands
    of other inmates. Ramos v. Lamm, 
    639 F.2d 559
    , 572-74 (10th Cir. 1980). In
    Hovater v. Robinson, the county sheriff was accused of failing to protect female
    inmates from a prison guard who was sexually assaulting 
    them. 1 F.3d at 1064
    .
    Although this court affirmed the grant of qualified immunity to the sheriff based
    on his lack of knowledge, we stated “a prison official’s failure to protect an
    inmate from a known harm may constitute a constitutional violation.” 
    Id. at 1068
    (relying on Santiago v. Lane, 
    894 F.2d 218
    , 225 (7th Cir. 1990), in which the
    Seventh Circuit held that “where it can be inferred that an institutional employee
    should have realized that there was a strong likelihood of an attack that employee
    can be held liable for violating the Eighth Amendment” (quotation omitted)).
    4
    Relying on authority from other circuit courts of appeals, Pavliska also
    argues she cannot be held liable under a theory of bystander liability because
    Plaintiffs do not claim she was present when any of the alleged sexual assaults
    occurred. See Whitley v. Hanna, 
    726 F.3d 631
    , 646 (5th Cir. 2013) (holding
    bystander liability “will not attach where a [state actor] is not present at the scene
    of the constitutional violation”). To the extent Pavliska’s arguments could be
    construed as addressing either supervisory or bystander theories of liability, they
    are misplaced because Plaintiffs’ claims are not premised on either theory. See
    Dodds v. Richardson, 
    614 F.3d 1185
    , 1199 (10th Cir. 2010) (holding a defendant-
    supervisor is not responsible for constitutional violations under a theory of
    supervisory liability unless the plaintiff can demonstrate, inter alia, “the
    defendant promulgated, created, implemented or possessed responsibility for the
    continued operation of a policy”).
    -13-
    More recently, we reversed the grant of qualified immunity to prison officials in a
    § 1983 civil rights suit alleging employees of the Colorado Department of
    Corrections knew an inmate had been physically assaulted by members of a prison
    gang but failed to protect him from future harm. Howard v. Waide, 
    534 F.3d 1227
    , 1234 (10th Cir. 2008) (involving claims “prison officials acted with
    deliberate indifference to a known substantial risk of serious harm”). This court’s
    precedent confirms Plaintiffs’ position that a prison guard’s failure to take
    reasonable steps to protect an inmate from a known risk of sexual abuse by
    another prison guard 5 can be a violation of the Eighth Amendment. 6 Accordingly,
    we reject Pavliska’s argument that a prison guard who knows of, yet fails to
    reasonably respond to, a risk of harm created by another guard can only be liable
    if the perpetrator is a subordinate.
    5
    “[P]ersons to whom the state delegates its penological functions, which
    include the custody and supervision of prisoners, can be held liable for violations
    of the Eighth Amendment.” Smith v. Cochran, 
    339 F.3d 1205
    , 1215-16 (10th Cir.
    2003).
    6
    Pavliska briefly argues for the first time in her appellate brief that it was
    not clearly established that a prison guard can violate an inmate’s Eighth
    Amendment rights by failing to report sexual abuse perpetrated by another guard
    over which she has no official authority. See Estate of Booker v. Gomez, 
    745 F.3d 405
    , 411 (10th Cir. 2014) (“To determine whether the right was clearly
    established, we ask whether the contours of a right are sufficiently clear that
    every reasonable official would have understood that what he is doing violates
    that right.” (quotation omitted)). Because this argument was not presented to the
    district court, it is not developed and we will not address it. Salazar v. Butterball,
    LLC, 
    644 F.3d 1130
    , 1142 n.8 (10th Cir. 2011).
    -14-
    Pavliska makes one additional challenge to the denial of qualified
    immunity. Because “only the unnecessary and wanton infliction of pain
    implicates the Eighth Amendment,” a prison official must act with “deliberate
    indifference to inmate health or safety” to violate the inmate’s constitutional
    rights. 
    Farmer, 511 U.S. at 834
    (quotation omitted). Deliberate indifference has
    both an objective and a subjective component. Callahan v. Poppell, 
    471 F.3d 1155
    , 1159 (10th Cir. 2006). A plaintiff can meet her burden under the objective
    component by showing the harm she suffered was sufficiently serious. 
    Id. In her
    motion for summary judgment, Pavliska argued the conduct of Bobelu and
    Humphries, while inappropriate and “despicable,” was not sufficiently serious to
    constitute a constitutional violation. 7 Thus, she further argued, any failure on her
    part to protect Plaintiffs could not, itself, be a constitutional violation.
    On appeal, Pavliska has abandoned her argument that Plaintiffs have failed
    to allege a cognizable deliberate indifference claim based on allegations they
    were sexually harassed and assaulted by Bobelu and Humphries, conceding “the
    objective component is not at issue.” Cf. 
    Smith, 339 F.3d at 1212
    (holding an
    7
    Pavliska made this argument as to the claims raised by Plaintiffs Castillo
    and Gaytan but the district court rejected it. Although this court has previously
    stated that not all sexual harassment by prison guards is “the sort of violence or
    threats of violence cognizable in the conditions of confinement cases the
    [Supreme Court] has addressed,” Adkins v. Rodriguez, 
    59 F.3d 1034
    , 1037 (10th
    Cir. 1995), we have also stated that allegations of verbal harassment of female
    prisoners by officers may be cognizable when such harassment is combined with
    sexual assaults, Barney v. Pulsipher, 
    143 F.3d 1299
    , 1310 n.11 (10th Cir. 1998).
    -15-
    inmate’s allegations of rape satisfy the objective component of an Eighth
    Amendment excessive force claim because “[s]exual abuse is repugnant to
    contemporary standards of decency”); Barney v. Pulsipher, 
    143 F.3d 1299
    , 1310
    n.11 (10th Cir. 1998) (noting allegations of verbal harassment of female inmates
    by officers may be cognizable when such harassment is combined with sexual
    assaults on the inmates). She contends, however, that Plaintiffs’ evidence is
    insufficient to show she acted with deliberate indifference to their health or
    safety, focusing on the subjective component of the deliberate indifference
    standard which “examines the state of mind of the defendant, asking whether
    [she] knew of and disregarded an excessive risk to inmate health or safety.” Al-
    Turki v. Robinson, 
    762 F.3d 1188
    , 1192 (10th Cir. 2014) (quotation omitted).
    “To prevail on the subjective component, the prisoner must show that the
    defendant[ ] knew [the prisoner] faced a substantial risk of harm and disregarded
    that risk, by failing to take reasonable measures to abate it.” 
    Callahan, 471 F.3d at 1159
    (quotation omitted). Pavliska asserts Plaintiffs’ evidence, at most, shows
    she acted negligently. See Giron v. Corr. Corp. of Am., 
    191 F.3d 1281
    , 1286
    (10th Cir. 1999) (“[D]eliberate indifference is a stringent standard of fault. A
    showing of simple or even heightened negligence will not suffice.” (quotations
    and citation omitted)). We lack jurisdiction to consider Pavliska’s argument
    because it involves a determination of evidence sufficiency and not an abstract
    question of law. Behrens v. Pelletier, 
    516 U.S. 299
    , 313 (1996)
    -16-
    (“[D]eterminations of evidentiary sufficiency at summary judgment are not
    immediately appealable merely because they happen to arise in a
    qualified-immunity case . . . .”). Pavliska, herself, concedes in her appellate brief
    that she is challenging the district court’s conclusion “the reports of Garell and
    Reeder to Pavliska were sufficient to create a jury question as to whether Pavliska
    violated their rights.” See Bass v. Richards, 
    308 F.3d 1081
    , 1086 (10th Cir. 2002)
    (“Those portions of the summary judgment denial . . . which involve a
    determination of evidence sufficiency . . . are not appealable.” (citing Johnson v.
    Jones, 
    515 U.S. 304
    , 313 (1995)). She summarizes her argument as follows:
    “[T]he facts in this case did not prove the subjective component of the Eighth
    Amendment’s deliberate indifference standard.” The question of what Pavliska
    subjectively knew is a question of fact. 
    Farmer, 511 U.S. at 842
    . Thus, we have
    no jurisdiction to consider this argument.
    2.     Continuing Violations Doctrine
    Finally, Pavliska argues the district court erred by applying the continuing
    violations doctrine to Plaintiffs’ claims. She asserts she cannot be liable for any
    alleged act that occurred prior to January 12, 2009, the day Reeder approached
    her and told her about sexual misconduct at the Mansion. Plaintiffs, however,
    concede this point in their opening brief, stating: “Mary Pavliska should be liable
    for the violations for failing to act once she became aware of Dana Reeder’s
    allegations.” Further, the district court’s ruling against Pavliska’s motion for
    -17-
    summary judgment was based on its conclusion Reeder’s conversation with
    Pavliska put Pavliska on notice of a risk to Plaintiffs. Accordingly, Pavliska’s
    argument is irrelevant because the claims asserted against her are based only on
    incidents occurring after January 12, 2009.
    3.     Conclusion
    To the extent Pavliska’s appeal raises issues of law, we affirm the denial of
    summary judgment by the district court. To the extent her appeal challenges the
    district court’s ruling that a jury could conclude she acted with subjective
    deliberate indifference, we dismiss the appeal for lack of appellate jurisdiction.
    -18-