Brooks v. Arthur

OPINION

KING, Circuit Judge:

In 2008, plaintiffs James Brooks, Donald Hamlette, and Samuel St. John, who were correctional officers for Virginia’s Department of Corrections (the “Department”), initiated these since-consolidated civil actions in the Western District of Virginia, asserting retaliation claims under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Their respective complaints named as defendants Howard R. Arthur, Sr., and Randal W. Mitchell — the plaintiffs’ supervisors — in their individual capacities. The defendants sought dismissal of the complaints, asserting primarily that the doctrine of res judicata barred…