Case Explained: MATTHEW ALWARD v. HEALTH SERVICES ADMINISTRATOR; WARDEN, FCI Beckley; DIRECTOR FEDERAL BUREAU OF PRISONS; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit Filed: 2026-06-24 The Fourth Circuit affirmed the district court’s order dismissing Matthew Alward’s second amended complaint filed pursuant to *Bivens v. Six Unknown Named Agents of Fed. Bureau of Narcotics*. The court held that Alward forfeited appellate review of the district court’s decision because his informal brief failed to challenge the specific legal bases for the dismissal and instead raised new claims regarding retaliatory transfer and mistreatment while generally alleging the court ignored facts and evidence. Applying Fourth Circuit Rule 34(b), which limits review to issues preserved in the informal brief, the court determined that no reversible error existed in the district court’s acceptance of the magistrate judge’s findings under 28 U.S.C. § 1915A(b). Consequently, the dismissal of the prisoner civil rights action stands, and oral argument was dispensed with as unnecessary. Do It For The Case Law is a news reporting service. Nothing in this episode constitutes legal advice.