Adkins (ID 91202) v. Kansas, State of

District Court, D. Kansas·Decided February 25, 2025·No. 5:24-cv-03223·Unknown

Opinion

WESLEY L. ADKINS,

Plaintiff,

v. CASE NO. 24-3223-JWL

STATE OF KANSAS, et al.,

Defendants.

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE

Plaintiff Wesley L. Adkins is hereby required to show good cause, in writing to the undersigned, why this action should not be dismissed due to the deficiencies in Plaintiff’s Complaint that are discussed herein. Plaintiff is also given the opportunity to file an amended complaint to cure the deficiencies. I. Nature of the Matter before the Court Plaintiff brings this pro se civil rights action under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Plaintiff is incarcerated at the El Dorado Correctional Facility in El Dorado, Kansas (“EDCF”). Plaintiff has paid the filing fee. Plaintiff alleges that he was retaliated against after he battered a correctional officer at the Lansing Correctional Facility (“LCF”) on April 6, 2024. (Doc. 1, at 2.) Plaintiff alleges that on April 8, 2024, he was immediately transferred to EDCF, where he was placed in MRA status/temporary security risk.1 Id. at 5. He claims that on April 22 he was placed on long-term restrictive housing status, and on May 1, 2024, he appeared before the Restrictive Housing Review

1 The Administrative Segregation Review attached to Plaintiff’s Complaint states that Plaintiff “was brought on an emergent transfer after the serious battery of a female officer at LCF. This battery resulted in the staff member needing advanced care.” (Doc. 1–2.) The attached Administrative Segregation Report states that Plaintiff “severely brutalized an officer in LCF. . . . The attack was unprovoked and left the female officer in the ICU with severe injuries. . . . [Plaintiff] has failed to take responsibility or show remorse . . . [and] [t]his behavior represents a clear threat to the safety and security of the facility and placement in OSR is recommended.” (Doc. 1–3.) S. Lewis, stated that the placement would be reviewed on a weekly basis, and Lt. Cody W. Austin stated that it would be at least four months before Plaintiff will be considered for placement in a regular segregation cell. Id. Plaintiff alleges that his MRA cell had no electrical outlets and was under a work order for

water. (Doc. 1–1, at 3.) He claims that he had no personal property, no state hygiene, no paper, no writing materials, and no Bible. Id. Plaintiff alleges that on April 22, 2024, he was found guilty of battery and sanctioned to 15 days of disciplinary segregation, 30 days of restriction, a $20.00 fine, and a 180-day loss of good conduct time. Id. He was placed on long-term restrictive housing status per KDOC Internal Management Policy & Procedure (“IMPP”) 20-104A. Id. at 3–4. Plaintiff alleges that on April 26, 2024, he was prescribed Lexapro for anxiety and depression. Id. at 4. At the May 1, 2024 Restrictive Housing Review Board, Defendant Lewis told Plaintiff he would allow him to make a phone call and would issue Plaintiff a GTL-Tablet. Id. at 5. Defendant Lewis told Plaintiff that the security measures would be adjusted “when WE believe you are no longer a serious risk to our

staff.” Id. at 9. Plaintiff alleges that although he was denied a phone call on May 17, 2024, he was issued a GTL-Tablet. Id. Plaintiff alleges that the grievance responses by Warden Williams, SOC Zmuda, and Corrections Manager Darcie Holthaus, were inadequate. Id. at 6, 9–10, 17. Plaintiff was finally moved out of the MRA cell on July 18, 2024, after being housed there for 99 days. Id. at 26. As Count I, Plaintiff alleges cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the Eighth Amendment, arguing that he was placed at risk of serious physical harm due to his living conditions. (Doc. 1, at 5.) As Count II, he claims an Eighth Amendment deliberate indifference Id. Plaintiff names as defendants: the State of Kansas; Jeff Zmuda, Secretary, Kansas Department of Corrections (“KDOC”); Darcie Holthaus, Corrections Manager, KDOC; Tommy L. Williams, EDCF Warden; David S. Lewis, EDCF Classifications Manager; and Cody W.

Austin, Lieutenant, EDCF. Plaintiff seeks $10,000,000 in compensatory damages. Id. at 9. He states that he should be compensated for the pain and suffering inflicted on him. (Doc. 1–1, at 29.) II. Statutory Screening of Prisoner Complaints The Court is required to screen complaints brought by prisoners seeking relief against a governmental entity or an officer or an employee of a governmental entity. 28 U.S.C. § 1915A(a). The Court must dismiss a complaint or portion thereof if a plaintiff has raised claims that are legally frivolous or malicious, that fail to state a claim upon which relief may be granted, or that seek monetary relief from a defendant who is immune from such relief. 28 U.S.C. § 1915A(b)(1)– (2). “To state a claim under § 1983, a plaintiff must allege the violation of a right secured by

the Constitution and laws of the United States, and must show that the alleged deprivation was committed by a person acting under color of state law.” West v. Atkins, 487 U.S. 42, 48 (1988) (citations omitted); Northington v. Jackson, 973 F.2d 1518, 1523 (10th Cir. 1992). A court liberally construes a pro se complaint and applies “less stringent standards than formal pleadings drafted by lawyers.” Erickson v. Pardus, 551 U.S. 89, 94 (2007). In addition, the court accepts all well-pleaded allegations in the complaint as true. Anderson v. Blake, 469 F.3d 910, 913 (10th Cir. 2006). On the other hand, “when the allegations in a complaint, however true, could not raise a claim of entitlement to relief,” dismissal is appropriate. Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 558 (2007). insufficient to state a claim upon which relief can be based.” Hall v. Bellmon, 935 F.2d 1106, 1110 (10th Cir. 1991). “[A] plaintiff’s obligation to provide the ‘grounds’ of his ‘entitlement to relief’ requires “more than labels and conclusions, and a formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause of action.” Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555 (citations omitted). The complaint’s “factual

allegations must be enough to raise a right to relief above the speculative level” and “to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.” Id. at 555, 570. The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals has explained “that, to state a claim in federal court, a complaint must explain what each defendant did to [the pro se plaintiff]; when the defendant did it; how the defendant’s action harmed [the plaintiff]; and, what specific legal right the plaintiff believes the defendant violated.” Nasious v. Two Unknown B.I.C.E. Agents, 492 F.3d 1158, 1163 (10th Cir. 2007). The court “will not supply additional factual allegations to round out a plaintiff’s complaint or construct a legal theory on a plaintiff’s behalf.” Whitney v. New Mexico, 113 F.3d 1170, 1173-74 (10th Cir. 1997) (citation omitted). The Tenth Circuit has pointed out that the Supreme Court’s decisions in Twombly and

Erickson gave rise to a new standard of review for § 1915(e)(2)(B)(ii) dismissals. See Kay v. Bemis, 500 F.3d 1214, 1218 (10th Cir. 2007) (citations omitted); see also Smith v. United States, 561 F.3d 1090, 1098 (10th Cir. 2009). As a result, courts “look to the specific allegations in the complaint to determine whether they plausibly support a legal claim for relief.” Kay, 500 F.3d at 1218 (citation omitted).

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Adkins (ID 91202) v. Kansas, State of, (D. Kan. 2025).

Adkins (ID 91202) v. Kansas, State of (Adkins (ID 91202) v. Kansas, State of) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

Rizzo v. Goode
423 U.S. 362 (Supreme Court, 1976)
Meachum v. Fano
427 U.S. 215 (Supreme Court, 1976)
Estelle v. Gamble
429 U.S. 97 (Supreme Court, 1976)
Quern v. Jordan
440 U.S. 332 (Supreme Court, 1979)
Bell v. Wolfish
441 U.S. 520 (Supreme Court, 1979)
Rhodes v. Chapman
452 U.S. 337 (Supreme Court, 1981)
Pennhurst State School and Hospital v. Halderman
465 U.S. 89 (Supreme Court, 1984)
Kentucky v. Graham
473 U.S. 159 (Supreme Court, 1985)
West v. Atkins
487 U.S. 42 (Supreme Court, 1988)
Will v. Michigan Department of State Police
491 U.S. 58 (Supreme Court, 1989)
Wilson v. Seiter
501 U.S. 294 (Supreme Court, 1991)
Sandin v. Conner
515 U.S. 472 (Supreme Court, 1995)
Erickson v. Pardus
551 U.S. 89 (Supreme Court, 2007)
Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly
550 U.S. 544 (Supreme Court, 2007)
Ashcroft v. Iqbal
556 U.S. 662 (Supreme Court, 2009)
Foote v. Spiegel
118 F.3d 1416 (Tenth Circuit, 1997)
Dodds v. Richardson
614 F.3d 1185 (Tenth Circuit, 2010)
McBride v. Deer
240 F.3d 1287 (Tenth Circuit, 2001)
Baughman v. Saffle
24 F. App'x 845 (Tenth Circuit, 2001)
Martinez v. Garden
430 F.3d 1302 (Tenth Circuit, 2005)