Bass v. Kelly

504 F. Supp. 776, 1980 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16479
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Michigan
DecidedAugust 20, 1980
DocketNo. 80-40260
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 504 F. Supp. 776 (Bass v. Kelly) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Michigan primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bass v. Kelly, 504 F. Supp. 776, 1980 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16479 (E.D. Mich. 1980).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

NEWBLATT, District Judge.

Plaintiff is a black male who was convicted of first-degree murder by a twelve-member jury in Alabama Circuit Court for the Tenth Judicial Circuit, Jefferson County (State Court) on February 21, 1974, and sentenced to life imprisonment on February 22, 1974. The conviction was subsequently affirmed by the Circuit Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama on May 6, 1975. No appeal to the Supreme Court of Alabama has been taken. Since his conviction, Plaintiff has escaped from custody on two occasions and extradition proceedings seeking his return to Alabama were undertaken in both Oregon and Michigan. Pursuant to Art. IV § 2, cl 2 of the United States Constitution, 18 U.S.C. § 3182, and the Uniform Extradition Act as adopted by Michigan and codified at MCL §§ 780.1-.31 (1970), and in accordance with the Supreme Court decision in Michigan v. Doran, 439 U.S. 282, 99 S.Ct. 530, 58 L.Ed.2d 521 (1978) the Governor of Alabama issued a requisition for Plaintiff’s extradition. The Governor of Michigan responded by issuing a warrant for Plaintiff’s arrest and Plaintiff’s extradition was ordered by Judge Eugene Snow Huff of Saginaw County Circuit Court (state court) on July 24, 1980. Said order has been temporarily stayed by this Court’s order of July 23, 1980 pending determination of the disposition of this action. 28 U.S.C. § 2251.

This action was brought pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254 and 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Plaintiff cites various constitutional violations in his underlying Alabama State Court conviction and subsequent custody, and contends that further violations of his constitutional rights could result were he extradited to Alabama. Plaintiff’s complaint seeks an [778]*778order staying his extradition pending a hearing on his civil claims pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2243 and 28 U.S.C. § 2251. Plaintiff seeks injunctive relief and a declaratory judgment preventing his extradition and declaring that his extradition and incarceration in Alabama would violate his constitutional rights. 28 U.S.C. §§ 2201, 2202. Furthermore, Plaintiff seeks habeas corpus relief discharging him from custody. 28 U.S.C. §§ 2241, 2254.

Several facts and circumstances of this case and of the theories propounded by Plaintiff make it an unusual application of the actions and remedies cited above. In addition to the traditional civil challenges to his underlying conviction, which include alleged violations of his Sixth and Fourteenth Amendment right to effective assistance of counsel and Fifth and Fourteenth Amendment right against self incrimination, he asserts a variety of violations including a failure to provide a preliminary examination, (waiver not revealed on the record), omission of exculpatory evidence, insufficient voir dire of jury members and witnesses, (or record thereof). (Count I). Plaintiff contends that his extradition and reconfinement in the Alabama prison system would violate the Thirteenth and Eighth Amendments of the Constitution. With respect to the Thirteenth Amendment claim, Plaintiff alleges that his medical treatment by the Alabama prison medical personnel resulted in the amputation of his legs and constituted a “badge of servitude,” (Count II). With respect to the Eighth Amendment claim, Plaintiff alleges that returning him to the medical treatment and conditions of confinement in the Alabama prison system would constitute cruel and unusual punishment, (Count III). Plaintiff also frames a 42 U.S.C. § 1983 action citing the same Constitutional violations set forth above, (Count IV).

Plaintiff’s petition names three Defendants, James Kelly, Sheriff of Saginaw County; William Milliken, Governor of the state of Michigan; and Fob James, Governor of the state of Alabama. While the original action was instituted against Defendants in their official capacities, leave to amend the complaint to state a cause of action against Defendant governors individually as well as in their official capacities was granted by oral order at the hearing held on August 8, 1980.

Upon filing the complaint on July 23, 1980, this Court held a hearing on that date to determine the nature of Plaintiff’s claims and to develop and define the manner of proceeding. Finding sufficient questions were raised as to the Constitutionality of Plaintiff’s confinement, but there not being sufficient time nor information for proper evaluation of Plaintiff’s claims, due to the impending extradition hearing scheduled for the next day, this Court issued an order temporarily staying the effect of the state extradition proceedings pending proper response by parties and a determination of this Court’s jurisdiction and venue. 28 U.S.C. § 2251.

An answer and brief in opposition to the complaint were filed on July 24, 1980, on behalf of Defendant Sheriff Kelly. While Defendant Kelly does not dispute the jurisdiction of this Court and acknowledges that Plaintiff is in custody in the Saginaw County Jail pursuant to the Governor’s warrant, Defendant Kelly affirmatively asserts that this Court’s inquiry and power to grant the relief prayed for is limited by Michigan v. Doran, supra, and that in any event, the state of Alabama is the more appropriate and convenient forum for the evaluation of Plaintiff’s claims of violations of Plaintiff’s constitutional rights. Furthermore, Defendant Kelly asserts that Plaintiff has failed to exhaust his state court remedies including appeal to the Supreme Court of Alabama, and application for the writ of error coram nobis or coram vobis. See e. g. Winegar v. Corrections Dept., 435 F.Supp. 285 (D.C.Mich., 1977) aff’d. 582 F.2d 1281, (1978); But see Wilwording v. Swenson, 404 U.S. 249, 92 S.Ct. 407, 30 L.Ed.2d 418 (1971); and Preiser v. Rodriguez, 411 U.S. 475, 93 S.Ct. 1827, 36 L.Ed.2d 439 (1973) (decisions exploring the relationship of habeas corpus and § 1983 actions and the exhaustion requirement). Finally, Defendant Kelly asserts that certain issues raised [779]*779by Plaintiff in this action have already been litigated in a prior § 1983 action in the United States District Court sitting in Alabama and subsequently affirmed by Fifth Circuit and are therefore res judicata. See Bass v. Sullivan, # 75-71-N, (M.D.Ala.,1975) aff’d, 550 F.2d 229 (5 Cir. 1977); cert den

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
504 F. Supp. 776, 1980 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16479, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bass-v-kelly-mied-1980.