Bates v. Bass

CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Louisiana
DecidedMay 2, 2025
Docket3:25-cv-00215
StatusUnknown

This text of Bates v. Bass (Bates v. Bass) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bates v. Bass, (W.D. La. 2025).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT WESTERN DISTRICT OF LOUISIANA MONROE DIVISION

TYRON TRAMON BATES CIVIL ACTION NO. 25-0215

SECTION P VS. JUDGE TERRY A. DOUGHTY

NOLAN BASS, ET AL. MAG. JUDGE KAYLA D. MCCLUSKY

REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION

Plaintiff Tyron Tramon Bates, a prisoner at Tensas Parish Detention Center ("TPDC") proceeding pro se and in forma pauperis, filed this proceeding on approximately February 19, 2025, under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. He names the following defendants: Sheriff Robert Rushing and Warden Nolan Bass.1, 2 For reasons that follow, the Court should dismiss Plaintiff's claims. Background

Another inmate stabbed Plaintiff several times on September 26, 2023. [doc. # 1, p. 3]. Plaintiff "went to see the doctor in the emergency room" the same day and received "stitches, staples, and a Tetanus shot[.]" [doc. # 6, p. 1]. He was also given Amoxicillin. Id. Plaintiff "went to medical at [TPDC] several times during the healing process." [doc. # 1, p. 3]. In October 2023, a nurse removed his stitches and staples. [doc. # 6, p. 2]. In November 2023, he received "muscle gel" for his thumb pain and cramps. Id. In February 2024, he "went

1 Plaintiff suggests that at all times relevant to this proceeding, Nolan Bass was an assistant warden at TPDC; Patricia Smith was the warden. [doc. # 6, pp. 1-2]. Bass was later promoted to warden.

2 This matter has been referred to the undersigned for review, report, and recommendation under 28 U.S.C. § 636, and the standing orders of the Court. back to the nurse because [he] was having constant pain in [his] thumb." Id. A nurse told him that he needed surgery but "DOC3 was not going to pay for it[.]" Id. The nurse prescribed him acetaminophen and gabapentin. Id. He returned to the nurse in March and April 2024, because he still had pain in his thumb. Id. The nurse told him that she could not "give [him] anything else or do anything for [him]." Id.

Plaintiff states that Warden Nolan Bass "viewed [his] stabbing" the day after he was stabbed. [doc. # 6, p. 1]. He further states: "In June 2024 I sent an ARP4 to Nolan Bass complaining about the movement in my thumb and I was not getting any help. [sic]." Id. at 2. At the time, Plaintiff "only had limited movement in [his] thumb[,]" and his thumb was not "working right." Id. Plaintiff maintains that although Bass was "well aware" of his ARP, Bass never responded. Id. Plaintiff claims that Sheriff Rushing "is in charge of Tensas Parish jails, Sheriff's Office, and detention center" but "has not stepped in to make sure all medical care has been taken care of properly." [doc. # 6, p. 1]. He adds, "Since Sheriff Robert L. Rushing is in charge of all Tensas

Parish jails, he should have been aware of my ARP." Id. at 2. Plaintiff states that he still has pain and limited movement in his thumb. [doc. # 1, p. 3]. He states that as of the filing of his initial pleading, he had not had the surgery the nurse recommended. Id. The nurse "never stated what exact surgery [he] needed." [doc. # 6, p. 2]. Plaintiff appears to claim that Warden Nolan Bass lied to him "about being kept in" a trustee dormitory until he could heal. [doc. # 6, p. 1]. He also states that he was "placed back in

3 By "DOC," Plaintiff presumably refers to the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections.

4 By "ARP," Plaintiff presumably refers to a grievance or other request he filed using the facility's administrative remedy procedure. a dorm where [he] could have been attacked again." Id. He appears to allege further that Warden Bass never sent him to "work release even though [he] had [his] detainer removed." Id. Plaintiff seeks $50,000.00 and a transfer to a work release facility. [doc. # 1, pp. 5-6]. Law and Analysis

1. Preliminary Screening

Plaintiff is a prisoner who has been permitted to proceed in forma pauperis. As a prisoner seeking redress from an officer or employee of a governmental entity, his complaint is subject to preliminary screening pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915A.5 See Martin v. Scott, 156 F.3d 578, 579-80 (5th Cir. 1998) (per curiam). Because he is proceeding in forma pauperis, his Complaint is also subject to screening under § 1915(e)(2). Both § 1915(e)(2)(B) and § 1915A(b) provide for sua sponte dismissal of the complaint, or any portion thereof, if the Court finds it is frivolous or malicious, if it fails to state a claim on which relief may be granted, or if it seeks monetary relief against a defendant who is immune from such relief. A complaint is frivolous when it “lacks an arguable basis either in law or in fact.” Neitzke v. Williams, 490 U.S. 319, 325 (1989). A claim lacks an arguable basis in law when it is “based on an indisputably meritless legal theory.” Id. at 327. Courts are also afforded the unusual power to pierce the veil of the factual allegations and dismiss those claims whose factual contentions are clearly baseless. Id. A complaint fails to state a claim on which relief may be granted when it fails to plead “enough facts to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.” Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly,

5 Under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(h), “‘prisoner’ means any person incarcerated or detained in any facility who is accused of, convicted of, sentenced for, or adjudicated delinquent for, violations of criminal law or the terms and conditions of parole, probation, pretrial release, or diversionary program.” 550 U.S. 544, 570 (2007); accord Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009). A claim is facially plausible when it contains sufficient factual content for the court “to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.” Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678 (citing Twombly, 550 U.S. at 570). Plausibility does not equate to possibility or probability; it lies somewhere in between. Id. Plausibility simply calls for enough factual allegations to raise a

reasonable expectation that discovery will reveal evidence to support the elements of the claim. Twombly, 550 U.S. at 556. Assessing whether a complaint states a plausible claim for relief is a “context-specific task that requires the reviewing court to draw on its judicial experience and common sense.” Iqbal, supra. A well-pled complaint may proceed even if it strikes the court that actual proof of the asserted facts is improbable and that recovery is unlikely. Twombly, supra. In making this determination, the court must assume that all of the plaintiff’s factual allegations are true. Bradley v. Puckett, 157 F.3d 1022, 1025 (5th Cir. 1998). However, the same presumption does not extend to legal conclusions. Iqbal, supra. A pleading comprised of

“labels and conclusions” or “a formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause of action” does not satisfy Rule 8. Id. A complaint fails to state a claim where its factual allegations do not “raise a right to relief above the speculative level.” Montoya v. FedEx Ground Package Sys., Inc., 614 F.3d 145, 148 (5th Cir. 2010) (quoting Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555). “[U]nadorned, the-defendant unlawfully-harmed-me accusation[s]” will not suffice. Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 677. “[P]laintiffs must allege facts that support the elements of the cause of action in order to make out a valid claim.” City of Clinton, Ark. v. Pilgrim’s Pride Corp, 632 F.3d 148, 152-53 (5th Cir. 2010).

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

Related

Macias v. Raul A. (Unknown), Badge No. 153
23 F.3d 94 (Fifth Circuit, 1994)
Moore v. McDonald
30 F.3d 616 (Fifth Circuit, 1994)
Piotrowski v. City of Houston
51 F.3d 512 (Fifth Circuit, 1995)
Rotella v. Pederson
144 F.3d 892 (Fifth Circuit, 1998)
Martin v. Scott
156 F.3d 578 (Fifth Circuit, 1998)
Bradley v. Puckett
157 F.3d 1022 (Fifth Circuit, 1998)
Harris v. Hegmann
198 F.3d 153 (Fifth Circuit, 1999)
Yates v. Stalder
217 F.3d 332 (Fifth Circuit, 2000)
Wagner v. Bay City Texas
227 F.3d 316 (Fifth Circuit, 2000)
Domino v. Texas Department of Criminal Justice
239 F.3d 752 (Fifth Circuit, 2001)
Teemac v. Henderson
298 F.3d 452 (Fifth Circuit, 2002)
Ramirez v. City of San Antonio
312 F.3d 178 (Fifth Circuit, 2002)
Geiger v. Jowers
404 F.3d 371 (Fifth Circuit, 2005)
Gobert v. Caldwell
463 F.3d 339 (Fifth Circuit, 2006)
David Fuselier v. Tony Mancuso
354 F. App'x 49 (Fifth Circuit, 2009)
Burnett v. New York Central Railroad
380 U.S. 424 (Supreme Court, 1965)
Olim v. Wakinekona
461 U.S. 238 (Supreme Court, 1983)
Wilson v. Garcia
471 U.S. 261 (Supreme Court, 1985)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
Bates v. Bass, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bates-v-bass-lawd-2025.