Cabagua v. Ludwig

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Wisconsin
DecidedMay 14, 2024
Docket2:24-cv-00022
StatusUnknown

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

Bluebook
Cabagua v. Ludwig, (E.D. Wis. 2024).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF WISCONSIN ______________________________________________________________________________ MARK DANIEL CABAGUA,

Plaintiff, v. Case No. 24-cv-22-pp

WARDEN CHERYL EPLETT, et al.,

Defendants. ______________________________________________________________________________

ORDER GRANTING PLAINTIFF’S MOTION FOR LEAVE TO PROCEED WITHOUT PREPAYING FILING FEE (DKT. NO. 2), SCREENING COMPLAINT UNDER 28 U.S.C. §1915A, DENYING WITHOUT PREJUDICE PLAINTIFF’S MOTION TO APPOINT COUNSEL (DKT. NO. 8) AND DENYING PLAINTIFF’S MOTION FOR DEFAULT JUDGMENT (DKT. NO. 9) ______________________________________________________________________________

Plaintiff Mark Daniel Cabagua, who is incarcerated at Oshkosh Correctional Institution and is representing himself, filed a complaint under 42 U.S.C. §1983, alleging that the defendants violated his constitutional rights. This decision resolves the plaintiff’s motion for leave to proceed without prepaying the filing fee, dkt. no. 2, and screens his complaint, dkt. no. 1. This decision also resolves the plaintiff’s motion to appoint counsel, dkt. no. 8, and his motion for default judgment, dkt. no. 9. I. Motion for Leave to Proceed without Prepaying the Filing Fee (Dkt. No. 2)

The Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA) applies to this case because the plaintiff was incarcerated when he filed his complaint. See 28 U.S.C. §1915(h). The PLRA lets the court allow an incarcerated plaintiff to proceed with his case without prepaying the civil case filing fee. 28 U.S.C. §1915(a)(2). When funds exist, the plaintiff must pay an initial partial filing fee. 28 U.S.C. §1915(b)(1). He then must pay the balance of the $350 filing fee over time, through deductions from his prisoner account. Id. On January 19, 2024, the court ordered the plaintiff to pay an initial

partial filing fee of $23. Dkt. No. 7. The court received that fee on January 26, 2024. The court will grant the plaintiff’s motion for leave to proceed without prepaying the filing fee and will require him to pay remainder of the filing fee over time in the manner explained at the end of this order. II. Screening the Complaint A. Federal Screening Standard Under the PLRA, the court must screen complaints brought by incarcerated persons seeking relief from a governmental entity or officer or

employee of a governmental entity. 28 U.S.C. §1915A(a). The court must dismiss a complaint if the incarcerated plaintiff raises 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). In determining whether the complaint states a claim, the court applies the same standard that it applies when considering whether to dismiss a case

under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). See Cesal v. Moats, 851 F.3d 714, 720 (7th Cir. 2017) (citing Booker-El v. Superintendent, Ind. State Prison, 668 F.3d 896, 899 (7th Cir. 2012)). To state a claim, a complaint must include “a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2). The complaint must contain enough facts, accepted as true, to “state a claim for relief that is plausible on its face.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009) (quoting Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570 (2007)). “A claim has facial plausibility when the

plaintiff pleads factual content that allows a court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.” Id. (citing Twombly, 550 U.S. at 556). To state a claim for relief under 42 U.S.C. §1983, a plaintiff must allege that someone deprived him of a right secured by the Constitution or the laws of the United States, and that whoever deprived him of this right was acting under the color of state law. D.S. v. E. Porter Cnty. Sch. Corp., 799 F.3d 793, 798 (7th Cir. 2015) (citing Buchanan–Moore v. County of Milwaukee, 570 F.3d

824, 827 (7th Cir. 2009)). The court construes liberally complaints filed by plaintiffs who are representing themselves and holds such complaints to a less stringent standard than pleadings drafted by lawyers. Cesal, 851 F.3d at 720 (citing Perez v. Fenoglio, 792 F.3d 768, 776 (7th Cir. 2015)). B. The Plaintiff’s Allegations The plaintiff alleges that he received inadequate dental care at Oshkosh Correctional Institution beginning in 2013. Dkt. No. 1 at 8. He has sued

dentists, medical staff and prison administrators regarding his dental care from 2013 to January 2024. The plaintiff alleges on July 21, 2013, he filed a dental service request (DSR) informing dental staff at Oshkosh that he needed dental services. Id. The next day, defendant Dr. Donald Linneman saw the plaintiff and filled one tooth. Id. The plaintiff states that his other teeth that needed to be filled did not get treated and defendant Maria Punal Smith, the dental assistant, explained to the plaintiff that he would be put on the routine waiting list to have them filled.

Id. The plaintiff alleges that Smith “knew that [the plaintiff] was not receiving adequate care.” Id. at 16. The plaintiff alleges that about two and a half years later, on January 3, 2016, he submitted a DSR explaining that the last tooth that was filled broke and that it was causing him extreme pain. Id. He also said that two other fillings fell out and he wanted them fixed before they got infected and had to be extracted. Id. The plaintiff states that the next day, his tooth number 4 “had to be extracted because it was not tended to in a timely manner.” Id. at 8-9. On

January 12, 2016, the plaintiff allegedly submitted a DSR stating that a piece of his tooth that had been extracted was still embedded in his gum, his gum area was infected and he was in severe pain. Id. at 9. The plaintiff alleges that on February 12, 2017, he submitted a DSR stating that four other fillings were causing him pain and that he needed dental care as soon as possible. Id. He says that he had been on the waiting list since January 4, 2016, he was concerned because his teeth were causing him pain

and he didn't want to have any more teeth extracted. Id. Defendants Linneman, Dr. Rosenthal, Dr. Eunice Vachet and Smith allegedly failed to take reasonable measures to address the plaintiff’s dental needs. Id. at 18.

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Cabagua v. Ludwig, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cabagua-v-ludwig-wied-2024.