Davis v. Proctor

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Missouri
DecidedOctober 31, 2022
Docket1:22-cv-00062
StatusUnknown

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

Bluebook
Davis v. Proctor, (E.D. Mo. 2022).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF MISSOURI SOUTHEASTERN DIVISION

BRYCE DAVIS, ) ) Plaintiff, ) ) v. ) No. 1:22-CV-0062 SNLJ ) KACEY PROCTOR, et al., ) ) Defendants. )

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

This matter is before the Court upon review of the plaintiff Bryce Davis’ complaint. Plaintiff is a pretrial detainee currently housed at Butler County Jail in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. For the reasons discussed below, the Court will dismiss plaintiff’s claims against defendants Kacey Proctor, Dewayne Warren and Matt Michel in their entirety, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2)(B). The Court will also dismiss plaintiff’s claims against Mark Dobbs and Dylan Janes in their official capacities pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2)(B). Plaintiff’s conditions of confinement claims will also be dismissed pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2)(B). The Court will additionally stay and administratively close this action pursuant to the Supreme Court case of Wallace v. Kato, 549 U.S. 384 (2007) with respect to plaintiff’s claims of false arrest and false imprisonment against defendants Dobbs and Janes, based on the pendency of an underlying criminal case against plaintiff arising out of the same facts. Plaintiff’s remaining motions will be denied at this time. 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(1) Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(1), a prisoner bringing a civil action in forma pauperis is required to pay the full amount of the filing fee. If the prisoner has insufficient funds in his prison account to pay the entire fee, the Court must assess and, when funds exist, collect an initial partial filing fee of 20 percent of the greater of (1) the average monthly deposits in the prisoner’s account, or (2) the average monthly balance in the prisoner’s account for the prior six-month period. After payment of the initial partial filing fee, the prisoner is required to make monthly payments of 20

percent of the preceding month’s income credited to his account. 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(2). The agency having custody of the prisoner will forward these monthly payments to the Clerk of Court each time the amount in the prisoner’s account exceeds $10.00, until the filing fee is fully paid. Id. Plaintiff has not submitted a certified prison account statement.1 As a result, the Court will require plaintiff to pay an initial partial filing fee of $1.00. See Henderson v. Norris, 129 F.3d 481, 484 (8th Cir. 1997) (when a prisoner is unable to provide the Court with a certified copy of his prison account statement, the Court should assess an amount “that is reasonable, based on whatever information the court has about the prisoner’s finances.”). If plaintiff is unable to pay the initial partial filing fee, he must submit a copy of his prison account statement in support of his

claim. Legal Standard on Initial Review Under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2), the Court is required to dismiss a complaint filed in forma pauperis if it is frivolous, malicious, or fails to state a claim upon which relief may be granted. An action is frivolous if it “lacks an arguable basis in either law or fact.” Neitzke v. Williams, 490 U.S. 319, 328 (1989). An action fails to state a claim upon which relief may be granted if it does not plead “enough facts to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.” Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570 (2007).

1The document submitted by plaintiff is titled a “Resident Account Summary.” “A claim has facial plausibility when the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009). Determining whether a complaint states a plausible claim for relief is a context-specific task that requires the reviewing court to draw upon judicial

experience and common sense. Id. at 679. The court must assume the veracity of well-pleaded facts but need not accept as true “[t]hreadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported by mere conclusory statements.” Id. at 678 (citing Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555). This Court must liberally construe complaints filed by laypeople. Estelle v. Gamble, 429 U.S. 97, 106 (1976). This means that “if the essence of an allegation is discernible,” the court should “construe the complaint in a way that permits the layperson’s claim to be considered within the proper legal framework.” Solomon v. Petray, 795 F.3d 777, 787 (8th Cir. 2015) (quoting Stone v. Harry, 364 F.3d 912, 914 (8th Cir. 2004)). However, even self-represented complaints must allege facts which, if true, state a claim for relief as a matter of law. Martin v. Aubuchon, 623 F.2d 1282, 1286 (8th Cir. 1980). Federal courts are not required to assume facts that are not alleged,

Stone, 364 F.3d at 914-15, nor are they required to interpret procedural rules to excuse mistakes by those who proceed without counsel. See McNeil v. United States, 508 U.S. 106, 113 (1993). The Complaint Plaintiff Bryce Davis, a pretrial detainee at Butler County Jail in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, filed the instant action on May 12, 2022, on the Court’s Prisoner Civil Rights Complaint form pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Plaintiff listed six individuals and entities as defendants in this action: (1) Kacey Proctor (Prosecutor); (2) Dewayne Warren (Assistant Prosecutor); (3) Matt Michel (Assistant Prosecutor); (4) Mark Dobbs (Sheriff); Dylan Janes (Police Officer); and Butler County Justice Center. Plaintiff sues the individual defendants in their individual and official capacities. On July 12, 2022, plaintiff filed a motion to voluntarily dismiss defendant Butler County Justice Center from this action. The Court will grant plaintiff’s motion. Plaintiff alleges that he has been wrongfully imprisoned on false charges in Butler County. He states that the dispatcher called for an alleged “burglary in progress,” but when he was arrested,

he was not arrested for burglary. He claims that his constitutional rights have been violated and Sheriff Mark Dobbs is responsible for holding him in Butler County Justice Center on false charges. Plaintiff also alleges that the defendant prosecutors are responsible for failing to investigate the proper charges. Plaintiff claims that Officer Dylan James is responsible for pursuing the charges that led him to be incarcerated.

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Related

Estelle v. Gamble
429 U.S. 97 (Supreme Court, 1976)
Neitzke v. Williams
490 U.S. 319 (Supreme Court, 1989)
McNeil v. United States
508 U.S. 106 (Supreme Court, 1993)
Heck v. Humphrey
512 U.S. 477 (Supreme Court, 1994)
Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly
550 U.S. 544 (Supreme Court, 2007)
Wallace v. Kato
127 S. Ct. 1091 (Supreme Court, 2007)
Ashcroft v. Iqbal
556 U.S. 662 (Supreme Court, 2009)
Martin v. Aubuchon
623 F.2d 1282 (Eighth Circuit, 1980)
Keating v. Martin
638 F.2d 1121 (Eighth Circuit, 1980)
Martin v. Sargent
780 F.2d 1334 (Eighth Circuit, 1985)
Schafer v. Moore
46 F.3d 43 (Eighth Circuit, 1995)
Boyd v. Knox
47 F.3d 966 (Eighth Circuit, 1995)
Brodnicki v. City Of Omaha
75 F.3d 1261 (Eighth Circuit, 1996)
Stevens v. Redwing
146 F.3d 538 (Eighth Circuit, 1998)
Johnson v. Outboard Marine Corp.
172 F.3d 531 (Eighth Circuit, 1999)

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Bluebook (online)
Davis v. Proctor, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/davis-v-proctor-moed-2022.