Dorn v. Jefferys

CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Illinois
DecidedFebruary 6, 2023
Docket3:22-cv-02378
StatusUnknown

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

Bluebook
Dorn v. Jefferys, (S.D. Ill. 2023).

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS

JAMES DORN, #N90855,

Plaintiff, Case No. 22-cv-02378-SPM

v.

ROB JEFFREYS, LISA WEITEKAMP, DAVID W. MITCHELL, TRAVIS BAYLER, ANN LAHR, LIEUTENANT WRANGLER, JOHN DOE 1, correctional officer, JOHN DOE 2, lieutenant head of Internal Affairs Unit, CHAD E. WALL, BRADLEY A. KIRKMAN, JOHN DOE 3, placement officer, OFFICER VOUHN, JOHN DOE 4, Internal Affairs officer, OFFICER JURKOWSKI, C. HALE, A. HILL, OFFICER URASKI, and JEFF SPENCER,

Defendants.

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

MCGLYNN, District Judge: Plaintiff James Dorn, a transgender inmate of the Illinois Department of Corrections who is currently incarcerated at Hill Correctional Center, brings this civil action pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 for violations of her constitutional rights that took place at Lawrence Correctional Center and Pinckneyville Correction Center. The Complaint is now before the Court for preliminary review pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915A. Under Section 1915A, any portion of a complaint that is legally frivolous, malicious, fails to state a claim upon which relief may be granted, or requests money damages from a defendant who by law is immune from such relief must be dismissed. See 28 U.S.C. § 1915A(b). At this juncture, the factual allegations of the pro se complaint are to be liberally construed. Rodriguez v. Plymouth Ambulance Serv., 577 F.3d 816, 821 (7th Cir. 2009).

PRELIMINARY MATTERS In addition to filing the Complaint, Dorn has filed almost two hundred pages of exhibits. Dorn references these exhibits throughout her Complaint, and in support of assertions will write “see” and list attached exhibits. “While the Court may consider documents attached to a complaint, it is the plaintiff’s burden to plead a short and plain statement of the claim.” Daniels v. Regal, 2022 WL 2916569, at *1 (July 25, 2022) (citing FED. R. CIV. P. 8(a)(2); Williamson v. Curran, 714 F.3d 432, 436 (7th Cir. 2013)). At the pleading stage, the Court will not sift through the exhibits and “try to discern their potential relevance” or whether a viable claim exists. Id. (citing Kadamovas v. Stevens, 706 F.3d 843, 844 (7th Cir. 2013)). The Court will only review the allegations and claims asserted in the Complaint.

THE COMPLAINT Dorn alleges the following: At some point in time, she held a high-ranking position in a Security Threat Group (“STG”) called the Vice Lords. (Doc. 1, p. 16). The members of the Vice Lords “found out [she was] homosexual” and put a “hit on her.” (Id. at p. 17). For the past few years, she has remained fearful of her safety. Prior to being transferred to Lawrence Correctional Center (“Lawrence”), Dorn was housed at Pontiac Correctional Center (“Pontiac”) in protective custody. (Doc. 1, p. 17). During her time at Lawrence, Dorn wrote grievances alerting officials of the threat to her safety. In 2021, she sent a letter to Governor Pritzker stating that her life was in danger, and the grievance officials at

Lawrence were not “doing there [sic] job.” (Id. at p. 15). The letter was forwarded to Weitekamp, Administrative Review Board Manager. (Id. at 12, 15). Weitekamp responded to the letter stating she spoke with Internal Affairs at Lawrence, and there was no threat. (Id. at p. 16). Because Weitekamp did not do her job, Dorn was eventually “assaulted” and “spit on.” (Id. at p. 17). Dorn was transferred to Pinckneyville Correctional Center (“Pinckneyville”) in June or

July 2021. (Doc. 1, p. 17). After her transfer, she told Internal Affairs Officer Vouhn that she was in danger by other members of the Vice Lords STG. She told him that she felt safe at Pontiac in protective custody but while at Lawrence she feels like she is “running for fear of [her] life.” Vouhn told Dorn that he would “get back” to her, but he never did. (Id. at p. 17-18). Because Vouhn did not do his job, Dorn states she was “assaulted” and “spit on for what [she] once was.” (Id. at p. 18). On August 10, 2021, Dorn refused to be housed with another inmate named “Philip a.k.a. Turtle” because of “the threats from Vice Lords cellmate (guys).” (Doc. 1, p. 18). Dorn was placed in isolated housing. When she was released, on August 23, 2021, she was told she was being placed back in the same cell with Philip. (Id.). Dorn told the sergeant, who was sitting right by the door

to the wing, that she had written an emergency grievance, and her life was in danger by going back into the cell with Philip. She was also in danger of being placed in that cell because there was another member of the Vice Lords housed in that same wing who had asked Dorn to “come to the yard.” (Id. at p. 19). The sergeant told Dorn to go back to isolated housing. Dorn met with John Doe 4 Officer from Internal Affairs. Dorn informed John Doe 4 that her life was in danger if she moved into the cell with Philip. (Id. at p. 19). She was placed back in isolation. John Doe 4 did not put a “keep away” order concerning Dorn and Philip in Dorn’s record. Dorn then received a disciplinary ticket written by Correctional Officer Jurkowski for disobeying a direct order. Jurkowski recorded that he gave Dorn a direct order to accept the cell assignment, and Dorn

refused. Dorn refutes this account and states she never entered the building and only spoke with the sergeant on duty. (Id. at p. 20). The disciplinary ticket was heard on August 28, 2021, by Correctional Officer John Doe 1. (Doc. 1, p. 20). Dorn gave John Doe 1 her statement of not guilty. John Doe 1 stated he would give the statement to the lieutenant and that she would receive the results in the mail. Dorn received

a falsified Adjustment Committee Report from Wall, the Chairperson of the Adjustment Committee, and Kirkman, a member of the Adjustment Committee. (Id. at p. 13, 20). The report stated that Wall and Kirkman, not John Doe 1, heard the disciplinary ticket and found Dorn guilty. Dorn received 20 days of day room restriction as a punishment. (Id. at p. 21). On January 27, 2022, Dorn again was placed in a cell with inmate Philip. (Doc. 1, p. 21). After moving into the cell, Dorn showed the sergeant on duty three grievances she had written. After reviewing the grievances, the sergeant responded that there was “no way” Dorn and Philip should be housed together. Philip was moved to a different cell. The next day, John Doe 3, a placement officer, tried to place Philip back in the same cell with Dorn. Philip refused, and John Doe 3 moved Philip to a different cell. (Id.).

On May 15, 2022, Dorn was spit on and assaulted by an inmate named Minor, who told Dorn she was a disgrace to the Vice Lords. (Doc. 1, p. 25). Dorn wrote grievances about the incident and continued to complain that her life was in danger. (Id. at p. 25). Dorn appealed the grievances to the Administrative Review Board (“ARB”) and requested to be transferred to protective custody at Pontiac. Baylor, a member of the ARB, did not address her issues. (Id.). On May 27, 2022, Dorn was called to speak with Internal Affairs Officer Uraski who took Dorn’s statement about the altercation with inmate Minor. (Doc. 1, p. 25). Uraski lied and told Dorn she would be placed under investigation and approved for protective custody.

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Dorn v. Jefferys, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dorn-v-jefferys-ilsd-2023.