Dustin E. Suri v. Tom Dart, in his capacity as Cook County Sheriff, et al.

CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Illinois
DecidedJanuary 14, 2026
Docket1:25-cv-03955
StatusUnknown

This text of Dustin E. Suri v. Tom Dart, in his capacity as Cook County Sheriff, et al. (Dustin E. Suri v. Tom Dart, in his capacity as Cook County Sheriff, et al.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dustin E. Suri v. Tom Dart, in his capacity as Cook County Sheriff, et al., (N.D. Ill. 2026).

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS EASTERN DIVISION

DUSTIN E. SURI,

Plaintiff, Case No. 25 cv 3955

v. Honorable Sunil R. Harjani

TOM DART, in his capacity as Cook County Sheriff, et al.,

Defendants.

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

Background Plaintiff Dustin E. Suri was arrested in March 2023 and detained by the Cook County Department of Corrections (CCDOC). In his First Amended Complaint, Plaintiff alleges claims pursuant to Title 42, United States Code, Section 1983 against CCDOC, Sheriff Tom Dart in his official capacity, various named CCDOC employees, including Correctional Officer Chavez, and “Unknown Employees” about multiple assaults he experienced in jail, as well as the failure to provide him prescription medication and Kosher meals. CCDOC, Sheriff Dart, and Officer Chavez, the only defendants who have appeared thus far, move to dismiss the complaint pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). Because CCDOC is not a proper defendant, the motion is granted as to CCDOC. In addition, because Plaintiff has failed to sufficiently allege municipal liability against Sheriff Dart, the motion is granted as to Sheriff Dart. Finally, the motion is granted in part and denied in part as to Officer Chavez. Plaintiff has sufficiently alleged a failure-to-protect claim against Officer Chavez, but all other claims against Officer Chavez are dismissed.

Legal Standard

“A motion under Rule 12(b)(6) tests whether the complaint states a claim on which relief may be granted.” Richards v. Mitcheff, 696 F.3d 635, 637 (7th Cir. 2012). To survive a Rule 12(b)(6) motion, “a complaint must contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to ‘state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.’” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009) (quoting Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570 (2007)). This pleading standard does not necessarily require a complaint to contain detailed factual allegations. Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555. Rather, “[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.” Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678. When deciding a motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(6), the court accepts as true all factual allegations in the complaint and draws all inferences in favor of the plaintiff. Heredia v. Capital Management Services, L.P., 942 F.3d 811, 814 (7th Cir. 2019). Discussion

For purposes of the motion to dismiss, the Court assumes the truth of the allegations in the complaint.1 Plaintiff was arrested in March 2023 and detained in a CCDOC detention facility.2 [2] ¶ 1. During the intake process, Plaintiff informed CCDOC employees that he was homosexual and feared for his safety. Id. ¶¶ 2, 13. Although Plaintiff asked for solitary confinement, he was not placed there. Id. ¶¶ 13, 14. On March 29, 2023, a gang member called Plaintiff a slur and punched him in the face, which broke his nose. Id. ¶ 15. Defendant Officer Chavez witnessed the incident, did nothing, and told Plaintiff he saw the attack but that he wasn’t going to do anything about it. ¶¶ 15, 53. Plaintiff was attacked two more times, and those incidents were witnessed by other correctional officers. Id. ¶¶ 16, 17. Plaintiff alleges that Officer Chavez and other unknown correctional officers “not only failed to stop these three attacks but on information and belief also encouraged the assaults against him because of his sexual orientation.” Id. ¶ 18. According to Plaintiff, “CCDOC Defendant Officers, including Defendant Officer Chavez, made it very clear that when inmates wanted to beat someone up they should take them to the bathroom because there were no cameras.” Id. ¶ 52. Plaintiff alleges that “Cook County failed to adequately train, supervise and investigate its employees, violating his right to be free from physical and sexual assault while incarcerated.” Id. ¶ 48. In addition to the claims regarding the assaults, Plaintiff alleges that he requested Kosher meals but was “denied Kosher food for part of his time in detention,” despite repeated requests and grievances. Id. ¶¶ 37, 38, 43. Plaintiff also alleges that he has multiple serious medical conditions for which he takes prescription medication, but he did not receive the medication and experienced withdrawal symptoms. Id. ¶¶ 39, 40.

Claims Against CCDOC

Defendants argue that the CCDOC must be dismissed as a defendant because it is not a separate legal entity capable of being sued and only exists within the Office of the Sheriff. Plaintiff’s response to this argument is a mere two sentences and contains no case law. Plaintiff’s entire argument is: “As a subdivision in the [Sheriff’s] Office, the Cook County Department of Corrections is an appropriate entity under the authority of Sheriff Dart and must remain in the case as a defendant.” [21] at 6. This perfunctory, undeveloped, and unsupported argument need not be considered by the Court. See, e.g., Gold v. Wolpert, 876 F.2d 1327, 1332 (7th Cir. 1989) (“Such perfunctory and underdeveloped assertions hardly constitute an ‘argument,’ and will not be considered.”). But in any event, Defendants are correct that the CCDOC is not a proper defendant. See Castillo v. Cook Cnty. Mail Room Dep’t, 990 F.2d 304, 307 (7th Cir. 1993) (“The Cook County Department of Corrections is not a suable entity.”). CCDOC is dismissed as a defendant.

1 The complaint contains only one count against all the Defendants. For ease of reference, the Court refers to the various types of allegations against each of the Defendants as “claims.”

2 The complaint does not allege where Plaintiff was housed. The parties do not appear to dispute that Plaintiff was in pretrial detention, as he was incarcerated shortly after arrest, and there is no mention of a conviction. Claims Against Sheriff Dart

Turning to the claims against Sheriff Dart, the complaint alleges that “Cook County” failed to “adequately train, supervise, and investigate” its employees, which violated Plaintiff’s right “to be free from physical and sexual assault while incarcerated.” The Court construes these allegations as the basis of Plaintiff’s Monell claim against Sheriff Dart.3 Defendants argue that Plaintiff has failed to adequately plead such a claim against Sheriff Dart because the allegations “establish nothing more than a single set of circumstances particular to Plaintiff.” [15] at 6. In response, Plaintiff doesn’t dispute that he relies only on his own experience. Plaintiff argues that he has sufficiently stated a claim against Sheriff Dart because he has alleged that “despite him reporting incidents of sexual abuse against him to various officers, there was a widespread disregard of his complaints” and he “was deprived of appropriate investigations regarding his complaints, and he never received any recourse despite multiple inquiries, indicating the lack of response was a ‘custom’ of the Cook County Department of Corrections” [21] at 2.

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Dustin E. Suri v. Tom Dart, in his capacity as Cook County Sheriff, et al., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dustin-e-suri-v-tom-dart-in-his-capacity-as-cook-county-sheriff-et-al-ilnd-2026.