Gilmore v. Neph

District Court, D. Kansas·Decided April 21, 2023·No. 5:22-cv-03316·Unknown

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF KANSAS

CHRISTOPHER GILMORE,

Plaintiff,

v. CASE NO. 22-3316-JWL

(FNU) NEPH, et al.,

Defendants.

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

This matter is a civil rights action. The Court conducted an initial review of the case and directed Plaintiff to show cause why his Complaint should not be dismissed. (See Memorandum and Order to Show Cause, Doc. 8) (“MOSC”). Before the Court for screening is Plaintiff’s Amended Complaint (Doc. 12) (“AC”). Also before the Court is Plaintiff’s response to the MOSC (Doc. 10), Plaintiff’s Objection to the order granting him leave to proceed in forma pauperis (Doc. 9), and Plaintiff’s Motion for Court Ordered Martinez Report (Doc. 11). I. Nature of the Matter before the Court Plaintiff brings the following counts in the Amended Complaint: A. Count I – Eighth Amendment Violation – Excessive Force Plaintiff alleges that he was assaulted by Deputy Neph on December 2, 2022, at the Sedgwick County Jail (“SCJ”) medical clinic. Neph was escorting Plaintiff to the clinic because Plaintiff was having breathing issues due to ineffective denture adhesive. Plaintiff had his hands cuffed behind his back and was holding his dentures in his hands. Plaintiff avers that Neph said that if the clinic visit was about denture issues, he would be locking Plaintiff down with more segregation time. Doc. 12, at 17. Plaintiff responded that the visit was related to issues with breathing due to “prosthetic device deprivation.” Id. at 18. According to the AC, Plaintiff and Neph engaged in a verbal altercation all the way to the clinic. Eventually, Plaintiff tells Neph that “his name would be added to a Federal lawsuit for violating rights and deliberate indifference.” Id. at 19. When they arrived at the clinic, the nurse on duty refused to discuss the issue of denture

adhesive again with Plaintiff, and Neph began attempting to jerk Plaintiff by grabbing onto his right elbow and forearm. Id. He then attempted a wristlock/armbar and finger bending. Plaintiff alleges that Neph became “so enraged by his failure to place this plaintiff into a submission or other pain inflicting position, and he also fail[ed] to dislodge false teeth from [Plaintiff’s] hands, that he [lost] self control and slam[med] his hand(s) around [Plaintiff’s] neck and attempt[ed] to choke [him] against the wall.” Id. at 20. “After a few seconds,” Deputy Cadet intervened and stopped Neph. Id. Plaintiff was escorted back to his cell, the cuffs were removed, and Plaintiff told Cadet he wanted to file “Felony Aggravated Battery charges” against Neph. Id. According to Plaintiff, Neph claims Plaintiff assaulted him by grabbing his hands while

Plaintiff was being handcuffed at the clinic. Id. at 21. Plaintiff states this is false because he had cuffs on from the time he left his cell at 8:50 p.m. until he was returned to his cell at 9:03 p.m. Id. Plaintiff alleges that he has “stiffness” in his right wrist and stiffness and pain in his neck, and jaw area, as well as “persistent headaches” as a result of the incident. Id. at 23. Plaintiff asserts that the incident was planned in advance by Neph, Rocha, and the unidentified Vital Core nurse to “effect reprisal” on Plaintiff for a previous incident involving Rocha. Id. at 21-22. He therefore mentions a claim for conspiracy to violate his constitutional rights. Plaintiff also states that “it is reasonable that the Vital Core nurse and Rocha did not foresee this situation developing into violations of civil rights, aggravated battery and a lawsuit.” Id. at 22. As part of Count I, Plaintiff also names Sergeant Tannehill as a defendant. He alleges that Tannehill reviewed video of the incident and spoke to Neph. Tannehill then served Plaintiff with an illegible disciplinary report for battery on Neph. Id. at 27.

B. Count II – Eighth Amendment Violation – Conditions of Confinement Plaintiff alleges that he was confined to a segregation cell without a working toilet from November 14, 2022, through November 19, 2022. He states that he was exposed to high levels of methane gas. He claims he suffered injury to the “respiratory and related bodily systems” and is still experiencing severe headaches, burning throat, and wheezing or shortness of breath. Id. at 33. He names Easter, Smith, Barth, and the Sedgwick County Board of Commissioners as defendants to this count. C. Count III – Eighth Amendment Violation – Cruel and Unusual Punishment Plaintiff alleges that from November 27, 2022 through February 1, 2023, he was refused

denture adhesive that actually worked. On February 2, Plaintiff met with Vital Core staff, and they agreed to provide him with generic Fixodent. He alleges that he “endured injury and breathing difficulties and several serious events of choking on food” while forced to use the adhesive initially provided to him by Vital Core. Id. at 37. Plaintiff asserts that several other inmates experienced the same problems with the inferior adhesive. Plaintiff names Sheriff Easter and Vital Core as defendants to this count. D. Relief Sought Plaintiff seeks relief in the form of a declaratory judgment stating that Defendants violated his constitutional rights, compensatory damages of $500,000 per each individual defendant and $10,000,000 from Vital Core, and punitive damages of $5,000 per day from June 1, 2022, through January 1, 2023. He further seeks injunctive relief “commanding all acts that are violations of rights cease and desist” and recovery of lost income and expenses from June 1, 2022, at $40,000 per month. Id. at 15. II. Statutory Screening of Prisoner Complaints

The Court is required to screen complaints brought by prisoners seeking relief against a governmental entity or an officer or an employee of a governmental entity. 28 U.S.C. § 1915A(a). The Court must dismiss a complaint or portion thereof if a plaintiff has raised 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)(1)– (2). “To state a claim under § 1983, a plaintiff must allege the violation of a right secured by the Constitution and laws of the United States, and must show that the alleged deprivation was committed by a person acting under color of state law.” West v. Atkins, 487 U.S. 42, 48 (1988)

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