Harris v. Phelps County Jail

District Court, E.D. Missouri·Decided March 31, 2021·No. 4:20-cv-00800·Unknown

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT | EASTERN DISTRICT OF MISSOURI EASTERN DIVISION ANTHONY M. HARRIS, ) Plaintiff, VS. Case No. 4:20-CV-800 NCC PHELPS COUNTY JAIL, et al., Defendants.

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER This matter is before the Court upon multiple filings by self-represented plaintiff Anthony Harris. On October 28, 2020, the Court directed plaintiff to file a third amended complaint, clarifying the relief sought in this matter. ECF No. 24. On November 18, 2020, the Court granted plaintiff a three-month extension on the deadline for filing the amended pleading. ECF No. 26. Since that extension, plaintiff has filed a Motion for Reconsideration of Appointment of Counsel (ECF No. 28), a “Memorandum of Intent” (ECF No. 29), a Third Amended Complaint (ECF No. 30), and a “Motion Pro Se For demandant of Real Action And transitory Action” (ECF No. 32).! Plaintiff has been given multiple opportunities to amend his pleadings in order to state a valid 42 U.S.C. § 1983 claim in this case. After review of plaintiff's Third Amended Complaint under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2), and in consideration of the record for plaintiff's pending criminal matter in the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri, the Court finds that this case is subject to dismissal for failure to state a claim upon which relief may be granted.

Plaintiff also filed a Certified Inmate Account Statement showing a balance of $0.00 and an amount owed of $127.71, as of November 10, 2020. ECF No. 27 at 1. The Court will not discuss this filing as it does not change the Court’s previous Order of June 22, 2020, which granted plaintiff in forma pauperis status, waived the initial partial filing fee, and directed the institution having custody of plaintiff to send monthly payments towards the filing fee when the amount in plaintiff's account exceeds $10.00. See ECF No. 6.

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, is malicious, fails to state a claim upon which relief can be granted, or seeks monetary relief against a defendant who is immune from such relief. To state a claim for relief, a complaint must plead more than “legal conclusions” and “[t]hreadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action [that are] supported by mere conclusory statements.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009). A plaintiff must demonstrate a plausible claim for relief, which is more than a “mere possibility of misconduct.” Id. at 679. “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.” Jd. at 678. Determining whether a complaint states a plausible claim for relief is a context-specific task that requires the reviewing court to draw on its judicial experience and common sense. /d. at 679. When reviewing a complaint filed by a self-represented person under 28 U.S.C. § 1915, the Court accepts the well-plead facts as true, White v. Clark, 750 F.2d 721, 722 (8th Cir. 1984), and liberally construes the complaint. Erickson v. Pardus, 551 U.S. 89, 94 (2007); Haines v. Kerner, 404 U.S. 519, 520 (1972). A “liberal construction” means that if the essence of an allegation is discernible, the district court should construe the plaintiff's complaint in a way that permits his or her claim to be considered within the proper legal framework. Solomon v. Petray, 795 F.3d 777, 787 (8th Cir. 2015). However, even self-represented complainants are required to 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); see also Stone v. Harry, 364 F.3d 912, 914-15 (8th Cir. 2004) (refusing to supply additional facts or to construct a legal theory for the self-represented plaintiff that assumed facts that had not been pleaded).

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Background

I. Instant Case Self-represented plaintiff Anthony M. Harris is a pretrial detainee currently confined at the Phelps County Jail. On June 1, 2020, plaintiff initiated this suit by filing a 42 U.S.C. § 1983 form complaint in the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri. ECF No. 1. On June 18, 2020, the case was transferred to this Court. See ECF Nos. 4-5. In the ‘Statement of claim’ section of the complaint, plaintiff wrote only: “on kiosk.” Jd. at 3. In its June 22, 2020 Order, the Court explained that it does not have access to the details of grievances filed by plaintiff on the County Jail kiosk system. ECF No. 6. Asa result, the Court directed plaintiff to file an amended complaint containing all the factual allegations that plaintiff wanted the Court to consider. After that Order, plaintiff filed with this Court three letters, a “Memorandum and Order,” a motion for appointment of counsel, an Amended Complaint, and multiple requests for an update on the status of his case. ECF Nos. 8-9, 11-15. Plaintiff brought his Amended Complaint under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 against three defendants: (1) Sergeant Lortis,? (2) Nurse Kelley, and (3) Phelps County Jail. ECF No. 12 at 1-3. The Court reviewed plaintiff's Amended Complaint and other filings in its September 9, 2020 Order. ECF No. 18. The Court found that plaintiff had not adequately alleged claims to withstand review under 28 USC. § 1915(e)(2). However, because plaintiff is self-represented and the allegations are serious, the Court directed plaintiff to file a second amended complaint to clarify his claims and the named defendants in this matter. The

2 The Court notes that plaintiff fluctuates between two different spellings for the last name of one of the defendants: “Lorts” and “Lortis.” See ECF Nos. 11 at 3, 12 at 1, 20 at 2, 30 at 11. In this Order, the Court will use the spelling from plaintiff's Third Amended Complaint: “Lortis.” See ECF No. 30.

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