Haskins v. SCCF

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. New York
DecidedMay 19, 2025
Docket2:25-cv-01536
StatusUnknown

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

Bluebook
Haskins v. SCCF, (E.D.N.Y. 2025).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT CLERK

EASTERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK 5/19/202 5 3:40 pm ---------------------------------------------------------------------X U.S. DISTRICT COURT JOSEPH HASKINS, EASTERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK LO NG ISLAND OFFICE Plaintiff, MEMORANDUM AND ORDER -against- 25-CV-1536(GRB)(AYS)

SCCF,

Defendant. ---------------------------------------------------------------------X GARY R. BROWN, United States District Judge: Before the Court is the application of Joseph Haskins (“Plaintiff”) to proceed in forma pauperis (“IFP”) in relation to his pro se complaint filed while incarcerated at Suffolk County Correctional Facility (“SCCF” or the “Jail”). See Docket Entry Nos. “DE” 1, 5-6, 9.1 Upon review of Plaintiff’s submissions, the Court finds that he is qualified by his financial position as reported in his IFP application to proceed without prepayment of the filing fee. Accordingly, the application to proceed IFP (DE 5) is granted. However, for the reasons that follow, the Court finds that Plaintiff has not alleged a plausible claim and the complaint is thus dismissed pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 1915(e)(2)(B)(i)-(ii) and 1915A(b)(1) without prejudice and with leave to file an amended complaint. BACKGROUND2 Plaintiff’s complaint is submitted on the Court’s civil rights complaint form for actions brought pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (“Section 1983”) and is brief. See DE 1. Plaintiff names

1 Plaintiff filed a short form IFP application, DE 5, and two copies of the Long Form IFP application, DE 6 and 9. Given that the short form IFP application provides sufficient financial information to determine Plaintiff’s qualification to proceed without prepayment of the filing fee and is granted for the reasons that follow, the Long Form IFP applications (DE 6, 9) are denied as moot.

2 Excerpts from the complaint have been reproduced here exactly as they appear in the original. Errors in spelling, punctuation, and grammar have not been corrected or noted. the SCCF3 (“Defendant”) as the sole Defendant in the caption. In the section of the complaint that calls for a list of all defendants, Plaintiff wrote “SCCF Medical Dept.” and “SCCF Officers As Well.” (Id. at 2.) Plaintiff alleges that, while detained at the SSCF on January 11, 20254 during the breakfast service at approximately 4:00 a.m.- 5:00 a.m., the lid on the hot water urn was not secured with “its regulation seal” and, as a result, hot water “spilled and splatter[ed] on [][his] left foot causing a third degree burn. (Id. at 4, ¶ II.) Plaintiff alleges that he was not seen by the medical department until “around noon time” where he was treated and instructed to have

his bandage changed three times a day by “wound care.” (Id.) According to the complaint, the treatment plan was provided for just one day and then he was “just given band-aids.” (Id.) However, Plaintiff describes that, after submitting “several” grievances, “they started treating my foot properly.” (Id.) Plaintiff also claims that none of the medical staff or “officers working on B-Pod that morning” would give him their names and/or badge numbers. (Id. at 6.) In the space that calls for a description of any injuries suffered and any medical treatment required and/or received Plaintiff wrote: “3rd Degree burns on my foot by scalding hot water. Medical treatment wasn’t given the, it was hours later, then it ceased after a day.” Id. at 4, ¶ II.A. For relief, Plaintiff seeks to recover a damages award in an unspecified sum as “compensation for being permanently damaged.” Id. at 4, ¶ III.

3 The Court understands this abbreviation to mean the Suffolk County Correctional Facility.

4 Notably, the complaint alleges that the subject event occurred in the early morning hours on January 11, 2025. (DE 1 at 3-4, ¶ II.) However, the Notice of Claim annexed to the complaint reflects that the incident occurred on January 10, 2023. (Id. at 7, ¶ 3.) Further, the grievance dated February 4, 2025 reflects that the incident occurred on January 10 of an unspecified year and the grievance dated January 21, 2025 reflects that Plaintiff’s bandage was not changed “this morning.” (Id. at 11, 13.) The response to the January 21, 2025 grievance recites that “Inmate Haskin has filed a grievance without a date of occurrence. Inmate Haskin was seen and evaluated by a medical provider on 01/10/25 for a hot water burn on his left foot.” (Id. at 13.)

2 LEGAL STANDARDS The Second Circuit has established a two-step procedure wherein the district court first considers whether a plaintiff qualifies for IFP status, and then considers the merits of the complaint under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2). Potnick v. E. State Hosp., 701 F.2d 243, 244 (2d Cir. 1983). I. Qualification for IFP Status Upon review of the Plaintiff’s IFP application (DE 5), the Court finds that Plaintiff is

qualified by his reported financial position to commence this action without prepayment of the filing fee. Accordingly, the IFP application is granted. The Court turns next to the merits of the complaint. II. Sufficiency of the Pleadings As Judge Bianco summarized, A district court is required to dismiss an in forma pauperis complaint if the action is frivolous or malicious, fails to state a claim on which relief may be granted, or seeks monetary relief against a defendant who is immune from such relief. See 28 U.S.C. §§ 1915(e)(2)(B)(i)-(iii). The Court is required to dismiss the action as soon as it makes such a determination. See 28 U.S.C. §§ 1915(e)(2)(B)(i)-(iii). It is axiomatic that district courts are required to read pro se complaints liberally, see Erickson v. Pardus, 551 U.S. 89, 94 (2007) (quoting Estelle v. Gamble, 429 U.S. 97, 106 (1976)); Chavis v. Chappius, 618 F.3d 162, 170 (2d Cir. 2010), and to construe them “‘to raise the strongest arguments that [they] suggest [ ].’” Chavis, 618 F.3d at 170 (quoting Harris v. City of New York, 607 F.3d 18, 24 (2d Cir. 2010)). Moreover, at the pleadings stage of the proceeding, the Court must assume the truth of “all well-pleaded, nonconclusory factual allegations” in the complaint. Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co., 621 F.3d 111, 123 (2d Cir. 2010), aff’d, --- U.S. ----, 133 S. Ct. 1659, 185 L. Ed. 2d 671 (2013) (citing Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662 (2009)). However, “[t]hreadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported by mere conclusory statements . . . are not entitled to the assumption of truth.” Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678 (citation omitted).

Notwithstanding a plaintiff’s pro se status, a complaint must plead sufficient facts to “state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.” Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly,

3 550 U.S. 544, 570 (2007).

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Haskins v. SCCF, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/haskins-v-sccf-nyed-2025.