Hayes v. I.D.O.C.

CourtDistrict Court, D. Idaho
DecidedSeptember 8, 2022
Docket1:22-cv-00184
StatusUnknown

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

Bluebook
Hayes v. I.D.O.C., (D. Idaho 2022).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF IDAHO

MICHAEL T. HAYES, Case No. 1:22-cv-00184-BLW Plaintiff, INITIAL REVIEW ORDER BY v. SCREENING JUDGE

IDOC; RONA SIEGERT; CPL. GARCIA; CENTURION MEDICAL; MICHAEL GRACE; TONJA REIDY; and JANE AND JOHN DOE NURSES 1-6,

Defendants.

The Clerk of Court conditionally filed Plaintiff’s Complaint as a result of Plaintiff’s status as an inmate. The Court now reviews the Complaint to determine whether it or any of the claims contained therein should be summarily dismissed under 28 U.S.C. § 1915A. Having reviewed the record, and otherwise being fully informed, the Court enters the following Order. REVIEW OF COMPLAINT 1. Pleading Standards and Screening Requirement A complaint must contain “a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2). Under modern pleading standards, Rule 8 requires a complaint to “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 Atlantic Corp. v.

Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570 (2007)). The Iqbal/Twombly “facial plausibility” standard is met when a complaint contains “factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct

alleged.” Id. (citing Twombly, 550 U.S. at 556). “[D]etailed factual allegations” are not required, but a plaintiff must offer “more than ... unadorned, the-defendant- unlawfully-harmed-me accusation[s].” Id. (internal quotation marks omitted). If the facts pleaded are “merely consistent with a defendant’s liability,” or if

there is an “obvious alternative explanation” that would not result in liability, the complaint has not stated a claim for relief that is plausible on its face. Id. at 678, 682 (internal quotation marks omitted). Bare allegations that amount to a mere

restatement of the elements of a cause of action, without adequate factual support, are not enough. The Prison Litigation Reform Act (“PLRA”)1 requires that the Court review complaints filed by prisoners seeking relief against a governmental entity to

determine whether summary dismissal is appropriate. 28 U.S.C. § 1915A. The

1 Pub. L. No. 104-134, 110 Stat. 1321, as amended, 42 U.S.C. § 1997e, et seq. Court must dismiss any claims that do not have adequate factual support or are frivolous or malicious. Id.

The Court also must dismiss claims 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. Id. These last two categories—together with claims that fall

outside a federal court’s narrow grant of jurisdiction—encompass those claims that might, or might not, have factual support but nevertheless are barred by a well- established legal rule. The Court liberally construes the pleadings to determine whether a case

should be dismissed for a failure to plead sufficient facts to support a cognizable legal theory or for the absence of a cognizable legal theory. The critical inquiry is whether a constitutional claim, however inartfully pleaded, has an arguable factual

and legal basis. See Jackson v. Arizona, 885 F.2d 639, 640 (9th Cir. 1989) (discussing Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6)), superseded by statute on other grounds as stated in Lopez v. Smith, 203 F.3d 1122, 1130 (9th Cir. 2000) (stating that Rule 12(b)(6) authority to dismiss claims was expanded by the PLRA,

giving courts power to dismiss deficient claims, sua sponte, before or after opportunity to amend). 2. Factual Allegations Plaintiff is a prisoner in the custody of the Idaho Department of Correction.

Plaintiff contends that he has been denied adequate prison medical treatment with respect to his prescription medication. Plaintiff alleges that, from October 13, 2021, to March 31, 2022, his prescription medication has run out, and has not been timely refilled, eight separate

times. Compl., Dkt. 1, at 10. As a result, even though Plaintiff had submitted timely requests for refills, he was forced to go without his prescription medication for a total of 66 days.

Plaintiff also alleges that, on 198 different occasions, he asked to be “single dosed” when nurses came by his cell with the pill cart. “Single dosing” appears to occur when an inmate’s regular prescription medication has not been timely refilled, but the pill cart has that medication available so that the nurse dispenses a

single dose to the inmate, presumably as a stop-gap measure while the inmate’s prescription is refilled. See id. at 10–11. On each of these 198 occasions, the pill cart nurse refused to do so.

Plaintiff informed Defendant Siegert—who appears to supervise the provision of medical care for the IDOC in that she monitors the contract between the IDOC and Centurion—several times about these problems by filing grievances. Siegert responded to at least one of these grievances and acknowledged the problem, stating that she had addressed the issue. Id. at 13. However, Defendant Siegert did not take any further action after the problem kept happening, even

though Plaintiff continued to inform her about it. Plaintiff asserts that, on March 4, 2022, Plaintiff was supposed to have a sick call appointment. However, Defendant Garcia, who was charged with taking

Plaintiff to that appointment, refused to do so. Id. at 15. Garcia then falsely told medical personnel that Plaintiff had refused to go to the appointment. Id. at 16. Garcia allegedly told another staff member that Plaintiff “did not need to see medical” and that Plaintiff “has cost this state enough money.” Id.

Plaintiff names the following defendants: (1) the IDOC; (2) IDOC employees Corporal Garcia and Rona Siegert; (3) Centurion, the private entity providing Idaho inmates with medical care under contract with the IDOC;

(4) Centurion employees Michael Grace and Tonja Reidy; and (5) six “John and Jane Doe” defendants. 3. Discussion A. Standards of Law Plaintiff brings claims under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, the civil rights statute.2 To

state a plausible civil rights claim, a plaintiff must allege a violation of rights

2 Plaintiff also references 18 U.S.C. §§ 241 and 242, which provide for criminal liability for certain deprivations of civil rights. See Compl. at 12. However, these federal criminal statutes do protected by the Constitution or created by federal statute proximately caused by conduct of a person acting under color of state law. Crumpton v. Gates, 947 F.2d

1418, 1420 (9th Cir. 1991). Prison officials and prison medical providers generally are not liable for damages in their individual capacities under § 1983 unless they personally

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Hans v. Louisiana
134 U.S. 1 (Supreme Court, 1890)
Adickes v. S. H. Kress & Co.
398 U.S. 144 (Supreme Court, 1970)
Estelle v. Gamble
429 U.S. 97 (Supreme Court, 1976)
Monell v. New York City Dept. of Social Servs.
436 U.S. 658 (Supreme Court, 1978)
Quern v. Jordan
440 U.S. 332 (Supreme Court, 1979)
Pennhurst State School and Hospital v. Halderman
465 U.S. 89 (Supreme Court, 1984)
Will v. Michigan Department of State Police
491 U.S. 58 (Supreme Court, 1989)
Hudson v. McMillian
503 U.S. 1 (Supreme Court, 1992)
Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly
550 U.S. 544 (Supreme Court, 2007)
Ashcroft v. Iqbal
556 U.S. 662 (Supreme Court, 2009)
Kathleen Hansen v. Ronald L. Black
885 F.2d 642 (Ninth Circuit, 1989)
John C. McGuckin v. Dr. Smith John C. Medlen, Dr.
974 F.2d 1050 (Ninth Circuit, 1992)
Gibson v. County of Washoe, Nevada
290 F.3d 1175 (Ninth Circuit, 2002)
Toguchi v. Soon Hwang Chung
391 F.3d 1051 (Ninth Circuit, 2004)
John Snow v. E.K. McDaniel
681 F.3d 978 (Ninth Circuit, 2012)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
Hayes v. I.D.O.C., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hayes-v-idoc-idd-2022.