Hughes (ID 105577) v. Graham

CourtDistrict Court, D. Kansas
DecidedJanuary 27, 2023
Docket5:22-cv-03309
StatusUnknown

This text of Hughes (ID 105577) v. Graham (Hughes (ID 105577) v. Graham) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hughes (ID 105577) v. Graham, (D. Kan. 2023).

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF KANSAS

DASHAWN M. HUGHES,

Plaintiff,

v. CASE NO. 22-3309-JWL-JPO

JIM GRAHAM, et al.,

Defendants.

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE

Plaintiff DaShawn M. Hughes is hereby required to show good cause, in writing to the undersigned, why this action should not be dismissed due to the deficiencies in Plaintiff’s Amended Complaint that are discussed herein. In the alternative, Plaintiff may file a complete and proper second amended complaint curing these deficiencies. If Plaintiff fails to do so in the time allotted by the Court, this matter may be dismissed without further prior notice to Plaintiff. I. Nature of the Matter before the Court Plaintiff brings this pro se civil rights action pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Plaintiff is currently confined at the Larned Correctional Mental Health Facility in Larned, Kansas (“LCMHF”). Plaintiff has filed motions seeking leave to file an amended complaint (Docs. 4, 6). The Court grants the motions and will screen Plaintiff’s Amended Complaint at Doc. 3.1 Plaintiff alleges in his Amended Complaint that on November 23, 2021, Defendant Paul Cory approached Plaintiff in a very hostile and aggressive manner in the hallway and ordered Plaintiff into the Clinic area to submit to a drug test (U/A). (Doc. 3, at 7.) When Plaintiff stated that he does not do drugs, Defendant Cory tried to coerce a statement from Plaintiff regarding drugs, and when Plaintiff refused to speak to him, Defendant Cory insinuated that Plaintiff failed

1 Although Plaintiff attaches his Amended Complaint at Doc. 6–2, he had previously submitted the Amended Complaint and it is docketed at Doc. 3. the U/A and continued to attempt to further coerce Plaintiff into making a statement. Id. When Plaintiff refused to talk, Cory stated “well now you have a dirty U/A to deal with and I will be sending you to Ad-Seg since you don’t wanna play ball.” Id. Plaintiff alleges that Cory then authored a completely false Disciplinary Report (“DR”) and used it as his justification for placing Plaintiff in Administrative Segregation (“Ad-Seg”). Id.

Plaintiff alleges that this was all done as retaliation. Id. Plaintiff filed a complaint against Defendant Cory regarding Cory’s unprofessionalism in making knowingly false allegations against Plaintiff and filing a DR that Cory knew was false and unsupported by evidence. Id. On December 23, 2021, Plaintiff was briefly transferred to the Hutchinson Correctional Facility (“HCF”) while his DR was still pending. Id. Plaintiff requested that the Disciplinary Board Staff send the U/A drug test out to a lab for secondary testing prior to Plaintiff’s DR hearing. Id. Plaintiff alleges that the secondary testing determined that his drug test was clean and did not contain methamphetamine. Id. Plaintiff’s DR was resolved with a “not guilty” finding. Id.

Plaintiff alleges that on December 8, 2022, Defendant Jim Graham was standing in the central hallway of LCMHF and engaged Plaintiff in a conversation by stating “I’m well aware of what you are doing in my facility Hughes and I’m gonna continue having my boys persue [sic] you and mark my words boy, we’ll get you one way or another – that’s a promise because we don’t like your kind here.” Id. Plaintiff took these comments as racist and intended to intimidate and scare Plaintiff. Id. Plaintiff responded to Graham that “yeah, I do a little gambling on sports games and that’s it sir.” Id. at 8. Graham responded “okay – we’ll see.” Id. Plaintiff alleges that he “walked away knowing that he had just been racially threatened by Graham.” Id. Plaintiff alleges that on December 11, 2022, he asked Defendant Bieberle if they were going to release Plaintiff out of the F-1 Transitional Housing Unit and into General Population at LCMHF. Id. Plaintiff alleges that Bieberle stated “mother fucker if I have any say in the matter the answer is never- no way. Besides boy I and my friends have much better things in store for your black ass – you’ll see soon enough.” Id. Plaintiff stated that he would be in medium

custody in a few months and asked to be sent back to HCF. Bieberle responded “oh, you’ll be returning soon enough once we’re done with you here boy.” Id. Plaintiff alleges that on December 13, 2022, Plaintiff was awakened by Defendants Joel East and Shawn Pokorski standing inside Plaintiff’s cell, with Pokorski stating “wake up black boy the white man is here to have some fun.” Id. Defendants laughed and then East stated “get your black ass up and get naked boy, today has been a long time coming for you” and he ordered Plaintiff to submit to a strip search. Id. After the strip search, Pokorski ordered Plaintiff to walk out to the dayroom and stay there until the cell search was completed. Id. When Plaintiff asked why this was happening, East stated that they “got a green-light on your ass boy from Cory and

Schmidt in EAI along with Graham and Bierberle, so we’re here to make sure you have a really fucked up day.” Id. East then stated “targeted search boy.” Id. When Plaintiff asked if a captain could come to the unit, Pokorski stated “ain’t no one coming to help your black ass so sit down and shut the fuck up, or we can put you in cuffs and take a trip to the showers.” Id. After the search, East told Plaintiff that it “looks like you’ll be going to seg now mother fucker we got you.” Id. at 10. When Plaintiff stated that there was nothing in his cell, East responded “oh trust me boy I’m sure I am gonna put you there on a meth case.” Id. Plaintiff received a DR indicating that wet paper was found containing an unknown substance that allegedly later tested positive for methamphetamine. Id. Plaintiff alleges that East’s shakedown and search report listed every item found and removed from Plaintiff’s cell and did not state anything about “wet papers containing meth” being found or removed from Plaintiff’s cell. Id. Plaintiff alleges that East fabricated the report as retaliation. Id. As Count I, Plaintiff alleges cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the Eighth Amendment. Id. As Count II, Plaintiff alleges an equal protection violation and racial

discrimination. Id. at 11. Plaintiff alleges “race-based retaliation” in Count III. Plaintiff names as defendants: Jim Graham, Major and Chief of Security at LCMHF; Paul Cory, Enforcement, Apprehension and Investigation (EAI) Supervisor at LCMHF; Miranda Schmidt, Special Agent EAI Investigator at LCMHF; Shawn Pokorski, Correctional Counselor I at LCMHF; Joel East, CS II Disciplinary Supervisor at LCMHF; Ronald Bieberle, CS III Captain at LCMHF; and Jeff Byrum, Classification Administrator at LCMHF. Plaintiff fails to state a request for relief in his Amended Complaint. In his original complaint, Plaintiff sought an internal investigation of all LCMHF staff, for the LCMHF administration to be held accountable for discrimination and unprofessional practices, and that

the chain of custody on the papers found in the search detailed above “be established and preserved.” (Doc. 1, at 5.) 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).

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Hughes (ID 105577) v. Graham, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hughes-id-105577-v-graham-ksd-2023.