Jones v. Westchester County Department of Corrections

CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedMay 4, 2022
Docket7:20-cv-08542
StatusUnknown

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

Bluebook
Jones v. Westchester County Department of Corrections, (S.D.N.Y. 2022).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK STEVEN A. JONES, JR., MEMORANDUM Plaintiff, OPINION AND ORDER

-against- 20-CV-08542 (PMH) WESTCHESTER COUNTY, et al.,

Defendants. PHILIP M. HALPERN, United States District Judge: Steven Jones (“Plaintiff”), currently incarcerated at Westchester County Jail (“WCJ”), proceeding pro se and in forma pauperis, asserts claims against Westchester County (the “County”), the County Department of Correction’s Commissioner Joseph K. Spano (“Spano”), County Executive George Latimer (“Latimer,” and together with the County and Spano, the “County Defendants”), the jail medical provider Well Path (“Wellpath”)1 and Wellpath physician Herbert Stoddard (“Stoddard,” and together with the County Defendants, “Defendants”)2 under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 for violations of the Eighth Amendment. Specifically, Plaintiff alleges that he contracted COVID-19 at WCJ because the staff failed to provide proper care and adequate protection to prevent the spread of the virus. (Doc 37. “Am. Compl.”).3

1 Because Defendants indicate in their filings that the entity is properly identified as “Wellpath,” the Court adopts that spelling for purposes of this decision.

2 There is no indication that Stoddard was served with process. Indeed, Wellpath advised the Court that Stoddard “passed away and has been deceased for some time.” (Doc. 39). Nevertheless, the Court considers the viability of federal claims for relief against him sua sponte by operation of 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2)(B). See Williams v. Novoa, No. 19-CV-11545, 2022 WL 161479, at *10-12 (S.D.N.Y. Jan. 18, 2022).

3 Citations to the Amended Complaint correspond to the pagination generated by ECF. On or about January 7, 2022, Wellpath and the County Defendants each filed a motion to dismiss, supported by a joint memorandum of law and an attorney declaration with exhibits. (Doc. 48; Doc. 50; Doc. 51; Doc. 52).4 Plaintiff did not file any opposition to the motion.5 For the reasons set forth below, Defendants’ motion to dismiss is GRANTED.

BACKGROUND Plaintiff alleges that while incarcerated at WCJ, he was exposed to, and contracted, COVID-19, because correctional staff did not follow policies and procedures implemented to contain the virus. (Am. Compl. at 3). Plaintiff alleges that staff and medical personnel were provided with proper personal protective equipment (“PPE”) beginning in March 2020, while inmates had no protection from the virus until approximately April 1, 2020. (Id.). Beginning on April 1, 2020, Plaintiff was provided one mask that had to be kept in a ziploc bag to keep it from getting wet because it would take up to two weeks before a new mask was provided. (Id.). Because Defendants failed to provide proper supplies on a timely basis, according to Plaintiff, inmates reused contaminated supplies and the virus spread at WCJ. (Id. at 4). Plaintiff tested

positive for the virus on April 14, 2020 and suffered severe symptoms. (Id. at 6, 16, 28).

4 The County Defendants first filed their motion to dismiss on January 7, 2022, but the Clerk of Court noted on the docket a filing error, terminated that motion, and directed counsel to re-file the motion papers. Counsel re-filed the motion papers on January 24, 2022, and the Court references those documents for purposes of this decision.

5 Plaintiff’s opposition was due on February 7, 2022. (Doc. 46). The docket indicates that a copy of the Court’s Order setting the briefing schedule was mailed to Plaintiff on November 29, 2021. (Id.; Nov. 29, 2021 Entry). On January 7, 2022, Defendants filed certificates of service indicating service of their motion papers on Plaintiff. (Docs. 47-3, 49). Plaintiff did not file opposition papers. On February 18, 2022, the Court sua sponte extended Plaintiff’s time to oppose the motions to March 18, 2022, warned Plaintiff that no further extensions would be granted, and cautioned that if Plaintiff failed to file opposition by March 18, 2022, the motion would be deemed fully submitted and unopposed. (Doc. 53). The Court’s February 18, 2022 Order was mailed to Plaintiff. (See Feb. 18, 2022 Entry). Thus, as is clear from the docket, Plaintiff was sent Defendants’ motion papers as well as two additional documents notifying him that Defendants had moved to dismiss the Amended Complaint. Plaintiff has not, as of the date of this decision, filed any opposition papers. Accordingly, the motions are deemed fully submitted and ripe for adjudication. Thereafter, on February 5, 2021, Plaintiff was quarantined with both infected and non-infected inmates, thereby allegedly exposing the population to COVID-19. (Id. at 6). STANDARD OF REVIEW A Rule 12(b)(6) motion enables a court to dismiss a complaint for “failure to state a claim

upon which relief can be granted.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6). “To survive a motion to dismiss, a complaint must 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 Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570 (2007)). A claim is plausible on its face “when the plaintiff pleads 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). “The plausibility standard is not akin to a ‘probability requirement,’ but it asks for more than a sheer possibility that a defendant has acted unlawfully.” Id. (quoting Twombly, 550 U.S. at 556). The factual allegations pled “must be enough to raise a right to relief above the speculative level . . . .” Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555.

“When there are well-ple[d] factual allegations, a court should assume their veracity and then determine whether they plausibly give rise to an entitlement to relief.” Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 679. Thus, the Court must “take all well-ple[d] factual allegations as true, and all reasonable inferences are drawn and viewed in a light most favorable to the plaintiff[].” Leeds v. Meltz, 85 F.3d 51, 53 (2d Cir. 1996). The presumption of truth, however, “‘is inapplicable to legal conclusions,’ and ‘[t]hreadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported by mere conclusory statements, do not suffice.’” Harris v. Mills, 572 F.3d 66, 72 (2d Cir. 2009) (quoting Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678 (alteration in original)). Therefore, a plaintiff must provide “more than labels and conclusions” to show entitlement to relief. Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555. A complaint submitted by a pro se plaintiff, “however inartfully ple[d], must be held to less stringent standards than [a] formal pleading[] drafted by lawyers . . . .” Estelle v. Gamble, 429 U.S. 97, 106 (1976) (internal quotation marks omitted). Because pro se plaintiffs “‘are often unfamiliar with the formalities of pleading requirements,’ courts must ‘apply a more flexible

standard in determining the sufficiency of a pro se [complaint] than they would in reviewing a pleading submitted by counsel.’” Smith v. U.S. Dep’t of Just., 218 F. Supp. 2d 357, 361 (W.D.N.Y. 2002) (quoting Platsky v. Cent. Intell.

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Bluebook (online)
Jones v. Westchester County Department of Corrections, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jones-v-westchester-county-department-of-corrections-nysd-2022.