Lacy v. Berge

921 F. Supp. 600, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4252, 1996 WL 148310
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Wisconsin
DecidedMarch 30, 1996
Docket94-C-983
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 921 F. Supp. 600 (Lacy v. Berge) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Wisconsin primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lacy v. Berge, 921 F. Supp. 600, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4252, 1996 WL 148310 (E.D. Wis. 1996).

Opinion

DECISION AND ORDER

CURRAN, Judge.

Johnny Lacy, Jr., a prisoner in state custody, is suing Defendants Gerald A. Berge, Dennis Meier, Laura Flood, Paul Pausma, Thomas Gozinske, Sergeant Kok, Brian Lutzow and Nurse Rochelle for violating his civil rights while he was incarcerated at the Fox Lake Correctional Institution. Lacy claims that Defendant Kok failed to break up a fight between himself and another inmate, Defendant Lutzow, and that Defendant “Nurse Rochelle” 1 failed to render adequate medical care for the injuries he sustained in the fight. He also claims that the Defendants improperly investigated the incident, then refused to press criminal charges against Lutzow. Finally, Lacy alleges that the Defendants failed to protect his constitutional rights because he is black. He is seeking injunctive relief and money damages for his injuries pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983.

After the time period set by the court for the completion of all discovery had passed, the Defendants moved for summary judgment on the ground that no material facts are in dispute and that they are entitled to judgment as a matter of law. See Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56. The Defendants notified Lacy of his obligation to respond to their motion with affidavits or other evidence, and the Plaintiff responded by filing a cross motion for summary judgment. These motions are now fully briefed and ready to be resolved.

I. FACTS

In support of their motion for summary judgment, the Defendants 2 have proposed the following findings of fact which are supported by affidavits and other evidence in the record:

1. Plaintiff Johnny Lacy is an inmate who at all times material was incarcerated at the Fox Lake Correctional Institution (FLCI), Fox Lake, Wisconsin. Lacy is currently housed at Racine Correctional Institution, Sturtevant, Wisconsin.
2. Plaintiff brings his § 1983 action claiming that the defendants violated his constitutional rights in conjunction with an altercation between Lacy and defendant Brian Lutzow on July 5, 1994 at FLCI.
3. Defendants Berge, Meier, Flood, Pausma, Gozinske, Kok and Mayr were at all times material to this action employees of FLCI.
4. [Left blank by the movants]
5. At approximately 9:25 p.m. on July 5, 1994, defendant Kok, the unit sergeant stationed in Housing Unit 2 A-B wing office, heard a commotion that sounded like someone slipping on the tile in one of the bathrooms.
6. When Kok observed the inmates in the B-wing dayroom, it appeared that something was going on in the bathroom as numerous inmates had left their chairs to look through the dayroom window into the bathroom area.
7. Kok left the office and entered the B-wing dayroom to investigate when several inmates yelled out, “here come the police.” Kok looked into the B-wing bathroom and saw Johnny Lacy on his hands and knees and inmate Brian Lutzow on top of him. Lacy and Lutzow stopped fighting when Kok entered the bathroom.
8. When Kok realized that something unusual was occurring in the bathroom he *605 responded and investigated immediately. Kok neither ignored the altercation between Lacy and Lutzow, nor did the fight continue after he entered and confronted them in the bathroom.
9. Defendant Kok then called and reported the disturbance to defendant Paul Pausma, a supervising officer, who reported to the unit and assumed investigation of the incident and handling of the two inmates.
10. When Kok asked about [the] incident, inmate Lutzow stated that Lacy had been telling Unit 2 inmates that he was going to force inmate Lutzow [to] perform oral sex on him. Lutzow was evidently displeased with Lacy’s plan, confronted Lacy in the bathroom and they started wrestling.
11. Lacy told Kok that he was coming out of the shower just minding this [sic] business and didn’t say or do anything to anyone.
12. Defendant Pausma reported to the unit to investigate the incident and question inmates Lacy and Lutzow and subsequently placed both inmates in temporary lockup status pending further investigation.
13. In his statement in response to reasons for TLU placement, plaintiff explained that he had grabbed on to Lutzow because he was dazed after receiving blows to the head and wanted to avoid being hit again. Lacy admitted having heard someone say “Here comes the police,” but nonetheless continued to hold on to Lutzow. Lutzow’s statement in response to reasons for placement was simply that it wasn’t a one-sided fight; that Lacy had hit him.
14. Once transferred to the segregation building, Pausma directed staff to take photographs of injuries Lacy had sustained as a result of the fight and to contact the Health Services Unit to have a nurse come to the unit to examine Lacy.
15. Nurse Rochelle Mayr was on duty in the HSU on July 5, 1994. At approximately 9:45 p.m. she was called to the segregation unit to examine inmate Johnny Lacy, who had been involved in an altercation.
16. When Mayr arrived Lacy complained of a headache, impaired hearing on the left side, blurry vision in his left eye, and that he was knocked down and hurt his shins.
17. Nurse Mayr examined Lacy and observed abrasions to his left temple and left parietal area of the skull one approximately 2" x 1)6" and the other approximately 4 — 5" x 2-2}£". Neither abrasion was bleeding. She further observed a small abrasion to the anterior surface skin of his left leg, and a contusion on his right knee that was approximately 2 centimeters in diameter with no active bleeding.
18. Defendant Mayr conducted basic neurological tests and found Lacy demonstrated normal responses: his speech was clear and coherent and his gait was steady.
19. It was Mayr’s assessment that Lacy displayed signs of trauma to the head. She arranged for Lacy to have an ice pack for his head injuries and prescribed Advil or Tylenol as needed for his headache, both of which were available on the segregation unit.
20. The signs and symptoms of head injury were explained to Lacy by Nurse Mayr and she arranged for security staff to wake him every two hours so that he could self-monitor for symptoms. She instructed Lacy to report any detected change in head injury signs and symptoms and advised security staff that the HSU be alerted of same.
21. Mayr applied antibiotic ointment to Lacy’s wounds and instructed Lacy in self care in that regard.
22.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
921 F. Supp. 600, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4252, 1996 WL 148310, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lacy-v-berge-wied-1996.