Martinez v. Aycock-West

164 F. Supp. 3d 502, 2016 WL 407294, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11934
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedFebruary 1, 2016
DocketNo. 12-CV-4574 (KMK)
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 164 F. Supp. 3d 502 (Martinez v. Aycock-West) 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
Martinez v. Aycock-West, 164 F. Supp. 3d 502, 2016 WL 407294, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11934 (S.D.N.Y. 2016).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

KENNETH M. KARAS, District Judge

Plaintiff Juan Martinez (“Plaintiff’), proceeding pro se, brings this Action against Defendant Correction Officer Aycock-West (“Defendant”) under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, alleging that Defendant exhibited deliberate indifference to Plaintiffs serious medical need. Defendant moves under Rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure to dismiss Plaintiffs Complaint for failure to exhaust his administrative remedies pursuant to the Prison Litigation Reform Act (“PLRA”), 42 U.S.C. § 1997e(a), and for failure to state a claim. For the following reasons, Defendant’s Motion To Dismiss is granted.

I. Background

A. Factual Background

The following facts are drawn from Plaintiffs Complaint and are taken as true for the purpose of resolving the instant Motion.1 On May 22, 2012 at approximately [506]*5067:30 p.m., Plaintiff, while incarcerated at the Anna M. Kross Center (“AMKC”) at Rikers Island Prison Facility, slipped and fell at the “7-MOD mini clinic” while on a sick call visit. (Compl. ¶¶ II.A-D (Dkt. No. 2).)2 Defendant, together with other inmates and medical staff, witnessed Plaintiffs fall, yet allegedly did nothing to assist him. (Id. KII.D.) As a result of the fall, Plaintiff suffered lower back and neck pain. (Id. ¶ III.)3

According to the Injury Report, Plaintiff received medical attention at 1:46 a.m. on May 23, 2012, approximately 30 hours after the initial injury when “he slipped on a wet area causing him to fall backwards.” (Pl.’s Ltr. at unnumbered 2.)4 The section completed by a corrections officer states that Plaintiff “claimed he fall [sic] and hit his back while ... at sick call.” (Id.) The latter portion of the Injury Report, com-

pleted by a doctor, indicates Plaintiff suffered a “spasm of [his] neck muscles” and “some soreness of [his] lower back” but retained “NL [normal] ambulation.” (Id.) The attending physician prescribed “Motrin/Robaxin as needed” and a 60 mg intramuscular (“IM”) injection. (Id.)5 Plaintiff signed the bottom of the Injury Report, indicating that he “certified] that the cause of injury as stated herein is to [his] knowledge true and medical attention was provided.” (Id. at unnumbered 3.)

Plaintiff thereafter contacted the Inmate Grievance Review Committee (“IGRC”) to complain that Defendant “denied [him] medical attention.” (Compl. HHIV.D, E.) The Complaint alleges that1 he “com-plaine[d] to all” about the incident but received no response. (Id. ¶¶ IV.E, G.) Regarding any steps he took to appeal to the [507]*507highest level of the grievance process, the Complaint merely notes that Plaintiff “contacted] [the] IG to complaint].” (Id. ¶ IV.E.)6 Along with his “cross-motion” dated November 24, 2012, Plaintiff included an “Inmate Grievance and Request Program Statement Form” that he appears not to have completed. (See Carey Decl. Ex. 3, at 1-2; see also supra n.7.) Although the form includes space available for the signature of a grievance program staff member and a time stamp, that space is blank. (Carey Decl. Ex. 3, at 3.)

B. Procedural Background

Plaintiff filed his Complaint on June 7, 2012. (See Compl. (Dkt. No. 2.)) On November 7, 2012, Plaintiff filed a motion for pro bono counsel and an interpreter, (Dkt. No. 13), which the Court denied on February 6, 2013, (Dkt. No 17). On November 19, 2012, the Court held a pre-motion conference at which Plaintiff appeared by telephone. (See Dkt. (minute entry for Nov. 19, 2012).) Pursuant to a scheduling order set by the Court at the conference, (see Dkt. No. 14), Defendant filed her Motion To Dismiss and supporting papers on December 21, 2012, although those documents were not docketed until July 6, 2015, (Dkt. Nos. 21-24). Plaintiff did not file an opposition.

II. Discussion

A. Standard of Review

“While a complaint attacked by a Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss does not need detailed factual allegations, a plaintiffs obligation to provide the grounds of his entitlement to relief requires more than labels and conclusions, and a formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause of action will not do.” Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007) (citations, internal quotation marks, and alterations omitted); see also Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009) (holding that Rule 8 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure “demands more than an unadorned, the-defendant-unlawfully-harmed-me accusation”). Rather, the “[fjactual allegations must be enough to raise a right to relief above the speculative level,” Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555, 127 S.Ct. 1955, and “once a claim has been stated adequately, it may be supported by showing any set of facts consistent with the allegations in the complaint,” Twombly, 550 U.S. at 563, 127 S.Ct. 1955. In short, a complaint must allege “only enough facts to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face,” but if a plaintiff has “not nudged [his or her] claims across the line from conceivable to plausible, the[] complaint must be dismissed.” Id. at 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955.; see also Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 679, 129 S.Ct. 1937 (“Determining whether a complaint states a plausible claim for relief will ... be a context-specific task that requires the reviewing court to draw on its judicial experience and common sense. But where the well-pleaded facts do not permit the court to infer more than the mere possibility of misconduct, the complaint has alleged— but it has not ’show[n]’ — ’that the pleader is entitled to relief.’” (alteration in original) (citation omitted) (quoting Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2))).

“[W]hen ruling on a defendant’s motion. to dismiss, a judge must accept as true all of the factual allegations contained in the complaint.” Erickson v. Pardus, 551 U.S. 89, 94, 127 S.Ct. 2197, 167 L.Ed.2d 1081 (2007); see also Dixon v. United States, [508]*508No. 13-CV-2193, 2014 WL 23427, at *1 (S.D.N.Y. Jan. 2, 2014) (“For the purpose of this motion to dismiss, we assume that the facts alleged in [the plaintiffs] complaint are true.”). Further, “[f]or the purpose of resolving [a] motion to dismiss, the Court ... draw[s] all reasonable inferences in favor of the plaintiff.” Daniel v. T & M Prot. Res., Inc., 992 F.Supp.2d 302, 304 n. 1 (S.D.N.Y.2014) (citing Koch v. Christie’s Int’l PLC,

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Bluebook (online)
164 F. Supp. 3d 502, 2016 WL 407294, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11934, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/martinez-v-aycock-west-nysd-2016.