McGinness v. Lester

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Missouri
DecidedAugust 25, 2022
Docket4:22-cv-00085
StatusUnknown

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

Bluebook
McGinness v. Lester, (E.D. Mo. 2022).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF MISSOURI EASTERN DIVISION MATTHEW J. MCGINNESS, ) ) Plaintiff, ) ) v. ) No. 4:22-cv-00085-SEP ) CAPTAIN ORVILLE LESTER, et al., ) ) Defendants. ) MEMORANDUM AND ORDER Before the Court are Plaintiff Matthew J. McGinness’s Motion for Leave to Proceed in forma pauperis, Doc. [2], Motion for Appointment of Counsel, Doc. [3], Motion for Summary Judgment, Doc. [4], Motion for Injunctive Relief, Doc. [5], Motion to Add Party, Doc. [10], Motion to Voluntarily Dismiss, Doc. [13], and Motion to Withdraw Motion to Voluntarily Dismiss, Doc. [14]. For the reasons set forth below, Plaintiff’s Motion for Leave to Proceed in forma pauperis and Motion to Withdraw Motion to Voluntarily Dismiss are granted, and the rest of the Motions are denied. Additionally, Plaintiff is instructed to file an amended complaint in accordance with the instructions set forth in this Memorandum and Order. MOTION FOR LEAVE TO PROCEED IN FORMA PAUPERIS Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(1), a prisoner bringing a civil action in forma pauperis is required to pay the full amount of the filing fee. If the prisoner has insufficient funds in his or her prison account to pay the entire fee, the Court must assess and, when funds exist, collect an initial partial filing fee of 20% of the greater of (1) the average monthly deposits in the prisoner’s account, or (2) the average monthly balance in the prisoner’s account for the prior six-month period. After payment of the initial partial filing fee, the prisoner is required to make monthly payments of 20% of the preceding month’s income credited to the prisoner’s account. 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(2). The agency having custody of the prisoner will forward the monthly payments to the Clerk of Court each time the amount in the prisoner’s account exceeds $10.00, until the filing fee is fully paid. Id. Plaintiff has submitted a copy of his inmate account statement. Doc. [6]. The account statement shows an average monthly deposit of $521.13. Accordingly, the Court will assess an initial partial filing fee of $104.23, which is 20% of Plaintiff’s average monthly deposit. INITIAL REVIEW OF PLAINTIFF’S COMPLAINT I. Legal Standard on Initial Review Under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2), the Court may dismiss a complaint filed in forma pauperis if the action is frivolous or malicious, fails to state a claim upon which relief can be granted, or seeks monetary relief against a defendant who is immune from such relief. When reviewing a complaint filed by a self-represented person under 28 U.S.C. § 1915, the Court accepts well-pled facts as true, White v. Clark, 750 F.2d 721, 722 (8th Cir. 1984), and it liberally construes the complaint, Erickson v. Pardus, 551 U.S. 89, 94 (2007). A “liberal construction” means that “if the essence of an allegation is discernible . . . then the district court should construe the complaint in a way that permits the layperson’s claim to be considered within the proper legal framework.” Solomon v. Petray, 795 F.3d 777, 787 (8th Cir. 2015). However, even self- represented plaintiffs are required to “allege facts, which if true, state a claim as a matter of law.” Martin v. Aubuchon, 623 F.2d 1282, 1286 (8th Cir. 1980); see also Stone v. Harry, 364 F.3d 912, 914-15 (8th Cir. 2004) (refusing to supply additional facts or to construct a legal theory for the self-represented plaintiff). To state a claim for relief, a complaint must plead more than “legal conclusions” and “[t]hreadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported by mere conclusory statements[.]” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009). A plaintiff must demonstrate a plausible claim for relief, which is “more than the mere possibility of misconduct[.]” Id. at 679. “A claim has facial plausibility 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. at 678. “[D]etermining whether a complaint states a plausible claim for relief is context-specific, requiring the reviewing court to draw on its experience and common sense.” Id. at 679 II. Plaintiff’s Complaint and Subsequent Filings Plaintiff is a self-represented litigant who is incarcerated at the Lincoln County Jail in Troy, Missouri. See Doc. [1-3]. On January 21, 2022, he filed this civil action pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983, naming Captain Orville Lester, Nurse Jamie Unknown, H. Deutsch, Chris Cox, T. Misuraco, G. Tipton, and Sheriff Rick Harrell as Defendants. Doc. [1] at 2-3. Defendants are sued in both their individual and official capacities. Id. at 2. The Complaint contains allegations regarding Plaintiff’s medications, the Lincoln County Jail’s COVID-19 protocols, and an accusation related to the nonpayment of sales taxes. Specifically, Plaintiff asserts that on “October 14 [he] was seen by a doctor and nurse at the Lincoln County Jail.” Doc. [1] at 3. The doctor prescribed him amitriptyline, which is the generic form of Elavil. Id. Plaintiff alleges that, despite this, the “nurse told [him] that [he] would have to get a different medication because she had exceeded her budget for the year.” Id. at 3-4. Plaintiff states that he has taken this “medication for many years” and knows “that it is on the list of medications approved for correction[s].” Id. at 4. He further states that the “[Physician’s] Desk Reference strongly cautions against abruptly discontinuing the use of this medication.” Id. At the time of the filing of the Complaint, Plaintiff contends that he went without the medication for two weeks, and that he “became so ill after arriving” at the jail that he could not “even go to court for [arraignment].” Id. Plaintiff claims that, by November 4, 2021, he had sufficient funds in his inmate account to cover the cost of the medication, but until then, he was given Benadryl by a nurse, who was allegedly not authorized to prescribe him such medication. Id. In addition to his claims related to his access to medication, Plaintiff asserts that the Lincoln County Jail has a policy under which pretrial detainees are “routinely placed” in housing units with unvaccinated detainees without quarantining or receiving Covid-19 tests. Id. Plaintiff notes that he is unvaccinated and shares a bunk with a 62-year-old man with C.O.P.D. Id. He alleges that he inquired about being placed in quarantine but was told that the jail “tried that, but it didn’t work.” Id. Finally, Plaintiff also alleges that pretrial detainees are allowed to spend a total of $500 per week, and that many do spend that amount. Id. He notes, however, that “no sales taxes are paid for anything, presumably to avoid a record of the sales.” Id. Plaintiff states that, as a result of the incidents alleged in his Complaint, he “suffered severe withdrawal symptoms from being denied [his] medication until [he] was able to pay for it.” Id. He seeks $79.67 in actual damages and $10,000 in punitive damages. Id. at 5.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
McGinness v. Lester, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mcginness-v-lester-moed-2022.