Mott v. Indiana

793 F. Supp. 178, 1991 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20396, 1991 WL 341751
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Indiana
DecidedMay 8, 1991
DocketCiv. No. S91-92
StatusPublished

This text of 793 F. Supp. 178 (Mott v. Indiana) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Indiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mott v. Indiana, 793 F. Supp. 178, 1991 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20396, 1991 WL 341751 (N.D. Ind. 1991).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

ALLEN SHARP, Chief Judge.

On March 19,1991, plaintiff pro se, Jerry R. Mott, an inmate at the Westville Correctional Center, filed a complaint purporting to state a claim under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, and invoking this court’s jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. §§ 1331, 1343(a)(3) and (4). The motion to dismiss filed by defendants on April 10, 1991, demonstrates the necessary compliance with the mandates of Lewis v. Faulkner, 689 F.2d 100 (7th Cir.1982). The plaintiff filed a response on April 17, 1991.

Dismissal of a complaint is only proper where “it appears beyond doubt that the plaintiff can prove no set of facts in support of his claims which would entitle him to relief.” Fromm v. Rosewell, 771 F.2d 1089, 1091 (7th Cir.1985), cert. denied, 475 U.S. 1012, 106 S.Ct. 1188, 89 L.Ed.2d 304 (1986) (citing Conley v. Gibson, 355 U.S. 41, 45-46, 78 S.Ct. 99, 101-102, 2 L.Ed.2d 80 (1957)). See also Forys v. United Food & Commercial Worker’s International Union, 829 F.2d 603, 606 (7th Cir.1987); and Pryzina v. Ley, 813 F.2d 821, 822 (7th Cir.1987). When the court of appeals for this circuit reviews the granting of a motion to dismiss, the well-pleaded factual allegations of the complaint are taken as true. See Reichenberger v. Pritchard, 660 [179]*179F.2d 280 (7th Cir.1981). See also Harris v. Brock, 835 F.2d 1190 (7th Cir.1987). Further, when the court of appeals reviews the complaint, only factual allegations will be considered and alleged legal conclusions are not binding upon the court. Milwaukee v. Saxbe, 546 F.2d 693, 704 (7th Cir.1976).

Where a motion to dismiss is filed pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (Fed.R.Civ.P.) and materials outside the motion to dismiss are presented to and not excluded by the court, then the motion to dismiss may be treated as a motion for summary judgment pursuant to Rule 56, Fed.R.Civ.P. See First Interstate Bank, N.A. v. Chapman & Cutler, 837 F.2d 775 (7th Cir.1988); Cange v. Stotler & Co., 826 F.2d 581 (7th Cir.1987); and Winslow v. Walters, 815 F.2d 1114 (7th Cir.1987). Thus, where a party moves for dismissal upon the pleadings alone, it will be considered a Rule 12(b)(6) motion for dismissal. However, where a party files a Rule 12(b)(6) motion for dismissal and the court relies on materials outside the pleadings, it will be considered a Rule 56 motion for summary judgment.

In their official capacities, each of the state defendants are entitled to immunity for claims for money damages under the Eleventh Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. The Eleventh Amendment states as follows:

The Judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to extend to any suit in law or equity, commenced or prosecuted against one of the United States by Citizens of another State, or by Citizens or Subjects of any Foreign State.

See Kashani v. Purdue University, 813 F.2d 843 (7th Cir.), cert. denied, 484 U.S. 846, 108 S.Ct. 141, 98 L.Ed.2d 97 (1987); Owen v. Lash, 682 F.2d 648 (7th Cir.1982); Sheets v. Indiana Department of Corrections, 656 F.Supp. 733 (S.D.Ind.1986). For recent authority consistent with Kashani, 813 F.2d at 843, see Shelton v. Trustees of Indiana University, 891 F.2d 165 (7th Cir.1989). See also Cosby v. Jackson, 741 F.Supp. 740 (N.D.Ill.1990), and Rodenbeck v. Indiana, Leaking Underground Storage Tank Div. etc., 742 F.Supp. 1442 (N.D.Ind.1990). Any and all damage claims against the defendants in their official capacities are now DISMISSED under the mandates of the Eleventh Amendment of the Constitution.

Under the aforesaid authorities interpreting the Eleventh Amendment of the Constitution of the United States, as well as under Will v. Michigan Department of State Police, 491 U.S. 58, 109 S.Ct. 2304, 105 L.Ed.2d 45 (1989), the complaint in this case must be DISMISSED as against the State of Indiana and as against the defendants in their official capacities. SO ORDERED.

This court, in both of its judicial incarnations, has often spoke of the need for a sense of judicial restraint with reference to attempting to write one’s own private value system and predilections into the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. If this court could model its own perfect world, it would certainly include prisons that are smoke-free as well as a smoke-free society. However, this court does not conceive under the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States and under basic and fundamentally important ideas of federalism that it has a right to read its own views on smoking into the Constitution of the United States. This court has visited this problem with care and in-depth in Gorman v. Moody, 710 F.Supp. 1256 (N.D.Ind.1989).

Certainly, within the concepts of federalism, the State of Indiana can create areas in a prison or in other public facilities where smoking is prohibited. However, with specific reference to prisons, the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States does not compel the state to do so. This court is also flattered that its decision in Gorman, was followed in Caldwell v. Quinlan, 729 F.Supp. 4 (D.D.C.), aff'd without op., 923 F.2d 200 (D.C.Cir.1990). See also West v. Wright, 747 F.Supp. 329 (E.D.Va.1990).

Certainly, McKinney v. Anderson, 924 F.2d. 1500 (9th Cir.1991), and Clemmons v. Bohannon, 918 F.2d 858, reh’g en banc [180]*180granted, 918 F.2d 873 (10th Cir.1990), must command respect, but the factual setting of those cases is cast in a much narrower vein than here. In any event, there is no authority yet established which causes this court to depart from the work that is evident in Gorman, 710 F.Supp. at 1256, and there is nothing in this record to convince this court that this plaintiff is asserting a protected constitutional right. In candor, however, this court is very sympathetic with his plight.

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Related

Conley v. Gibson
355 U.S. 41 (Supreme Court, 1957)
Estelle v. Gamble
429 U.S. 97 (Supreme Court, 1976)
Harlow v. Fitzgerald
457 U.S. 800 (Supreme Court, 1982)
Whitley v. Albers
475 U.S. 312 (Supreme Court, 1986)
Will v. Michigan Department of State Police
491 U.S. 58 (Supreme Court, 1989)
Alfonse Reichenberger v. Rev. Richard Pritchard
660 F.2d 280 (Seventh Circuit, 1981)
Arthur Lewis v. Gordon H. Faulkner
689 F.2d 100 (Seventh Circuit, 1982)
Dr. Edward A. Pryzina v. Michael Ley
813 F.2d 821 (Seventh Circuit, 1987)
Hamid R. Kashani v. Purdue University
813 F.2d 843 (Seventh Circuit, 1987)
Joseph P. Cange v. Stotler and Company, Inc.
826 F.2d 581 (Seventh Circuit, 1987)
Edward L. Richardson v. Chuck Penfold and Edward Dyer
839 F.2d 392 (Seventh Circuit, 1988)
Vincent Goka v. Paul Bobbitt, Officer, Acting Sergeant
862 F.2d 646 (Seventh Circuit, 1988)
Steven Shelton v. The Trustees of Indiana University
891 F.2d 165 (Seventh Circuit, 1989)

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Bluebook (online)
793 F. Supp. 178, 1991 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20396, 1991 WL 341751, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mott-v-indiana-innd-1991.