Plumlee v. Hughes

District Court, S.D. Illinois·Decided June 17, 2024·No. 3:23-cv-01880·Unknown

Opinion

FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS

ROBERT LEE PLUMLEE, JR., B89377 ) ) Plaintiff, ) ) vs. ) Case No. 23-cv-1880-RJD ) LATOYA HUGHES, et al., ) ) Defendants. ) )

ORDER

DALY, Magistrate Judge: This matter comes before the Court on Plaintiff’s Motion regarding fees (Doc. 44), Motion for Copies (Doc. 45), Motion to Amend Complaint (Doc. 46), Motion for Recruitment of Counsel (Doc. 52), Motion Requesting Summons (Doc. 63) in which he seeks appointment of attorney Jason Drew as counsel on Plaintiff’s behalf, and Motion for Copies and Status (Doc. 64). It also comes before the Court on Plaintiff’s “Complaint of Denial of Temporary Restraining Order” (Doc. 59), which the Court construes as a motion for reconsideration of this Court’s Order denying Plaintiff’s Fourth Motion for Temporary Restraining Order (Doc. 57). Before the Court are also Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment on the Issue of Exhaustion of Administrative Remedies (Doc. 47), and Motion for Leave to File Objection (Doc. 58). For the reasons set forth below, Plaintiff’s Motion regarding fees (Doc. 44), Motion to Amend Complaint (Doc. 46), Motion for Recruitment of Counsel (Doc. 52), Motion for Reconsideration (Doc. 59), and Motion Requesting Summons (Doc. 63) are DENIED. Plaintiff’s Motion for Copies (Doc. 45) is GRANTED in part and DENIED in part. Plaintiff’s Motion for Copies and Status (Doc. 64) and Defendants’ Motion for Leave to File Objection (Doc. 58) are GRANTED. Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment on the Issue of Exhaustion of with the Court a complete copy of Plaintiff’s relevant grievance history. Motion for Reconsideration (Doc. 59)

In his Motion for Reconsideration Plaintiff asks that the Court reverse its Order Denying his Fourth Motion for Temporary Restraining Order. Plaintiff attaches two additional exhibits for the Court’s review: a Memorandum from the IDOC’s decision on Plaintiff’s Grievance for denial of protective custody for incidents that occurred on March 19 and April 4 of 2022, (Doc. 59 at 3), and electronic correspondence exchanged between IDOC officers and Defendant Wills on May 26, 2023, discussing Plaintiff’s grievance for denial of protective custody (Doc. 59 at 4). The Court may issue a TRO without notice only if “specific facts in an affidavit or a verified complaint clearly show that immediate or irreparable injury, loss, or damage will result to the movant before the adverse party can be heard in opposition.” FED. R. CIV. P. 65(b)(1)(A). Such injunctive relief is also warranted “to prevent a substantial risk of serious injury from ripening

into actual harm.” Farmer v. Brennan, 511 U.S. 825, 845 (1994). As set forth in the Court’s Order denying Plaintiff’s Fourth Motion for Temporary Restraining Order, allegations about incidents in March and April 2022 and May 2023 fall short of clearly showing a substantial risk of an immediate or irreparable injury, loss, or damage required to issue a TRO. Accordingly, Plaintiff’s Motion for Reconsideration (Doc. 59) is DENIED. Motion for Recruitment of Counsel (Doc. 52) and Motion Requesting Summons (Doc. 63)

There is no right to the appointment of counsel in civil matters. Romanelli v. Suliene, 615 F.3d 847, 851 (7th Cir. 2010). When presented with a request to appoint counsel, the Court must consider: “(1) has the indigent plaintiff made a reasonable attempt to obtain counsel or been effectively precluded from doing so; and if so, (2) given the difficulty of the case, does the plaintiff appear competent to litigate it himself [.]” Pruitt v. Mote, 503 F.3d 647, 654 (7th Cir. 2007). Determining whether reasonable attempts to recruit counsel have been made “is a Eagan v. Dempsey, 987 F.3d 667, 682 (7th Cir. 2021). Here, Plaintiff is proceeding in forma pauperis. He previously filed a motion for

recruitment of counsel (Doc. 4), which the Court denied due to being filed in an early stage of the litigation (Doc. 9). In his renewed motion, Plaintiff states that he is unable to pay postage to litigate this case through mail and that he has a traumatic brain injury that impedes his ability to proceed in this case as a pro se litigant. He further states that he has made attempts to recruit counsel, but he does not provide any supportive documentation to that effect. Because demonstrating reasonable attempts to obtain counsel independently is a mandatory threshold inquiry Plaintiff’s motion is DENIED without prejudice. Should Plaintiff choose to move for recruitment of counsel at a later date, he should (1) contact at least three attorneys regarding representation in this case prior to filing another motion, (2) include in the motion the name and addresses of at least three attorneys he has contacted, and (3) if available, attach the letters from

the attorneys who declined representation. If he is unable to contact an attorney, he should include a statement explaining why he cannot meet this threshold requirement. Plaintiff should also attach to his motion a copy of his trust fund account statement (or institutional equivalent) for the six-month period immediately preceding the filing of his motion. While his renewed motion for recruitment of counsel was still pending, Plaintiff also filed his Motion Requesting Summons (Doc. 63), in which he asked the Court to order attorney Jason Drew to enter his appearance in this case on Plaintiff’s behalf. Plaintiff suggests that Attorney Drew has been enrolled in the Court’s Pro Bono Program for assignment of counsel. The Court first notes that the Pro Bono Program allows for the random assignment of counsel as opposed to assignment of a specific counsel selected by an indigent party. Further, as set forth above, when

presented with a request to appoint counsel the Court must consider: “(1) has the indigent plaintiff made a reasonable attempt to obtain counsel or been effectively precluded from doing himself [.]” Pruitt v. Mote, 503 F.3d 647, 654 (7th Cir. 2007). As with his renewed motion for recruitment, Plaintiff does not provide evidence of his reasonable attempts to retain counsel

independently and has further failed to provide a copy of his trust fund account to demonstrate his current financial inability to retain counsel on his own. Accordingly, Plaintiff’s Motion Requesting Summons (Doc. 63) is DENIED. Plaintiff’s Motion Regarding Fees (Doc. 44) Plaintiff filed his Motion Regarding Fees (Doc. 44) in which he advised the Court that he had sufficient funds to pay this case’s assessed filing fee in his personal bank account. He asks the Court to withdraw this amount directly from Plaintiff’s personal bank account due to him being incarcerated and having no access to it. The Court cannot directly access Plaintiff’s personal bank account. As set forth in this Court’s Order found in docket entry 14, the agency having custody of Plaintiff has been directed to forward the initial partial filing fee from

Plaintiff's prisoner trust fund account to the Clerk of Court and Plaintiff shall make monthly payments of 20% of the preceding month's income credited to Plaintiff's prison trust fund account (including all deposits to the inmate account from any source) until the $350.00 filing fee is paid in full. The agency having custody of Plaintiff shall forward payments from Plaintiff’s account to the Clerk of this Court each time the amount in the account exceeds $10 until the $350.00 filing fee is paid. Accordingly, Plaintiff’s Motion Regarding Fees (Doc. 44) is DENIED. Motion for Copies (Doc.

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Related

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615 F.3d 847 (Seventh Circuit, 2010)
Farmer v. Brennan
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