Quarles v. Thole

CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Illinois
DecidedFebruary 3, 2023
Docket3:20-cv-00697
StatusUnknown

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

Bluebook
Quarles v. Thole, (S.D. Ill. 2023).

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS

MARLON DESHONE QUARLES,

Plaintiff,

v. Case No. 20-cv-697-NJR

KYLE THOLE, LUKE BRANDMEYER, DOUG MAUE, and HUGHES LOCHARD,

Defendants.

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

ROSENSTENGEL, Chief Judge: Plaintiff Marlon Deshone Quarles, an inmate in the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (“BOP”) who is currently confined at USP Coleman, brought this action pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and the Rehabilitation Act, 29 U.S.C. § 794, for claims which occurred while he was a pretrial detainee at the Clinton County Jail. This matter is currently before the Court on a motion for summary judgment filed by Defendants Kyle Thole, Luke Brandmeyer, and Doug Maue (Doc. 73). Defendant Lochard was granted leave to join in the motion (Doc. 75). In a nutshell, Defendants argue that Quarles failed to exhaust his administrative remedies while at the Clinton County Jail. Specifically, they argue he failed to exhaust his claims in Counts 1, 2, 6, and 8. Quarles filed a response in opposition to the motion (Doc. 80). On January 19, 2023, the Court held an evidentiary hearing pursuant to Pavey v. Conley, 544 F.3d 739, 740-41(7th Cir. 2008). After the hearing, the parties submitted closing briefs (Docs. 90, 91). BACKGROUND On July 16, 2020, Quarles filed his initial Complaint for constitutional violations

which allegedly occurred while he was detained at the Clinton County Jail (Doc. 1). He was allowed to proceed on a number of his proposed claims (Doc. 14). The Court later assigned counsel for Quarles, and counsel sought leave to file an Amended Complaint (Doc. 45). Quarles was allowed to file an Amended Complaint (Docs. 54 and 55) and later sought leave to file a Second Amended Complaint which added official capacity claims

(Docs. 60, 68, 69). Quarles was ultimately allowed to proceed on the following counts: Count 1: Eighth and Fourteenth Amendment claim against Maue, Brandmeyer, and Thole (individual and official capacities) for unconstitutional conditions of confinement.

Count 2: Eighth and Fourteenth Amendment claim against Thole, Brandmeyer, and Lochard for the denial of adequate medical care after his February 5, 2020 surgery.

Count 5: First Amendment religious freedom claim against Maue, Brandmeyer, and Thole (individual and official capacities) for denying Quarles a kosher diet.

Count 6: Rehabilitation Act, 29 U.S.C. §794, claim against Maue (official capacity only) for denying Quarles access to a handicap accessible toilet on or around October 13, 2019, and October 20, 2019.

Count 7: Fourteenth Amendment due process claim against Brandmeyer and Thole for placing Quarles in punitive segregation for 14 days beginning on June 10, 2020, without an order of detention or a hearing.

Count 8: First Amendment retaliation claim against Maue, Brandmeyer, and Thole for retaliating against Quarles for filing grievances by denying him pain medication and placing him in punitive segregation.

(Doc. 54, pp. 7-8; Doc. 69). Defendants seek summary judgment as to Counts 1, 2, 6, and 8. Quarles concedes that he did not exhaust his claims as to Count 6 but asserts that he properly exhausted his claims in Counts 1, 2, and 8. A. Count 1 (conditions of confinement) Count 1 alleges that Quarles was subjected to unconstitutional conditions of confinement. Specifically, the Second Amended Complaint alleges that after submitting

a grievance about his cell on December 4, 2019, he was placed in another cell with unconstitutional conditions (Doc. 69, p. 6). He was placed in an underground, overcrowded cell with constant illumination, poor ventilation, black mold, no direct sunlight, and no access to exercise (Id. at pp. 6-7). The December 4, 2019 grievance indicated that he needed to be placed in a cell

where he could move around and interact with people (Doc. 73-2, p. 8). On January 4, 2020, Quarles submitted a grievance regarding possible tampering with his mail (Doc. 73- 2, p. 12). The grievance does not discuss any conditions of his cell (Id.). Quarles testified in an affidavit in support of his motion that after he received the grievance back from Brandmeyer, he added a cover page to the grievance and additional language at the

bottom of the grievance indicating that grievances about his living conditions were missing and he wanted the grievances returned to him (Doc. 80-1, pp. 2-3). Quarles maintains that the grievance was returned to him without the cover page or any additional language from jail staff (Id. at p. 3). He again resubmitted the grievance, this time without a cover page and wrote “3rd Request” at the top of the grievance (Doc. 80-2, p. 4). The grievance, which is also attached to his original Complaint, includes the

following added line: “My grievances for having no sunlight, no exercise, no fresh air, and being confined to the cell 24hrs a day are all missing! I want them addressed about the mold and all returned to me.” (Doc. 1, p. 22). Quarles testified that the grievance was again returned to him without an additional response (Doc. 80-1, p. 3). Quarles also testified in his affidavit that he submitted an additional grievance regarding the mold and his lack of access to exercise sometime in March or April 2020

(Doc. 80-1, p. 3). He testified that he never received a response to the grievance, nor did he receive a copy of the grievance (Doc. 80-3, p. 3; 80-1, p. 3). On May 1, 2020, Quarles submitted a grievance regarding his need for cleaning supplies (Doc. 80-2, p. 5). The grievance indicated that on April 30, 2020, he asked for a pair of disposable gloves to clean up after a bout of incontinence, but no one responded

to his request, and he was forced to clean the area with his wash cloth (Id.). His grievance complained of the lack of gloves and cleaning supplies, indicating they were not provided due to orders from Brandmeyer. Thole responded to the grievance indicating that cleaning supplies were given every day but that extra cleaning supplies are not provided for security reasons (Id.).

Quarles also states that on June 26, 2020, he requested a grievance form to complain about mold in his cell but that he was transferred before he received any forms (Doc. 80-3, p. 3). B. Count 2 (Medical Care) Count 2 alleges that Thole and Brandmeyer refused to provide Quarles with pain medication or cream after his surgery on February 5, 2020. Quarles argues that he made

oral complaints about the lack of his medications. On February 7, 2020, he submitted a grievance regarding his lack of medication (Doc. 73-2, p. 23). The grievance alleged that Dr. Lochard denied him narcotic mediation which had been ordered by his surgeon (Id.). Quarles stated in the grievance that Dr. Lochard did not have the authority to override the surgeon’s decision regarding medication. He requested his medication, information

about the company who employed Dr. Lochard, and information regarding the length of the prescription (Id.). The response to the grievance indicated that Dr. Lochard was in charge of Quarles’s healthcare and could override medical decisions made by outside providers (Id.). Quarles was also informed that the denial of the prescription went through Dr. Lochard’s employer, Advanced Correctional Healthcare (Id.).

Quarles acknowledges that his grievance did not mention Thole or Brandmeyer but argues that neither the handbook nor the grievance forms required him to identify the defendants in his grievance.

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