Reyes v. Landfair

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Michigan
DecidedFebruary 5, 2025
Docket2:24-cv-11243
StatusUnknown

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

Bluebook
Reyes v. Landfair, (E.D. Mich. 2025).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF MICHIGAN SOUTHERN DIVISION

TYRONE L. REYES,

Plaintiff, Case No.: 24-cv-11243 v. U.S. DISTRICT COURT JUDGE GERSHWIN A. DRAIN

SIRENA LANDFAIR, et al.,

Defendants. _________________________/

OPINION AND ORDER OF PARTIAL SUMMARY DISMISSAL I. INTRODUCTION Plaintiff Tyrone Reyes is currently incarcerated at the Thumb Correctional Facility (“JCF”) in Lapeer, Michigan. Proceeding in forma pauperis, he has filed a pro se complaint against nineteen Michigan Department of Corrections officials in their individual and official capacities. His complaint is presently before the Court for screening pursuant to the Prison Litigation Reform Act. For the reasons that follow, the Court summarily dismisses Plaintiff’s complaint except for his First Amendment retaliation claim against Defendants Unknown Fridd and Unknown Poupard in their individual capacities, and his Americans with Disabilities claim against Defendant Unknown Fridd in his official capacity. II. BACKGROUND Plaintiff’s claims can be grouped into eight sets, with each set of claims arising

from separate incidents. The first set of claims stem from incidents that allegedly occurred between August and October 2020, while Plaintiff was working in JCF’s food unit. During a shift on August 13, 2020, Plaintiff claims he informed

Defendants Unknown Hirth and Unknown Graves that he was not feeling well. Id. at PageID.4-5. Defendants Hirth and Graves allegedly expressed disregard for Plaintiff’s condition and instructed Plaintiff to continue working. Id. at PageID.5. Plaintiff subsequently filed a grievance, which he claims triggered various forms of

retaliatory conduct from Defendants Hirth, Graves, and Amy Coffelt. See id. at PageID.5-6. Plaintiff allegedly called in sick for another shift on October 11, 2020, and in

response to his absence, Defendant Graves directed a prison officer to issue Plaintiff an out of place misconduct. Id. at PageID.6-7. On October 13, 2020, Plaintiff claims he was issued an out of place misconduct by Defendant Graves in retaliation for the grievances Plaintiff had filed against her. Id. at PageID.7. In connection to these

incidents, the Court construes Plaintiff’s complaint as raising the following causes of action under 42 U.S.C. § 1983: (1) a First Amendment retaliation claim against Defendants Coffelt, Hirth, and Graves; and (2) an Eighth Amendment deliberate

indifference claim against Defendants Hirth and Graves. Id. at PageID.17. The second set of claims arise from incidents that allegedly occurred in November 2021. On November 2, 2021, Plaintiff asserts that he was issued an out

of place misconduct by Defendant Unknown Fridd because he failed to appear for a prison headcount. Id. at PageID.7. Plaintiff allegedly informed Defendant Fridd that he did not appear because he is hard of hearing and his unit lacks a notification light

to alert him when it is time for headcount. Id. The next day, Plaintiff claims he asked Defendant Fridd to submit a maintenance request for the installation of a notification light, to which Defendant Fridd responded, “maybe you should listen more and you won’t be receiving tickets for coming out during count.” Id. at PageID.8.

Plaintiff appealed the out of place misconduct and prevailed on November 17, 2021. Id. at PageID.7-8. A few days later, Plaintiff allegedly overheard Defendant Fridd tell Defendant Unknown Poupard that he was “going to make Reyes pay for

writing [him] up and beating a misconduct he knows he’s guilty of.” Id. at PageID.8. That same day, Plaintiff posits, Defendants Fridd and Poupard planted a weapon in his cell. Id. at PageID.8-9. Plaintiff subsequently received a possession of a weapon misconduct. Id. at PageID.10. Defendant Unknown Sutherland adjudicated the

misconduct and found Plaintiff guilty, allegedly “abusing his authority” by reasoning that “it is not credible to believe that Officer Poupard[] would agree to set up an inmate he had no issue with.” Id. at PageID.10-11.

In connection to these incidents, the Court construes Plaintiff’s complaint as alleging the following causes of action: (1) a § 1983 First Amendment retaliation claim against Defendants Fridd and Poupard; (2) a § 1983 Fourteenth Amendment

due process claim against Defendant Sutherland; (3) a § 1983 Eighth Amendment deliberate indifference claim against Defendant Fridd; (4) a 42 U.S.C. § 1985(3) civil conspiracy claim against Defendants Fridd and Poupard; and (5) an Americans

with Disabilities (“ADA”) claim against Defendant Fridd. Id. at PageID.17-18. The third set of claims stem from incidents that allegedly occurred in April 2022. On April 9, 2022, Plaintiff received an insolence misconduct. Id. at PageID.11. Plaintiff claims Defendant Unknown Charles added a sexual misconduct charge to

this misconduct in retaliation “for all the issues [Plaintiff] has complained about over the years.” Id. Defendant Sutherland adjudicated the misconduct on April 19, 2022. Id. The Court construes Plaintiff’s complaint as raising the following § 1983 claims

in connection to these incidents: (1) a § 1983 Fourteenth Amendment due process claim against Defendants Charles and Sutherland; and (2) a § 1983 First Amendment retaliation claim against Defendant Charles. Id. at PageID.18. The fourth set of claims arise from a substance abuse misconduct Plaintiff

received in May 2022. Id. at PageID.11. Defendant Sutherland found Plaintiff guilty of the misconduct on May 17, 2022. Id. Plaintiff’s complaint alleges a § 1983 Fourteenth Amendment due process claim against Defendant Sutherland in

connection to this misconduct. Id. at PageID.18. The fifth set of claims stem from incidents that allegedly occurred in June 2022. Plaintiff asserts that he attempted to file motions for judicial review of two

misconducts, and Defendants Keiser, Mosley, and Crowley prevented him from doing so. Id. at PageID.11-13. The Court construes Plaintiff’s complaint as raising the following causes of action against Defendant Keiser in connection to these

incidents: (1) a § 1983 access to courts claim; and (2) a § 1983 First Amendment retaliation claim. Id. at PageID.17. Despite naming them as Defendants, Plaintiff’s complaint does not assert any claims against Mosley and Crowley. The sixth set of claims arise from incidents that allegedly took place between

October 2022 and July 2023. During this time, Plaintiff posits, he required medical treatment for injuries to his ankle and shoulder. Id. at PageID.13-15. Defendants Landfair, Hollister, Salazar, Florek, and Jamsen allegedly denied and delayed his

medical treatment. Id. Plaintiff also claims Defendants Florek and Hollister falsified medical documents. Id. at PageID.16. The Court construes Plaintiff’s complaint as alleging the following causes of action in connection to these incidents: (1) a § 1983 Eighth Amendment deliberate indifference claim against Defendants Landfair,

Salazar, and Jamsen, and (2) a § 1983 Fourteenth Amendment due process claim against Defendants Hollister and Florek. Id. at PageID.16-17. The seventh set of claims relate to a substance abuse misconduct Plaintiff

received, which was adjudicated on January 17, 2023. Id. at PageID.14. Plaintiff claims Defendant Unknown Holzschu falsified a state document relating to the misconduct and alleges a § 1983 Fourteenth Amendment due process claim against

him. Id. at PageID.14, 17. The eighth and final set of claims relate to Defendant Cobb’s alleged rejection of Plaintiff’s “valid grievances” from November 2021 to July 2023. See id. at

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Reyes v. Landfair, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/reyes-v-landfair-mied-2025.