Shaw v. Dobson

District Court, E.D. Wisconsin·Decided October 17, 2022·No. 2:22-cv-00045·Unknown

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF WISCONSIN ______________________________________________________________________________ SERGIO SHAW,

Plaintiffs, v. Case No. 22-cv-45-pp

MILWAUKEE COUNTY JAIL, MILWAUKEE COUNTY JAIL ADMINISTRATOR, MILWAUKEE COUNTY JAIL MEDICAL STAFF, MILWAUKEE COUNTY JAIL MENTAL HEALTH STAFF, MILWAUKEE COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT, and WELLPATH CONTRACTED EMPLOYEES,

Defendants. ______________________________________________________________________________

ORDER GRANTING PLAINTIFF’S MOTION FOR LEAVE TO PROCEED WITHOUT PREPAYING FILING FEE (DKT. NO. 45), DENYING AS UNNECESSARY PLAINTIFF’S SECOND MOTION FOR LEAVE TO PROCEED WITHOUT PREPAYING FILING FEE (DKT. NO. 54), DENYING WITHOUT PREJUDICE PLAINTIFF’S MOTION TO APPOINT COUNSEL (DKT. NO. 57), SCREENING SECOND AMENDED COMPLAINT UNDER 28 U.S.C. §1915A AND ALLOWING PLAINTIFF TO FILE THIRD AMENDED COMPLAINT ______________________________________________________________________________

Sergio Shaw, who is incarcerated at Jackson Correctional Institution and who is representing himself, filed a complaint under 42 U.S.C. §1983, purportedly on behalf of himself and numerous other persons incarcerated at the jail, alleging that the defendants violated their civil rights. Dkt. No. 1. On January 31, 2022, the plaintiff filed an amended complaint, again on behalf of himself and numerous other persons incarcerated at the jail, alleging the same violations of the plaintiffs’ rights. Dkt. No. 9. On February 3, 2022, the court dismissed all plaintiffs except Shaw and explained that as an incarcerated person representing himself, the plaintiff was not qualified to represent the interests of the other incarcerated persons on whose behalf he brought the amended complaint. Dkt. No. 38 at 6. The court dismissed the amended complaint because it failed to state a claim and ordered the plaintiff to file a second amended complaint related to only the alleged violations of his own rights. Id. at 6–8. On February 15, 2022, the plaintiff timely filed a second amended complaint. Dkt. No. 55. The second amended complaint names Shaw as the only plaintiff and seeks to proceed on claims related to violations of his own rights. This decision resolves the plaintiff’s motions for leave to proceed without prepaying the filing fee, dkt. nos. 45, 54, and motion to appoint counsel, dkt. No. 57, and screens the second amended complaint, dkt. no. 55. I. Motions for Leave to Proceed without Prepaying the Filing Fee (Dkt. Nos. 45, 54)

The Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA) applies to this case because the plaintiff was incarcerated when he filed his complaint. See 28 U.S.C. §1915(h). The PLRA lets the court allow an incarcerated plaintiff to proceed with his case without prepaying the civil case filing fee. 28 U.S.C. §1915(a)(2). When funds exist, the plaintiff must pay an initial partial filing fee. 28 U.S.C. §1915(b)(1). He then must pay the balance of the $350 filing fee over time, through deductions from his prisoner account. Id. On March 8, 2022, the court ordered the plaintiff to pay an initial partial filing fee of $30. Dkt. No. 62. The court received that fee on March 28, 2022. The court will grant the plaintiff’s motion for leave to proceed without prepaying the filing fee. Dkt. No. 45. He must pay the remainder of the filing fee over time in the manner explained at the end of this order. Because the court is granting the plaintiff’s first motion for leave to proceed without prepaying the filing fee, the court will deny the plaintiff’s second, nearly identical motion because it is unnecessary. Dkt. No. 54. II. Screening the Second Amended Complaint (Dkt. No. 55) A. Federal Screening Standard Under the PLRA, the court must screen complaints brought by incarcerated persons seeking relief from a governmental entity or officer or employee of a governmental entity. 28 U.S.C. §1915A(a). The court must dismiss a complaint if the incarcerated person raises claims that are legally “frivolous or malicious,” that fail to state a claim upon which relief may be granted, or that seek monetary relief from a defendant who is immune from such relief. 28 U.S.C. §1915A(b). In determining whether the second amended complaint states a claim, the court applies the same standard that it applies when considering whether to dismiss a case under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). See Cesal v. Moats, 851 F.3d 714, 720 (7th Cir. 2017) (citing Booker-El v. Superintendent, Ind. State Prison, 668 F.3d 896, 899 (7th Cir. 2012)). To state a claim, the second amended complaint must include “a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2). The second amended complaint must contain enough facts, “accepted as true, to ‘state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.’” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009) (quoting Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570 (2007)). “A claim has facial plausibility when the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows a court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.” Id. (citing Twombly, 550 U.S. at 556). To state a claim for relief under 42 U.S.C. §1983, a plaintiff must allege that someone deprived him of a right secured by the Constitution or the laws of the United States, and that whoever deprived him of this right was acting under the color of state law. D.S. v. E. Porter Cty. Sch. Corp., 799 F.3d 793, 798 (7th Cir. 2015) (citing Buchanan–Moore v. Cty. of Milwaukee, 570 F.3d 824, 827 (7th Cir. 2009)). The court liberally construes complaints filed by plaintiffs who are representing themselves and holds such complaints to a less stringent standard than pleadings drafted by lawyers. Cesal, 851 F.3d at 720 (citing Perez v. Fenoglio, 792 F.3d 768, 776 (7th Cir. 2015)). B. The Plaintiff’s Allegations At the time of the events described in the complaint, the plaintiff was in custody at the Milwaukee County Jail. The second amended complaint names as defendants the Milwaukee County Jail, the Milwaukee County Jail Administrator, Milwaukee County Jail Medical Staff, Milwaukee County Jail Mental Health Staff, the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Department and WellPath contracted employees. Dkt. No. 55 at 1.

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