Stanton v. Dart

CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Illinois
DecidedMarch 9, 2018
Docket1:14-cv-09974
StatusUnknown

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

Bluebook
Stanton v. Dart, (N.D. Ill. 2018).

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS EASTERN DIVISION

Joshua Edward Stanton (#M-55448), ) ) Plaintiff, ) ) v. ) Case No. 14 C 9974 ) Tom Dart, ) Judge John Z. Lee ) Defendant. )

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER Plaintiff Joshua Edward Stanton, an Illinois prisoner, brought this action under 42 U.S.C. ' 1983 concerning the conditions under which he was detained at Cook County Jail. By order dated January 13, 2016, the Court allowed Plaintiff’s amended complaint to proceed against Cook County Sheriff Thomas Dart because the amended complaint alleged potentially systemic problems at the Jail. Before the Court is Defendant Dart’s motion for summary judgment. For the reasons discussed below, Defendant’s motion is granted in part and denied in part. Northern District of Illinois Local Rule 56.1 Northern District of Illinois Local Rule (“LR”) 56.1 governs the procedures for filing and responding to motions for summary judgment in this Court. Under LR 56.1(a)(3), the moving party must provide “a statement of material facts as to which the moving party contends there is no genuine issue” for trial. Those material facts are deemed admitted “unless controverted by the statement of the opposing party.” LR 56.1(b)(3). To defeat summary judgment, the opposing party must file “a response to each numbered paragraph in the moving party’s statement” of fact. LR 56.1(b)(3)(B). In the case of any disagreement, the opposing party must reference affidavits, parts of the record, and other materials that support his or her stance. Id. “[M]ere disagreement with the movant’s asserted facts is inadequate if made without reference to specific supporting material.” Smith v. Lamz, 321 F.3d 680, 683 (7th Cir. 2003). If the opposing party’s response provides only extraneous or argumentative information, the response will not constitute a proper denial of the fact, and the fact

will be admitted. See Graziano v. Vill. of Oak Park, 401 F. Supp. 2d 918, 936–37 (N.D. Ill. 2005). If the opposing party fails to comply with Rule 56.1, “its additional facts may be ignored, and the properly supported facts asserted in the moving party’s submissions are deemed admitted.” Gbur v. City of Harvey, 835 F. Supp. 2d 600, 607 (N.D. Ill. 2011). Substantial compliance is not enough; parties must strictly comply with the rule. See id. at 606–07; Ammons v. Aramark Uniform Servs., Inc., 368 F.3d 809, 817 (7th Cir. 2004). Furthermore, the requirements of LR 56.1 apply equally to pro se plaintiffs. See Greer v. Bd. of Educ. of City of Chicago, 267 F.3d 723, 727 (7th Cir. 2001); Cady v. Sheahan, 467 F.3d 1057, 1061 (7th Cir. 2006) (“[E]ven pro se litigants must follow rules of civil procedure.”).

Consistent with the Local Rules, Defendant filed a statement of uncontested material facts along with his motion for summary judgment. See Def.’s LR 56.1(a)(3) Stmt. (“Def.’s LR 56.1”), ECF No. 37. Each relevant assertion of fact in the Local Rule 56.1(a)(3) statement is supported by evidentiary material in the record. Also consistent with the Local Rules, Defendant filed and served on Plaintiff a Local Rule 56.2 Notice, which explained in detail the requirements of Local Rule 56.1. See Def.’s LR 56.2 Notice, ECF No. 39. In response, Plaintiff filed a thirteen-page document. Pl.’s Resp. to Summ. J. (“Pl.’s Resp.”), ECF No. 42. Plaintiff’s response is largely argumentative and does not include a response to Defendant’s statement of facts that complies with LR 56.1(b)(3)(A) or (B). Plaintiff

2 also did not file a statement of additional facts as required by LR 56.1(b)(3)(C). Accordingly, Defendant’s facts are admitted. See L.R. 56.1(b)(3)(C) (“All material facts set forth in the statement required of the moving party will be deemed to be admitted unless controverted by the statement of the opposing party.”); Keeton v. Morningstar, Inc., 667 F.3d 877, 880 (7th Cir. 2012).

With the above standards in mind, the Court turns to the facts of this case. The Court incorporates relevant facts from Plaintiff’s response and his deposition when necessary for context, as long as the facts would be admissible at trial. See, e.g., Holm v. Vill. of Coal City, 345 F. App’x 187, 190 (7th Cir. 2009) (considering record evidence rather than party’s characterization of evidence). Undisputed Facts Plaintiff Joshua Stanton was incarcerated at Cook County Jail from July 23, 2013, to sometime after April 2015. Def.’s LR 56.1 ¶¶ 3, 4. His complaints about living conditions at the Jail begin in October 2013 and concern three different Divisions. See id. ¶¶ 4, 22, 30. From October 2013 to January 2014, Plaintiff was housed in Division 5, tier 2J. Def.’s LR

56.1 ¶ 22. Plaintiff saw mice throughout the tier and, on any given day, he saw between five and ten mice. Id. ¶¶ 23, 24. He explained at his deposition that mice were living inside his cell door and that there were two or three other doors with nests. Def.’s LR 56.1(a)(3) stmt., Ex. A (hereafter “Pl.’s Dep. at”), 43:21–44:15. He declined to estimate the total number of mice living in his door or on his housing tier but explained that the mice “c[a]me out in groups” from the door, they would get into his bag, and they ran in “packs all throughout the deck.” Id. at 44:19–46:1. Plaintiff, however, was not bitten by a mouse in Division 5 or in any other Division. Def.’s LR 56.1 ¶¶ 25, 33.

3 Plaintiff also testified that there was a “typical normal lack” of sanitation in Division 5. Pl.’s Dep. at 48:21. He acknowledged that detainees were responsible for cleaning their cells, Def.’s LR 56.1 ¶ 26, but explained that they were not provided the “proper utensils,” such as a scrub brush or disinfectant, Pl.’s Dep. at 49:6–20. Cleaning supplies also were not distributed

often enough. Def.’s LR 56.1 ¶ 27. Plaintiff therefore had to use his own soap to clean his cell. Id. ¶ 28. He recalled one occasion, however, when an officer distributed bleach to clean the floor and the toilet, id. ¶ 29, but he could not recall if that occurred in Division 5 or Division 6, Pl.’s Dep. at 51:13–52:2. In January 2014, Plaintiff was moved to Division 1, tier A2, where he remained for about ten months. Def.’s LR 56.1 ¶ 30. Plaintiff testified at his deposition that there were rodents throughout Division 1. Id. ¶ 31. He explained: [Y]ou got them coming in the cell where we sleeping at, and they leaving rat droppings or mice droppings, urine all over the floor, little black pellets everywhere, all under the bed. You get up in the morning. Black pellets everywhere in the cell . . . . I leave my bowl on the floor. Come back. It’s pellets inside my bowl. I sit my cup down. It’s pellets on the top of the cup, and they climbing upside—they climbing up the bars. Certain ones could climb up higher than others . . . . This is on a every-day basis. It’s not happening just one day. Every day this going on. You look at the catwalk. It’s nothing but black pellets everywhere down the catwalk.

Pl.’s Dep. at 54:22–55:17; see Pl.’s Resp. at 6. Traps such as sticky board and rodent boxes were placed on the tier to catch the rodents. Def.’s LR 56.1 ¶ 32. But, according to Plaintiff, “it was useless,” and when the traps did catch a rodent, “[h]e might be sitting there for two weeks, and he stinking. He sitting up under a radiator in a box, and they ain’t came and got him yet.” Pl.’s Dep. at 56:19–21, 58:2–9. Plaintiff also testified about mold and rusty fixtures in the Division 1 showers. Def.’s LR 56.1 ¶¶ 34–36. He described mold in the showers as looking like “geese feces had been just

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Stanton v. Dart, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/stanton-v-dart-ilnd-2018.