Victor Robinson v. A. Sandhal, Wayne Olson, Kevin Kaczmarek, Jason R. Mentzel, Wayne Stolpa, Jacob Carruthers, Brandon Kuejl, Thomas K. Gomach, Lucas Weber, Dewayne Grey, and Matthew Schilicht

District Court, E.D. Wisconsin·Decided August 6, 2026·No. 2:26-cv-00311·Unknown

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF WISCONSIN

VICTOR ROBINSON,

Plaintiff,

v. Case No. 26-CV-311

A. SANDHAL, WAYNE OLSON, KEVIN KACZMAREK, JASON R. MENTZEL, WAYNE STOLPA, JACOB CARRUTHERS. BRANDON KUEJL, THOMAS K. GOMACH, LUCAS WEBER, DEWAYNE GREY, and MATTHEW SCHILICHT,

Defendants.

ORDER SCREENING THE COMPLAINT

On February 24, 2026, plaintiff Victor Robinson, who is incarcerated and representing himself, filed a complaint under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 alleging that the defendants violated his constitutional rights. (ECF No. 1.) He also filed a motion for leave to proceed without the prepayment of the filing fee, and a motion to expedite screening his complaint. (ECF Nos. 2, 4.) This order resolves those motions and screens the complaint. Because Robinson has consented to the full jurisdiction of a magistrate judge and the Wisconsin Department of Justice has consented to the limited exercise of magistrate judge jurisdiction as set forth in the Memorandum of Understanding between the Wisconsin Department of Justice, this court has jurisdiction to screen the complaint. MOTION FOR LEAVE TO PROCEED WITHOUT PREPAYING THE FILING FEE

The Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA) applies to this case because Robinson was a prisoner when he filed his complaint. See 28 U.S.C. § 1915(h). The PLRA allows the court to give a prisoner plaintiff the ability to proceed with his case without prepaying the civil case filing fee. 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(2). When funds exist, the prisoner must pay an initial partial filing fee. 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(1). He must then pay the balance of the $350 filing fee over time, through deductions from his prisoner account. Id.

On February 24, 2026, Robinson filed for leave to proceed without prepayment of the filing fee. (ECF No. 2) On February 27, 2026, the court issued an order requiring Robinson to pay an initial partial filing fee of $35.28 before March 30, 2026. (ECF No. 7.) On March 4, 2026, Robinson paid the fee. The court will grant Robinson’s motion for leave to proceed without prepaying the filing fee. He must pay the remainder of the filing fee over time in the manner explained at the

end of this order. SCREENING THE COMPLAINT 1. Federal Screening Standard The PLRA requires courts to screen complaints brought by prisoners 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 prisoner raises claims

2 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 complaint states a claim, the court applies the same standard that applies to dismissals 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, a 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 complaint must contain enough facts, accepted as true, to “state a claim for 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 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 construes pro se complaints liberally and holds them to a less stringent

3 standard than pleadings drafted by lawyers. Cesal, 851 F.3d at 720 (citing Perez v. Fenoglio, 792 F.3d 768, 776 (7th Cir. 2015)). 2. Robinson’s Allegations

Robinson alleges that on August 20, 2025, defendant Jacob Carruthers “alleged in conduct report CR #00478500 that [he] was made aware of possible Security Threat Group (STG) activity taking place within [Oshkosh Correctional Institution].” (ECF No. 1, ¶ 16.) Specifically, Carruthers stated that Robinson was sending emails to Steven Davis, Robinson’s son, “discussing ‘Mother Land Tradition Inc., which is a group created by Robinson.” (Id.) Carruthers flagged the emails as gang related because Robinson referred to the group as “the five”. (Id., ¶ 17.)

Robinson asserts he was referring to setting up a board of directors for a nonprofit organization, and “the five” meant the five individuals who would create the board. (Id., ¶ 18.) As part of the conduct report, Carruthers referenced materials that were confiscated from Robinson related to Mother Land Tradition when he was incarcerated at the Wisconsin Secure Program Facility (WSPF). (Id., ¶ 19.) Robinson notes that the Warden at WSPF at the time, Gary Boughton, gave

Robinson permission to start this group. (Id.) Related to the conduct report, Carruthers conducted a cell search where he confiscated materials he claimed were gang related including “a ‘Green Pamhlet’ [sic] which is literature associated with the ‘Black Stones’ a gang.” (ECF No. 1, ¶ 20.) Robinson tried to explain to Carruthers that the materials were not gang

4 related but were related to his Circle Seven Koran, which is a publication allowed in prison. (Id., ¶ 21.) After being notified of the conduct report, Robinson was taken to the Special

Housing Unit, and defendant Lucas Weber delivered Robinson a copy of the conduct report. (ECF No. 1, ¶ 24.) Weber offered Robinson a disposition of “60-days in [the] hole and transfer to a higher-level security” institution. (Id) Robinson declined the offer and opted to go ahead with a full due process hearing. (Id.) Initially, Robinson’s hearing date was set for September 11, 2025, but it was moved to September 8, 2025, because Robinson had a parole hearing on September 9, 2025. (Id., ¶ 27.)

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Victor Robinson v. A. Sandhal, Wayne Olson, Kevin Kaczmarek, Jason R. Mentzel, Wayne Stolpa, Jacob Carruthers, Brandon Kuejl, Thomas K. Gomach, Lucas Weber, Dewayne Grey, and Matthew Schilicht, (E.D. Wis. 2026).

Victor Robinson v. A. Sandhal, Wayne Olson, Kevin Kaczmarek, Jason R. Mentzel, Wayne Stolpa, Jacob Carruthers, Brandon Kuejl, Thomas K. Gomach, Lucas Weber, Dewayne Grey, and Matthew Schilicht (Victor Robinson v. A. Sandhal, Wayne Olson, Kevin Kaczmarek, Jason R. Mentzel, Wayne Stolpa, Jacob Carruthers, Brandon Kuejl, Thomas K. Gomach, Lucas Weber, Dewayne Grey, and Matthew Schilicht) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

Board of Regents of State Colleges v. Roth
408 U.S. 564 (Supreme Court, 1972)
Paul v. Davis
424 U.S. 693 (Supreme Court, 1976)
Bounds v. Smith
430 U.S. 817 (Supreme Court, 1977)
Turner v. Safley
482 U.S. 78 (Supreme Court, 1987)
Sandin v. Conner
515 U.S. 472 (Supreme Court, 1995)
Overton v. Bazzetta
539 U.S. 126 (Supreme Court, 2003)
Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly
550 U.S. 544 (Supreme Court, 2007)
Ashcroft v. Iqbal
556 U.S. 662 (Supreme Court, 2009)
Owens v. Hinsley
635 F.3d 950 (Seventh Circuit, 2011)
Booker-El v. Superintendent, Indiana State Prison
668 F.3d 896 (Seventh Circuit, 2012)
Richard L. Grennier v. Matthew J. Frank
453 F.3d 442 (Seventh Circuit, 2006)
Todd A. Lagerstrom v. Phil Kingston
463 F.3d 621 (Seventh Circuit, 2006)
Robert Westefer v. Michael Neal
682 F.3d 679 (Seventh Circuit, 2012)
Buchanan-Moore v. County of Milwaukee
570 F.3d 824 (Seventh Circuit, 2009)
Burks v. Raemisch
555 F.3d 592 (Seventh Circuit, 2009)
Marion v. Columbia Correctional Institution
559 F.3d 693 (Seventh Circuit, 2009)
George v. Smith
507 F.3d 605 (Seventh Circuit, 2007)
William Hawkins v. Rodney Mitchell
756 F.3d 983 (Seventh Circuit, 2014)
Maurice Hardaway v. Brett Meyerhoff
734 F.3d 740 (Seventh Circuit, 2013)