Webb v. Streeter

District Court, D. Nebraska·Decided May 19, 2021·No. 4:21-cv-03058·Unknown

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF NEBRASKA

YOHAN WEBB, 4:21CV3058

Plaintiff, MEMORANDUM vs. AND ORDER

STATE OF NEBRASKA; PETE RICKETTS; UNKNOWN, Director Lincoln Regional Center (LRC); UNKNOWN, Asst. Director LRC; MARC OSTRANDER; UNKNOWN AFRICAN-AMERICAN FEMALE; UNKNOWN, Building (3); UNKNOWN, Building (5), Living Unit (5); UNKNOWN CAUCASION MALE AGE 50-65, Nurse; UNKNOWN AFRICAN- AMERICAN/ CAUCASION MALES; MATTHEW ACTON, Judge; PETER SNYDER, Administrator; and ASHLEY SACRISTE, LRC Hospital Administrator,

Defendants.

Plaintiff, a state prisoner being held as a pretrial detainee at the Lancaster County Jail, filed his pro se Complaint (Filing 1) on March 9, 2021, and was granted leave to proceed in forma pauperis (“IFP”) on March 23, 2021. The court will now conduct an initial review of Plaintiff’s Complaint to determine whether summary dismissal is appropriate under 28 U.S.C. §§ 1915(e)(2) and 1915A.

I. LEGAL STANDARDS ON INITIAL REVIEW

The Prison Litigation Reform Act (“PLRA”) requires the court to conduct an initial review of “a complaint in a civil action in which a prisoner seeks redress from a governmental entity or officer or employee of a governmental entity.” 28 U.S.C. § 1915A(a). On such initial review, the court must “dismiss the complaint, or any portion of the complaint,” it determines “(1) is frivolous, malicious, or fails to state a claim upon which relief may be granted; or (2) seeks monetary relief from a defendant who is immune from such relief.” 28 U.S.C. § 1915A(b). Comparable language is contained in 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2)(B) (applicable to IFP plaintiffs).

“The essential function of a complaint under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure is to give the opposing party ‘fair notice of the nature and basis or grounds for a claim, and a general indication of the type of litigation involved.’” Topchian v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., 760 F.3d 843, 848 (8th Cir. 2014) (quoting Hopkins v. Saunders, 199 F.3d 968, 973 (8th Cir. 1999)). Plaintiffs must set forth enough factual allegations to “nudge[ ] their claims across the line from conceivable to plausible,” or “their complaint must be dismissed.” Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 569-70, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007); see also Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009) (“A claim has facial plausibility when the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.”).

“A pro se complaint must be liberally construed, and pro se litigants are held to a lesser pleading standard than other parties.” Topchian, 760 F.3d at 849 (internal quotation marks and citations omitted). This means that “if the essence of an allegation is discernible, even though it is not pleaded with legal nicety, then the district court should construe the complaint in a way that permits the layperson’s claim to be considered within the proper legal framework.” Stone v. Harry, 364 F.3d 912, 915 (8th Cir. 2004). However, even pro se complaints are required to allege facts which, if true, state a claim for relief as a matter of law. Martin v. Aubuchon, 623 F.2d 1282, 1286 (8th Cir. 1980).

II. SUMMARY OF COMPLAINT

Plaintiff brings this action under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, complaining that he was forcibly restrained and injected with psychotropic medication at the Lincoln Regional Center (“LRC”) sometime in April 2020. Plaintiff had been committed to LRC in September 2019 after being found incompetent to stand trial for criminal charges filed in the County Court of Lancaster County.

Defendants include: (1) the State of Nebraska; (2) Governor Pete Ricketts; (3) the LRC Director (name unknown); (4) the Assistant LRC Director (name unknown); (5) Marc Ostrander, Administrator for Building 5 at LRC; (6) an unknown African-American female who gave orders to other staff for Plaintiff to be seized, placed in 4-point restraints, and medicated; (7) an unknown person watching a video monitor who conveyed a message from Building 3 to Building 5 that he or she thought Plaintiff was going to assault somebody, which led to the forced medication; (8) an unknown person who filled the syringe and ordered a white male nurse to inject Plaintiff; (9) the white male nurse, age 50-65, name unknown, who administered the medication; (10) numerous other unknown staff members who “grabbed” Plaintiff; (11) Matthew Acton, Lancaster County Court Judge; (12) Peter Snyder, LRC Administrator; and (13) Ashley Sacriste, LRC Hospital Administrator. All Defendants except the unknown staff members included in #10 above are sued in their individual and official capacities; the unknown staff members included in #10 above are sued only in their official capacities.

Plaintiff requests an award of damages, and also seeks court orders revoking LRC’s “medical license” and requesting that the state “Medical Board Standards” and federal law enforcement agencies conduct an investigation into the incident.

III. DISCUSSION

To state a claim under § 1983, a plaintiff must allege a violation of rights protected by the United States Constitution or created by federal statute, and also must show that the alleged deprivation was caused by conduct of a person acting under color of state law. West v. Atkins, 487 U.S. 42, 48 (1988).

“[N]either a State nor its officials acting in their official capacities are ‘persons’ under § 1983.” Id. In addition, the Eleventh Amendment bars claims for damages that are brought in federal court by private parties against a state, a state instrumentality, or a state employee who is sued in his or her official capacity. See Egerdahl v. Hibbing Cmty. Coll., 72 F.3d 615, 619 (8th Cir. 1995); Dover Elevator Co. v. Arkansas State Univ., 64 F.3d 442, 446-47 (8th Cir. 1995). The Lincoln Regional Center is a state mental hospital operated by the Nebraska Department of Human Services. See Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 71-911, 83-101.06.

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Webb v. Streeter, (D. Neb. 2021).

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