Weston v. Louisville Metropolitan Government

CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Kentucky
DecidedJuly 22, 2024
Docket3:23-cv-00147
StatusUnknown

This text of Weston v. Louisville Metropolitan Government (Weston v. Louisville Metropolitan Government) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Weston v. Louisville Metropolitan Government, (W.D. Ky. 2024).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT WESTERN DISTRICT OF KENTUCKY LOUISVILLE DIVISION

JAMES M. WESTON, JR. PLAINTIFF v. CIVIL ACTION NO. 3:23-cv-147-BJB LOUISVILLE METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT et al. DEFENDANTS MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER Plaintiff James M. Weston, Jr., a pretrial detainee at the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections (LMDC), initiated this lawsuit by filing a pro se Complaint (DN 1). On initial review of the Complaint and First Amended Complaint (DN 6) under 28 U.S.C. § 1915A, the Court dismissed Plaintiff’s claims but allowed him to file a Second Amended Complaint to name individual Defendants (DN 9). Counsel for Plaintiff entered an appearance (DN 12) and filed a Second and a Third Amended Complaint nearly simultaneously. See DNs 13, and 14. The Third appears to be a duplicate of the Second—though it attaches summonses. So the Court considers the Third Amended Complaint (DN 14) to be the operative pleading subject to initial review under § 1915A. Since its filing, however, counsel withdrew. So Plaintiff is once again proceeding pro se. See DNs 19 & 20. As explained below, some of Plaintiff’s claims survive but some must be dismissed. I. STATEMENT OF CLAIMS The Third Amended Complaint names as Defendants the Louisville Metro Government (LMG); the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections; the Jefferson County Sheriff (JCS); Wellpath, the medical provider at LMDC; LMDC Director Jerry Collins; “John/Jane Doe,” LMDC Director of Classification; “John/Jane Doe,” LMDC Medical Services Director; Nurse Renesha Stone; JCS employee Chad Murrell; and JCS Colonel John Aubrey. DN 14, PageID #: 73-74. As summarized below, its allegations—which the Court accepts as true at this stage— relate to Plaintiff’s arrest and detention in LMDC. On February 20, 2023, Murrell and other JCS employees arrived at his residence and questioned his wife about his location. Id. at PageID #: 75. She specifically informed them that

Plaintiff was not carrying a firearm. Id. On that same date, Murrell observed Plaintiff walking down the street and “excessively and violently” arrested Plaintiff despite being aware that he did have a serious heart condition and did not have a firearm. Id. at PageID #: 77. Plaintiff did not resist arrest, but JCS employees including Murrell nonetheless tased Plaintiff repeatedly. Id. Despite his pleading with Murrell not to tase him because of his heart condition, Murrell maliciously and needlessly tased Plaintiff “anywhere from 4-7 times.” Id. Murrell also put his knee in Plaintiff’s back unnecessarily and “hit/kicked” him in the ribs causing Plaintiff’s head to hit the ground violently. Id. At the scene of the arrest, Plaintiff had a “cardiac event” and afterwards was hospitalized for three days. Id.

On February 22, 2023, Plaintiff was transferred to LMDC, where the “Classification Doe” improperly housed him in the “detox dorm” and then the fourth floor—settings Plaintiff believes are dangerous for an inmate just released from the hospital. Id. at PageID #: 78. Plaintiff was supposed to have an evaluation of his heart done at Jewish Hospital shortly after his arrival at LMDC, but Collins, Medical Director Doe, “and/or” Stone did not permit him to attend a follow-up evaluation. Id. On March 8, 2023, Plaintiff suffered another cardiac event, which he reported to LMDC and Nurse Stone, who failed to act; in fact, help came only after an officer happened to see Plaintiff “struggling for life on the floor.” Id. Plaintiff was taken for an EKG, but the machine did not work. Id. at PageID #: 79. Rather than taking reasonable steps, like transferring him to a medical facility, Stone instructed that staff give Plaintiff aspirin and take him back to the dorm—yet he was not given any aspirin. Id. On April 7, 2023, Plaintiff was transferred from LMDC to the University of Louisville

Hospital. He learned from the medical professionals there that “[t]he excessive tasing . . . caused damage to [his] heart, including but not limited to release of harmful liquids into [his] blood stream.” Id. Plaintiff will require ongoing medical attention, which should have been provided when he originally requested it. Id. In addition to the events surrounding Plaintiff’s arrest on February 20, 2023, Plaintiff also refers to an earlier incident when he was released from the LMDC in August 2022—apparently without a referral to available medical services. Within weeks he had to have surgery on his heart to correct something “which should have been identified and remedied by Collins, Nurse Stone, Medical Services Doe, LMG and/or Well Path while Plaintiff was in their care, custody and

control.” Id. at PageID #: 76. But instead these Defendants “negligently, recklessly, wantonly, and/or with gross negligence, failed to identify, diagnose, and/or properly treat his heart condition.” Id. Plaintiff also asserts constitutional and contractual condition-of-confinement claims: he has never received a pillow; the lights are always on in his dorm; there is no natural light or fresh air; he is not provided anything to drink beside dirty sink water, a small carton of milk, and occasional Kool Aid; LMDC dorms contain dust and mold; he repeatedly finds hair in his food; the dorms are not safe or sanitary; he is not given one hour per day outside; and the food is unwholesome and often cold. Id. at PageID #: 85-86. These allegations in the Third Amended Complaint assert violations of Plaintiff’s rights under the Fourth, Fifth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution; several provisions of the Kentucky Constitution; negligence per se based on violations of American Corrections Association (ACA) Standards; breach of contract; implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing; promissory and equitable estoppel; intentional infliction of emotional

distress; and state-law assault and battery. The operative complaint further alleges the existence of a Jefferson County policy and/or custom “of excessive force/excessive tasing of suspects,” even when the suspect is not a threat; an LMG/LMDC policy or custom of understaffing LMDC and inhumane treatment/housing of inmates; and a Wellpath policy/custom of understaffing, substandard care, broken medical equipment, and neglect of inmates’ health. Id. at PageID #: 80-82. Plaintiff seeks compensatory damages, punitive damages, and injunctive relief. Id. at PageID #: 87. II. STANDARD OF REVIEW

Because Plaintiff is an incarcerated individual suing governmental defendants, the Court must conduct an initial review under 28 U.S.C. § 1915A. § 1915A(a); McGore v. Wrigglesworth, 114 F.3d 601, 608 (6th Cir. 1997), overruled on other grounds by Jones v. Bock, 549 U.S. 199 (2007). On review under § 1915A, the trial court must dismiss the case if it is frivolous or malicious, fails to state a claim upon which relief may be granted, or seeks monetary relief from a defendant who is immune from such relief. See 28 U.S.C. § 1915A(b)(1) and (2). A complaint must include “enough facts to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face” in order to avoid dismissal. Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570 (2007). When screening the complaint, the Court must construe it in the light most favorable to Plaintiff and accept well-pled allegations as true. Hill v.

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Bluebook (online)
Weston v. Louisville Metropolitan Government, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/weston-v-louisville-metropolitan-government-kywd-2024.