Williams v. Jensen

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Wisconsin
DecidedJuly 2, 2020
Docket2:19-cv-01699
StatusUnknown

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

Bluebook
Williams v. Jensen, (E.D. Wis. 2020).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF WISCONSIN ______________________________________________________________________________ JOVAN WILLIAMS,

Plaintiff, v. Case No. 19-cv-1699-pp

KRISTIN J. JENSEN, JOHN DOE, SUE PETER, LUTSEY, GARY MAIER, JOHN KIND, JAMES A. ELSINGER, RYAN BAUMANN, STEVE SCHUELER, SCOTT ECKTEIN, LT. KOEHLER, and RAYMOND A. KOELLER,

Defendants. ______________________________________________________________________________

ORDER GRANTING PLAINTIFF’S MOTION FOR LEAVE TO PROCEED WITHOUT PREPAYING FILING FEE (DKT. NO. 2), DENYING PLAINTIFF’S MOTION TO AMEND COMPLAINT (DKT. NO. 7) AND SCREENING COMPLAINT UNDER 28 U.S.C. §1915A ______________________________________________________________________________

Plaintiff Jovan Williams, who is confined at Waupun Correctional Institution and representing himself, filed a complaint under 42 U.S.C. §1983, alleging that the defendants violated his civil rights. This decision resolves the plaintiff’s motion for leave to proceed without prepaying the filing fee, dkt. no. 2, and his motion to amend his complaint, dkt. no. 7, and screens his complaint, dkt. no. 1. I. Motion for Leave to Proceed without Prepaying the Filing Fee (Dkt. No. 2)

The Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA) applies to this case because the plaintiff 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 then must pay the balance of the $350 filing fee over time, through deductions from his prisoner account. Id. On November 19, 2019, the court found that the plaintiff has neither the assets or means to pay an initial partial filing fee. Dkt. No. 5 at 2. The court gave the plaintiff until December 10, 2019 to inform the court if he wanted to voluntarily dismiss his case to avoid the risk of incurring a strike. The plaintiff did not respond. He has, however, filed a motion for leave to amend the complaint, and twice has asked the court to screen the complaint, so the court assumes that he has chosen to proceed. The court will grant the plaintiff’s motion for leave to proceed without prepaying the filing fee. He must pay the $350 filing fee over time in the manner explained at the end of this order. II. Screening the Complaint A. Federal Screening Standard Under the PLRA, the court must 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 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 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, 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 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 construes liberally complaints filed by plaintiffs who are representing themselves and holds their 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 The plaintiff explains that, on May 13, 2017, he was in segregation at Green Bay Correctional Institution. Dkt. No. 1 at ¶15; ¶¶2-13. The plaintiff says that sometime after 10 p.m., he stopped defendant John Doe in front of his cell. Id. The plaintiff asserts that he showed John Doe a handful of pills and a sharp paperclip and told him that he intended to overdose on the pills. Id. According to the plaintiff, John Doe said okay and walked away. Id. Shortly after John Doe left, defendant Kristin Jensen allegedly entered the wing to do a wellness check. Id. at ¶16. The plaintiff asserts that he stopped her and told her he was about to overdose with the “tranzondone” pills. Id. According to the plaintiff, Jensen watched as he counted nineteen pills, moving the pills from one hand to the other. Id. The plaintiff asked Jensen if she saw the pills, and she said yes. Id. According to the plaintiff, he then grabbed a carton of milk filled with water and started swallowing the pills one by one. Id. Jensen allegedly shrugged, told the plaintiff she was tired of him bugging her anyway, and walked off to finish her wellness check. Id. The plaintiff says he yelled after her, “If I live through this, I will be writing you up and file a lawsuit on you.” Id. The plaintiff asserts that he started to feel dizzy and confused, began to sweat and tremble, felt nauseous and vomited. Id. at ¶17. The plaintiff states that he pushed his emergency call button to alert staff, notified other inmates and yelled for help. Id. Defendant Raymond Koeller allegedly arrived at the plaintiff’s cell and asked him what the problem was. Id. The plaintiff alleges that he told Koeller what had happened. Id.

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Williams v. Jensen, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/williams-v-jensen-wied-2020.