Wright v. Tarrant County Judge

CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Texas
DecidedNovember 4, 2021
Docket4:20-cv-01205
StatusUnknown

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

Bluebook
Wright v. Tarrant County Judge, (N.D. Tex. 2021).

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS FORT WORTH DIVISION

RONDALE RAYNARD WRIGHT, SR., § (Tarrant No. 0627080), § § Plaintiff, § § v. § Civil Action No. 4:20-cv-1205-O § BILL WAYBOURN, Sheriff, § Tarrant County, Texas, et al., § § Defendants. §

MEMORANDUM OPINION and ORDER OF DISMISSAL UNDER 28 U.S.C. §§ 1915A(B) and 1915(e)(2)(B)

This case is before the Court for review of pro-se inmate/plaintiff Rondale Raynard Wright, Sr.’s (“Wright”) case under the screening provisions of 28 U.S.C. §§ 1915A and 1915(e)(2)(B). Having reviewed the current operative pleading, the Court finds that all claims in this action must be DISMISSED under authority of these provisions. I. BACKGROUND This civil action was severed out of case number 4:20-cv-1065, when Rondale Wright filed a document asserting his own claims for relief in a suit then pursued by another Tarrant County Jail inmate. Ord. Severance, Ward v. Texas, No. 4:20-cv-1065, ECF No. 2. Plaintiff Wright initially complied with a Court order to file an amended complaint. ECF No. 8. After he then filed numerous partial supplemental pleadings, the Court struck those documents, but also provided Wright an opportunity to state all of his claims on a second amended complaint. ECF No. 17. Wright initially failed to timely comply, resulting in the Court dismissing his claims without prejudice under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 41(b). ECF Nos. 18, 19. Wright, however, then 1 filed a motion for relief from judgment along with the second amended complaint, and a later notice of appeal. ECF Nos. 24, 25, and 27. The Court granted the motion for relief from judgment and vacated the order of dismissal and judgment, and the court of appeals subsequently dismissed the appeal and issued its mandate. ECF Nos. 28, 29, 35, and 37. Thus, the second amended complaint is the operative pleading before the Court. Sec. Am. Compl., ECF No. 25. Wright was expressly informed before he prepared the second amended complaint that once that pleading was filed, the Court would “look only to that document with any attachment pages in reviewing his

claims.” Order for [Second] Amended Complaint 3, ECF No. 17. Wright names seven defendants: Bill Waybourn, Sheriff, Tarrant County, Texas; Thomas Wilder, District Clerk, Tarrant County, Texas; Ruben Gonzalez, Judge, Tarrant County, Texas; Cheril Hardy, Judge, Tarrant County, Texas; Grand Jurors, Tarrant County, Texas; Police Chief, Fort Worth, Texas; and the Fort Worth Police Department. Sec. Am. Compl. 3, ECF No. 25. As to all of these defendants, Wright initially writes the phrases “cruel and unusual punishment, unconstitutional acts of retaliation, conflict[s] of interest, obstruction of justice, perjury, public corruption, false imprisonment, and racial injustice.” Id. Wright then asserts the following statement of claim, which the Court quotes verbatim: All acts within Tarrant County, Texas time from May 1, 2020 until February 1, 2021, Judge’s Ruben Gonzalez & Cheril Hardy unconstitutional rulings in motion that state my rights to be aid of access to due process of law. The judges did not follow section 1654 of Title 28 of the United States code. No Grand Jury array, no quorum, no presentation in open court. So all judgment should be void due to fraud [and] lack of jurisdiction issues due to Grand Jury not able to gain true subject- matter jurisdiction. Court acted very inconsistently with due process of law. An unsealed indictment was issued. District clerk never turned over records but opened mail that was address for U.S. Court. The Court abused its discretion when it failed to verify that of Texas Penal Code § 43 . . . incorporates Texas Penal Code § 33.021 [sic].

Id. at 4. 2 In attachment pages, Wright complains that he was not given access to a Grand Jury array in violation of his right to due process of law. Id. at 6. He complains that Judges Gonzalez and Hardy did not honor his “right to conduct [his] own motions without aid of counsel.” Id. He also contends the indictment was not timely, and that he was not timely provided copies of portions of the record. Id. Wright contends he had a right to an examining trial, and the failure to provide one was an abuse of discretion. Id. at 7. He also contends that the filing of a false indictment amounted to a void indictment, and he raises other challenges to the validity of the indictment. Id. Wright also contends he was prejudiced by counsel’s performance, and again complains that his own pro

se motions were not considered. Id. at 7-8. With regard to District Clerk Thomas Wilder, Wright contends that he opened mail intended for this federal court, and that Wilder and Tarrant County Sheriff’s deputies interfered with his efforts to supply an in-forma-pauperis document to this Court. Id. at 8. He alleges this conduct was the result of the failure of Bill Waybourn to properly train or supervise the staff of the Tarrant County Sheriff’s office. Id. at 8-9. Wright contends that the delay in providing completed certificate of inmate trust account information by Tarrant County officials under the “watch of Bill Waybourn” deliberately deprived him of access to courts and interfered with his “liberty to provide true facts in [his] favor of the action of pure and clear obstructions and corruption [sic].” Id. at 9. Wright next contends that the Fort Worth Police Department filed a charge of sexual assault of a child for which there was no corroborating evidence, and he claims this resulted from racial injustice. Id. Relatedly, Wright alleges the Chief of Police was to review all evidence before a charging decision was made, but held no investigation, and did not provide him access to evidence

3 in his own favor, resulting in his false imprisonment and cruel and unusual punishment for which he seeks the cash relief of $20 million. Id. at 9-10. Wright seeks recovery for the “real pain to [his] mental health.” Id. at 10. Wright also refers to the Americans with Disabilities Act. Id. He does not allege he sustained any physical injury. Wright additionally complains of the limited access to the Tarrant County law library due to Covid-19, but he acknowledges that under the applicable law of “Bounds” [Bounds v. Smith, 430 U.S. 817 (1977)], a violation of access to courts requires that he show any inadequacy in law library access prevented him from meeting a filing deadline. Id. at 11.

Next, Wright recites that he has not been able to enjoy any of his rights, and then specifically cites to the Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, Twelfth, Nineteenth, and Fourth Amendments to the Constitution. Id. at 12. He also alleges that he has the right to a “speedy public trial by an impartial jury” and to know the nature and cause of the accusations against him. Id. at 12-13.

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Wright v. Tarrant County Judge, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wright-v-tarrant-county-judge-txnd-2021.