Stephens v. Oklahoma Department of Corrections

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE

EASTERN DISTRICT OF OKLAHOMA

RODNEY DOUGLAS STEPHENS, )

)

Plaintiff, )

)

v. ) No. CIV 19-303-JHP-SPS

)

DIRECTOR OF OKLAHOMA )

DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS, )

et al., )

)

Defendants. )

OPINION AND ORDER

Plaintiff is a pro se state prisoner in the custody of the Oklahoma Department of

Corrections (DOC) who is incarcerated at Jess Dunn Correctional Center (JDCC) in Taft,

Oklahoma. He has filed this civil rights complaint pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983, seeking

relief for alleged constitutional violations at his facility (Dkt. 1). The defendants are the

DOC Director; J. Kevin Stitt, the Governor of Oklahoma; and Cheri Atkinson, DOC Medical

Services Manager.

Plaintiff alleges his facility is overcrowded and understaffed, resulting in inhumane

and unsafe conditions. Id. at 4, 18-21. He further claims there are inadequate medical and

food services. Id. at 20-22. Plaintiff asserts the events giving rise to his claims occurred

around 11 a.m. on August 21, 2015, when he was taken to the Lexington A&R facility. Id.

at 5. The facts underlying his claim are as follow:

When I got to Jess Dunn correctional Center and the warden started to make

this minimum to a medimun and keep us lock down true count 2-3 hr a day

then I started to get meatal and emotional distress this happen in 2016.

Id. (errors in original). Plaintiff also has submitted copies of grievance documents dated

April - June 2019. Id. at 12-17.

After review of the complaint, the Court finds Plaintiff must file an amended civil

rights complaint on the Court’s form, as set forth below.

Statute of Limitations

As stated above, Plaintiff contends the unconstitutional conditions of his confinement

began in 2015. The statute of limitations for a civil rights cause of action in Oklahoma,

however, is two years. Meade v. Grubbs, 841 F.2d 1512, 1522 (10th Cir. 1988). Therefore,

the Court cannot consider any claims of constitutional violations occurring more than two

years before the filing of the complaint on September 9, 2019.

Screening/Dismissal Standards

Federal courts must engage in a preliminary screening of cases in which prisoners

seek redress from a governmental entity or officer or employee of a governmental entity. 28

U.S.C. § 1915A(a). The Court must identify any cognizable claims and dismiss any claims

which are frivolous, malicious, fail to state a claim upon which relief may be granted, or seek

monetary relief from a defendant who is immune from such relief. 28 U.S.C. § 1915A(b);

28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2)(B).

The pleading standard for all civil actions was articulated in Bell Atl. Corp. v.

Twombly, 550 U.S. 544 (2007). See Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 684 (2009). To avoid

dismissal for failure to state a claim under Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6), a complaint must present

factual allegations, assumed to be true, that “raise a right to relief above the speculative

level.” Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555. The complaint must contain “enough facts to state a

claim to relief that is plausible on its face.” Id. at 570. A court must accept all the well-

pleaded allegations of the complaint as true, even if doubtful in fact, and must construe the

allegations in the light most favorable to the plaintiff. Id. at 555-56. “So, when the

allegations in a complaint, however true, could not raise a claim of entitlement to relief,” the

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cause of action should be dismissed. Id. at 558. The Court applies the same standard of

review for dismissals under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2)(B)(ii) that is employed for Fed. R. Civ.

P. 12(b)(6) motions to dismiss for failure to state a claim. Kay v. Bemis, 500 F.3d 1214,

1217-18 (10th Cir. 2007).

A pro se plaintiff’s complaint must be broadly construed under this standard.

Erickson v. Pardus, 551 U.S. 89, 94 (2007); Haines v. Kerner, 404 U.S. 519, 520 (1972). The

generous construction to be given to the pro se litigant’s allegations, however, “does not

relieve the plaintiff of the burden of alleging sufficient facts on which a recognized legal

claim could be based.” Hall v. Bellmon, 935 F.2d 1106, 1110 (10th Cir. 1991).

Notwithstanding a pro se plaintiff’s various mistakes or misunderstandings of legal doctrines

or procedural requirements, “if a court can reasonably read the pleadings to state a valid

claim on which the plaintiff could prevail, it should do so . . . .” Id. A reviewing court need

not accept “mere conclusions characterizing pleaded facts.” Bryson v. City of Edmond, 905

F.2d 1386, 1390 (10th Cir. 1990). “While a complaint attacked by a Rule 12(b)(6) motion

to dismiss does not need detailed factual allegations, a plaintiff’s obligation to provide the

grounds of his entitlement to relief requires more than labels and conclusions, and a

formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause of action will not do.” Twombly, 550 U.S. at

555 (quotations and citations omitted). The court “will not supply additional factual

allegations to round out a plaintiff’s complaint or construct a legal theory on a plaintiff’s

behalf.” Whitney v. New Mexico, 113 F.3d 1170, 1173-74 (10th Cir. 1997).

Amended Complaint

Within twenty-one (21) days of the entry of this Order, Plaintiff must file an amended

complaint on this Court’s form. The amended complaint must set forth the full name of

each person he is suing under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. See Sutton v. Utah State Sch. for the Deaf

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& Blind, 173 F.3d 1226, 1237 (10th Cir. 1999) (holding that “a cause of action under § 1983

requires a deprivation of a civil right by a ‘person’ acting under color of state law”). Further,

the names in the caption of the amended complaint must be identical to those contained in

the body of the amended complaint, pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 10(a). Plaintiff is responsible

for providing sufficient information for service of process. See Lee v. Armontrout, 991 F.2d

487, 489 (8th Cir. 1993) (plaintiff proceeding in forma pauperis and pro se had responsibility

to provide correct names and proper addresses for service of process).

Plaintiff must provide a short and plain statement of when and how each named

defendant violated his constitutional rights and showing Plaintiff is entitled to relief

from each named defendant. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a). He also shall identify a specific

constitutional basis for each claim. See id. He is admonished that simply alleging that

a defendant is an employee or supervisor of a state agency is inadequate to state a

claim. Plaintiff must go further and state how the named defendant’s personal

participation violated his constitutional rights. The “denial of a grievance, by itself

without any connection to the violation of constitutional rights alleged by the plaintiff,

does not establish personal participation under § 1983.” Gallagher v. Shelton, 587 F.3d

1063, 1069 (10th Cir. 2009) (citations omitted). The Court only will consider claims

“based upon the violation of a plaintiff’s personal rights, and not the rights of someone else.”

Archuleta v. McShan, 897 F.2d 495, 497 (10th Cir. 1990).

The amended complaint must include all claims and supporting material to be

considered by the Court. See Local Civil Rule 9.2(c). It must be complete in itself, including

exhibits, and may not reference or attempt to incorporate material from the original complaint

or exhibits. Id. An amended complaint supersedes the original complaint and renders the

original complaint of no legal effect. See Miller v. Glanz, 948 F.2d 1562, 1565 (10th Cir.

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1991); Gilles v. United States, 906 F.2d 1386, 1389 (10th Cir. 1990). See also Local Civil

Rule 9.2(c). Pursuant to Local Civil Rule 5.2(a), the amended complaint must be clearly

legible, and only one side of the paper may be used.

The Court Clerk is directed to send Plaintiff the proper form for filing an amended

complaint. If Plaintiff fails to file an amended complaint in accordance with this Order, this

action shall be dismissed for failure to state a claim upon which relief may be granted.

ACCORDINGLY, Plaintiff is directed to file within twenty-one (21) days an

amended complaint on the Court’s form as directed in this Order. The Court Clerk is

directed to send Plaintiff a copy of the form for filing an amended civil rights complaint in

this Court. Failure to comply with this Order will result in dismissal of this action without

further notice.

IT IS SO ORDERED this 23rd day of October 2019.

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