Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca8-06-03143/USCOURTS-ca8-06-03143-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 550
Nature of Suit: Prisoner - Civil Rights (U.S. defendant)
Cause of Action: 

---

United States Court of Appeals

FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT

___________

No. 06-3143

___________

Edward A. Campbell, Jr., *

*

Appellant, *

*

Latashia R. Cook, *

* Appeal from the United States

Plaintiff, * District Court for the

* Southern District of Iowa.

v. * [PUBLISHED]

*

Davenport Police Department, *

*

Appellee. *

___________

Submitted: December 7, 2006

Filed: December 29, 2006

___________

Before WOLLMAN, RILEY and BENTON, Circuit Judges.

___________

PER CURIAM.

While confined in a county jail in July 2006, Edward R. Campbell filed this 42

U.S.C. § 1983 complaint, having filed three other section 1983 complaints the month

before. The district court dismissed the instant complaint, finding that the 28 U.S.C.

§ 1915A(b) dismissals of the earlier three complaints constituted three “strikes” under

28 U.S.C. § 1915(g). Campbell appeals, and requests leave to appeal in forma

pauperis (IFP). 

Appellate Case: 06-3143 Page: 1 Date Filed: 12/29/2006 Entry ID: 3263860
-2-

Section 1915(g) does not apply unless the inmate litigant has three strikes at the

time he files his lawsuit or appeal. See 28 U.S.C. § 1915(g) (in no event shall prisoner

bring civil action or appeal judgment in civil action if he has, on three or more prior

occasions while incarcerated, brought action or appeal in federal court that was

dismissed for frivolousness or for failure to state claim, unless prisoner is under

imminent danger of serious physical injury); cf. Martin v. Shelton, 319 F.3d 1048,

1050 (8th Cir. 2003) (requisite imminent danger must exist at time action or appeal

is filed). The three section 1915A(b) dismissals could not be counted as strikes when

the district court cited them (or when this appeal was filed), because Campbell had not

yet exhausted or waived his appeals in those cases. See Jennings v. Natrona County

Det. Ctr. Med. Facility, 175 F.3d 775, 780 (10th Cir. 1999) (counting dismissals as

strikes only when appeals have been exhausted or waived); Adepegba v. Hammons,

103 F.3d 383, 387-88 (5th Cir. 1996) (same). We thus conclude that the district court

erred in dismissing the instant lawsuit under section 1915(g), and that Campbell is

entitled to IFP status for this appeal; we leave the fee-collection details to the district

court, see Henderson v. Norris, 129 F.3d 481, 484-85 (8th Cir. 1997) (per curiam). 

Accordingly, we reverse and remand for the district court to conduct initial

review of the complaint in the first instance. See 28 U.S.C. § 1915A(a) (screening of

civil complaints where prisoner seeks redress from government entity or officer or

employee of governmental entity). 

______________________________

Appellate Case: 06-3143 Page: 2 Date Filed: 12/29/2006 Entry ID: 3263860