Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca8-04-03724/USCOURTS-ca8-04-03724-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 555
Nature of Suit: Prisoner - Prison Condition
Cause of Action: 

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United States Court of Appeals

FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT

___________

No. 04-3724

___________

Johnny Paul Dodson, *

*

Appellant, *

*

v. * Appeal from the United States

* District Court for the

Larry Norris, Director, Arkansas * Eastern District of Arkansas.

Department of Correction; Ray Hobbs, *

Assistant Director, Arkansas * [UNPUBLISHED]

Department of Correction; Gaylon Lay, *

Warden, Cummins Unit, ADC; Randall *

Manus, Assistant Warden, Cummins *

Unit, ADC; Kim Luckett, Assistant *

Warden, Cummins Unit, ADC; William *

Fowler, Treatment Coordinator, *

Cummins Unit, ADC; Angela West, *

Mailroom Supervisor, Cummins Unit, *

ADC; Melody Barnett, Inmate *

Attorney; Sue Newbery, Criminal *

Justice Coordinator, Arkansas Supreme *

Court, *

*

Appellees. *

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Submitted: January 30, 2006

Filed: February 22, 2006

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Before MURPHY, HANSEN, and COLLOTON, Circuit Judges.

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Appellate Case: 04-3724 Page: 1 Date Filed: 02/22/2006 Entry ID: 2012190
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The Honorable J. Leon Holmes, Chief Judge, United States District Court for

the Eastern District of Arkansas, adopting in part the report and recommendations of

the Honorable Henry L. Jones, Jr., United States Magistrate Judge for the Eastern

District of Arkansas.

-2-

PER CURIAM.

Arkansas inmate Johnny Dodson appeals the district court’s1

 dismissal of his

42 U.S.C. § 1983 complaint for failure to exhaust and the court’s denial of his motion

for appointment of counsel.

We conclude that the district court did not err in dismissing Dodson’s complaint

against the prison officials for failure to exhaust, as the record does not show Dodson

filed any grievances about his claims against defendants Melody Barnett, Randall

Manus, Gaylon Lay, Ray Hobbs, and Larry Norris. See Graves v. Norris, 218 F.3d

884, 885 (8th Cir. 2000) (per curiam) (prisoner must exhaust all available

administrative remedies before § 1983 action can be brought with respect to prison

conditions; when multiple prison claims are joined, 42 U.S.C. § 1997e(a) requires

exhaustion as to all claims). 

As for the claims against defendant Susan Newbery, in her capacity as Criminal

Justice Coordinator for the Arkansas Supreme Court, the district court properly

dismissed the claim for monetary damages with prejudice due to immunity, as

Newbery was clearly acting in her official capacity. See Morstad v. Dept. of Corrs.

and Rehab., 147 F.3d 741, 744 (8th Cir. 1998). Although Newbery was not immune

from Dodson’s requested injunctive relief, see Campbell v. Ark. Dept. of Corr., 155

F.3d 950, 962 (8th Cir. 1998), injunctive relief would be inappropriate, because

Dodson failed to show, among other things, that he was faced with a threat of

irreparable harm, see Davis v. Francis Howell Sch. Dist., 104 F.3d 204, 205-06 (8th

Cir. 1997). 

Appellate Case: 04-3724 Page: 2 Date Filed: 02/22/2006 Entry ID: 2012190
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Finally, we conclude that the court did not abuse its discretion in denying the

motion for appointment of counsel. See Abdullah v. Gunter, 949 F.2d 1032, 1035

(8th Cir. 1991), cert. denied, 504 U.S. 930 (1992). Accordingly, we affirm.

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Appellate Case: 04-3724 Page: 3 Date Filed: 02/22/2006 Entry ID: 2012190