Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca8-07-02493/USCOURTS-ca8-07-02493-0/pdf.json

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

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1

The Honorable Karen E. Schreier, Chief Judge, United States District Court

for the District of South Dakota.

United States Court of Appeals

FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT

___________

No. 07-2493

___________

David A. Gingras, *

*

Appellant, *

* Appeal from the United States

v. * District Court for the

* District of South Dakota.

Kraig Wood; Tony Harrison; Mark *

Black; Mike Walker; John Griswold; * [UNPUBLISHED]

Pat West; Misti Walker; Jeff Goble, *

*

Appellees. *

___________

Submitted: September 18, 2008

Filed: September 24, 2008

___________

Before MURPHY, BYE, and BENTON, Circuit Judges.

___________

PER CURIAM.

David Gingras appeals the district court’s1

 adverse grant of summary judgment

in his 42 U.S.C. § 1983 action. We agree with the district court that, because

Gingras’s complaint was silent as to the capacity in which he was suing defendants,

his complaint was properly construed as asserting only official-capacity claims, see

Baker v. Chisom, 501 F.3d 920, 923 (8th Cir. 2007) (noting that if plaintiff’s

Appellate Case: 07-2493 Page: 1 Date Filed: 09/24/2008 Entry ID: 3473986
-2-

complaint is silent about capacity in which he is suing defendant, court interprets

complaint as including only official-capacity claims), and, as such, those claims failed,

see Robb v. Hungerbeeler, 370 F.3d 735, 739 (8th Cir. 2004) (official-capacity suit

is treated as suit against entity); Ware v. Jackson County, Mo., 150 F.3d 873, 880 (8th

Cir. 1998) (plaintiff may establish municipal liability under § 1983 by proving his

constitutional rights were violated by action pursuant to policy or by misconduct so

pervasive as to constitute custom); Morstad v. Dep’t of Corr. and Rehab., 147 F.3d

741, 743 (8th Cir. 1998) (Eleventh Amendment bars suit against state or state officials

acting in official capacities). Accordingly, we affirm. See 8th Cir. R. 47B.

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Appellate Case: 07-2493 Page: 2 Date Filed: 09/24/2008 Entry ID: 3473986