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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 Seventh Circuit

Chicago, Illinois 60604

Submitted August 18, 2016*

Decided August 18, 2016

Before

RICHARD A. POSNER, Circuit Judge

FRANK H. EASTERBROOK, Circuit Judge

DIANE S. SYKES, Circuit Judge

No. 15‐2480

JARVIS POSTLEWAITE,

Plaintiff‐Appellant,

v.

STEPHEN DUNCAN, et al.,

Defendants‐Appellees.

Appeal from the United States District

Court for the Southern District of Illinois.

No. 14‐cv‐0839‐MJR‐SCW

Michael J. Reagan,

Chief Judge.

O R D E R

Jarvis Postlewaite, an Illinois prisoner, brought this suit under 42 U.S.C. § 1983

alleging constitutionally deficient medical treatment. The district court granted

summary judgment for the defendants, finding that Postlewaite had failed to exhaust

his administrative remedies before suing. Because Postlewaite sought and obtained

leave to proceed with this appeal knowing that he already had “struck out” under the

Prison Litigation Reform Act, we dismiss the appeal.

                                                 

* After examining the briefs and the record, we have concluded that oral

argument is unnecessary. Thus the appeal is submitted on the briefs and the record.

See FED. R. APP. P. 34(a)(2)(C).

NONPRECEDENTIAL DISPOSITION

To be cited only in accordance with Fed. R. App. P. 32.1

Case: 15-2480 Document: 44 Filed: 08/18/2016 Pages: 2
No. 15‐2480    Page 2

In the year before filing his complaint in this litigation, Postlewaite had filed four

other § 1983 suits, two of which had been dismissed and resulted in “strikes.”

See Postlewaite v. Godinez, No. 1:13‐cv‐06376 (N.D. Ill. Nov. 5, 2013) (dismissed for failure

to state a claim); Postlewaite v. Godinez, No. 3:14‐cv‐00501 (S.D. Ill. June 26, 2014) (same).

And by the time the district court granted summary judgment, Postlewaite had

incurred a third strike.1 See Postlewaite v. Duncan, No. 3:14‐cv‐01312 (S.D. Ill. Feb. 23,

2015) (dismissed for failure to state a claim). In each of these decisions, Postlewaite was

told that he had incurred a strike, and in the last he was specifically told that he had

struck out and thus no longer was eligible to litigate in federal court without prepaying

all fees in full.   

And yet when Postlewaite asked the district court for permission to proceed

in forma pauperis in this appeal, he did not disclose his three strikes, which bar him

from proceeding without prepayment of fees. See 28 U.S.C. § 1915(g). Apparently

unaware that Postlewaite had struck out, the district court granted his request and

assessed an initial partial filing fee of $4.52 (which he still has not paid). He deceived

the district court and perpetrated a fraud on this court by falsely representing that he is

eligible to proceed in forma pauperis. See Sloan v. Lesza, 181 F.3d 857, 858–59 (7th Cir.

1999). Postlewaite’s failure to disclose his litigation history is grounds for immediately

terminating this appeal as a sanction for misconduct. See Hoskins v. Dart, 633 F.3d 541,

543–44 (7th Cir. 2011); Ammons v. Gerlinger, 547 F.3d 724, 725 (7th Cir. 2008).

Accordingly, the appeal is DISMISSED. We will enter an order directing the

clerks of all courts in this circuit to return unfiled all papers Postlewaite submits (other

than collateral attacks on his imprisonment) until all outstanding fees (including the full

appellate fees of $505 in this case) are paid. See Sloan, 181 F.3d at 859; Support Sys. Int’l,

Inc. v. Mack, 45 F.3d 185, 186 (7th Cir. 1995).

                                                 

1 Since that time at least five more of Postlewaite’s lawsuits have been dismissed.

See Postlewaite v. Tilden, No. 1:15‐cv‐01405 (C.D. Ill. Feb. 3, 2016) (dismissed for failure to

state a claim); Postlewaite v. Tilden, No. 1:16‐cv‐01087 (C.D. Ill. July 8, 2016) (dismissed as

frivolous and malicious); Postlewaite v. Todd, No. 1:16‐cv‐01102 (C.D. Ill. July 12, 2016)

(dismissed for committing fraud on the court); Postlewaite v. Gennan, No. 1:16‐cv‐01153

(C.D. Ill. July 12, 2016) (same); Postlewaite v. Pierce, No. 1:16‐cv‐01119 (C.D. Ill. July 14,

2016) (same).

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