Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ared-4_23-cv-00801/USCOURTS-ared-4_23-cv-00801-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Alexander
Defendant
Cedric Johnson
Plaintiff
Windell Johnson
Defendant

Document Text:

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

EASTERN DISTRICT OF ARKANSAS 

CENTRAL DIVISION 

CEDRIC JOHNSON PLAINTIFF 

ADC #099607 

v. No: 4:23-cv-00801 LPR-PSH 

CHARONE ALEXANDER; and 

WINDELL JOHNSON DEFENDANTS 

ORDER 

 On December 30, 2024, Defendant Windell Johnson filed a Motion for 

Summary Judgment on the merits of Plaintiff Cedric Johnson’s claims, together with 

a Brief in Support and a Statement of Undisputed Material Facts (Doc. Nos. 35-37). 

Plaintiff Johnson filed a short response to Johnson’s motion on January 13, 2025, 

stating he needed more time to conduct discovery (Doc. No. 39). Defendant Johnson 

replied to Plaintiff Johnson’s motion and explained that Plaintiff Johnson has been 

allowed to review all his medical records and that Plaintiff Johnson has not 

propounded any discovery on Defendant Johnson. See Doc. No. 40. To the extent 

Johnson seeks more time for discovery, his request is denied. The discovery deadline 

ran in this case on December 16, 2024. See Doc. No. 27. Johnson does not describe 

what discovery he needs, and he does not explain why he was unable to conduct 

discovery during the time provided. 

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On January 21, 2025, Defendant Charone Alexander was granted leave to 

adopt Defendant Johnson’s motion and related pleadings. See Doc. Nos. 41-42. 

Johnson now has an opportunity to file a substantive response opposing the 

Defendants’ motion. To be considered, the response must be filed within twentyeight days of this order’s entry date. At the summary judgment stage, a plaintiff 

cannot rest upon mere allegations and, instead, must meet proof with proof. See Fed. 

R. Civ. P. 56(e). Accordingly, Plaintiff Johnson’s response must include legal 

arguments as well as evidence establishing that there is a genuine issue of material 

fact that must be resolved at a hearing or trial. Such evidence may include 

declarations or notarized affidavits that he or others have signed. Affidavits and 

declarations are sworn statements that are made under penalty of perjury (see 28 

U.S.C. § 1746). Unsworn statements will not be considered in deciding the motion 

for summary judgment. And to be considered, an affidavit or declaration must be 

based on personal knowledge of the person who signs it. 

 If Plaintiff Johnson files a response, he must also file a separate, short 

statement which lists: (a) any disagreement he has with the specifically numbered 

factual assertions contained in the defendants’ statement of undisputed facts; and (b) 

any other disputed facts that he believes must be resolved at a hearing or trial. See 

Local Rule 56.1, Rules of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of 

Arkansas. If Plaintiff Johnson disputes any of the facts set forth in the defendants’ 

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statement of undisputed facts, he must identify each numbered paragraph that 

contains the facts he disputes and, for each paragraph, explain why he disputes those 

facts. 

 Finally, Plaintiff Johnson is advised that if he intends to rely upon grievances 

or records that have been filed with the Court previously, he must specifically refer 

to those documents by docket number, page, date, and heading. The Court will not 

sift through the file to find support for Plaintiff Johnson’s factual contentions. See 

Crossley v. Georgia-Pacific, Corp., 355 F.3d 1112, 1113-14 (8th Cir. 2004) 

(affirming the grant of summary judgment because a plaintiff failed to properly refer 

to specific pages of the record that supported his position). 

 IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED THAT: 

 Plaintiff Johnson may file a response to the Defendants’ motion for summary 

judgment along with a separate statement of disputed facts that complies with Fed. 

R. Civ. P. 56, Local Rule 56.1 and the instructions set forth in this Order within 

twenty-eight days. While Plaintiff Johnson is not required to file a response to the 

motion for summary judgment, if he does not respond, the facts set forth in the 

defendants’ statement of facts may be deemed admitted by Plaintiff Johnson, 

pursuant to Local Rule 56.1(c). 

IT IS SO ORDERED this 21st day of January, 2025. 

 

UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE

Case 4:23-cv-00801-LPR-PSH Document 44 Filed 01/21/25 Page 3 of 3