Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca5-14-41014/USCOURTS-ca5-14-41014-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Dwayne Douglas Jones
Appellant
Lamb
Appellee
Stephen Martin
Appellee
Neancy Mitchell
Appellee

Document Text:

IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT

No. 14-41014

Summary Calendar

DWAYNE DOUGLAS JONES,

Plaintiff - Appellant

v.

FNU LAMB, Correctional Officer; STEPHEN MARTIN, Medical Provider; 

NEANCY MITCHELL, Medical Provider,

Defendants - Appellees

Appeal from the United States District Court

for the Eastern District of Texas

USDC No. 9:13-CV-277

Before BARKSDALE, DENNIS, and SOUTHWICK, Circuit Judges.

PER CURIAM:*

Proceeding pro se, Dwayne Douglas Jones, Texas prisoner # 868482, 

challenges the summary judgment dismissing, for failure to exhaust 

administrative remedies, his 42 U.S.C. § 1983 complaint. A summary 

judgment is reviewed de novo, using the same standard employed by the 

 

* Pursuant to 5th Cir. R. 47.5, the court has determined that this opinion should not 

be published and is not precedent except under the limited circumstances set forth in 5th Cir. 

R. 47.5.4.

United States Court of Appeals

Fifth Circuit

FILED

February 11, 2016

Lyle W. Cayce

Clerk

 Case: 14-41014 Document: 00513377069 Page: 1 Date Filed: 02/11/2016
No. 14-41014

2

district court. McFaul v. Valenzuela, 684 F.3d 564, 571 (5th Cir. 2012); FED.

R. CIV. P. 56(a).

A prisoner must complete a two-step formal grievance process to exhaust 

administrative remedies in the Texas prison system. Johnson v. Johnson, 385 

F.3d 503, 515 (5th Cir. 2004). The prisoner must file a Step 1 Grievance within 

15 days of the complained-of incident. Id. If the prisoner is dissatisfied with 

the response, he has 15 days from the date of the warden’s signature to file a 

Step 2 Grievance. Rosa v. Littles, 336 F. App’x 424, 428 (5th Cir. 2009). Once 

both steps are completed, the prisoner has properly exhausted his 

administrative remedies and may file an action. See Johnson, 385 F.3d at 515. 

Failure to completely exhaust prior to filing an action cannot be excused. 

Gonzalez v. Seal, 702 F.3d 785, 788 (5th Cir. 2012). 

In that regard, Jones alleged his Step 2 Grievance form was timely 

because he did not receive the processed Step 1 form until a week before he 

filed the form. In any event, the summary-judgment record shows that he 

failed to exhaust his administrative remedies because he submitted his Step 2 

Grievance more than 15 days after the warden signed his Step 1 Grievance. 

See Rosa, 336 F. App’x at 428. 

AFFIRMED.

 Case: 14-41014 Document: 00513377069 Page: 2 Date Filed: 02/11/2016