Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-alnd-2_14-cv-00228/USCOURTS-alnd-2_14-cv-00228-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Mike Hale
Defendant
Timothy X. Jackson
Plaintiff
Jefferson County Jail
Defendant
Judge Owens
Defendant

Document Text:

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ALABAMA

SOUTHERN DIVISION

TIMOTHY X. JACKSON,

Plaintiff,

v.

JEFFERSON COUNTY JAIL, et al.,

Defendant.

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Case No.: 2:14-CV-228-VEH

 

MEMORANDUM OPINION

This case comes before the court on the plaintiff’s motion to proceed in forma

pauperis. (Doc. 8.) 28 U.S.C. § 1915 (2006) governs proceedings in forma pauperis

for nonprisoner plaintiffs such as Mr. Jackson. See Martinez v. Kristi Kleaners, Inc.,

364 F.3d 1305, 1306 n.1 (11th Cir. 2004) (“Despite the statute’s use of the phrase

‘prisoner possesses,’ the affidavit requirement applies to all persons requesting leave

to proceed IFP.”); see also Haynes v. Scott, 116 F.3d 137, 140 (5th Cir. 1997) (“We

agree with the analysis of the Sixth Circuit and hold that the affidavit requirement of

section 1915(a)(1) applies to all persons applying to proceed i.f.p.”). The statute also

provides that

[n]otwithstanding any filing fee, or any portion thereof, that may have

been paid, the court shall dismiss the case at any time if the court

FILED

 2014 Apr-09 PM 04:52

U.S. DISTRICT COURT

N.D. OF ALABAMA

Case 2:14-cv-00228-VEH Document 11 Filed 04/09/14 Page 1 of 9
determines that . . . the action or appeal . . . is frivolous or malicious[,]

failsto state a claim on which relief may be granted[,] orseeks monetary

relief against a defendant who is immune from such relief.

28 U.S.C.A. § 1915(e)(2)(B)(i), (ii), (iii).

I. PROCEDURAL HISTORY

On March 11, 2014, the court first addressed this motion writing:

The plaintiff names the following defendants in this case: the

“Jefferson County Jail,” Jefferson County Sheriff Mike Hale, “Judge

Owens,” and “[a]ll officers within the jail.” As his “Statement of Claim”

the plaintiff writes:

I was in Jeff[erson] Co[unty] [j]ail and they knew I was

sick and was in [b]ad [h]ealth. [T]here for [sic] I was

place[d] on 3rd [f]loor medical [floor]. But they moved me

to 7th [floor][.] But due to them moving me cause [sic] me

to have a seizure on [sic] went into a coma for 3 days [a]nd

woke up in ICU at UAB and I lost 3 tooth [sic] and now on

a walking cane for the rest of my life due to this fact.

(Doc. 1 at 3-4). These allegations fail to state a claim against any of the

defendants.

First, all of the defendants are government actors. Government

actors, in their individual capacities, are protected by qualified immunity

from civil damage claims, “provided that their conduct does not violate

clearly established constitutionalrights.” Tinney v. Shores, 77 F.3d 378,

381 (11th Cir. 1996). The complaint alleges no violation of clearly

established rights.

1

The complaint fails to state that anyone named “Judge Owens”

 Too, the plaintiff must identify defendants more specifically than “all officers with in 1

[sic] the jail.” (Doc. 1 at 3).

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did anything at all. Too, in additional to also enjoying qualified

immunity, under both Alabama and Federal law, “Judges acting in an

official judicial capacity are entitled to absolute judicial immunity.” Ex

parte City of Greensboro, 948 So. 2d 540, 542 (Ala. 2006); see also,

Bolin v. Story, 225 F.3d 1234, 1239 (11th Cir. 2000) (“Judges are

entitled to absolute judicial immunity fromdamagesfor those acts taken

while they are acting in their judicial capacity unless they acted in the

clear absence of all jurisdiction.”) (internal quotations omitted) (citing

Stump v. Sparkman, 435 U.S. 349, 356–57, 98 S.Ct. 1099, 55 L.Ed.2d

331 (1978)). 

Under Alabama law, “sheriffs and deputy sheriffs are considered

executive officers of the state, and are therefore immune from suit in

both their official and individual capacities.” Johnson v. Conner, 720

F.3d 1311, 1313 (11th Cir. 2013). Further, “the eleventh amendment

[generally] bar[s] a [civil rights] lawsuit against an Alabama sheriff [and

his deputies] in [their] official capacity.” Carr v. City of Florence, Ala.,

916 F.2d 1521, 1525 (11th Cir. 1990). In their individual capacities,

these defendants also have qualified immunity. 

The court also notes that “the Jefferson County Jail” is not a

proper legal entity subject to suit. See, Bird v. Chatham Cnty. Det. Ctr.,

CV407-150, 2008 WL 68842 at *4 (S.D. Ga. Jan. 2, 2008) (and cases

cited therein). Finally, the complaint gives no dates on which the

alleged conduct occurred, so the court cannot discern whether the

applicable statute of limitations has expired.

(Doc. 9 at 2-3). The court then ordered the following:

1. No later than March 25, 2014, the plaintiff may file a complete

AMENDED COMPLAINT which clearly sets out

a. The names and addresses of each person or entity which

the plaintiff wishes to sue;

b. What each defendant did to the plaintiff INCLUDING

THE DATES OF EACH SUCH ACT;

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c. The causes of action the plaintiff claims against each

defendant and/or the laws which the plaintiff claims were

violated by each defendant.

d. The relief requested by the plaintiff.

2. The court DEFERS a ruling on the instant motion until the

plaintiff has filed the aforementioned amendment.

3. Should the amendment not be filed by March 25, 2011, this action

will be DISMISSED for failure to prosecute.

(Doc. 9 at 4) (bold in original). 

On March 21, 2014, the plaintiff filed his amended complaint. (Doc. 10). 

II. ALLEGATIONS IN THE AMENDED COMPLAINT

In the caption of the Amended Complaint the plaintiff now names as

defendants: “Jeff. Co. Jail the officer on firstshift who moved me to the wrong floor[]

the medical floor.” (Doc. 10 at 1). He also writes: “who moved me off medical floor 2

and not allow me to take my meds for 17 days. Put me in a coma and ICU.” (Doc.

10 at 1). Also in the caption of this document the plaintiff has written: “This is my

Amended Complaint 3-19-2014 MedicalRecordsshow from11-4-2013 to 11-7-2013

I was in a coma.” (Doc. 10 at 1). 

 The court has changed some quotes, and some portions of quotes, without notation. 2

Any change made was simply to change clear spelling issues, or substitute the full word in place

of an unclear abbreviation used by the plaintiff. Notations to each of these changes would have

made the document unreadable. Further, for the same reason, and in an effort to include, as best

it can, the true meaning of what the plaintiff has written, the court has included many quotes

without changes, and has not noted with “sic” or any other signal, obvious grammatical errors.

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In the body of the Amended Complaint the plaintiff identifies the following

defendants: Jefferson County Jail; “Really do not know the officer name Jeff Co has

a log of it The officer that moved me to the wrong floor knowing I was sick they kept

my meds in booking I was no allow to take it;” “Jefferson County Jail they almost

killed me. You have my medical records you see what happen to me;” “Jefferson

County Jail.” (Doc. 10 at 2). 

The amended complaint states that “jurisdiction of this court is invoked

pursuant to please give me justice or is justice still in the United States read the jail

records from 11-3-2013 . . . to 11-7-2013.” (Doc. 1 at 2). In the portion of the

complaint asking the plaintiff to set out the “facts” of his case he writes:

You all have my medical records and can see my problems happen

within Jefferson County Jail Please give me the proper justice I need we

can take this to the 11 Circuit in Atlanta or to Washington DC Please

give me some Justice and some peace I was not allowed to have my

Holy Quran in Jefferson County Jail or a pork free diet It was God

Grace I did not die I have mental and physical problems from this is

their justice left in these United States. Those peoples were wrong for

what they did to me I almost died. It was God Grace I did not die I am

handicap for life due to this matter.

(Doc. 10 at 2-3). The Amended Complaint also asks for $15 million

because mental, physical, and emotional they have mess my life up to

where as I do not know what happen to me from 11-4-2013 until 11-7-

2013 and still do not what really happen to me. 

(Doc. 10 at 3). After the plaintiff’s signature appears: “This is my Amended

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Complaint 3-19-2014 . . . Please give me some Justice on this matter I was not in this

condition until this Happen until 11-4-2014 until now.”

Attached to the Amended Complaint is a statement by the plaintiff which reads:

To the courts we all know that our forefathers made these United states

the land of the Free and that all men should be treated fair and with

respect, and justice my rights were violated on 11-4-2013 Jefferson

County Jail has a log that would tell why they moved me from the

medical floor. Really and truthful I would like to know what they did or

what Really Happen to me I am Muslim and was not allowed my Holy

Quran or a pork free diet.

(Doc. 10 at 5). 

The remaining attachmentsto the Amended Complaint include: a February 11,

2014, letter from the plaintiff to “UAB Hospital” asking that entity to forward his

medical records to this court (doc. 10 at 6); an “In Forma Pauperis Affidavit” filed

March 21, 2014 (doc. 10 at 7-11); and four summonses (doc. 10 at 12, 13, 14, 15).

Each of these documents contains no factual allegations, or contains substantially

similar factual allegations to those already listed above.

III. ANALYSIS

For the reasons stated in the court’s previous order, all claims against

“Jefferson County Jail,” are due to be dismissed. Defendants “Mike Hale,” and

“Judge Owens,” who were not named in the Amended Complaint, are also due to be

dismissed.

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The only other defendant named in the Amended Complaint is an “officer”

whose name the plaintiff does not know, “who moved him to the wrong floor,” and

“off the medical floor.” (Doc. 10 at 1). 

To the extent that the Amended Complaint attempts to make a claim under 42

U.S.C. § 1983 for violation of the plaintiff’s civil rights, “the eleventh amendment

[generally] bar[s] a [civil rights] lawsuit against an Alabama sheriff [and his deputies] 

in [their] official capacity.” Carr v. City of Florence, Ala., 916 F.2d 1521, 1525 (11th

Cir. 1990). 

Government actors, in their individual capacities, are protected by qualified

immunity from civil damage claims, “provided that their conduct does not violate

clearly established constitutional rights.” Tinney v. Shores, 77 F.3d 378, 381 (11th

Cir. 1996). The courts have long recognized that the government has an obligation

to provide medical care for those it has incarcerated and that inmates must necessarily

rely on prison authorities to meet their medical needs as those needs arise. Estelle v.

Gamble, 429 U.S. 97, 103 (1976). Therefore, a prison official’s deliberate

indifference to the serious medical needs of prisoners violates the Eighth

Amendment. Id. at 104. “If prison guards delay or deny access to medical care or

intentionally interfere with treatment once prescribed, the Eighth Amendment is

violated.” Washington v. Dugger, 860 F.2d 1018, 1021 (11th Cir. 1988), citing

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Estelle v. Gamble, 429 U.S. 97, 97 S.Ct. 285, 50 L.Ed.2d 251 (1976).

The court construes the plaintiff’s allegation that the “officer” moved him and

then denied him his medicine for 17 days, as an attempt to allege a denial or

interference with treatment claim. However, a complaint must “state a claim to relief

that is plausible on its face.” Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570

(2007). “A claim has facial plausibility when the plaintiff pleads factual content that

allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the

misconduct alleged.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 1949 (2009). That is, the

complaint must include enough facts “to raise a right to relief above the speculative

level.” Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555. The plaintiff does not explain his medical

condition, why he was on “the medical floor,” why he was moved from “the medical

floor,” the name and purpose of his medication, or how the officer’s conduct caused

him to go into a coma. In the absence of such facts, the court cannot say that the

plaintiff’s Eight Amendment claim is plausible. Therefore, it is due to be dismissed. 

Similarly, the Amended Complaint’s attempt to set out a completely new and

unrelated claim for denying the plaintiff his “Holy Quran” and “a pork free diet,” is

due to be dismissed as devoid of facts in support of the claim.

To the extent that the complaint attempts to allege a claim based on Alabama

law, that claim is also barred because “sheriffs and deputy sheriffs are considered

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executive officers of the state, and are therefore immune from suit in both their

official and individual capacities.” Johnson v. Conner, 720 F.3d 1311, 1313 (11th

Cir. 2013).

IV. CONCLUSION

For the foregoing reasons, this action will be DISMISSED. The plaintiff’s

motion to proceed in forma pauperis will be DENIED as moot.

DONE and ORDERED this 9th day of April, 2014.

 

 VIRGINIA EMERSON HOPKINS

United States District Judge

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