Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ared-2_18-cv-00171/USCOURTS-ared-2_18-cv-00171-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Alexander
Defendant
Joseph Dauck
Defendant
Delosangeles Harper
Plaintiff
Morris
Defendant

Document Text:

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

EASTERN DISTRICT OF ARKANSAS

DELTA DIVISION

DELOSANGELES HARPER, PLAINTIFF

ADC #139885

v. Case No. 2:18-cv-00171-KGB-JTK

JOSEPH DAUCK, et al. DEFENDANTS

ORDER

The Court has received Proposed Findings and Recommendations submitted by United 

States Magistrate Judge Jerome T. Kearney (Dkt. No. 39). Plaintiff Delosangeles Harper filed 

objections to the Proposed Findings and Recommendations (Dkt. No. 45). After careful review of 

the Proposed Findings and Recommendations and Mr. Harper’s objections, as well as a de novo 

review of the record, the Court adopts the Proposed Findings and Recommendations as its findings 

in all respects (Dkt. No. 17). 

The Court writes separately to address Mr. Harper’s objections. Judge Kearney 

recommends that defendants Sergeant Joseph Dauck and Corporal John Alexander’s motion for 

summary judgment on the issue of exhaustion be granted and that Mr. Harper’s claims against 

Sergeant Dauck and Corporal Alexander be dismissed without prejudice (Dkt. No. 39, at 7). Mr. 

Harper objects to Judge Kearney’s finding that he failed to exhaust his administrative remedies 

with regard to Corporal Alexander (Dkt. No. 45, at 1). Mr. Harper contests the defendants’ claim 

that he did not exhaust his administrative remedies as to Corporal Alexander because he never 

referred to Corporal Alexander by name and never corrected the misidentification even after the 

Warden’s response to his complaint (Id., at 2). However, Judge Kearney rejected the defendants’ 

contention and found that “the Warden’s correction of [Corporal] Alexander’s identity in his 

response was sufficient to meet the requirement of naming the party involved” (Dkt. No. 39, at 7). 

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Mr. Harper also claims that Judge Kearney erred in finding that the failure to protect issue

that Mr. Harper raises against Corporal Alexander was never addressed in the prison grievance 

process and, therefore, was not exhausted (Dkt. Nos. 39 at 7, 45 at 3). Mr. Harper contends that 

prison officials understood his Step One grievance to raise the specific allegations against Corporal

Alexander now raised in his complaint (Dkt. No. 45, at 4). However, this Court agrees with Judge 

Kearney’s finding that the issue was not exhausted because Mr. Harper never alleged or even 

referred to a failure to protect claim in his initial grievance complaint statement and because Mr. 

Harper’s appeal statement that Corporal Alexander “stood at the door and did nothing” was not 

acknowledged or addressed by the Director in the appeal (Dkt. No. 39, at 7). Accordingly, this 

Court adopts Judge Kearney’s recommendation (Dkt. No. 39). 

It is therefore ordered that:

1. Sergeant Dauck and Corporal Alexander’s motion for summary judgment is 

granted (Dkt. No. 24); and

2. Sergeant Dauck and Corporal Alexander are dismissed without prejudice as 

defendants from this action.

Mr. Harper may proceed with his claims against Sergeant Johnny Morris.

1

 

1

In his Proposed Findings and Recommendations, Judge Kearney states that, according to 

the affidavit of Terri Grigsby, the Inmate Grievance Supervisor, “[Mr. Harper] did exhaust his 

administrative remedies as to his excessive force claim against [Corporal] Alexander.” (Dkt. No. 

39, at 4). However, the Court notes that Ms. Grigsby’s affidavit states that “[Mr. Harper] has 

failed to exhaust his administrative remedies with regard to [Corporal] Alexander” and “[Mr. 

Harper] exhausted his administrative remedies with regard to grievance #GR-18-00810 against 

[Sergeant] Morris.” (Dkt. No. 24-2, ¶¶ 11, 13). Accordingly, the Court interprets the Proposed 

Findings and Recommendations to indicate that Mr. Harper exhausted his administrative remedies 

with regard to Sergeant Morris but that Mr. Harper failed to do so with regard to Corporal 

Alexander for the claims he purports to bring in this action.

Case 2:18-cv-00171-KGB Document 52 Filed 02/11/20 Page 2 of 3
It is so ordered this 11th day of February, 2020.

_______________________________

Kristine G. Baker

United States District Judge

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