Order Form (01/2005)

United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois

Name of Assigned Judge

or Magistrate Judge

RUBÉN CASTILLO Sitting Judge if Other

than Assigned Judge

CASE NUMBER 11 C 7984 DATE 11/16/2011

CASE

TITLE

Fernando Martinez (#2010-0719185) vs. Jesús Moreno, et al.

DOCKET ENTRY TEXT:

The plaintiff’s motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis [#3] is granted. The Court authorizes and orders

Cook County Jail officials to deduct $10.68 from the plaintiff’s account, and to continue making monthly

deductions in accordance with this order. The Clerk shall send a copy of this order to the Supervisor of Inmate

Trust Fund Accounts, Cook County Dept. of Corrections Administrative Office, Division V, 2700 S. California,

Chicago, Illinois 60608. However, summonses shall not issue at this time. The Court hereby appoints William

D. Dallas, Regas, Frezados, Harp & Dallas, 111 West Washington Street, Suite 1525, Chicago, Illinois 60602,

(312) 236-4400 to represent the plaintiff in accordance with counsel’s trial bar obligations under the District

Court’s Local Rule 83.37 (N.D. Ill.). The complaint on file is dismissed without prejudice to appointed counsel

filing an amended complaint within 60 days if the amended complaint comports with appointed counsel’s

obligations under Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. 

O [For further details see text below.] Docketing to mail notices.

STATEMENT

The plaintiff, an inmate in the custody of the Cook County Department of Corrections, has brought this

pro se civil rights action pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. The plaintiff claims that the defendants, correctional

officials and health care providers at the jail, have violated the plaintiff’s constitutional rights by acting with

deliberate indifference to his safety and medical needs. More specifically, the plaintiff alleges that the defendants

have failed either to protect him from repeated attacks by his cellmate or to provide needed medical and mental

health care following the assaults. 

The plaintiff’s motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis is granted. Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §

1915(b)(1), the plaintiff is assessed an initial partial filing fee of $10.68. The supervisor of inmate trust accounts

at the Cook County Jail is authorized and ordered to collect, when funds exist, the partial filing fee from the

plaintiff’s trust fund account and pay it directly to the Clerk of Court. After payment of the initial partial filing

fee, the trust fund officer at the plaintiff’s place of confinement is directed to collect monthly payments from the

plaintiff’s trust fund account in an amount equal to 20% of the preceding month’s income credited to the account. 

(CONTINUED)

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STATEMENT (continued)

Monthly payments collected from the plaintiff’s trust fund account shall be forwarded to the Clerk of Court each

time the amount in the account exceeds $10 until the full $350 filing fee is paid. All payments shall be sent to the

Clerk, United States District Court, 219 S. Dearborn St., Chicago, Illinois 60604, attn: Cashier’s Desk, 20th Floor,

and shall clearly identify the plaintiff’s name and the case number assigned to this action. The Cook County inmate

trust account office shall notify transferee authorities of any outstanding balance in the event the plaintiff is

transferred from the jail to another correctional facility. 

Under 28 U.S.C. § 1915A, the Court is required to conduct a prompt threshold review of the complaint. 

Here, accepting the plaintiff’s allegations as true, the Court finds that the complaint articulates colorable federal

causes of action. Correctional officials may not act with deliberate indifference to a substantial risk to the safety

of a pretrial detainee. See, e.g., Washington v. LaPorte County Sheriff’s Department, 306 F.3d 515 (7th Cir. 2002);

Bell v. Wolfish, 441 U.S. 520, 535 (1979). In addition, the Due Process Clause prohibits deliberate indifference

to the serious medical needs of a pretrial detainee. Grieveson v. Anderson, 538 F.3d 763, 779 (7th Cir. 2008);

Chapman v. Keltner, 241 F. 3d 842, 845 (7th Cir. 2001). Furthermore, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh

Circuit has found that “the need for a mental illness to be treated could certainly be considered a serious medical

need.” Sanville v. McCaughtry, 266 F.3d 724, 734 (7th Cir. 2001); see also Wellman v. Faulkner, 715 F.2d 269

(7th Cir. 1983). 

Due to the serious nature of the plaintiff’s allegations, the Court hereby appoints William D. Dallas, Regas,

Frezados, Harp & Dallas, 111 West Washington Street, Suite 1525, Chicago, Illinois 60602, (312) 236-4400 to

represent the plaintiff in accordance with counsel’s trial bar obligations under the District Court’s Local Rule 83.37

(N.D. Ill.). After investigation, appointed counsel should file an amended complaint within sixty days if such

amendment comports with counsel’s obligations under Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. If counsel

is unable to file an amended complaint, he should so inform the Court.

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