Source: http://co.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.20150418_0000861.DCO.htm/qx
Timestamp: 2018-01-17 10:58:29
Document Index: 232067999

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 1343', '§ 1983', '§ 1915', '§ 1915', '§ 1983', '§ 1983']

RICK RAEMISCH, PHYSICIANS HEALTH PARTNERS, CLINICAL SERVICES, SUSAN M. TIONA, KAREN C. MITCHELL, DAVID R. GROSS, L. MORTIN, and A. JENKINS, Defendants.
Plaintiff Mark Walter Paulsen is in the custody of the Colorado Department of Corrections and currently is incarcerated at the Buena Vista Correctional Complex-Main & Boot Camp in Buena Vista, Colorado. Plaintiff initiated this action by filing a Prisoner Complaint pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1343 and 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and a Prisoner's Motion and Affidavit for Leave to Proceed Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915. The § 1915 Motion has been granted.
Plaintiff fails to provide a short and plain statement of his claims in compliance with the pleading requirements of Rule 8 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. The claims are repetitive, not stated in a clear and concise format, and for the most part conclusory and vague. Rather than state the specific factual allegations in each claim, by asserting how named defendants violated Plaintiff's constitutional rights, Plaintiff sets forth conclusory statements that are supported only by numerous case citations.
A decision to dismiss a complaint pursuant to Rule 8 is within the trial court's sound discretion. See Atkins v. Northwest Airlines, Inc., 967 F.2d 1197, 1203 (8th Cir. 1992); Gillibeau v. City of Richmond, 417 F.2d 426, 431 (9th Cir. 1969). The Court, however, will give Plaintiff an opportunity to cure the deficiencies by submitting an Amended Complaint that meets the requirements of Fed.R.Civ.P. 8 and complies with the following directives.
To state a constitutional deprivation pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 Plaintiff must explain (1) what a defendant did to him; (2) when the defendant did it; (3) how the defendant's action harmed him; and (4) what specific legal right the defendant violated. Nasious v. Two Unknown B.I.C.E. Agents, 492 F.3d 1158, 1163 (10th Cir. 2007).
Plaintiff also is directed that he must assert personal participation by a named defendant in the alleged constitutional violation. See Bennett v. Passic, 545 F.2d 1260, 1262-63 (10th Cir. 1976). To establish personal participation, Plaintiff must show how each named individual caused the deprivation of a federal right. See Kentucky v. Graham, 473 U.S. 159, 166 (1985). There must be an affirmative link between the alleged constitutional violation and each defendant's participation, control or direction, or failure to supervise. See Butler v. City of Norman, 992 F.2d 1053, 1055 (10th Cir. 1993).
Supervisors can only be held liable for their own misconduct. See Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 676 (2009). A supervisor cannot incur liability under § 1983 for his mere knowledge of a subordinate's wrongdoing. Id.; see also Fogarty v. Gallegos, 523 F.3d 1147, 1162 (10th Cir. 2008) ("[Section] 1983 does not recognize a concept of strict supervisor liability; the defendant's role must be more than one of abstract authority over individuals who actually committed a constitutional violation."). Furthermore,
Finally, the factors used to decide whether to appoint counsel generally include the merits of the claims, the nature of the factual issues raised, the plaintiff's ability to present his claims, and the complexity of the legal issues being raised. See Rucks v. Boergermann, 57 F.3d 978, 979 (10th Cir. 1995). "The burden is on the [plaintiff] to convince the court that there is sufficient merit to his claim to warrant the appointment of counsel." McCarthy v. Weinberg, 753 F.2d 836, 838 (10th Cir. 1985). Plaintiff fails to demonstrate that appointment of counsel is necessary or appropriate at this time. Plaintiff does not demonstrate that he is unable to provide a clear and concise statement of the claims he is asserting and his request for counsel at this time is necessary. Accordingly, it is
ORDERED that Plaintiff shall have thirty days from the date of this Order to file an Amended ...