Opinion ID: 729914
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Mork

Text: 4 As in the district court, Mork contends on appeal that Dietzen's claims against him are barred by claim preclusion (res judicata ). The three elements that are necessary to apply res judicata are: (1) a final judgment on the merits in an earlier action; (2) an identity of the cause of action in both the earlier and later suit; and (3) an identity of parties or privies in the two suits. People Who Care v. Rockford Bd. of Educ., 68 F.3d 172, 177 (7th Cir.1995). Dietzen previously made almost exactly the same assertions regarding his placement in segregation and the conditions of his confinement against Mork in a suit dismissed for failure to state a claim. Dietzen v. Mork, No. 90-C-1191 (E.D.Wis. Jan. 9, 1991) (appellee's appendix 106). Such a dismissal acts as adjudication on the merits. Cannon v. Loyola Univ. of Chicago, 784 F.2d 777, 780 (7th Cir.1986), cert. denied, 479 U.S. 1033 (1987). Thus, Dietzen's claims against Mork in the instant suit are barred by res judicata, and Mork cannot be held liable for the conditions of Dietzen's pre-trial confinement. 5 Dietzen failed to support his allegations that Mork conspired with Snider to keep him in solitary confinement until he accepted a plea agreement, and he presented no evidence that Mork had personal knowledge of the refusal to give Dietzen a phone call. Thus, summary judgment was properly granted on those claims.