Court Opinion

ID: 9366813
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-01-28 01:00:22.058361+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:15:55.111506
License: Public Domain

Case: 21-40783        Document: 00516625976             Page: 1      Date Filed: 01/27/2023

             United States Court of Appeals
                  for the Fifth Circuit
                                     ____________                  United States Court of Appeals
                                                                            Fifth Circuit

                                       No. 21-40783                       FILED
                                                                    January 27, 2023
                                     ____________
                                                                     Lyle W. Cayce
   Lawrence Lee,                                                          Clerk

                                                                   Plaintiff—Appellant,

                                            versus

   Lorie Davis; Pamela Pace; Unknown Party, Head Warden,
   Coffield Unit; John Doe, University of Texas Medical Branch; John
   Doe, Northeast Texas Public Health District Regional Laboratory; John
   Doe, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Public Drinking Water,

                                              Defendants—Appellees.
                     ______________________________

                     Appeal from the United States District Court
                          for the Eastern District of Texas
                               USDC No. 6:21-CV-147
                     ______________________________

   Before Haynes, Engelhardt, and Oldham, Circuit Judges.
   Per Curiam:*
         Lawrence Lee, Texas prisoner # 1641724, requests leave to proceed in
   forma pauperis (IFP) in his appeal of the district court’s dismissal with
   prejudice of his 42 U.S.C. § 1983 complaint for failure to state a claim. See
   28 U.S.C. § 1915A(b). He alleged that he contracted an H. pylori bacterial

         _____________________
         *
             This opinion is not designated for publication. See 5th Cir. R. 47.5.
Case: 21-40783      Document: 00516625976            Page: 2    Date Filed: 01/27/2023

                                      No. 21-40783

   infection after consuming bad-smelling, dark-colored drinking water in
   prison and that he experienced strong stomach pain due to the infection,
   which persisted after he received treatment.
          To proceed IFP, Lee must demonstrate financial eligibility and a
   nonfrivolous issue for appeal. See Carson v. Polley, 689 F.2d 562, 586 (5th
   Cir. 1982). We apply de novo review to dismissals for failure to state a claim
   pursuant to the Prison Litigation Reform Act. See DeMoss v. Crain, 636 F.3d
   145, 152 (5th Cir. 2011). A plaintiff fails to state a claim upon which relief can
   be granted when the claim does not contain “‘enough facts to state a claim
   to relief that is plausible on its face.’” In re Katrina Canal Breaches Litig., 495
   F.3d 191, 205 (5th Cir. 2007) (quoting Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S.
   544, 570 (2007)).
          Even if Lee sufficiently alleged facts to show that contaminated water
   caused his infection, he failed to allege any facts to show that the defendants
   were subjectively aware of an excessive risk to inmate health or safety created
   by the water. See Herman v. Holiday, 238 F.3d 660, 664 (5th Cir. 2001). To
   the extent that Lee attempted to raise a claim of inadequate medical care, he
   alleged only that the provided medical treatment did not alleviate his
   symptoms, which was insufficient to state a denial-of-medical-care claim that
   was plausible on its face. See In re Katrina Canal Breaches, 495 F.3d at 205;
   Domino v. Tex. Dep’t of Crim. Just., 239 F.3d 752, 756 (5th Cir. 2001).
          Because Lee has not demonstrated that his appeal involves “legal
   points arguable on their merits,” his motion to proceed IFP is DENIED,
   and his appeal is DISMISSED as frivolous. Howard v. King, 707 F.2d 215,
   220 (5th Cir. 1983) (internal quotation marks and citation omitted); see Baugh
   v. Taylor, 117 F.3d 197, 202 n.24 (5th Cir. 1997); 5th Cir. R. 42.2.
          The district court’s dismissal for failure to state a claim and our
   dismissal of this appeal as frivolous count as “strikes” under 28 U.S.C.

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Case: 21-40783      Document: 00516625976          Page: 3   Date Filed: 01/27/2023

                                    No. 21-40783

   § 1915(g). See Coleman v. Tollefson, 575 U.S. 532, 537-39 (2015). Lee is
   WARNED that if he accumulates three strikes, he will not be able to
   proceed IFP in any civil action or appeal filed while he is incarcerated or
   detained in any facility unless he is under imminent danger of serious physical
   injury. See § 1915(g).

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