Chapman v. Fed. Bureau of Prisons
Chapman v. Fed. Bureau of Prisons
Opinion of the Court
I. INTRODUCTION
THIS MATTER is before the Court on the Motion to Dismiss Claims Against Defendant Bureau of Prisons ("BOP") as Moot.
II. BACKGROUND
This is a prisoner civil rights lawsuit. As set forth in detail in my previous Order dated December 4, 2015, I denied Defendants' motion to dismiss Plaintiff's Eighth Amendment claims for deliberate medical indifference as to individual Defendants Santini, Osagie, and Camacho. Relevant to the pending motion to dismiss, I also denied Defendants' motion as to Plaintiff's Eighth Amendment injunctive relief claims against the BOP. I granted Defendants' motion to dismiss as to Plaintiff's Rehabilitation Act claim. (ECF No. 113, Order at 12-19). My previous Order is incorporated by reference herein.
In the pending motion, Defendant BOP asserts that because Plaintiff was transferred to another BOP facility, his claims for injunctive relief against the BOP are moot. Specifically, Plaintiff's claims arise *1207out of medical treatment he received while he was incarcerated at the U.S. Penitentiary-Administrative Maximum Security ("ADX") in Florence, Colorado. In recent months, Plaintiff was transferred to USP-Terre Haute, and is no longer housed at ADX. Defendant states that "there is no indication that [Plaintiff] would return to FCC-Florence anytime in the foreseeable future." (Mot. at 3). With this significant change in the condition of Plaintiff's confinement, Defendant BOP asserts that no prospective relief for Plaintiff's deliberate medical indifference claims remains available, and the injunctive relief claims against Defendant BOP should be dismissed as moot.
In response, Plaintiff argues that his claims for injunctive relief are not moot because I "still ha[ve] the power to grant relief against Defendant BOP ... or [I] can fashion [my] own remedy to redress the continued violation of [Plaintiff's] right to adequate medical care. (Resp. at 3). Plaintiff contends that Defendant BOP's Motion to Dismiss should be denied because despite his transfer to another facility, his medical needs have not changed. "The relief he is seeking is not institution-specific, but rather is properly characterized as constitutionally-adequate medical care wherever he is incarcerated by Defendant BOP." (Resp. at 6). Plaintiff also asserts that although he has been transferred to USP-Terre Haute, Defendant BOP continues its failure to provide adequate medical treatment for Plaintiff's Type 1 diabetes. Finally, Plaintiff argues that the doctrine of voluntary cessation applies to his injunctive claims.
III. ANALYSIS
A. The Legal Standard for Mootness
Whether a case is moot is a threshold inquiry the Court must address before addressing the merits of the case "because the existence of a live case or controversy is a constitutional prerequisite to the jurisdiction of the federal courts." Beattie v. United States ,
" 'Under the constitutional mootness doctrine, the suit must present a real and substantial controversy with respect to which relief may be fashioned.' " Sosa ,
"[A] justiciable case or controversy must remain 'extant at all stages of review, not merely at the time the complaint is filed.' "
*1208United States v. Juvenile Male ,
" 'Even if a case is not constitutionally moot, a court may dismiss [a] case under the prudential-mootness doctrine if the case is so attenuated that considerations of prudence and comity for coordinate branches of government counsel the court to stay its hand, and to withhold relief it has the power to grant.' " Sosa ,
" 'Past exposure to illegal conduct does not in itself show a present case or controversy regarding injunctive relief.' " Rezaq ,
B. Injunctive Relief
In his Amended Complaint, Plaintiff requests that "an injunction be entered against all Defendants in their official capacities requiring medical care for [Plaintiff's] Type 1 diabetes be provided in accordance with community standards of care." (Am. Compl. ¶ 203).
Here, the question is whether Plaintiff's transfer from ADX to USP-Terre Haute renders this claim moot against Defendant BOP. I find the Tenth Circuit's opinion in Abdulhaseeb v. Calbone ,
Given the reasoning set forth in Abdulhaseeb , I find that Plaintiff's injunctive relief claims against Defendant BOP are not moot. Even though Plaintiff has been transferred out of ADX, he is still in BOP custody and under the authority of the BOP. Further, because Plaintiff sued the BOP, I find that he has sued an entity capable of altering the manner in which it provides medical care for Plaintiff's Type 1 diabetes. Thus, consistent with Abdulhaseeb , relief remains available because Plaintiff is still incarcerated in BOP custody, subject to BOP policies, and a judgment in his favor may require the BOP to modify those policies.
IV. CONCLUSION
Based upon the foregoing, it is
ORDERED that the Motion to Dismiss Claims Against Defendant Bureau of Prisons as Moot (ECF No. 117) is DENIED .
The motion is filed only on behalf of Defendant BOP and not on behalf of the other named Defendants.
Plaintiff also filed three supplements to his response. While I carefully reviewed all of the pertinent materials related to this motion, I note that going forward, Plaintiff may not simply file piecemeal amendments and supplements to the allegations contained in his Amended complaint. Rule 15 permits supplemental pleadings "upon such terms as are just."
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Seifullah CHAPMAN v. FEDERAL BUREAU OF PRISONS Warden John Oliver, in his official capacity George Santini, MD, individually and in his official capacity Anthony Osagie, PA, individually and in his official capacity Ronald Camacho, PA, individually and in his official capacity
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Published