Tye v. Budish
Tye v. Budish
Trial Court Opinion
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF OHIO ------------------------------------------------------- : DESHAWN TYE, : CASE NO. 1:19CV01982 : Plaintiff, : : vs. : OPINION & ORDER : [Resolving Doc. 1, 3] ARMOND BUDISH, et al., : : Defendants. : : -------------------------------------------------------
JAMES S. GWIN, UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE:
Plaintiff Deshawn Tye, a state prisoner confined at the Cuyahoga County Jail (“Jail”), brings this action pursuant to
42 U.S.C. § 1983against defendants Armond Budish, Ken Mills, Cliff Pinkney, Emily McNeeley, Douglas Dykes, and Eric Ivey (collectively “Defendants”).1 Also before the Court is Plaintiff’s motion for appointment of counsel.2 For the reasons that follow, this action is dismissed, and Plaintiff’s motion for the appointment of counsel is denied as moot. I. Background According to the Complaint, Plaintiff has been incarcerated at the that Jail since December 10, 2015. He states that during that time, he has become depressed and sought mental health treatment. When he received treatment, he received the “least or improper” treatment and was prescribed “weak medication.” Plaintiff also claims that the food trays at the Jail are unsanitary and he has at times been in lockdown for up to 20-21 hours per day
1 Doc. 1. without adequate opportunity for personal hygiene and use of the phone. Plaintiff alleges that the cells are leaky and moldy, the water contains lead, and the Jail contains asbestos. He believes the conditions in the Jail are harming his physical and mental health. For relief, Plaintiff asks this Court to compensate him in the amount of $15 Million Dollars for the conditions at the Jail which he alleges constitutes cruel and unusual punishment.3 II. Discussion A. Standard of Review Although pleadings are liberally construed,4 the Court is required to dismiss
an action under
28 U.S.C. § 1915(e) if it fails to state a claim upon which relief can be granted, or if it lacks an arguable basis in law or fact.5 A claim lacks an arguable basis in law or fact when it is premised upon an indisputably meritless legal theory or when the factual contentions are clearly baseless.6 The dismissal standard for Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6) articulated in ,7 and ,8 governs dismissal for failure to state a claim under § 1915(e)(2)(B)(ii).9 A cause of action fails to state a claim upon which relief may be granted
when it lacks plausibility in the complaint. Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2) governs basic federal
3 Doc. 1; 1-1. 4 ,
454 U.S. 364, 365(1982) (per curiam); ,
404 U.S. 519, 520(1972). 5 ,
490 U.S. 319, 328(1989); ,
99 F.3d 194, 197(6th Cir. 1996). 6 ,
490 U.S. at 327. 7
550 U.S. 544(2007). 8
556 U.S. 662(2009). 9 ,
630 F.3d 468, 470-71(6th Cir. 2010). pleading requirements10 and requires that the pleading contain a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief.11 In reviewing a complaint, the Court must construe the pleading in the light most favorable to the plaintiff.
12 B. 42U.S.C. § 1983 Plaintiff brings this action pursuant to
42 U.S.C. § 1983. In order to state a claim under § 1983, Plaintiff must plead that the Defendants, acting under color of state law, deprived him of a right secured by the Constitution and law of the United States.13 Liberally construing the Complaint, Plaintiff claims that Defendants violated his constitutional rights
under the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments to be free from cruel and unusual punishment and were deliberately indifferent to the conditions of his confinement and medical needs. Plaintiff does not, however, assert specific allegations of unconstitutional conduct against any of the Defendants. “[A]sserting a generic claim against unspecified defendants is insufficient to state a § 1983 claim[.]”14 While the Court is required to liberally construe the Complaint, it is not required to construct legal claims on Plaintiff’s behalf.15
10 ,
550 U.S. at 564. 11 ,
556 U.S. at 677-78. 12 .,
151 F.3d 559, 561(6th Cir. 1998) (citing ,
99 F.3d at 197). 13
451 U.S. 527, 535(1981), overruled on other grounds,
474 U.S. 327(1986). 14 , No. 1:18 CV 2968,
2019 WL 3766804, at *10 (N.D. Ohio Aug. 9, 2019); ,
92 F. App’x 188,190(6th Cir. 2004) (generic allegations against unspecified defendants are insufficient to support a plausible § 1983 claim). 15 ,
775 F.2d 1274,1277-78(Fourth Cir. 1985); ,
22 F. App’x 579, 580(6th Cir. 2001). To the extent that Plaintiff is claiming that Defendants are liable based upon their supervisory status, that claim fails. Supervisory officials cannot be liable for constitutional violations under
42 U.S.C. § 1983solely on the basis of .16 Accordingly, a plaintiff cannot establish the individual liability of a defendant for constitutional violations absent allegations showing that each defendant was personally involved in the conduct which forms the basis of his claims. “Because vicarious liability is inapplicable to ... § 1983 suits, a plaintiff must plead that each Government-official defendant, through the official’s own individual actions, has violated the Constitution.”17
Moreover, “[s]upervisory liability under § 1983 cannot attach where the allegation of liability is based upon a mere failure to act.”18 “Rather, the supervisors must have actively engaged in unconstitutional behavior” and “liability must lie upon more than a mere right to control employees and cannot rely on simple negligence.”19 Plaintiff has not set forth any allegations sufficient to demonstrate that the Defendants are liable for the conditions Plaintiff complains of at the Jail. Plaintiff fails to state a plausible § 1983 claim against the Defendants.
16 ,
199 F.3d 295, 300 (6th Cir. 1999) (citation omitted). 17 ,
556 U.S. at 676. 18 ,
444 F.3d 725, 751 (6th Cir. 2006) (citation omitted). 19 III. Conclusion
For the foregoing reasons, this case is dismissed pursuant to
28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2)(B) and is closed. Plaintiff’s motion for appointment of counsel is moot and denied as such.20 The Court certifies, pursuant to
28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(3), that an appeal from this decision could not be taken in good faith. IT IS SO ORDERED.
Dated:August 10, 2020 JAMES S. GWIN UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE
20 Doc. 3.
Reference
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