Thomas v. Melton et al

Filing 28

ORDER ADOPTING REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS - The Court ACCEPTS the Magistrate Judge's R&R and ADOPTS it as the findings; ADOC claims are DISMISSED WITH PREJUDICE; and the Motion for Summary Judgment is GRANTED and the excessive-force claim is DIMSISSED WITH PREJUDICE. Signed by Judge Liles C Burke on 2/17/2021. (AHI)

FILED
2021 Feb-18 AM 08:24
U.S. DISTRICT COURT
N.D. OF ALABAMA

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ALABAMA
SOUTHERN DIVISION
AARON MIKE THOMAS,
Plaintiff,
v.
SERGEANT CORDARO D.
MELTON, et al.,

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Case No.: 2:19-cv-966-LCB-GMB

Defendants.
ORDER
On January 20, 2021, U.S. Magistrate Judge Gray M. Borden issued a Report
and Recommendation in accordance with 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1) recommending that
Thomas’s claims against the Alabama Department of Corrections (“ADOC”) be
dismissed with prejudice. (Doc. 27). The Magistrate Judge further recommended
that Melton’s motion for summary judgment (Doc. 23) be granted and Thomas’s
Eighth Amendment excessive force claim be dismissed with prejudice. (Doc. 27).
No party has objected to the Report and Recommendation.
When a party objects to a portion of a Magistrate Judge’s report or proposed
findings or recommendations, the District Court must conduct a de novo review of
those portions of the report to which the party has specifically objected. 28 U.S.C.
§ 636(b)(1). The unchallenged portions of the Magistrate Judge’s report are
reviewed for clear error. See LoConte v. Dugger, 847 F.2d 745, 750 (11th Cir. 1988).

Accordingly, having reviewed the proposed findings and recommendations
for clear error, the Court concludes that the Magistrate Judge’s Report and
Recommendation (Doc. 27) should be ACCEPTED and hereby ADOPTS it as the
findings of the Court. The claims against the ADOC are DISMISSED WITH
PREJUDICE. Melton’s Motion for Summary Judgment (Doc. 23) is GRANTED
and Thomas’s excessive-force claim is DISMISSED WITH PREJUDICE.

DONE and ORDERED this February 17, 2021.

_________________________________
LILES C. BURKE
UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

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United States Court of Appeals
Eleventh Circuit
56 Forsyth Street, N.W.
Atlanta, Georgia 30303
David J. Smith
Clerk of Court

In Replying Give Number
of Case and Names of Parties

NOTICE TO PRISONERS CONCERNING CIVIL APPEALS
The Prison Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (effective April 26, 1996) now REQUIRES that
all prisoners pay the Court’s $500 docket fee plus $5 filing fee (for a total of $505) when appealing
any civil judgment.
If you wish to appeal in a civil case that Act now requires that upon filing a notice of
appeal you either:
(1)

Pay the total $505 fee to the clerk of the district court from which
this case arose; or

(2)

arrange to have a prison official certify to the district court from
which the appeal arose the average monthly deposits and balances
in your prison account for each of the six months preceding the filing
of a notice of appeal.

If you proceed with option (2) above, the Act requires that the district court order you to
pay an initial partial fee of at least 20% of the greater of either the average monthly deposits or
of the average monthly balances shown in your prison account. The remainder of the total $505
fee will thereafter be deducted from your prison account each month that your account balance
exceeds $10. Each such monthly deduction shall equal 20% of all deposits to your prison account
during the previous month, until the total $505 fee is paid. (If your prison account statement shows
that you cannot pay even the required initial partial fee, your appeal may nevertheless proceed,
BUT THE TOTAL $505 FEE WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST AND WILL BE DEDUCTED
FROM FUTURE DEPOSITS TO YOUR PRISON ACCOUNT.)
Fees are not refundable, regardless of outcome, and deductions from your prison account
will continue until the total $505 fee is collected, even if an appeal is unsuccessful.

David J. Smith
Clerk of Court
PLRA Notice

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