Richards v. Sheffield et al

Filing 16

ORDER ADOPTING 13 Report and Recommendations, OVERRULING the objections, DISMISSING from this case Defendants Sheffield, Law, Barentine, Alan, the Dodge County Law Enforcement Center, and the Medical Subcontractor. Signed by Judge Dudley H. Bowen on 10/11/2017. (maa)

FILED

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

U.S. DISTRICT COURT
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FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF GEORGIA

ZOIl OCT 1 1 p U: 28
DUBLIN DIVISION

CLERK.

DONALD M.RICHARDS, JR.,

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Plaintiff,
CV 317-023

V.

SHERIFF LYNN SHEFFIELD;
CAPTAIN LAW;LT. BARENTINE;
SGT..ALAN; SGT. DANIELS;
DODGE COUNTY LAW

ENFORCEMENT CENTER; and
MEDICAL SUBCONTRACTOR,
Defendants.

ORDER

After a careful, de novo review of the file, the Court concurs with the Magistrate

Judge's Report and Recommendation, to which objections have been filed, (doc. no. 15).
The Magistrate Judge recommended dismissal of six of seven named Defendants because
Plaintiff failed to state a claim against them upon which relief can be granted. (See doc. no.

13.) Having the benefit of the Magistrate Judge's analysis, Plaintiff attempts to avoid
dismissal of three Defendants by arguing the Magistrate Judge "misunderstood" the
allegations in the complaint. The Court disagrees with Plaintiffs argument.

First, by virtue of Plaintiffs location at Autry State Prison in Pelham, Georgia, at the
time of filing his complaint, his claims about ongoing medical treatment were correctly

interpreted as arising in the Middle District of Georgia and therefore unrelated to Defendants
at the Dodge County Law Enforcement Center, (See id. at 2, 4-5 & n.3.) Second, the

Magistrate Judge appropriately determined multiple Defendants, including the three Plaintiff
wants to stay in the case, should be dismissed because(1)Plaintiff failed to mention them by
name or raise any allegation specifically associating them with a purported constitutional
violation, and (2) liability may not be imposed by virtue of a supervisory position. (Id. at 47.) Plaintiff now alleges in conclusory fashion that his alleged improper medical treatment
occurred at the Dodge County Law Enforcement Center. (See doc. no. 15.) Furthermore,
Plaintiff asserts he told Defendants Law, Barentine, and the Medical Subcontractor at some

unidentified time, in some unidentified way, that he needed some type of medical treatment
other than what he had been provided. (Id at 2-3.)

Plaintiff may not avoid dismissal of claims and Defendants by providing piecemeal,
conclusory information in his objections that is at odds with the plain language of his original
complaint. To the extent Plaintiff wants to change the facts comprising his claims attested to

as true under penalty of perjury in his original complaint, he must follow the requirements of
Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 15 to amend those claims. However, Plaintiff may not avoid

the results of the Magistrate Judge's legally-sound analysis with an about-face change,
devoid of factual specificity, to his deficient allegations.

Therefore, the Court

OVERRULES the objections.

Accordingly, the Court ADOPTS the Report and Recommendation of the Magistrate
Judge as its opinion and DISMISSES from this case Defendants Shefheld, Law, Barentine,
Alan, the Dodge County Law Enforcement Center, and the Medical Subcontractor. The case

shall proceed against Defendant Daniels, as described in the Magistrate Judge's September 8,
2017 Order, based on the allegations concerning deliberate indifference to Plaintiffs safety at the
Dodge County Law Enforcement Center.

lis
SO ORDERED this

//

day of October, 2017, at Augusta, Georgia.
dav of

UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUD