Conyers v. Fitzpatrick et al

Filing 4

WRITTEN Opinion entered by the Honorable John J. Tharp, Jr on 8/8/2012: The plaintiff's motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis [# 3 ] is granted. The court authorizes and orders Cook County Jail officials to deduct $1.67 from the p laintiff's account, and to continue making monthly deductions in accordance with this order. The clerk shall send a copy of this order to the Supervisor of Inmate Trust Fund Accounts, Cook County Dept. of Corrections Administrative Office, Divis ion V, 2700 S. California, Chicago, Illinois 60608. The clerk is directed to issue summonses for service on the defendants by the U.S. Marshal. The clerk is also directed to send the plaintiff a magistrate judge consent form and filing instructions along with a copy of this order. (For further details see text below.) Mailed notice.(psm, )

Order Form (01/2005)

United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois
Name of Assigned Judge
or Magistrate Judge

JOHN J. THARP, JR.

CASE NUMBER

12 C 6144

CASE
TITLE

Sitting Judge if Other
than Assigned Judge

DATE

8/8/2012

Blake H. Conyers (#2012-0227094) vs. James Fitzpatrick, et al.

DOCKET ENTRY TEXT:

The plaintiff’s motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis [#3] is granted. The court authorizes and orders
Cook County Jail officials to deduct $1.67 from the plaintiff’s account, and to continue making monthly
deductions in accordance with this order. The clerk shall send a copy of this order to the Supervisor of Inmate
Trust Fund Accounts, Cook County Dept. of Corrections Administrative Office, Division V, 2700 S. California,
Chicago, Illinois 60608. The clerk is directed to issue summonses for service on the defendants by the U.S.
Marshal. The clerk is also directed to send the plaintiff a magistrate judge consent form and filing instructions
along with a copy of this order.
O

Docketing to mail notices.

[For further details see text below.]

STATEMENT
The plaintiff, an inmate in the custody of the Cook County Department of Corrections, has brought this
pro se civil rights action pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. The plaintiff claims that the defendants, Chicago police
officers, violated the plaintiff’s constitutional rights by detaining him for no reason, falsely arresting him,
conducting an illegal search, using excessive force against him, denying him needed medical care for his injuries,
fabricating evidence, committing perjury, and wrongfully disposing of the property that was seized and
inventoried when he was arrested. The plaintiff further contends that the City of Chicago has unconstitutional
policies in place of authorizing or condoning the use of excessive force by its police officers, and of destroying
inmates’ seized property without due process.
The plaintiff’s motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis is granted. Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §
1915(b)(1), the plaintiff is assessed an initial partial filing fee of $1.67. The supervisor of inmate trust accounts
at the Cook County Jail is authorized and ordered to collect, when funds exist, the partial filing fee from the
plaintiff’s trust fund account and pay it directly to the Clerk of Court. After payment of the initial partial filing
fee, the trust fund officer at the plaintiff’s place of confinement is directed to collect monthly payments from the
plaintiff’s trust fund account in an amount equal to 20% of the preceding month’s income credited to the account
(CONTINUED)
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STATEMENT (continued)
Monthly payments collected from the plaintiff’s trust fund account shall be forwarded to the Clerk of Court each
time the amount in the account exceeds $10 until the full $350 filing fee is paid. All payments shall be sent to the
Clerk, United States District Court, 219 S. Dearborn St., Chicago, Illinois 60604, attn: Cashier’s Desk, 20th Floor,
and shall clearly identify the plaintiff’s name and the case number assigned to this action. The Cook County inmate
trust account office shall notify transferee authorities of any outstanding balance in the event the plaintiff is
transferred from the jail to another correctional facility.
Under 28 U.S.C. § 1915A, the court is required to conduct a prompt initial review of prisoner complaints
against governmental entities or employees. Here, accepting the plaintiff’s factual allegations as true, the court
finds that the complaint states colorable causes of action under the Civil Rights Act. While a more fully developed
record may belie the plaintiff’s claims, the defendants must respond to the allegations in the complaint.
The clerk shall issue summonses for service of the complaint on the defendants. The clerk shall also send
the plaintiff a Magistrate Judge Consent Form and Instructions for Submitting Documents along with a copy of this
order.
The United States Marshals Service is appointed to serve the defendants. Any service forms necessary for
the plaintiff to complete will be sent by the Marshal as appropriate to serve the defendants with process. The U.S.
Marshal is directed to make all reasonable efforts to serve the defendants. With respect to any defendant who can
no longer be found at the work address provided by the plaintiff, the Chicago Police Department shall furnish the
Marshal with the defendant’s last-known address. The information shall be used only for purposes of effectuating
service [or for proof of service, should a dispute arise] and any documentation of the address shall be retained only
by the Marshal. Address information shall not be maintained in the court file, nor disclosed by the Marshal. The
Marshal is authorized to mail a request for waiver of service to the defendants in the manner prescribed by Fed. R.
Civ. P. 4(d)(2) before attempting personal service.
The plaintiff is advised that there is a two-year statute of limitations for civil rights actions. See, e.g.,
Dominguez v. Hendley, 545 F.3d 585, 588 (7th Cir. 2008); 735 ILCS § 5/13-202. The plaintiff should therefore
avail himself of the discovery process as soon as possible in order to identify the John Doe officers. See
Worthington v. Wilson, 8 F.3d 1253, 1256-57 (7th Cir. 1993); see also Wood v. Worachek, 618 F.2d 1225, 1230
(7th Cr. 1980).
The plaintiff is instructed to file all future papers concerning this action with the Clerk of Court in care of
the Prisoner Correspondent. The plaintiff must provide the court with the original plus a complete judge’s copy,
including any exhibits, of every document filed. In addition, the plaintiff must send an exact copy of any court
filing to the defendants [or to defense counsel, once an attorney has entered an appearance on behalf of the
defendants]. Every document filed with the court must include a certificate of service stating to whom exact copies
were mailed and the date of mailing. Any paper that is sent directly to the judge or that otherwise fails to comply
with these instructions may be disregarded by the court or returned to the plaintiff.

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