Hermreck v. Lincoln County, Missouri et al

Filing 4

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER:IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that plaintiff's motion to proceed in forma pauperis [Doc. # 2 ] is GRANTED. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the plaintiff shall pay an initial filing fee of $13.33 within thirty (30) days of the date of this Order. Plaintiff is instructed to make his remittance payable to Clerk, United States District Court, and to include upon it: (1) his name; (2) his prison registration number; (3) the case number; and (4) that the remittance is for an ori ginal proceeding. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that this action is DISMISSED pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2)(B). An Order of Dismissal will accompany this Memorandum and Order. ( Initial Partial Filing Fee due by 5/17/2015.). Signed by District Judge Carol E. Jackson on 4/17/15. (JAB)

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
EASTERN DISTRICT OF MISSOURI
EASTERN DIVISION
GARY LEE HERMRECK,
Plaintiff,
v.
LINCOLN COUNTY, MISSOURI, et al.,
Defendants.

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No. 4:15CV562 CEJ

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER
This matter is before the Court upon the motion of plaintiff, Gary Lee Hermreck,
(registration no. 531774), an inmate at St. Louis County Justice Center, for leave to commence
this action without payment of the required filing fee. For the reasons stated below, the Court
finds that plaintiff does not have sufficient funds to pay the entire filing fee and will assess an
initial partial filing fee of $13.33. See 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(1). Furthermore, based upon a
review of the complaint, the Court finds that the complaint should be dismissed pursuant to 28
U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2)(B).
28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(1)
Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(1), a prisoner bringing a civil action in forma pauperis is
required to pay the full amount of the filing fee. If the prisoner has insufficient funds in his or
her prison account to pay the entire fee, the Court must assess and, when funds exist, collect an
initial partial filing fee of 20 percent of the greater of (1) the average monthly deposits in the
prisoner's account, or (2) the average monthly balance in the prisoner's account for the prior sixmonth period. After payment of the initial partial filing fee, the prisoner is required to make
monthly payments of 20 percent of the preceding month's income credited to the prisoner's
account. 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(2). The agency having custody of the prisoner will forward these

monthly payments to the Clerk of Court each time the amount in the prisoner's account exceeds
$10, until the filing fee is fully paid. Id.
Plaintiff has submitted an affidavit and a certified copy of his prison account statement
for the six-month period immediately preceding the submission of his complaint. A review of
plaintiff's account indicates an average monthly deposit of $66.67, and an average monthly
balance of $38.00. Plaintiff has insufficient funds to pay the entire filing fee. Accordingly, the
Court will assess an initial partial filing fee of $13.33, which is 20 percent of plaintiff's average
monthly deposit.
28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)
Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. ' 1915(e)(2)(B), the Court must dismiss a complaint filed in forma
pauperis if the action is frivolous, malicious, fails to state a claim upon which relief can be
granted, or seeks monetary relief from a defendant who is immune from such relief. An action is
frivolous if it Alacks an arguable basis in either law or fact.@ Neitzke v. Williams, 490 U.S. 319,
328 (1989); Denton v. Hernandez, 504 U.S. 25, 31 (1992). An action is malicious if it is
undertaken for the purpose of harassing the named defendants and not for the purpose of
vindicating a cognizable right. Spencer v. Rhodes, 656 F. Supp. 458, 461-63 (E.D.N.C. 1987),
aff=d 826 F.2d 1059 (4th Cir. 1987). A complaint fails to state a claim if it does not plead
Aenough facts to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.@ Bell Atlantic Corp. v.
Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570 (2007).
The Complaint
Plaintiff brings this action pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 alleging violations of his civil
rights. Named as defendants are: Lincoln County, Missouri; Unknown Officer Roger; Unknown
Officer Stacey; and Unknown Jail Nurse. Plaintiff alleges that all of the individual defendants
were employees at the Lincoln County Jail.

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Plaintiff asserts that in February of 2015 he was being held in the Lincoln County Jail
awaiting adjudication on a criminal matter. He claims that defendant Nurse interviewed him and
noted his medical conditions, some of which required prescribed medications. Plaintiff asserts
that on several different dates, Officers Stacey and Roger passed out prescribed medications. He
claims that on one occasion when either Officer Stacey or Officer Roger was passing out his
medication, he became very ill and started vomiting and required respiratory assistance. 1
Plaintiff asserts that the defendant Nurse should not have allowed the Officers to pass out
medications to the offenders at Lincoln County Jail.
Plaintiff requests injunctive and monetary relief from defendants for his alleged injuries.
Discussion
The complaint is silent as to whether defendants are being sued in their official or
individual capacities. Where a “complaint is silent about the capacity in which [plaintiff] is
suing defendant, [a district court must] interpret the complaint as including only official-capacity
claims.” Egerdahl v. Hibbing Community College, 72 F.3d 615, 619 (8th Cir. 1995); Nix v.
Norman, 879 F.2d 429, 431 (8th Cir. 1989). Naming a government official in his or her official
capacity is the equivalent of naming the government entity that employs the official. Will v.
Michigan Dep’t of State Police, 491 U.S. 58, 71 (1989). To state a claim against a municipality
or a government official in his or her official capacity, plaintiff must allege that a policy or
custom of the government entity is responsible for the alleged constitutional violation. Monell v.
Dep’t of Social Services, 436 U.S. 658, 690-91 (1978). The instant complaint does not contain
any allegations that a policy or custom of a government entity was responsible for the alleged

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Plaintiff does not indicate that he suffered any long-term ill effects from this alleged incident.
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violations of plaintiff’s constitutional rights. As a result, the complaint fails to state a claim upon
which relief can be granted.2
Accordingly,
IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that plaintiff's motion to proceed in forma pauperis [Doc.
#2] is GRANTED.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the plaintiff shall pay an initial filing fee of $13.33
within thirty (30) days of the date of this Order. Plaintiff is instructed to make his remittance
payable to “Clerk, United States District Court,” and to include upon it: (1) his name; (2) his
prison registration number; (3) the case number; and (4) that the remittance is for an original
proceeding.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that this action is DISMISSED pursuant to 28 U.S.C.
§ 1915(e)(2)(B).
An Order of Dismissal will accompany this Memorandum and Order.
Dated this 17th day of April, 2015.

CAROL E. JACKSON
UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

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The Court notes that plaintiff has since been moved from the Lincoln County Jail to the St.
Louis County Justice Center. Thus, his request for injunctive relief is moot. See Randolph v.
Rodgers, 253 F.3d 342, 345-46 (2001) (request for injunctive relief is moot as to prison officials
not currently employed at current place of incarceration).
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