BURNEY v. KIMBALL et al
Filing
3
OPINION. Signed by Judge Claire C. Cecchi on 1/15/2015. (ld, )
NOT FOR PUBLICATION
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
DISTRICT OF NEW JERSEY
JAMAR BURNEY,
Civil Action No.
13-3126
(CCC)
Plaintiff,
v.
SGT.
N.
KIMBALL,
:
OPINION
et al.,
Defendants.
APPEARANCES:
JAMAR BURNEY, Plaintiff pro se
#000641
East Jersey State Prison
Special Treatment Unit
8 Production Way, CN—905
Avenel, New Jersey 07001
—
CECCHI,
District Judge
Plaintiff,
Jamar Burney,
an involuntarily committed person
pursuant to the Sexually Violent Predator Act
30:4—27,24,
pauperis.
et seq.,
(“SVPA”),
N.J.S.A.
seeks to bring this action in forms
Based on his affidavit of indigence,
the Court will
grant pl6intiff’s application t.o proceed in forma pauperis
(“IEP”)
pursuant to 28 U.S.C.
§ 1915(a)
and order the Clerk of
the Court to file the Complaint.
At this time,
to 28 U.S.C.
the Court must review the Complaint,
§ 1915(e) (2) (B),
pursuant
to determine whether it should be
dismissed as frivolous or malicious, for failure to state a
claim upon which relief may be granted, or because it seeks
monetary relief from a defendant who is immune from such relief.
For the reasons set forth below, the Court concludes that
Plaintiff’s claims asserting the use of excessive force and
denial of medical care should proceed at this time, but that his
denial of freedom of association and state law defamation claims
should be dismissed without prejudice.
I.
BACKGROUND
Plaintiff, Jamar Burney (“Plaintiff”), brings this civil
action, pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983, against the following
defendants:
Sergeant M. Kimball, State Correctional Officer
(“SCO”) Brown; SCO Higgins; and SCO T. Nacca.’
Complaint, Caption, and ¶1 4b, 4c.)
(Docket 1 1,
The following factual
allegations are taken from the Complaint, and are accepted for
purposes of this screening only.
The Court has made no findings
as to the veracity of Plaintiff’s allegations.
Plaintiff alleges that, on May 9, 2013, Defendant Higgins
caine to the South Unit, at the East Jersey State Prison—Special
Treatment Unit (“EJSP-STU”), and threatened Plaintiff with
This
1 Court notes that Plaintiff filed an earlier Complaint,
Burney v. Hyatt, et al., Civil No. 13—2263 (CCC), on April 10,
2013, one month before filing the instant action. That earlier
Complaint was dismissed without prejudice.
2
“severe bodily harm.”
(Id., ¶ 6.)
Another officer, SCO Aziz
allegedly observed the incident but did not report it.
(Id.)
The next day, on May 10, 2013, Plaintiff was admitted to
the “Annex Facility Hospital” for treatment of a blood clot in
his leg.
him.
He was returned to D—Unit until a doctor could see
On May 12, 2013, at about 2:15 p.m., Defendant Higgins
came up to Plaintiff while he was on the telephone with his wife
and proceeded to punch Plaintiff in the face.
Defendant Brown
had admitted Higgins in the Unit area and had observed Higgins’
actions.
She came out of the booth and stood between Plaintiff
and Higgins and told Higgins to stop punching Plaintiff.
Higgins hit Plaintiff a couple times more and left the unit.
Plaintiff alleges that he sustained a fractured jaw from the
incident.
He also alleges that Higgins had been assigned to
another unit that day, but came to D—Unit for the purpose of
assaulting Plaintiff.
(Id.)
Plaintiff also alleges that Defendant Kimball, the
supervising officer, “failed to allow a nurse or a doctor to
examine [Plaintiff’s] jaw,” and disregarded Plaintiff’s “pleas”
for medical attention.
from pain.
Plaintiff now cannot “talk properly”
(Id.)
Plaintiff further alleges that Kimball authorized Higgins
to leave his post to assault Plaintiff, and that Kimball and
3
Defendant Nacca laughed about the incident.
2
(Id.)
Plaintiff
contends that Kimball stated that, “the next time [Plaintiff]
talks to the Star Ledger, he’ll think twice.”
(Id.)
In an addendum filed on May 24, 2013, Plaintiff admits that
he was taken to the hospital on May 14, 2013 for treatment of
his injuries.
He generally alleges that supervisory officials,
Unit Director Shantay Braine Adams and Clinical Director Merrill
Main ignore these “serious situations” with the Department of
Corrections (“DOC”) officers.
(Dkt. * 2, Addendum at 2.)
Plaintiff further alleges that there are no investigations of
these assaults on residents by DOC officers, but rather the
residents are charged with disciplinary infractions.
(Id. at 2-
4.)
Plaintiff next complains that, on May 15, 2013, residents
of South Unit were brought to the yard while officers searched
the residents’ cells.
Plaintiff alleges that this conduct has
occurred for three weeks “in retaliation and harassment of some
residents telling the truth” about correctional officers
committing assault on residents.
(Id. at 4.)
Plaintiff further
alleges that the videotape of Higgins assaulting Plaintiff was
lost.
He also alleges that Higgins broke his hand when he
Plaintiff
2 also alleges that Defendant Nacca participated in
Defendant Higgins’ assault.
4
struck Plaintiff,
the incident.
places.
(Id.
but that is not mentioned in any reports of
Plaintiff’s jaw allegedly was broken in three
at 5-7.)
Plaintiff also alleges that he was returned to the same
environment where he was assaulted and that Defendant Higgins
has a post in that area.
He alleges that he had an I.V. when
Higgins assaulted him on May 12,
2013,
and that his parents and
girlfriend came to the EJSP-STU the day he was assaulted but
were refused visitation.
Plaintiff further alleges that his
parents came to the Union Memorial Hospital before,
after his surgery for his broken jaw,
see Plaintiff.
(Id.
but were not permitted to
at 7-10.)
Plaintiff alleges that since May 20,
2013,
he has been
locked in cell #18 in D—Unit with no phone calls,
showers,
etc.
during and
visits,
Plaintiff further complains that the
administrators and Internal Affairs Department at EJSP—STU are
ignoring his requests to speak to witnesses of the assault,
and
that Ombudsman Kenneth Rozon is ‘hiding statements that he
received from
[Plaintiff’s]
witnesses”
(Id,
at 11,
12,)
Plaintiff asserts violations of his freedom of association and
defamation of character,
in addition to claims of excessive
force and denial of medical care.
5
(Id.
at 13.)
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U.S.C.
159,
§ 1915(e) (2) (B));
162
(3d Cir,
2008)
Courteau v.
(28 U.S.C.
United States,
§ 1915A(b)).
the Supreme Court’s decision in Ashcroft v.
that offers
‘labels or conclusions’
or
287 P. App’x
According to
Iqbal,
“a pleading
‘a formulaic recitation
of the elements of a cause of action will n.ot do.’”
662,
678
U.S.
544,
(2009)
555
(quoting Bell Atlantic Corp.
(2007)).
Rather,
v.
556 U.S.
Twombly,
550
to prevent surrnary dismissal,
the complaint must allege “sufficient factual matter” to show
that the claim is facially plausible.
578 P.3d 203,
210
(3d Cir.
2009)
Bowler v.
(citation omitted).
while pro se pleadings are liberally construed,
Gen.,
655 F.3d 333,
339
UPMS Shadyside,
(3d Cir.
2011),
Moreover,
Higgs v.
Atty.
“pro se litigants still
must allege sufficient facts in their complaints to support a
claim.”
Cir.
Mala v.
2013)
Crown Bay Marina,
(citation omitted)
.
Inc.,
704 F.3d 239,
Nonetheless,
245
(3d
courts must be
cognizant that the Iqbal standard “is not akin to a probability
requirement.”
Officials,
U.S.
Covington v.
710 F.3d 114,
at 678)
118
Int’l Ass’n of Approved Basketball
(3d Cir.
2013)
(quoting Iqbal,
556
(Internal quotation marks omitted)
III.
SECTION 1983 ACTIONS
Plain.tiff brings this action pursu.ant to 42 U.S.C.
Section 1983 provides in relevant part:
7
§ 1983.
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