Murray v. City of New York et al

Filing 11

ORDER OF SERVICE: The Clerk of Court is directed to electronically notify the New York City Department of Correction and the New York City Law Department of this order. The Court requests that Defendants City of New York and C.O. Bond #2 413 waive service of summons. The Clerk of Court is further instructed to issue a summons for New York City Health + Hospitals, complete the USM-285 form with the address for Defendant, and deliver all documents necessary to effect service to the U .S. Marshals Service. The Court additionally directs the Clerk of Court to mail copies of this order and copies of the complaint to: (1) NYC Health + Hospitals, 50 Water Street, 17th Floor, New York, New York 10004; and (2) Physician Affiliate Group of New York, P.C., 55 West 125th Street, Suite 1001, New York, New York 10027. The Clerk of Court is also directed to mail an information package to Plaintiff. An amended complaint form is attached to this order. SO ORDERED. Waiver of Service due by 12/26/2024. (Signed by Judge J. Paul Oetken on 11/26/2024) (vfr) Transmission to Pro Se Assistants for processing.

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK
ROBERT LEE MURRAY,
Plaintiff,
-against-

24-CV-6023 (JPO)

CITY OF NEW YORK; NEW YORK CITY
HEALTH + HOSPITALS; C.O. BOND #2413;
DOCTOR JOHN DOE,

ORDER OF SERVICE

Defendants.
J. PAUL OETKEN, United States District Judge:
Plaintiff, currently detained on Rikers Island, in the custody of the New York City
Department of Correction (“DOC”), brings this pro se action under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, alleging
that Defendants violated his federally protected rights. By order dated October 2, 2024, the Court
granted Plaintiff’s request to proceed without prepayment of fees, that is, in forma pauperis
(“IFP”).1
DISCUSSION
A.

Service on New York City and DOC Defendant
The Clerk of Court is directed to notify DOC and the New York City Law Department of

this order. The Court requests that the City of New York and C.O. Bond #2413 waive service of
summons.

1

Prisoners are not exempt from paying the full filing fee even when they have been
granted permission to proceed IFP. See 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(1).

B.

Service on New York City Health + Hospitals
Because Plaintiff has been granted permission to proceed IFP, he is entitled to rely on the

Court and the U.S. Marshals Service to effect service.2 Walker v. Schult, 717 F.3d. 119, 123 n.6
(2d Cir. 2013); see also 28 U.S.C. § 1915(d) (“The officers of the court shall issue and serve all
process . . . in [IFP] cases.”); Fed. R. Civ. P. 4(c)(3) (the court must order the Marshals Service to
serve if the plaintiff is authorized to proceed IFP)).
To allow Plaintiff to effect service on Defendant New York City Health + Hospitals
through the U.S. Marshals Service, the Clerk of Court is instructed to fill out a U.S. Marshals
Service Process Receipt and Return form (“USM-285 form”) for Defendant. The Clerk of Court
is further instructed to issue summonses and deliver to the Marshals Service all the paperwork
necessary for the Marshals Service to effect service upon Defendant.
If the complaint is not served within 90 days after the date the summons is issued,
Plaintiff should request an extension of time for service. See Meilleur v. Strong, 682 F.3d 56, 63
(2d Cir. 2012) (holding that it is the plaintiff’s responsibility to request an extension of time for
service).
Plaintiff must notify the Court in writing if his address changes, and the Court may
dismiss the action if Plaintiff fails to do so.
C.

John Doe Doctor
Under Valentin v. Dinkins, a pro se litigant is entitled to assistance from the district court

in identifying a defendant. 121 F.3d 72, 76 (2d Cir. 1997). In the complaint, Plaintiff may supply

2

Although Rule 4(m) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure generally requires that a
summons be served within 90 days of the date the complaint is filed, Plaintiff is proceeding IFP
and could not have effected service until the Court reviewed the complaint and ordered that any
summonses be issued. The Court therefore extends the time to serve until 90 days after the date
any summonses issue.

sufficient information to permit H+H to identify the John Doe doctor named in the complaint. It
is therefore ordered that H+H and the Physician Affiliate Group of New York, P.C. (“PAGNY”)
must ascertain the identity of the John Doe doctor whom Plaintiff seeks to sue here and the
address where the defendant may be served. H+H or PAGNY must provide this information to
Plaintiff and the Court within sixty days of the date of this order.
Within thirty days of receiving this information, Plaintiff must file an amended complaint
naming the John Doe defendant. The amended complaint will replace, not supplement, the
original complaint. An amended complaint form that Plaintiff should complete is attached to this
order. Once Plaintiff has filed an amended complaint, the Court will screen the amended
complaint and, if necessary, issue an order directing the Clerk of Court to complete the USM-285
forms with the addresses for the named John Doe Defendant and deliver all documents necessary
to effect service to the U.S. Marshals Service.
CONCLUSION
The Clerk of Court is directed to electronically notify the New York City Department of
Correction and the New York City Law Department of this order. The Court requests that
Defendants City of New York and C.O. Bond #2413 waive service of summons.
The Clerk of Court is further instructed to issue a summons for New York City Health +
Hospitals, complete the USM-285 form with the address for Defendant, and deliver all
documents necessary to effect service to the U.S. Marshals Service.
The Court additionally directs the Clerk of Court to mail copies of this order and copies
of the complaint to: (1) NYC Health + Hospitals, 50 Water Street, 17th Floor, New York, New
York 10004; and (2) Physician Affiliate Group of New York, P.C., 55 West 125th Street, Suite
1001, New York, New York 10027.
The Clerk of Court is also directed to mail an information package to Plaintiff.

An amended complaint form is attached to this order.
SO ORDERED.
Dated:

November 26, 2024
New York, New York
J. PAUL OETKEN
United States District Judge

SERVICE ADDRESS FOR DEFENDANT
New York City Health + Hospitals
50 Water Street, 17th Floor
New York, N.Y. 10004

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK

(In the space above enter the full name(s) of the plaintiff(s). )

AMENDED
COMPLAINT
under the Civil Rights Act,
42 U. S. C. § 1983

-against-

Jury Trial:

Q Yes

Q

No

(check one)
____ Civ. _________ (

)

(In the space above enter the full name(s) of the defendant(s). If you
cannot fit the names of all of the defendants in the space provided,
please write “see attached” in the space above and attach an
additional sheet of paper with the full list of names. The names
listed in the above caption must be identical to those contained in
Part I. Addresses should not be included here. )

I.

Parties in this complaint:

A.

List your name, identification number, and the name and address of your current place of
confinement. Do the same for any additional plaintiffs named. Attach additional sheets of paper
as necessary.

Plaintiff’s

B.

Name_____________________________________________________________
ID#_______________________________________________________________
Current Institution___________________________________________________
Address___________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

List all defendants’ names, positions, places of employment, and the address where each defendant
may be served. M ake sure that the defendant(s) listed below are identical to those contained in the
above caption. Attach additional sheets of paper as necessary.

Defendant No. 1

Name ___________________________________________ Shield #_________
Where Currently Employed __________________________________________
Address __________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

Rev. 01/2010

1

Defendant No. 2

Name ___________________________________________ Shield #_________
Where Currently Employed __________________________________________
Address __________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

Defendant No. 3

Name ___________________________________________ Shield #_________
Where Currently Employed __________________________________________
Address __________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

W ho did
w hat?

Defendant No. 4

Name ___________________________________________ Shield #_________
Where Currently Employed __________________________________________
Address __________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

Defendant No. 5

Name ___________________________________________ Shield #_________
Where Currently Employed __________________________________________
Address __________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

II.

Statement of Claim:

State as briefly as possible the facts of your case. Describe how each of the defendants named in the
caption of this complaint is involved in this action, along with the dates and locations of all relevant events.
You may wish to include further details such as the names of other persons involved in the events giving
rise to your claims. Do not cite any cases or statutes. If you intend to allege a number of related claims,
number and set forth each claim in a separate paragraph. Attach additional sheets of paper as necessary.
A.

In what institution did the events giving rise to your claim(s) occur?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

B.

Where in the institution did the events giving rise to your claim(s) occur?
_______________________________________________________________________________

C.

What date and approximate time did the events giving rise to your claim(s) occur?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

D.
W hat
h ap p en ed
to you ?

Facts:__________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Rev. 01/2010

2

_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
W as
anyone
else
involved?

_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

W ho else
saw w hat
h ap p en ed?

III.

Injuries:

If you sustained injuries related to the events alleged above, describe them and state what medical
treatment, if any, you required and received.
______________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
IV.

Exhaustion of Administrative Remedies:

The Prison Litigation Reform Act (" PLRA" ), 42 U. S. C. § 1997e(a), requires that “ [n]o action shall be
brought with respect to prison conditions under section 1983 of this title, or any other Federal law, by a
prisoner confined in any jail, prison, or other correctional facility until such administrative remedies as are
available are exhausted. ” Administrative remedies are also known as grievance procedures.
A.

Did your claim(s) arise while you were confined in a jail, prison, or other correctional facility?
Yes ____

Rev. 01/2010

No ____

3

If YES, name the jail, prison, or other correctional facility where you were confined at the time of the
events giving rise to your claim(s).
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
B.

Does the jail, prison or other correctional facility where your claim(s) arose have a grievance
procedure?
Yes ____

C.

No ____

Do Not Know ____

Does the grievance procedure at the jail, prison or other correctional facility where your claim(s)
arose cover some or all of your claim(s)?
Yes ____

No ____

Do Not Know ____

If YES, which claim(s)?
_______________________________________________________________________________
D.

Did you file a grievance in the jail, prison, or other correctional facility where your claim(s) arose?
Yes ____

No ____

If NO, did you file a grievance about the events described in this complaint at any other jail,
prison, or other correctional facility?
Yes ____
E.

No ____

If you did file a grievance, about the events described in this complaint, where did you file the
grievance?
_______________________________________________________________________________
1.
Which claim(s) in this complaint did you grieve?
______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
2.
What was the result, if any?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
3.
What steps, if any, did you take to appeal that decision? Describe all efforts to appeal to
the highest level of the grievance process.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

F.

If you did not file a grievance:
1.

If there are any reasons why you did not file a grievance, state them here:
_________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Rev. 01/2010

4

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

2.

If you did not file a grievance but informed any officials of your claim, state who you
informed, when and how, and their response, if any:
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

G.

Please set forth any additional information that is relevant to the exhaustion of your administrative
remedies.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

Note:

You may attach as exhibits to this complaint any documents related to the exhaustion of your
administrative remedies.

V.

Relief:

State what you want the Court to do for you (including the amount of monetary compensation, if any, that
you are seeking and the basis for such amount).

Rev. 01/2010

5

On
these
claims

VI.

Previous lawsuits:

A.

Have you filed other lawsuits in state or federal court dealing with the same facts involved in this
action?
Yes ____ No ____

B.

If your answer to A is YES, describe each lawsuit by answering questions 1 through 7 below. (If
there is more than one lawsuit, describe the additional lawsuits on another sheet of paper, using
the same format. )
1.

Parties to the previous lawsuit:

Plaintiff
Defendants
2. Court (if federal court, name the district; if state court, name the county) ________________
3.

Docket or Index number

4.

Name of Judge assigned to your case__________________________________________

5.

Approximate date of filing lawsuit

6.

Is the case still pending? Yes ____ No ____
If NO, give the approximate date of disposition__________________________________

7.

What was the result of the case? (For example: Was the case dismissed? Was there
judgment in your favor? Was the case appealed?) _______________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

On
other
claim s

C.

Have you filed other lawsuits in state or federal court otherwise relating to your imprisonment?
Yes ____

D.

No ____

If your answer to C is YES, describe each lawsuit by answering questions 1 through 7 below. (If
there is more than one lawsuit, describe the additional lawsuits on another piece of paper, using
the same format. )
1.

Parties to the previous lawsuit:

Plaintiff
Defendants
2.

Court (if federal court, name the district; if state court, name the county) ___________

3.

Docket or Index number

4.

Name of Judge assigned to your case_________________________________________

5.

Approximate date of filing lawsuit

Rev. 01/2010

6

6.

Is the case still pending? Yes ____ No ____
If NO, give the approximate date of disposition_________________________________

7.

What was the result of the case? (F or example: Was the case dismissed? Was there
judgment in your favor? Was the case appealed?) ______________________________
________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct.
Signed this

day of

, 20

.

Signature of Plaintiff

_____________________________________

Inmate Number

_____________________________________

Institution Address

_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________

Note:

All plaintiffs named in the caption of the complaint must date and sign the complaint and provide
their inmate numbers and addresses.

I declare under penalty of perjury that on this _____ day of _________________, 20__, I am delivering
this complaint to prison authorities to be mailed to the Pro Se Office of the United States District Court for
the Southern District of New York.

Signature of Plaintiff:

Rev. 01/2010

7

_____________________________________