Hughes v. Rogersville City Police Department et al

Filing 79

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER: Accordingly, Plaintiff's motions for discovery are DENIED [Docs. 71, 75]. Therefore, Plaintiff's motion to appoint counsel is DENIED. Because Plaintiff has not shown cause as to why his lawsuit should not be dismissed as to Defendant Mathews, this case will be DISMISSED. Finally, all other pending motions are DENIED as MOOT. Signed by District Judge J Ronnie Greer on 01/19/2017. (C/M to pro se Plaintiff) (AMP)

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
EASTERN DISTRICT OF TENNESSEE
AT GREENEVILLE
MARTIN ELLISON HUGHES,
Plaintiff,
v.
SOUTHERN HEALTH PARTNERS
and DR. KENNETH MATHEWS,
Defendants.

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No. 2:14-CV-00140-JRG-MCLC

MEMORANDUM and ORDER
This is a pro se prisoner’s civil rights action pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983, which was
allowed to advance past the screening stage only with respect to one claim—an inferred claim
that the sole remaining Defendant, Dr. Kenneth Mathews, had diagnosed Plaintiff as needing
surgery but did not actually order the surgery due to cost considerations [Doc. 28]. To be clear,
the claim which advanced was extrapolated from Plaintiff’s allegations, but it never was
explicitly made. As the Supreme Court has explained, a claim is not plausible unless the
“[f]actual allegations [are] enough to raise a right to relief above the speculative level.” See Bell
Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555 (2007). Therefore, on October 11, 2016, the Court
ordered Plaintiff to show cause within fourteen (14) days of that date as to why his claim against
Defendant Mathews should not be dismissed as “implausible, attenuated, unsubstantial, or
patently frivolous” [Doc. 70].
Rather than to show cause, Plaintiff filed two letter motions seeking the Court’s
intervention in the discovery process [Docs. 71, 75]. In the first motion, Plaintiff asks the Court
to issue an order requiring the production of his medical records, which he contends will show

that Defendant Mathews knew of Plaintiff’s surgical needs and that, based on Plaintiff’s past
medical records from a medical provider, an emergency room, and a physician’s assistant,
Defendant Mathews likewise knew that he was already a surgical candidate [Doc. 71 at 1].
The second motion is a combined motion to compel the production of medical records,
kiosk records and other documents relevant to his complaint and to disclose information with
regard to an eyewitness, former Hawkins County Detention Center Correctional Officer Jonathan
B. Mathews, who, so Plaintiff asserts, will testify that he heard Dr. Mathews deny Plaintiff
surgery for “cost restrictions” [Doc. 75 at 1-2].
Plaintiff is not entitled to discovery because, as discussed in the show cause order, he has
failed to allege a plausible claim for relief under Estelle v. Gamble, 429 U.S. 97, 106 (1976). See
Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 686 (2009) (“Because [Plaintiff]’s complaint is deficient under
Rule 8, he is not entitled to discovery, cabined or otherwise.”). Accordingly, Plaintiff’s motions
for discovery are DENIED [Docs. 71, 75].
Following the entry of the show cause order, Plaintiff also moved for the appointment pf
counsel [Doc. 74].

However, Plaintiff has not stated a plausible claim against Defendant

Mathews; thus this case presents no extraordinary circumstances which would warrant
appointment of counsel. See Glover v. Johnson, 75 F.3d 264, 268 (6th Cir. 1996) (“We take
judicial notice of the fact that courts within this circuit, absent extraordinary circumstances, do
not appoint lawyers.”); Lavado v. Keohane, 992 F.2d 601, 606 (6th Cir. 1993). Therefore,
Plaintiff’s motion to appoint counsel is DENIED [Id.].
Because Plaintiff has not shown cause as to why his lawsuit should not be dismissed as to
Defendant Mathews, this case will be DISMISSED.
Finally, all other pending motions are DENIED as MOOT.
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AN APPROPRIATE JUDGMENT WILL FOLLOW.
ENTER:

s/J. RONNIE GREER
UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

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