Text
UNITED
STATES COURT OF APPEALS
TENTH CIRCUIT
ALVIN A. PAULINO,
Plaintiff - Appellant,
vs.
(FNU) (LNU), one unknown deputy of
the United States Marshal Service, in
his individual capacity; WALTER
BRADLEY, in his individual capacity;
CORRECTIONS CORPORATION OF
AMERICA; UNITED STATES
MARSHAL SERVICE,
Defendant - Appellee.
No. 06-3285
(D.C. No. 05-CV-3348-SAC)
(D. Kan.)
ORDER AND JUDGMENT
name="txt*">(*)
Before KELLY,
name="9">McKAY, and
name="10">LUCERO, Circuit Judges.
name="txt2">(2)
Alvin A. Paulino, a federal inmate, appearing pro se, appeals the district
court's dismissal without prejudice of his claims brought against an unknown
deputy marshal of the United States Marshal Service with the first name Gary
("Deputy Marshal Gary"), United States Marshal Walter Bradley ("Marshal
Bradley"), the United States Marshal Service ("USMS"), and Corrections
Corporation of America ("CCA") pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 1983, 42 U.S.C. 1985(3), and Bivens v. Six Unknown Federal Narcotics Agents, 403 U.S. 388
(1971). Our jurisdiction arises under 28 U.S.C. 1291, and we affirm.
Mr. Paulino, in his complaint,(1)
makes numerous allegations relating to his
temporary incarceration at CCA's Leavenworth, Kansas facility while he was
awaiting transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility.
name="txt2a">(2) Mr. Paulino alleges
that the events underlying his complaint occurred on or after November 10, 2003.
Specifically, Mr. Paulino brought suit against Deputy Marshal Gary and Marshal
Bradley, in their individual capacities, pursuant to Bivens and 1983, alleging,
inter alia, that they intentionally subjected him to cruel and unusual punishment
in violation of the Eighth Amendment when they decided to place him on
"suicide watch." He claims that because of this decision he was forced to spend
four days and nights on a cold, damp floor and was not allowed to communicate
with his family. Mr. Paulino further alleges that Deputy Marshal Gary and
Marshal Bradley's decisions resulted in him being: (1) placed in solitary
confinement for an extended period of time without cause or explanation; (2)
denied meals numerous times; (3) denied required medical and psychological
examinations; and (4) denied a hearing regarding his placement in solitary
confinement and on suicide watch. Moreover, according to Mr. Paulino, Deputy
Marshal Gary made several intentionally false statements about Mr. Paulino that
caused his cruel and unusual punishment.
Mr. Paulino also brought suit against USMS and CCA pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 1985(3), alleging the two organizations conspired to deprive him of his
constitutional rights. Mr. Paulino asserts that USMS and CCA conspired to
deprive him of "equal protection of the law, and . . . equal privileges and
immunities under the law." R. Doc. 9 at 12.
Mr. Paulino claims that the defendants' actions caused him to develop a
stomach ulcer, to develop an aggravated heart condition, and to suffer mental and
emotional distress. Accordingly, he seeks compensatory damages, punitive
damages, and injunctive and declaratory relief.
We review de novo a district court's dismissal of a complaint for failure to
exhaust administrative remedies. Patel v. Fleming, 415 F.3d 1105, 1108 (10th
Cir.2005). Failure to exhaust administrative remedies as required by 42 U.S.C. §
1997e(a) will result in dismissal of the case. Booth v. Churner, 532 U.S. 731,
741 (2001). The statute provides 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." 42 U.S.C. 1997e(a).
This exhaustion requirement "applies to all inmate suits about prison life,
whether they involve general circumstances or particular episodes, and whether
they allege excessive force or some other wrong." Porter v. Nussle, 534 U.S.
516, 532 (2002).
"A litigant's failure to raise issues during an administrative appeal can
constitute a failure to exhaust administrative remedies." Kikumura v. Hurley,
242 F.3d 950, 956 (10th Cir.2001). We recently explained that "a grievance
satisfies § 1997e(a)'s exhaustion requirement so long as it provides prison
officials with enough information to investigate and address the inmate's
complaint internally." Kikumura v. Osagie, 461 F.3d 1269, 1285 (10th Cir.
2006). Moreover, we have held "that the presence of unexhausted claims in [a
prisoner's] complaint require[s] the district court to dismiss his action in its
entirety without prejudice." Ross v. County of Bernalillo, 365 F.3d 1181, 1189
(10th Cir. 2004).(3)
In his only grievance to prison officials, dated January 30, 2004, Mr.
Paulino claimed a general deprivation of his constitutional rights on November
10, 2003, when "a deputy of the United States Marshal Service" deliberately
violated his civil rights in retaliation for his crime and for "speaking the words I
did to the U.S. District Court who sentenced me." Mr. Paulino further alleged
that the retaliation included "punitive placement" on suicide watch for
approximately thirty days. These allegations, as the district court noted, only
implicate Deputy Marshal Gary and did not put prison officials on notice as to
any of the other claims later brought against Marshal Bradley.
The district court pointed out the exhaustion problem, as well as many
other deficiencies in the complaint and allowed Mr. Paulino leave to amend to
demonstrate exhaustion of administrative remedies and cure the deficiencies. For
substantially the reasons set forth by the district court after it examined the
amended complaint, we agree that the action must be dismissed for failure to
exhaust. R. Doc. 16 at 1-4. Although we do not disagree with the balance of the
district court's reasoning concerning whether the complaint states a claim, we do
not address those issues given that the judgment in this case plainly states it is a
dismissal without prejudice. R. Doc. 17; see Semtek Intern. Inc. v. Lockheed
Martin Corp., 531 U.S. 497, 505 (2001) ("[A]n 'adjudication upon the merits' is
the opposite of a 'dismissal without prejudice.'").
We note that in an attempt to avoid the PLRA's exhaustion requirement,
Mr. Paulino cites to Garrett v. Hawk, 127 F.3d 1263 (10th Cir. 1997), for the
proposition that "prisoners who file Bivens claims for monetary damages against
prison officials are not required to exhaust administrative remedies under the
PLRA . . . ." Aplt. Br. at 2. Mr. Paulino is correct regarding Garrett's holding;
however, Booth overruled Garrett over five years ago and we have since
remarked that "[e]ven where the 'available' remedies would appear to be futile at
providing the kind of remedy sought, the prisoner must exhaust the
administrative remedies available." Jernigan v. Stuchell, 304 F.3d 1030, 1032
(10th Cir. 2002) (citing Booth, 532 U.S. at 740). As a result, Mr. Paulino was
not excused from fully exhausting.
AFFIRMED. We remind Mr. Paulino of his continuing obligation to pay
his filing fee in partial payments.
Entered for the Court
Paul J. Kelly, Jr.
Circuit Judge
FOOTNOTES
Click footnote number to return to corresponding location in the text.
*. This order and judgment is not binding
precedent, except under the
doctrines of law of the case, res judicata, and collateral estoppel. This court
generally disfavors the citation of orders and judgments; nevertheless, an order
and judgment may be cited under the terms and conditions of 10th Cir. R. 36.3.
2. After examining the briefs and the appellate
record, this three-judge
panel has determined unanimously that oral argument would not be of material
assistance in the determination of this appeal. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a); 10th
Cir. R. 34.1(G). The cause is therefore ordered submitted without oral argument.
1. Mr. Paulino filed his original complaint in
this case on August 24, 2005.
He also filed a an amended complaint on January 23, 2005, and an amended and
supplemented complaint on June 21, 2005.
2. Mr. Paulino is currently housed at a
federal facility located in Forrest
City, Arkansas. He is serving a 57 month sentence for possession of child
pornography.
3. This remains the case even where, as here,
some of the unexhausted
claims are brought against a private prison and/or its employees. See Beaudry v.
Corr. Corp. of Am., 331 F.3d 1164, 1165, 1167 (10th Cir. 2003) (dismissing a
1983 action against a private prison and several of its employees for failure to
exhaust).
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This document cites
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit - Dewey Earl Jernigan, Petitioner-Appellant, v. Karen Stuchell; Ramona Hollier; James L. Saffle; Melinda Guilfoyle; John Doe, I; John Doe, Ii; B. Hendrix; Elvis Hightower; Joe S. Hopper, in Individual and Official Capacities; Michael Quinlan, in Individual and Official Capacities; Corrections Corporation of America, in Individual and Official Capacities, Respondents-Appellees., 304 F.3d 1030 (10th Cir. 2002)
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit - Matthew J. Beaudry; Keith Pischke, Plaintiffs-Appellants, v. Corrections Corporation of America, a Tennessee Corporation; Archie Welch, Vincent Scott, Brett Marriott, Gary Hall, and Jerry Smith, Corrections Officers; Steve Wilson; Scott Eaton, Defendants-Appellees, and Rick Hudson, Warden; John Does, Employees/Personnel, Defendants., 331 F.3d 1164 (10th Cir. 2003)
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit - Michael Rene Ross, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. County of Bernalillo, County of Mckinley, Correctional Services Corporation, Management & Training Corporation, Nurse Jeannie King, John Does (Unknown Others), Defendants-Appellees., 365 F.3d 1181 (10th Cir. 2004)
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit - Kamal K. Patel, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. L.E. Fleming, Warden; Dr. Malcher, Fnu; John Doe, Health Service Administrator; John Doe, Health Service Personnel; John Doe, Associate Warden; Fnu Morris; Fnu Roberts; Tom F. Goforth, Defendants-Appellees.
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit - Jonathan T. Garrett, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. Kathleen M. Hawk, Director, Federal Bureau of Prisons, an Agency of the United States of America, and 30 or More Unknown Officials And/or Correctional Officers in the Administrative Maximum Security Unit At the United States Penitentiary, Florence, Colorado, Defendants-Appellees., 127 F.3d 1263 (10th Cir. 1997)
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