Summary
This United States District Court order resolves multiple motions filed by the pro se plaintiff and defendants in a civil rights action alleging Eighth Amendment violations over the denial of a TENS unit for pain management. The court grants the plaintiff’s motion for an extension of time, denies his requests for assistance with legal materials and court-appointed counsel, and denies his motion for a preliminary injunction as unrelated to the claims in this case. The court also denies the defendants’ motion for an extension of time as moot and establishes new deadlines for discovery and dispositive motions.
Topics
Practice areas
Questions Presented
- Whether to grant plaintiff's motion for extension of time.
- Whether plaintiff's motion for help with legal work is moot.
- Whether to appoint counsel for the plaintiff.
- Whether to grant plaintiff's motion for injunction.
- Whether to grant defendants' motion for extension of time to file summary judgment.
Holdings
- The court grants the plaintiff's motion for extension of time.
- The court denies the motion as moot.
- The court denies without prejudice the plaintiff's motion to appoint counsel.
- The court denies the plaintiff's motion for injunction.
- The court denies the defendants' motion as moot because the deadline has already been stayed.
Key quotations
““Deciding whether to recruit counsel ‘is a difficult decision: Almost everyone would benefit from having a lawyer, but there are too many indigent litigants and too few lawyers willing and able to volunteer for these cases.’””
Factual background
Jerome Walker, an inmate at Green Bay Correctional Institution, alleges that on September 15, 2022 prison officials denied him a TENs unit for pain management. He filed pro se, seeking relief under the Eighth Amendment and related civil‑rights claims.
Procedural history
Plaintiff filed complaint alleging Eighth Amendment violation. Several motions were filed; the court issued this order addressing them.