Summary
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin dismissed James Ezell Jones’s amended 42 U.S.C. § 1983 complaint against Officers Giesler and Mason. The court held that the allegations concerning a search at the Brown County Jail did not plausibly establish an unreasonable Fourth Amendment search and further concluded that the claim appeared barred by Wisconsin’s three-year statute of limitations. The court dismissed the action for failure to state a claim and assessed a strike under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(g).
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Practice areas
Questions Presented
- Whether the amended complaint plausibly alleged that Officers Giesler and Mason violated the Fourth Amendment by conducting an unreasonable search.
- Whether any § 1983 claim arising from the January 3, 2022 incident was barred by Wisconsin's three-year statute of limitations.
Holdings
- The amended complaint failed to state a claim because its conclusory assertions that the search was illegal and unreasonable were not supported by sufficient factual allegations showing that the search was conducted for an unreasonable purpose or in an unreasonable manner.
- The court stated that any claim arising from the January 3, 2022 incident appeared barred by Wisconsin's three-year statute of limitations because Jones initiated the action on September 11, 2025, after the limitations period expired.
Key quotations
“In short, because Jones’ legal conclusions that the search was “illegal” and “unreasonable” are not supported by his factual allegations, he fails to state a claim upon which relief can be granted.”
Factual background
Jones alleged that on January 3, 2022, Officers Giesler and Mason searched him at the Brown County Jail without his permission or a warrant. He alleged that the officers took him to a small bathroom, pulled down his pants, touched his genital area, and recovered drugs hidden beneath his genitals. The amended complaint omitted factual allegations from the original complaint indicating that the officers detected a suspicious bulge during searches following a valid vehicle stop and that a body scan confirmed something was concealed in Jones's groin area.
Procedural history
Jones filed a complaint alleging that Green Bay police officers conducted an unlawful search and seizure at the Brown County Jail. On October 30, 2025, the court screened the original complaint, found that it failed to state a claim, and allowed Jones to amend. Jones filed an amended complaint on November 14, 2025. The court screened the amended complaint and dismissed the action for failure to state a claim, assessed a strike under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(g), and directed the clerk to enter judgment.