Eric Morris v. Warden Chris Stevens, Security James Kent, Unit Supervisor Mr. Prebeg, and Unit Manager H. Brown

Summary

The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin dismissed Eric Morris's amended 42 U.S.C. § 1983 complaint alleging that prison officials denied him recreation outside his cell for extended periods. The court held that the complaint lacked sufficient factual detail to plausibly establish a constitutional violation, dismissed the action for failure to state a claim, and directed that a strike be recorded under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(g).

Holdings

1. The amended complaint failed to state a plausible constitutional claim because it provided no sufficient factual basis to infer that any named defendant violated Morris's constitutional rights.
2. The amended complaint did not satisfy the applicable pleading requirements because it lacked the basic factual details necessary to give defendants notice of what they allegedly did, when and where they did it, and what harm resulted.
3. The action had to be dismissed under 28 U.S.C. §§ 1915(e)(2)(B) and 1915A(b)(1) for failure to state a claim.

Questions Presented

1. Whether the amended complaint stated a plausible constitutional claim under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 based on the alleged denial of outdoor or out-of-cell recreation.
2. Whether the amended complaint satisfied Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 8(a)(2) and the pleading requirements applied during screening under 28 U.S.C. § 1915A.
3. Whether the action should be dismissed under 28 U.S.C. §§ 1915(e)(2)(B) and 1915A(b)(1) for failure to state a claim.

Disposition

dismissed