Destruction of Evidence Allows Adverse Inference by Jerry McCrary-El is a Missouri state prisoner. He filed suit under § 1983 claiming that prison guards used excessive force in moving him to the back of his cell, within the prison's segregation unit, to place a cellmate in his cell. After a …
No Qualified Immunity for Denial of Medical Care by George Cornelious was assaulted and badly beaten in Jefferson City, MO. While receiving treatment at a local hospital he was arrested due to an outstanding warrant. The treating doctor gave the arresting police a head injury monitoring sheet on which to …
Notice of Appeal Filed When Given to Prison Officials by Samuel Hamm is a Missouri state prisoner. While employed as a prison law clerk he claims prison officials threatened and harassed him in retaliation for the performance of his duties. The defendants' conduct included threatening him with administrative segregation, infracting …
DOC Guard Liable for Not Stopping Beating by Roger Buckner is a Missouri state prisoner. He was transported from the Jackson county jail for commitment to the Missouri DOC prison at Fulton. Larry Hollins was a jail guard transporting Buckner. Once at Fulton, Hollins stripped Buckner naked, handcuffed him and …
Sexually Harassing Pat Searches May Be Illegal by Two Missouri state prisoners filed suit against a female prison guard. In their complaint they alleged that for a two month period the guard fondled their crotches during almost daily, routine pat down searches. After they told the guard they wanted to …
Prison Officials Liable for Holding Inmate Past Release Date by Gentry Slone is a Missouri state prisoner. He was sentenced to prison and once in prison his sentencing judge suspended Slone's sentence, effective December 21, 1989, and placed him on probation. The state did not appeal the judges order which …
Nominal Damages Awarded in Prison Rape Case by Four Missouri state prisoners were repeatedly raped by other prisoners. Before and after the rapes they were unable to check into Protective Custody (PC). They filed suit against prison officials claiming the rapes violated their eighth amendment rights. After a trial, the …
Change in IFP Status Does Not Require Fee Payment by Michael Murphy is a Missouri state prisoner who filed suit claiming his religious rights had been infringed by prison officials. At the time he filed suit he earned $30 a month at his prison job and had $53 in his …
Right to Avoid Tobacco Smoke Exposure not Established by In part of the continuing split among the circuits on this issue, some circuits have held exposing prisoners to Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) violates the eighth amendment, see: Hunt v. Reynolds, above. Other Circuits have held it does not. See: Wilson …
Okay to Steal Mail by Two Missouri state prisoners wrote and telephoned US postal officials to complain that prison administrators were "stealing, holding, tampering with, censoring, delaying and destroying" their mail in violation of federal postal laws. The postal officials refused to investigate the prisoners' claims. The prisoners then filed …
Retrial for Damages Alone Appropriate by Tommy Williams is a Missouri state prisoner who was stabbed several times by two other prisoners. Williams filed suit against a guard and several other officials claiming they were deliberately indifferent and acted with reckless disregard to his safety when they knew the prisoners …
Pre-Trial Detainees Don't Have to Work by Jorge Martinez is a federal pre-trial detainee. He filed suit claiming that while he was held at the US Medical Center for federal prisoners he was denied proper medical care for a dislocated shoulder, was force fed after seven days on hunger strike, …
Exposure to AIDS Contaminated Sewage Banned by Prisoners at a Missouri county jail were involved in the large scale cleanup of raw sewage at the jail hospital. The sewage was contaminated with the AIDS virus from AIDS patients in the jail hospital. Prisoners were not provided with protective clothing during …
Medical Treatment Cannot Be Delayed to Coerce Confession by Medical Treatment Cannot Be Delayed To Coerce Confession Wesley Taylor is a Missouri state prisoner who suffered a ruptured appendix. Upon arriving at the prison hospital, vomiting blood and in extreme pain, the prison doctor asked him if he had swallowed …
Due Process Requires Hearing Before Punishment by Keith Brown-El is a prisoner at the Missouri State Penitentiary (MSP). He was infracted for staying in bed during count and staying in the shower too long. He was found guilty at a disciplinary hearing and sentenced to segregation, transferred to another prison …
Infracting Cop Cannot Hear Own Infraction by John Diercks is a prison informant in protective custody (PC) in Jefferson City, MO. While in PC Diercks approached a prison official and asked him to make the urine samples of two prisoners "disappear" in exchange for which Diercks would supply the names …
State May Retain Private Attorneys to Defend DOC by State May Retain Private Attorneys To Defend DOC A Missouri state prisoner filed suit claiming he was denied medical care by prison officials. The state attorney general then contracted a private law firm to represent the defendants prison officials. O'Connor, the …
Prisoner Can Receive Diploma in Mail by Bobby Griffin is a Missouri state prisoner who graduated from a college paralegal course. Upon graduation the college mailed him his diploma and grade transcript. This was rejected by prison officials who claimed prison regulations prohibited prisoners from having original diplomas and transcripts …
Prison Homophobia Challenged by A prisoner in a state prison filed a federal civil rights lawsuit complaining that he was removed from his job as a prison bakery worker because he is a homosexual. The federal trial court, in determining whether the prisoner should be allowed to proceed with his …
Four Cons Die in Missouri Jail Fire by Four Cons Die In Missouri Jail Fire A fire that started in a malfunctioning generator sent thick smoke billowing into the Taney County Jail in Forsyth, MO, last September 14th, killing four prisoners. Thirteen other prisoners were hospitalized for smoke inhalation. The …
