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Deck v. Roper et al                                                                   Doc. 5
Case 4:07-cv-00455-JCH        Document 5        Filed 03/22/2007        Page 1 of 6
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
EASTERN DISTRICT OF MISSOURI
EASTERN DIVISION
CARMAN L. DECK,                                                                       )
)
Plaintiff,                                                                            )
)
v.                                                                                    )                                              No.  4:07-CV-455-JCH
)
DON ROPER, et al.,                                                                    )
)
Defendants.                                                                           )
MEMORANDUM AND ORDER
This matter is before the Court upon the application of
Carman L. Deck (registration no. 990144) for leave to commence this
action without payment of the required filing fee.
28 U.S.C.  §  1915(b)(1)
Pursuant to  28 U.S.C.  §  1915(b)(1), a prisoner bringing
a civil action in forma pauperis is required to pay the full amount
of the filing fee.    If the prisoner has insufficient funds in his
prison  account  to  pay  the  entire  fee, the  Court  must  assess  and,
when  funds  exist,  collect  an  initial  partial  filing  fee  of                   20
percent of the greater of  (1) the average monthly deposits in the
prisoner's  account;  or                                                              (2)  the  average  monthly  balance  in  the
prisoner's account for the prior six month period.    See  28 U.S.C.
§ 1915(b)(1).   After payment of the initial partial filing fee, the
prisoner is required to make monthly payments of 20 percent of the
preceding month's income credited to the prisoner's account.    See
28 U.S.C.  §  1915(b)(2).   The agency having custody of the prisoner
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will forward these monthly payments to the Clerk of Court each time
the amount in the prisoner's account exceeds $10, until the filing
fee is fully paid.    Id.
Applicant has submitted an affidavit and a certified copy
of   his   prison   account   statement   for   the   six   month   period
immediately preceding the submission of his complaint on March  7,
2007.    See  28  U.S.C.  §  1915(a)(1),(2).    A  review  of  plaintiff's
account  statement  indicates  an  average  monthly  deposit  of  $8.50,
and an average monthly account balance of  $178.15.    Applicant has
insufficient funds to pay the entire filing fee.   Accordingly, the
Court will assess an initial partial filing fee of $35.63, which is
20 percent of applicant's average monthly deposit.
28 U.S.C.  §  1915(e)
Pursuant  to  28  U.S.C.  §  1915(e)(2)(B),  the  Court  may
dismiss  a  complaint  filed  in  forma  pauperis  at  any  time  if  the
action is frivolous, malicious, fails to state a claim upon which
relief can be granted, or seeks monetary relief against a defendant
who  is  immune  from  such  relief.    An  action  is  frivolous  if  "it
lacks  an  arguable  basis  either  in  law  or  in  fact."    Neitzke  v.
Williams,  490  U.S.  319,  325  (1989).    An  action  fails  to  state  a
claim upon which relief may be granted if it appears beyond doubt
that  the  plaintiff  can  prove  no  set  of  facts  in  support  of  his
claim  which  would  entitle  him  to  relief.    Conley  v.  Gibson,  355
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Case 4:07-cv-00455-JCH        Document 5        Filed 03/22/2007        Page 3 of 6
U.S.  41,  45-46  (1957);  Jackson  Sawmill  Co.  v.  United  States,  580
F.2d  302,  306  (8th Cir.  1978).
In  reviewing  a  pro  se  complaint  under  §  1915(e)(2)(B),
the  Court  must  give  the  complaint  the  benefit  of  a  liberal
construction.    Haines  v.  Kerner,  404  U.S.  519,  520  (1972).      The
Court  must  also  weigh  all  factual  allegations  in  favor  of  the
plaintiff, unless the facts alleged are clearly baseless.    Denton
v. Hernandez, 112 S. Ct.  1728, 1733 (1992); Scheuer v. Rhodes, 416
U.S.  232,  236  (1974).
The complaint
Plaintiff,  an  inmate  at  the  Potosi  Correctional  Center
("PCC"), seeks monetary, declaratory, and injunctive relief in this
42  U.S.C.                                                                            §                                                        1983  action  against  defendants  Don  Roper,  Steve
Larkins, Fred Johnson, Ian Wallace, Sharon Gifford, Michael Layden,
P. Nixon, C. Owens, Brian Allen, Jeffrey Turner, Terry White, and
Tim  Lancaster.    Plaintiff  alleges  that  he  was  found  guilty  of  a
conduct violation for "rule #4 escape."   He claims that (1) he "was
not  interviewed  in  the  presence  of  investigator  Jeff  Terschluse
according to policy"; (2) he was denied legal assistance, a P.S.E.,
and "any statements in order to defend himself"; (3) the violation
did  not  list  the  names  of  the  inmates  he  "was  supposed  to  have
discussed  this  plot  with";  (4)  Michael  Layden  "failed  to  make  an
independent  determination  of  the  reliability  of  the  confidential
informant";                                                                           (5)   he  was  sanctioned  to  "30  days  disciplinary
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Case 4:07-cv-00455-JCH        Document 5        Filed 03/22/2007        Page 4 of 6
segregation,   refer[red]   to   the   Administrative   Segregation
Committee, and refer[red] for prosecution; (6) on June 6, 2006, he
appeared  before  the  Administrative  Segregation  Committee  and  was
assigned  to  Ad/Seg  unit  for  60 additional  days;  (7)  on August  1,
2006, he "again appeared before the Ad/Seg Committee and was again
given an additional 90 days"; (8) on October 24, 2006, he "appeared
before  the  Ad/Seg  Committee  for  the  third  time  and  was  given
another  90 days"; and  (9) his "visiting privileges were suspended
with visitor Alice Wintermeyer due to this violation."    Plaintiff
does not describe the conditions of administrative segregation at
PCC.
Discussion
For  the  due  process  clause  to  be  implicated,  an  inmate
must  be  subjected  to  "atypical  and  significant  hardship  .  .  .  in
relation  to  the  ordinary  incidents  of  prison  life."    Sandin  v.
Conner,                                                                               515  U.S.                                       472             (1995).   Plaintiff's  allegations  do  not
indicate that he has suffered the type of atypical and significant
hardship  in  which  the  state  might  conceivably  create  a  liberty
interest.   Cf. id. at 485-86 (no atypical and significant hardship
where inmate spent thirty days in solitary confinement); Hemphill
v.  Delo,  124  F.3d  208,  1997  WL  581079,  **2  (8th  Cir.  1997)(same;
inmate  alleged  only  that  he  spent                                                4  days  locked  in  his  housing
unit,                                                                                 30  days  in  disciplinary  segregation,  and   290  days  in
administrative  segregation);  Driscoll  v.  Youngman,  124  F.3d  207,
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1997 WL 581072, **2 (8th Cir. 1997)(same; 135 days in disciplinary
and administrative segregation); Wycoff v. Nichols,  94 F.3d  1187,
1190 (8th Cir. 1996)(same; ten days disciplinary detention and 100
days in maximum-security cell).    But cf. Wilkinson v. Austin,  545
U.S. 209 (2005)(in certain circumstances, inmate transferred to and
held indefinitely in maximum security environment may enjoy certain
due process protections).
In accordance with the foregoing,
IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the Clerk receive and file the
complaint in this action without prepayment of the required filing
fee.    See  28 U.S.C.  §  1915.
IT  IS  FURTHER  ORDERED  that  the  plaintiff  shall  pay  an
initial partial filing fee of  $35.63 within thirty  (30) days from
the  date  of  this  order.     Plaintiff  is  instructed  to  make  his
remittance payable to "Clerk, United States District Court," and to
include upon it: (1) his name; (2) his prison registration number;
(3) the case number; and (4) that the remittance is for an original
proceeding.
IT  IS  FURTHER  ORDERED  that  the  Clerk  shall  not  issue
process or cause process to issue upon the complaint, because the
complaint is legally frivolous and/or fails to state a claim upon
which relief may be granted.    See  28 U.S.C.  §  1915(e)(2)(B).
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Case 4:07-cv-00455-JCH        Document 5        Filed 03/22/2007        Page 6 of 6
IT  IS  FURTHER   ORDERED  that  plaintiff's  motion  for
appointment of counsel  [Doc.  #4] is DENIED as moot.
An appropriate order shall accompany this memorandum and
order.
Dated this  22nd day of March,  2007.
/s/Jean C. Hamilton
UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE
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