Ben Burt, Jr. v. Timothy Martin, Sr. (11th Cir. 2006)

Federal Circuits, 11th Cir. (July 14, 2006)

Docket number: 03-01435
Not Published

05-14961 - Not Published
Permanent Link: http://vlex.com/vid/ben-burt-v-timothy-martin-20991921
Id. vLex: VLEX-20991921

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Citations:

US Code - Title 28: Judiciary and Judicial Procedure - 28 USC 1915 - Sec. 1915. Proceedings in forma pauperis

US Code - Title 42: The Public Health and Welfare - 42 USC 1983 - Sec. 1983. Civil action for deprivation of rights

U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Cir. - Henry Greene Mitchell, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. Dave Farcass, Superintendent, Hendry Correctional Institution, J. King, Inspector Hendry Correctional Institution, Defendants-Appellees., 112 F.3d 1483 (11th Cir. 1997)

U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Cir. - Robert R. Rowe, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. Alan H. Schreiber, Defendant-Appellee., 139 F.3d 1381 (11th Cir. 1998)

U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Cir. - Ned Hughes, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. Charles Lott, Police Officer, Dennis Johnson, Et Al., Defendants-Appellees., 350 F.3d 1157 (11th Cir. 2003)


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Text:

[D O NOT PUBLISH]

IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

F O R THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT FILED

U .S . COURT OF APPEALS

E L E V E N T H CIRCUIT

J u ly 14, 2006

N o . 05-14961 T H O M A S K. KAHN

N o n - A r g u m e n t Calendar CLERK

D . C. Docket No. 03-01435-CV-B-NW

B E N BURT, JR.,

Plaintiff-Appellant,

versus

TIMOTHY MARTIN, SR.,

MD,

SHOALS FAMILY MEDICAL CLINIC,

JOHN L. ALDRIDGE,

in his individual and official capacity

as Sheriff of Colbert County,

DWIGHT WILSON,

in his individual and official capacity

as a Deputy of Colbert County,

GEORGE SHARP,

in his individual and official capacity

as a Deputy of Colbert County, et al.,

Defendants-Appellees.

Appeal from the United States District Court fo r the Northern District of Alabama (July 14, 2006) B efo re MARCUS, WILSON and KRAVITCH, Circuit Judges.

P E R CURIAM: B e n Burt, Jr., an Alabama prisoner proceeding pro se, appeals the dismissal o f his 42U.S.C. § 1983 civil rights action. His complaint alleged that the d efen d an ts, Timothy Martin, M.D., Shoal Family Medical Center, Sheriff John L.

A ld rid g e, Sheriff's Deputies Dwight Wilson and George Sharp, Billy Blackwell, a n d several Colbert County Jail Commissioners, denied Burt adequate medical care in violation of his Eighth Amendment rights; used excessive force in medical tr ea tm e n t; unlawfully seized him; and failed to adequately train staff. The district co u rt dismissed the claim sua sponte, prior to service of process, for failure to state a claim under 28U.S.C. § 1915A(b)(1), because the action was filed beyond the ap p licab le statute of limitations period. Burt now appeals.

S ectio n 1915A(a) requires the district court to perform a screening review of an y civil complaint filed by a prisoner against a government official. Such a co m p lain t may be dismissed if it "fails to state a claim upon which relief may be g r a n te d ." 28U.S.C. § 1915A(b)(1). Dismissal of a prisoner's complaint as tim e-b arred prior to service will also be appropriate if it "appear[s] beyond a doubt fro m the complaint itself that [the prisoner] can prove no set of facts which would a v o id a statute of limitations bar.'" Hughes v. Lott, 350 F.3d 1157, 1163 (11th Cir. 2 0 0 3 ) (citing Leal v. Ga. Dep't of Corrs., 254 F.3d 1276, 1280 (11th Cir. 2001)).

W e review de novo a district court's sua sponte dismissal of a complaint for failu re to state a claim pursuant to 28U.S.C. § 1915A(b)(1), viewing the alleg atio n s in the complaint as true. See Leal, 254 F.3d at 1278-79; Mitchell v. F arcass, 112 F.3d 1483, 1490 (11th Cir. 1997) (applying the same standards as a d ism issal under Fed. R. Civ. P 12(b)(6) to dismissal under § 1915A(b)(1)).

In states where more than one statute of limitations exists, the forum state's g en eral or residual personal injury statute of limitations applies to all § 1983 actio n s filed in federal court in that state. Owens v. Okure, 488 U.S. 235, 236, 2 4 9 -5 0 , 109 S.Ct. 573, 574, 580-82, 102 L.Ed.2d 594 (1989). In Alabama, the resid u al personal injury limitation period is two years. Jones v. Preuit & Mauldin, 8 7 6 F.2d 1480, 1483 (11th Cir. 1989) (en banc). A cause of action accrues for p u r p o s e s of determining when the statute of limitations period began to run when th e plaintiff knew or should have known of his injury and its cause. Bowling v. F o u n d ers Title Co., 773 F.2d 1175, 1178 (11th Cir. 1985); Free v. Granger, 887 F .2 d 1552, 1555-56 (11th Cir. 1989).

B u r t alleged that the violations of his Eighth Amendment rights took place in July 1997, which would also be when he learned of the injury for purposes of b eg in n in g the running of the statute of limitations. See Bowling, 773 F.2d at 1178.

He filed the complaint in the instant action in 2003, which was more than five years later. Accordingly, the district court correctly determined that the complaint w as barred by the applicable two year statute of limitations. See Mauldin, 876 F .2 d at 1483. Burt, therefore, can prove no set of facts that would avoid a statute o f limitations bar.1 See Hughes, 350 F.3d at 1163. Accordingly, we AFFIRM.

1 The district court alternatively found that the action was otherwise barred by the doctrine of res judicata, at least as to some of the defendants. Because the dismissal is otherwise due to be affirmed, we decline to review this alternative ground. We also note that Burt did not object to the magistrate's factual determinations in the district court, and does not dispute those matters on appeal. Therefore, the dismissal of his complaint is due to be affirmed because he is barred from attacking the dismissal on appeal, and he has waived any argument disputing the dismissal. See Hardin v. Wainwright, 678 F.2d 589, 591 (5th Cir. Unit B 1980) ("[A]n appellant's failure to object to a magistrate's report bar(s) that party from attacking on appeal factual findings in the report accepted or adopted by the district court except upon grounds of plain error or manifest injustice) (internal citations and quotations omitted); Rowe v. Schreiber, 139 F.3d 1381, 1382 n.1 (11th Cir. 1998) (holding that arguments not raised in the initial brief on appeal are deemed waived).

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