Bryant v. Guzman, 3:25-cv-00724

Plaintiff Shannon Andre Bryant, a state prisoner, filed a pro se civil rights complaint under 42 U.S.C. § 1983.
Bryant alleged he was injured (sprained ankle) after stepping on a crack while playing basketball due to negligent maintenance at Centinela State Prison.
The Court screened the complaint after granting in forma pauperis (IFP) status, finding the allegations only amounted to negligence and did not meet the constitutional standard for deliberate indifference.
Bryant was given an opportunity to amend his complaint to satisfy the legal standard but did not do so by the court's deadline.
Bryant filed a second IFP motion, which was denied as moot since he already had IFP status.
The Court dismissed the case without prejudice for failure to state a claim and failure to prosecute.

Issue	Plaintiff's Argument	Defendant's Argument	Held
Whether negligent maintenance amounts to a § 1983 claim	Defendants were negligent; injury resulted	Not stated, but arguing no deliberate indifference	Negligence alone insufficient; no claim stated
Whether in forma pauperis status warranted again	Sought to proceed IFP a second time	N/A	Second IFP motion moot
Whether dismissal is appropriate for failure to amend	Not expressly argued	N/A	Dismissal warranted for failure to state a claim & prosecute

Farmer v. Brennan, 511 U.S. 825 (1994) (deliberate indifference under the Eighth Amendment requires more than negligence, requiring a culpable state of mind)