Colucci v. Rose

Case Information

THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

DISTRICT OF UTAH

JOSEPH COLUCCI, MEMORANDUM DECISION

Plaintiff, & ORDER TO CURE DEFICIENT COMPLAINT v.

Case No. 2:25-CV-41-DAK UTAH STATE CORR. FACILITY et al., District Judge Dale A. Kimball

Defendants.

Plaintiff Joseph Colucci, acting pro se , brought this civil-rights action, see 42 U.S.C.S. § 1983 (2025). ^[1] Having now screened the Complaint, (ECF No. 1), under its statutory review function, 28 U.S.C.S. § 1915A (2025), ^[2] the Court orders Plaintiff to file an amended complaint curing deficiencies if he would like to further pursue claims.

^[1] The federal statute creating a "civil action for deprivation of rights" reads, in pertinent part: Every person who, under color of any statute, ordinance, regulation, custom, or usage, of any State or Territory . . ., subjects, or causes to be subjected, any citizen of the United States or other person within the jurisdiction thereof to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution and laws, shall be liable to the party injured in an action at law, suit in equity, or other proper proceeding for redress, except that in any action brought against a judicial officer for an act or omission taken in such officer's judicial capacity, injunctive relief shall not be granted unless a declaratory decree was violated or declaratory relief was unavailable. 42 U.S.C.S. § 1983 (2025).

[2] The screening statute reads:

(a) Screening.—The court shall review . . . a complaint in a civil action in which a prisoner seeks redress from a governmental entity or officer or employee of a governmental entity.

(b) Grounds for dismissal.—On review, the court shall identify cognizable claims or dismiss the complaint, or any portion of the complaint, if the complaint—

(1) is frivolous, malicious, or fails to state a claim upon which relief may be granted; or

A. COMPLAINT'S DEFICIENCIES

Complaint:

1. improperly names Utah State Correctional Facility as a § 1983 defendant, when it is not an independent legal entity that can sue or be sued. See Smith v. Lawton Corr. Facility , No. CIV-18-110-C, 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 45488, at *5 (W.D. Okla. Mar. 7, 2018) (stating correctional facilities "not suable entities in a § 1983 action").

2. possibly improperly names judge as defendant, apparently without considering judicial

immunity. (See below.)

3. possibly inappropriately names as a defendant the entity "Utah Board of Pardons and Parole" (BOPP), when each individual member must be named separately, with each element of each constitutional violation identified per individual defendant, though it should be kept in mind that board members are entitled to absolute immunity for actions taken as members. See Knoll v. Webster , 838 F.2d 450,

451 (10th Cir. 1988).

4. generally does not properly affirmatively link an individual named defendant to each

alleged civil-rights violation. (See below.) does not concisely link each element of claims of improper medical treatment to

separate individually named defendant(s). (See below.)

6. does not appear to recognize Defendants' alleged failures to follow promises, jail policy, state statutes and codes, or ethics rules do not necessarily equal federal constitutional violations. See, e.g., Williams v. Miller , 696 F. App'x 862, 870 (10th Cir. 2017) ("Merеly showing that [defendants] may have violated prison policy is not enough [to show a constitutional violation]." (citations omitted)); Porro v. Barnes , 624 F.3d 1322, 1329 (10th Cir. 2010) (stating plaintiff never sought "to explain how or why the violation of the . . . [prison] policy . . . necessarily demonstrates" his constitutional rights were breached and "[i]t is his burden to establish that the Constitution, not just a policy, is implicated" (emphasis in original)); Hostetler v. Green , 323 F. App'x 653, 657-58 (10th Cir. 2009) (unpublished) (noting dеfendant's mere violation of prison regulation does not equate to constitutional violation); Hovater v. Robinson , 1 F.3d 1063, 1068 n.4 (10th Cir. 1993) ("[A] failure to adhere to administrative regulations does not equate to a constitutional violation.").

(2) seeks monetary relief from a defendant ‍​​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​‍who is immune from such relief.

28 U.S.C.S. § 1915A (2025).

7. possibly asserts claims attacking the validity of Plaintiff's incarceration, which should-- if at all--be timely exhausted in the state-court system before being brought in a federal habeas- corpus petition, not a civil-rights complaint.

8 . asserts claims possibly invalidated by the rule in Heck. (See below.) appears to lack recognition that the torts of negligence (including medical malpractice), extortion, entrapment, and wrongful imprisonment are not federal causes of action.

10. does not have any details on allegations of denied disability, which prevents the Court

from evaluating the validity of any possible related cause of action.

11. fails to state a constitutional claim regarding parole which is not federal right. (See

below.)

B. GUIDANCE FOR PLAINTIFF

Rule 8 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure requires a complaint to contain "(1) a short and plain statement of the grounds for the court's jurisdiction . . .; (2) a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief; and (3) a demand for the relief sought." Rule 8's requirements mean to guarantee "that defendants enjoy fair notice of what the claims against them are and the grounds upon which they rest." TV Commc'ns Network, Inc. v ESPN, Inc. , 767 F. Supp. 1062, 1069 (D. Colo. 1991).

Pro se litigants are not excused from meeting these minimal pleading demands. "This is so because a pro se plaintiff requires no special legal training to recount the facts surrounding his alleged injury, and he must provide such facts if the court is to determine whether he makes out a claim on which relief can be granted." Hall v. Bellmon , 935 F.2d 1106, 1110 (10th Cir. 1991). Moreover, it is improper for the Court "to assume the role of advocate for a pro se litigant." Id. Thus, the Court cannot "supply additionаl facts, [or] construct a legal theory for plaintiff that assumes facts that have not been pleaded." Dunn v. White , 880 F.2d 1188, 1197 (10th Cir. 1989).

Plaintiff should consider these points before filing an amended complaint: • The revised complaint must stand entirely on its own and shall not refer to, or incorporate by reference, any part of the original complaint(s). See Murray v. Archambo , 132 F.3d 609, 612 (10th Cir. 1998) (stating amended complaint supersedes original). Also, an amended complaint may not be added to after filing without moving for amendment. Fed. R. Civ. P. 15.

• Each defendant must be named in the complaint's caption, listed in the section of the complaint setting forth names of each defendant, and affirmatively linked to applicable claims within the "cause of action" section of the complaint.

• The complaint must clearly state what each individual defendant--typically, a named government employee--did to violate Plaintiff's civil rights. See Bennett v. Passic , 545 F.2d 1260, 1262-63 (10th Cir. 1976) (stating personal participation of each named defendant is essential allegation in civil-rights action). "To state a claim, a complaint must 'make clear exactly who is alleged to have done what to whom .'" Stone v. Albert , 338 F. App'x 757, 759 (10th Cir. 2009) (unpublished) (emphasis in original) (quoting Robbins v. Oklahoma , 519 F.3d 1242, 1250 (10th Cir. 2008)). Plaintiff should аlso include, as much as possible, specific dates or at least estimates of when alleged constitutional violations occurred.

• Each cause of action, together with the facts and citations that directly support it, should be stated separately. Plaintiff should be as brief as possible while still using enough words to fully explain the "who," "what," "where," "when," and "why" of eаch claim. Robbins , 519 F.3d at 1248 ("The [ Bell Atlantic Corp. v .] Twombly Court was particularly critical of complaints that 'mentioned no specific, time, place, or person involved in the alleged [claim].' [550 U.S. 544, 565] n.10 (2007). Given such a complaint, 'a defendant seeking to respond to plaintiff's ‍​​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​‍ conclusory allegations . . . would have little idea where to begin.' Id .").

• Plaintiff may not name an individual as a § 1983 defendant based solely on suрervisory position. See Mitchell v. Maynard , 80 F.2d 1433, 1441 (10th Cir. 1996).

• Grievance denial alone, unconnected to "violation of constitutional rights alleged by plaintiff, does not establish personal participation under § 1983." Gallagher v. Shelton , 587 F.3d 1063, 1069 (10th Cir. 2009).

• "No action shall be brought with respect to prison conditions under . . . Federal law, by a prisoner confined in any jail, prison, or other correctional facility until such administrative remedies as are available are exhausted." 42 U.S.C.S. § 1997e(a) (2025). However, Plaintiff need not include grievance details in the complaint. Exhaustion of administrative remedies is an affirmative defense that must be raised by defendants. Jones v. Bock , 549 U.S. 199, 216 (2007).

• Judicial Immunity . It is well settled that judges "are absolutely immune from suit unless they act in 'clear absence of all jurisdiction,' meaning that even erroneous or malicious аcts are not proper bases for § 1983 claims." Segler v. Felfam Ltd. P'ship , 324 F. App'x 742, 743 (10th Cir. 2009) (unpublished) (quoting Stump v. Sparkman , 435 U.S. 349, 356-57 (1978)). The judge here very well may have been acting in a judicial capacity in presiding over Plaintiff’s case(s); if so, such actions are entitled to absolute immunity. See Doran v. Sanchez , 289 F. App'x 332, 332 (10th Cir. 2008) (unpublished).

• Affirmative Link.

[A] plaintiff who brings a constitutional claim under § 1983 can't obtain relief without first satisfying the personal-participation requirement. That is, the plaintiff must demonstrate the defendant "personally participated in the alleged constitutional violation" at issue. Vasquez v. Davis , 882 F.3d 1270, 1275 (10th Cir. 2018).

Indeed, because § 1983 is a "vehicle[] for imposing personal liability on government officials, we have stressed the need for careful attention to particulars, especially in lawsuits involving multiple defendants." Pahls v. Thomas , 718 F.3d 1210, 1225 (10th Cir. 2013); see also Robbins v. Oklahoma , 519 F.3d 1242, 1250 (10th Cir. 2008) (explaining that when plaintiff brings § 1983 claims against multiple defendants, "it is pаrticularly important . . . that the complaint make clear exactly who is alleged to have done what to whom "); Tonkovich v. Kan. Bd. of Regents , 159 F.3d 504, 532-33 (10th Cir. 1998)) (holding that district court's analysis of plaintiff's § 1983 claims was "infirm" where district court "lump[ed]" together plaintiff's claims against multiple defendants--"despite the fact that each of the defendants had different powers and duties and took different actions with respect to [plaintiff]"--and "wholly failed to identify specific actions taken by particular defendants that could form the basis of [a constitutional] claim").

Estate of Roemer v. Johnson , 764 F. App’x 784, 790-91 (10th Cir. 2019).

“A plaintiff’s failure to satisfy this requirement will trigger swift and certain dismissal.” Id . at 790 n.5. Indeed, the Tenth Circuit has “gone so far as to suggest that failure to satisfy the personal-participation requirement will not only justify dismissal for failure to state a claim; it will render the plaintiff’s claim frivolous.” Id .

• Inadequate medical treatment. The Eighth Amеndment's ban on cruel and unusual punishment requires prison officials to "provide humane conditions of confinement" including "adequate . . . medical care." Craig v. Eberly , 164 F.3d 490, 495 (10th Cir. 1998)) (quoting Barney v. Pulsipher , 143 F.3d 1299, 1310 (10th Cir. 1998)). To state a cognizable claim under the Eighth Amendment for failure to provide proper medical care, "a prisoner must allege acts or omissions sufficiently harmful to evidence deliberate indifference to sеrious medical needs." Olson v. Stotts , 9 F.3d 1475, 1477 (10th Cir. 1993) (emphasis in original) (quoting Estelle v. Gamble , 429 U.S. 97, 106 (1976)).

Any Eighth Amendment claim must be evaluated under objective and subjective prongs: (1) "Was the deprivation sufficiently serious?" And, if so, (2) "Did the officials act with a sufficiently culpable state of mind?" Wilson v. Seiter , 501 U.S. 294, 298 (1991).

Under the objective prong, a medical need is "sufficiently serious . . . if it is one that has been diagnosed by a physician as mandating treatment or one that is so obvious that even a lay person would easily recognize the necessity for a doctor's attention." Sealock , 218 F.3d at 1209 (citations & quotation marks omitted).

The subjective component requires the plaintiff to show that prison officials were consciously aware that the prisoner faced a substantial risk of harm and wantonly disregarded the risk "by failing to take reasonable measures to abate it." Farmer v. Brennan , 511 U.S. 825, 847 (1994). "[T]he 'inadvertent failure to provide adequate medical care' tantamount to negligence does not satisfy the deliberate indifference standard." Sparks v. Singh , 690 F. App'x 598, 604 (10th Cir. 2017) (unpublished) (quoting Estelle v. Gamble , 429 U.S. 97, 105–06 (1976)). Furthermore, "a prisoner who merely disagrees with a diagnosis or a prescribed course of treatment does not state a constitutional violation." Perkins v. Kan. Dep't of Corrs., 165 F.3d 803, 811 10th Cir. 1999); see also Gee v. Pacheco , 627 F.3d 1178, 1192 (10th Cir. 2010) ("Disagreement with a doctor's particular method of treatment, ‍​​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​‍without morе, does not rise to the level of an Eighth Amendment violation.").

• Heck . Plaintiff's claims appear to include some allegations that if true may invalidate Plaintiff's conviction or sentence, if Plaintiff has been convicted and sentenced. "In Heck , the Supreme Court explained that a § 1983 action that would impugn the validity of a plaintiff's [incarceration] cannot be maintained unless the [basis for incarceration] has been reversed on direct appeal or impaired by collateral proceedings." Nichols v. Baer , 315 F. App'x 738, 739 (10th Cir. 2009) (unpublished) (citing Heck v. Humphrey , 512 U.S. 477, 486-87 (1994)). Heck keeps litigants "from using a § 1983 action, with its more lenient pleading rules, to challenge their conviction or sentence without complying with the more stringent exhaustion requirements for habeas actions." Butler v. Compton , 482 F.3d 1277, 1279 (10th Cir. 2007) (citation omitted). Heck clarifies that "civil tort actions are not appropriate vehicles for challenging the validity of outstanding criminal judgments." 512 U.S. at 486.

Plaintiff argues, in part, that Plaintiff's constitutional rights were breached in a way that may attack Petitioner's very imprisonment. Heck requires that, if a plaintiff requests § 1983 damages, this Court must decide whether judgment for the plaintiff would unavoidably imply that Plaintiff's incarceration is invalid. Id. at 487. Here, it appears it may. If this Court were to conclude that Plaintiff's constitutional rights were violated in a prejudicial manner, it would be stating that Plaintiff's incarceration was not valid. Thus, the involved claims "must be dismissed unless the plaintiff can demonstrate that the conviction or sentence has already been invalidated." Id. This has possibly not happened and may result in dismissal of such claims.

• Right to Parole . Plaintiff's arguments аbout parole decisions appear not to state a constitutional violation. After all, "[t]here is no constitutional or inherent right of a convicted person to be conditionally released before the expiration of a valid sentence," Greenholtz v. Inmates of Neb. Penal & Corr. Complex , 442 U.S. 1, 7 (1979). "Parole is a privilege," not a constitutional right. See Lustgarden v. Gunter , 966 F.2d 552, 555 (10th Cir. 1992). Further, it is well established that the Utah parole statute dоes not create a liberty interest entitling prisoners to federal constitutional protection. See Malek v. Haun , 26 F.3d 1013, 1016 (10th Cir. 1994). Because Plaintiff has no right to parole under the Federal Constitution, he may not in this federal suit challenge denial of parole, or release from custody before the outside term of his sentence. See Olim v. Wakinekona , 461 U.S. 238, 250 (1983) .

C. MOTION FOR APPOINTED COUNSEL

Plaintiff also moves for "appointment of counsel." (ECF Nо. 4.) "As a civil litigant, plaintiff has no Sixth Amendment right to counsel." Johnson v. Johnson , 466 F.3d 1213, 1217 (10th Cir. 2006). And the Court lacks authority to appoint counsel; still, federal statute authorizes the Court to ask counsel to agree to represent an indigent plaintiff free of charge. ^[3] See 28 U.S.C.S. § 1915(e)(1) (2025) ("The Court may request an attorney to represent any person unable to afford counsel."); McCleland v. Raemisch , No. 20- 1390, 2021 U.S. App. LEXIS 29490, at *15 n.3 (10th Cir. Sept. 30, 2021) (unpublished) (explaining, when prisoner-plaintiffs "refer to appointing counsel," they "really refer to a request that an attorney take the case pro bono "). Plaintiff has the burden of convincing the Court that Plaintiff's claim has enough merit to warrant such a request of counsel. McCarthy v. Weinberg , 753 F.2d 836, 838 (10th Cir. 1985). But "[i]t is not enough" for Plaintiff to argue that he needs help "in presenting his strongest possible case, as the same could be said in any case." Steffey v. Orman , 461 F.3d 1218, 1223 (10th Cir. 2006) (cleaned up).

Instead, in deciding whether to ask volunteer counsel to represent Plaintiff at no cost, this Court considers a variety of factors, like "the merits of the litigant's claims, the nature of the factual issues raised in the claims, the litigant's ability to present his claims, and the complexity of the legal issues raised by the claims." Rucks v. Boergermann , 57 F.3d 978, 979 (10th Cir. 1995) (cleaned up); accord McCarthy , 753 F.2d at 838-39. Considering the above factors, the Court concludes herе that, at this time, Plaintiff's claims may not be colorable, the issues in this case are not complex, and Plaintiff does not ‍​​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​‍appear to be too incapacitated or unable to adequately function in pursuing this matter. Thus, the Court denies for now Plaintiff's motion for "appointed" counsel. (ECF No. 4.)

D. ORDER

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED as follows:

1. Plaintiff must within thirty days cure the Complaint's deficiencies noted above by filing a document entitled, "Amended Complaint," that does not refer to or include any other document. (ECF No. 1.)

2. The Clerk's Office shall mail Plaintiff the Pro Se Litigant Guide with a blank-form

civil-rights complaint which Plaintiff must use to pursue an amended complaint. If Plaintiff fails to timely cure the above deficiencies according to this Order's

instructions, this action will be dismissed without further notice.

4. The amended complaint shall not include any claims outside the dates and allegations of transactions and events contained in the Complaint. ( Id. ) The Court will not address any such new claims or outside allegations, which will be dismissed. If Plaintiff wishes to raise other claims and allegations, Plaintiff may do so only in a new complaint in a new case. If an amended complaint is filed, the Court will screen each claim and defendant for dismissal or an order effecting service upon valid defendants who are affirmatively linked to valid claims.

5. Plaintiff must tell the Court of any address change and timely comply with Court orders. See D. Utah Civ. R. 83-1.6(b) ("An unrepresented party must immediately notify the Clerk's Office in writing of any name, mailing address, or email address changes."). Failure to do so may result in this action's dismissal for failure to prosecute. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 41(b) ("If the plaintiff fails to prosecute or to comply with these rules or a court order, a defendant may move to dismiss the action or any claim against it. Unless the dismissal order states otherwise, a dismissal under this subdivision (b) and any dismissal not under this rule--except one for lack of jurisdiction, improper venue, or failure to join a party undеr Rule 19--operates as an adjudication on the merits.").

6. Extensions of time are disfavored, though reasonable extensions may be granted. Any motion for time extension must be filed no later than fourteen days before the deadline to be extended.

7. No direct communication is to take place with any judge. All relevant information, letters, documents, and papers, labeled with case number, are to be directed to thе court clerk. Plaintiff must observe this District of Utah local rule: "A party proceeding without an attorney (unrepresented party or pro se party) is obligated to comply with: (1) the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure; (2) these Local Rules of Practice; (3) the Utah Standards of Professionalism and Civility; and (4) other laws and rules relevant to the action." DUCivR 83-1.6(a). Plaintiff's motion for "appointеd" counsel is DENIED . (ECF No. 4.) However, if-- after the case develops further--it appears that counsel may be needed or of specific help, the Court may ask an attorney to appear pro bono on Plaintiff's behalf. The Court will continually reevaluate the need for counsel; thus, no further motions for appointed counsel are needed. DATED this 4th day of August 2025.

BY THE COURT: JUDGE DALE A. KIMBALL United States District Court (cid:1)

Notes

[3] The Tenth Circuit has noted: Each year, the district court receives hundreds of requests for legal representation and only a small number of attorneys are available to accept these requests. Accordingly, the district court must use discretion in deciding which cases warrant a request for counsel. To do otherwise would deprive clearly deserving litigants of an opportunity to obtain legal representation. The dilemma is unfortunate for litigants [denied counsel]. But the dilemma [i]s not the district court's fault; that dilemma [i]s the product of the court's lack of authority to compel legal representation or to reimburse attorneys for their time. Rachel v. Troutt , 820 F.3d 390, 397 n.7 (10th Cir. 2016); see also Mallard v. U.S. Dist. Ct. for S. Dist. of Iowa , 490 U.S. 296, 298 (1989) (stating courts may not "require an unwilling attorney to represent an indigent litigant in a civil case"); Greene v. U.S. Postal Serv. , 795 F. App'x 581, 583 (10th Cir. 2019) (unpublished) ("In most legal communities, only a limited number of attorneys are willing to take these cases. Thus, the district court [must] decide how to maximize the benefit from these local resources."); Gross v. GM LLC , 441 F. App'x 562, 567 (10th Cir. 2011) (unpublished) (observing courts rarely request counsel to represent parties in civil actions); Castner v. Colo. Springs Cablevision , 979 F.2d 1417, 1421 (10th Cir. 1992) (cautioning courts that indiscriminately appointing "volunteer counsel to undeserving ‍​​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​‍claims will waste a precious resource and may discourage attorneys from donating their time").

Case Details

Case Name: Colucci v. Rose

Court Name: District Court, D. Utah

Date Published: Aug 4, 2025

Citation: 2:25-cv-00041

Docket Number: 2:25-cv-00041

Court Abbreviation: D. Utah