Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada Voulentters

Carlos, an inmate at Lovelock Correctional Center filed a civil rights complaint seeking to obtain declaratory, injunctive and monetary relief to redress the injuries and damages allegedly caused by NDOC employees. Plaintiff claims he was improperly designated a Sureno gang member at High Desert State Prison (HDSP) and claims he is not affiliated with any gang, but has received threats due to his denial of being a member of the Sureno gang. He filed an informal grievance for improper designation, but was denied an STG due process hearing. He was placed on administrative segregation a week later. While he was housed in administrative segregation, he was allowed to access the yard for outdoor exercise only in a 10 ft x10 ft cage for 5-7 hour stretches. The temperatures often exceeded 100 degrees, but the cages didn’t have any shade or water fountains. The cages also lacked urinals and toilets and prisoners were not provided bathroom breaks. As a result, the cages were “encrusted with human feces and urine.” He was required to eat lunch in the cage. The cages were placed side-by-side, which allowed gang members to verbally harass him. He eventually declined yard time because of these conditions. He also did not have access to tier time, the gym, the library, jobs, or programs. He was permitted to shower once every three days. He was permitted only two phone calls and one hour-long, no-contact visit per week. He was permitted to spend only $50 per week in the canteen and limited to hygiene, writing, and correspondence items. He was not permitted to participate in the food and clothing package programs. He also endured 24-hour lockdowns because gang members kept threatening his life. He is seeking representation through the Federal Pro Bono Program. Next Deadline(s): No deadlines at this time.

Because of a serious motorcycle accident, Toney has a severe head injury that causes seizures. He was on an effective plan of care, including a regular medication, that proved to control seizures 97% of the time. In 2007, he was then diagnosed with a fungal infection in his left wrist that resulted in five surgeries and daily medication. He went into custody in 2016 and is currently at High Desert State Prison. He alleges that, in 2017, the defendants stopped administering the required medication for his seizures despite the medication’s common use in the medical field for seizures and the number of seizures he has had since has increased. He alleges they added fraudulent entries in his medical records to justify stopping the medication. He also alleges that, upon re-entry to the NDOC system in 2019, his left wrist brace, seizure medication, and anti-fungal medication were confiscated despite all being medically necessary. He also states he was cuffed on his left wrist without his brace, causing injury to his wrist. He eventually got a replacement brace after filing a grievance and other requests and he got his seizure medication back only after they witnessed a severe seizure. He got his anti-fungal medication back only after his wrist became re-infected. He filed a 1983 civil rights suit alleging 1st, 8th, and 14th amendment violations. He is in need of an attorney to represent him through the Federal Pro Bono Program. Next Deadline(s): Discovery due by 7/20/2023. Motions due by 9/19/2023. Proposed Joint Pretrial Order due by 10/19/2023. 

Plaintiff sues multiple defendants seeking monetary and injunctive relief for events that took place while he was being transferred from Southern Desert Correctional Center to Northern Nevada Correctional Center. Prior to 2021, Plaintiff suffered a series of strokes that left him paralyzed on his right side. Although he subsequently regained minimal function of his right side, he continues to suffer from severe pain in his legs, knees, and ankles, muscle spasms, and dysfunction in his left shoulder, wrists, knees, feet, and ankles. As a result, Plaintiff has limited mobility and he requires a walker to move around. On March 15, 2021, Plaintiff was scheduled to be transported from one facility to another. In order to transport him, correctional officers allegedly placed him in ankle and waist restraints and told him to step up into the van, which was two-and-a-half feet off the ground. Plaintiff, who was using a walker at the time, asked for an ADA van/vehicle but his request was allegedly ignored. Instead, he claims they violently tossed, slammed, and pushed him into the van, causing him to experience pain and injury to his shoulders, wrist, hip, neck, leg, and knees. He experienced pain throughout the 5 hour trip and extending beyond that. As a result, Plaintiff sues multiple defendants seeking monetary and injunctive relief and is in need of an attorney through the Federal Pro Bono Program to assist him with his lawsuit. Next Deadline(s): 120-Day Report due 5/12/2023.

An inmate of Northern Nevada Correctional Center filed a 1983 case seeking injunctive relief to change the policy that denies inmates preventative and maintenance dental care. He is seeking an attorney through the Federal Pro Bono Program to represent him in his trial only.

Charles, an inmate at Northern Nevada Correctional Center, is partially paralyzed on his left side due to alleged lack of medical treatment while in prison. He went into custody in 1999 and started complaining of back pain in 2000. He was transferred multiple times starting in 2006 to give him access to medical resources and classified as a low tier inmate. Despite this, he alleges he did not receive any real treatment or diagnostics for his pain until 2008 when he had an x-ray. The x-ray confirmed spinal cord issues and the doctor recommended an MRI. No MRI was done for years and, in June 2015, he filed an emergency grievance. It was not until seeing another doctor at a new facility in 2016 that he then had an MRI. This MRI confirmed the issues identified in 2008 and the doctor recommended surgery. He did not receive surgery despite filing multiple grievances and his pain persisted. In 2018, he was re-assigned to an upper tier cell despite his file noting the low tier requirement for medical reasons. He then fell while going up the stairs to his cell. He was taken to a medical center and had emergency surgery to relieve pressure from his spinal cord. The doctor advised he may never have full mobility again due to the continued pressure on his nerves for years. As a result, he filed an 8th Amendment deliberate indifference to serious medical needs claim and unsafe prison conditions. He is seeking an attorney through the Federal Pro Bono Program.

Richard, an inmate at Southern Desert Correctional Center, is pursuing punitive damages for injuries sustained during an encounter with law enforcement. He was shot four times with a non-lethal weapon in the arm, chest, and hand after resisting officers, disobeyed their commands, and arming himself with a metal baseball bat. After being shot with beanbags, he smashed the door of a convenience store and attempted to enter the store. He was subsequently shot once in the leg with live ammo by a second officer. He is requesting $500,000 in damages that he alleges were a result of excessive force. The court stayed the case for 60 days on 3/23/23 pending appointment of counsel through the Federal Pro Bono Program. Next Hearing(s): Status Conference on 5/23/23 at 9:30 am via videoconference.

A former inmate filed a 1983 lawsuit alleging a violation of the 1st amendment and 8th amendment. He alleges NDOC employees violated the 1st amendment because his Quran was removed without legitimate reason. He alleges NDOC case workers violated the 8th amendment because they conspired to sexually assault him, failed to report or respond to his claim he was sexually assaulted, and then threatened further sexual assault. He also alleges they refused to forward his emergency grievances and threatened to file false disciplinary charges against him. He is in need of an attorney to assist him in his case through the Federal Pro Bono Program. Next Deadline(s): No upcoming deadlines. 

A veteran with service-related disabilities is seeking injunctive relief and monetary damages for negligence and breach of contract, equitable relief, attorney’s fees, litigation expenses and costs for the violation of the ADA. He has used his service animal for 7 years in public, including on airline flights, without issue. In May 2021, he and his service animal were at a commercial property he had frequented multiple times. He alleges he was asked to leave because they claimed his trained service animal “nipped” a female employee, which he denies. He was then approached by another employee on his way out of the specific area and told the story was fabricated to get him to leave. The person gave him his card and told him to contact him if he had any issues. The next day, he called to report the incident to the establishment’s security office and was asked to come in person to discuss the situation. He went in and they demanded he provide proof his dog was a service animal. He then spoke to the Security Investigator and asked that the security footage be reviewed, but he believes it was never reviewed and his previous counsel believes it may have been impermissibly destroyed. He is seeking an attorney to assist him in this matter through the Federal Pro Bono Program. Next Deadline(s): No upcoming deadlines.

Two former members of a local laborers union allege they were wrongfully terminated from their union membership because of a breach of fiduciary duty by a union officer, which caused loss of employment opportunities, benefits, and access to their pension and retirement savings. They filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and, while the complaint was pending, the union filed a state court case against the two former members without following the grievance process. The former members allege this was in retaliation for filing the NLRB complaint. The court dismissed the Amended Complaint without prejudice and gave the plaintiffs leave to file another amended complaint. The plaintiffs are seeking assistance with the federal court claim through the Federal Pro Bono Program. Next Hearing(s): Status Conference on 6/15/23 at 1:00 pm via videoconference. 

In February of 2018, an inmate of Southern Desert Correctional Center received a cornea transplant procedure after being diagnosed with an eye disease known as keratoconus, which can cause glaring, halos around lights, difficulty seeing a night, eye irritation, headaches associated with eye pain, increased sensitivity to light, and sudden worsening or clouding of vision. Following the surgery, he was prescribed prednisone, which is an immunosuppressant drug used to prevent the body from rejecting a transplanted organ. Explicit directions were given by the NDOC eye doctor not to allow this medication to lapse. Client was also prescribed artificial tears and dorzolamide. Although he was classified as a “chronic care” patient, his prescriptions were frequently allowed to lapse for weeks at a time. On March 31, 2021, client was taken to a specialist, who revealed that at least one of the stitches in the eye had come loose. This caused extreme pain, and resulted in an infection. He filed this civil rights complaint alleging deliberate indifference and is seeking injunctive relief and monetary compensation. He would like an attorney through the Federal Pro Bono Program. Next Deadline(s): No upcoming deadlines. 

An inmate at Nye County Detention Center filed a civil rights complaint after he alleges a guard covered the camera of his cell and remove him from the cell with excessive force and transferred him to the booking area. He claims his thumb was fractured while being placed in restraints and his nose was broken when they slammed his face against the bars of his cell. He alleges he then experienced delayed treatment resulting in pain and suffering. He is seeking monetary and injunctive relief. He would like an attorney to assist him through the Federal Pro Bono Program. Next Deadline(s): No upcoming deadlines.

An inmate at Lovelock Correctional Center alleges that he suffered a heart attack while in custody at High Desert State Prison due to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and delays in receiving prescriptions. He further claims he has not received a recommended follow-up procedure and, at the time of filing the Complaint, he had been without his cholesterol and hypertension medications since November 2021 and December 2021, respectively. Plaintiff further alleges he is the only person in his housing unit that received delayed treatment and medication. He filed a civil rights complaint alleging deliberate indifference to serious medical needs and is seeking an attorney to represent him in this matter through the Federal Pro Bono Program. Next Deadline(s): No upcoming deadlines.