`
`UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
`SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF INDIANA
`TERRE HAUTE DIVISION
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`
`CECIL JENKINS,
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`
`
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`Plaintiff,
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`v.
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`Defendants.
`
`)
`)
`)
`)
`)
`)
`)
`)
`)
`
`No. 2:21-cv-00075-JPH-MG
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`
`RICHARD BROWN, et al.,
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`
`
`
`
`
`
`ORDER GRANTING DEFENDANTS' MOTION FOR SUMMARY
`JUDGMENT AND DIRECTING ENTRY OF FINAL JUDGMENT
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`Cecil Jenkins alleges that he was subjected to solitary confinement for over
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`11 years without due process. The defendants—Indiana Department of
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`Correction (IDOC) officials—seek summary judgment on the affirmative defense
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`that Mr. Jenkins failed to exhaust available administrative remedies.
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`The undisputed evidence shows that Mr. Jenkins had administrative
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`remedies available to him and failed to exhaust them. Accordingly, the
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`defendants' motion for summary judgment is granted, this action is dismissed
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`without prejudice, and the Court directs the clerk to enter final judgment.
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`I.
`STANDARD OF REVIEW
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`Parties in a civil dispute may move for summary judgment, which is a way
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`of resolving a case short of a trial. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a). Summary judgment
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`is appropriate when there is no genuine dispute as to any of the material facts,
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`and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Id.; Pack v.
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`Middlebury Comm. Schs., 990 F.3d 1013, 1017 (7th Cir. 2021). A "genuine
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`Case 2:21-cv-00075-JPH-MG Document 39 Filed 02/14/23 Page 2 of 13 PageID #: 903
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`dispute" exists when a reasonable factfinder could return a verdict for the
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`nonmoving party. Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248 (1986).
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`"Material facts" are those that might affect the outcome of the suit. Id.
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`
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`When reviewing a motion for summary judgment, the Court views the
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`record in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party and draws all
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`reasonable inferences in the nonmoving party's favor. Khungar v. Access Cmty.
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`Health Network, 985 F.3d 565, 572-73 (7th Cir. 2021). The Court cannot weigh
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`evidence or make credibility determinations on summary judgment because
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`those tasks are reserved for the fact-finder. Miller v. Gonzalez, 761 F.3d 822, 827
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`(7th Cir. 2014). The Court is only required to consider the materials cited by the
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`parties, see Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c)(3); it is not required to "scour every inch of the
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`record" for evidence that is potentially relevant. Grant v. Trustees of Indiana
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`Univ., 870 F.3d 562, 573-74 (7th Cir. 2017).
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`"[A] party seeking summary
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`judgment always bears the
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`initial
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`responsibility of informing the district court of the basis for its motion, and
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`identifying
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`those portions of
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`'the pleadings, depositions, answers
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`to
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`interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any,' which
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`it believes demonstrate the absence of a genuine issue of material fact." Celotex
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`Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 323 (1986). "[T]he burden on the moving party
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`may be discharged by 'showing'—that is, pointing out to the district court—that
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`there is an absence of evidence to support the nonmoving party's case." Id. at
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`325.
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`2
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`Case 2:21-cv-00075-JPH-MG Document 39 Filed 02/14/23 Page 3 of 13 PageID #: 904
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`II.
`APPLICABLE LAW
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`On a motion for summary judgment, "[t]he applicable substantive law will
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`dictate which facts are material." National Soffit & Escutcheons, Inc., v. Superior
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`Sys., Inc., 98 F.3d 262, 265 (7th Cir. 1996) (citing Anderson, 477 U.S. at 248). In
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`this case, the substantive law is the Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA), which
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`requires that a prisoner exhaust available administrative remedies before suing
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`over prison conditions. 42 U.S.C. § 1997e(a). "[T]he PLRA's exhaustion
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`requirement applies to all inmate suits about prison life, whether they involve
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`general circumstances or particular episodes, and whether they allege excessive
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`force or some other wrong." Porter v. Nussle, 534 U.S. 516, 532 (2002) (citation
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`omitted).
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`"To exhaust administrative remedies, a prisoner must comply strictly with
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`the prison's administrative rules by filing grievances and appeals as the rules
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`dictate." Reid v. Balota, 962 F.3d 325, 329 (7th Cir. 2020) (citing Woodford v.
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`Ngo, 548 U.S. 81, 90-91 (2006)). A "prisoner must submit inmate complaints and
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`appeals 'in the place, and at the time, the prison's administrative rules require.'"
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`Dale v. Lappin, 376 F.3d 652, 655 (7th Cir. 2004) (quoting Pozo v. McCaughtry,
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`286 F.3d 1022, 1025 (7th Cir. 2002)).
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`III.
`BACKGROUND
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`The facts are undisputed. Because the defendants have moved for
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`summary judgment under Rule 56(a), the Court views and recites the evidence
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`"in the light most favorable to the non-moving party and draw[s] all reasonable
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`3
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`Case 2:21-cv-00075-JPH-MG Document 39 Filed 02/14/23 Page 4 of 13 PageID #: 905
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`inferences in that party's favor." Zerante v. DeLuca, 555 F.3d 582, 584 (7th Cir.
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`2009) (citation omitted).
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`Mr. Jenkins was assigned to Restrictive Status Housing at the Indiana
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`State Prison from July 21, 2005, until November 2007, when he was moved to
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`Department Wide Administrative Restrictive Status Housing (DWARSH) at
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`Wabash Valley Correctional Facility. Dkt. 34-9 at 2; dkt. 34-10. Mr. Jenkins was
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`transferred out of DWARSH in March 2019. Dkt. 37 at 1–2.
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`A.
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`Classification Review Documents
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`While housed in DWARSH at Wabash Valley between November 2007 and
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`March 2019, Mr. Jenkins regularly received reviews of his classification. These
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`reviews are memorialized on 33 Reports of Classification Hearing (ROCHs) and
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`101 Administrative Segregation Reviews (ASRs).1 Dkt. 34-11. A ROCH consists
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`of handwritten notes on a preprinted IDOC form with four main sections. See,
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`e.g., dkt. 34-10 at 1. If the hearing was prompted by the inmate's request to be
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`reclassified, he writes that request in the first section. See, e.g., dkt. 34-11 at 13.
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`Regardless of what prompted the hearing, a member of the classification
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`committee handwrites its recommendation in the next section. The supervisor of
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`classification then indicates either approval or denial of the committee's
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`recommendation in a section labeled, "Supervisor of Classification: Decision and
`
`
`1 The latter category of documents has had various titles over the years, including Long-
`term Administrative Segregation Review, Facility Administrative Segregation Review,
`Facility Administrative Restrictive Status Housing Review, Facility Restrictive Status
`Housing Review, Department Administrative Restrictive Status Housing Review, and
`Department-Wide Administrative Restrictive Status Housing Review. They are
`substantially identical to one another regardless of title. The Court refers to each of
`these documents as an Administrative Segregation Review (ASR) for simplicity.
`
`4
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`Case 2:21-cv-00075-JPH-MG Document 39 Filed 02/14/23 Page 5 of 13 PageID #: 906
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`Basis." The ultimate classification action taken is written in the final section,
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`and the supervisor of classification signs the form.
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`An ASR is typewritten and issued under the names of casework managers
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`in the units where the inmate was confined. Most months, nothing on Mr.
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`Jenkins' ASRs changed from the previous month except the date and perhaps
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`the name of the casework manager completing the review. Most say something
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`very similar to the following:
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`Per order of the Executive Director of Operations, Offender Jenkins,
`Cecil, DOC # 853489, is currently assigned to the Secure
`Confinement Unit at the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility.
`
`Your status has been reviewed and there are no changes
`recommended to the Executive Director of Operations at this time.
`Your current department Administrative Restrictive Housing Status
`shall remain in effect unless otherwise rescinded by the Executive
`Director of Operations.
`
`This review was prepared by T. Mark, CWM, Secure Confinement
`Unit. If there are any questions regarding this report, they may be
`directed to either the Unit Caseworker or the Casework Manager.
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`Dkt. 34-11 at 79.
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`
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`The last two ASRs Mr. Jenkins received—dated February 1, 2019, and
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`March [no date] 2019—were slightly different because they each included the
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`following additional language:
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`Placement on Department-Wide Administrative Status Housing may
`be appealed by submitting a Classification Appeal (SF 9260) within
`ten working days of admission to a Department-Wide Restrictive
`Status Housing Unit or any subsequent Classification action (i.e. 30
`Day or 90 Day reviews).
`
`Dkt. 34-11 at 133–134.
`
`B.
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`Classification Appeals
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`5
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`Case 2:21-cv-00075-JPH-MG Document 39 Filed 02/14/23 Page 6 of 13 PageID #: 907
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`
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`While Mr. Jenkins was confined in administrative segregation, the IDOC
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`had a classification policy with an appeal process.2 Under the classification
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`policy, the appeal process became available once an inmate received a
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`"classification decision from the Supervisor of Classification" or, in the case of
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`an interfacility decision, the inmate was "informed of the Classification Analyst's
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`decision by the Supervisor of Classification." Dkt. 34-17 at 10–11. In either case,
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`the inmate could appeal the decision in writing on State Form 9260 within ten
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`working days of receiving the decision. Id.
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`
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`The defendants have designated evidence that inmates learn about the
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`classification appeals process during orientation and that the process and the
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`necessary forms are available to all inmates, including those in administrative
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`segregation. Dkt. 34-1 at ¶¶ 22–24.
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`Mr. Jenkins does not dispute that IDOC had a classification policy with an
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`appeals process. He does not claim that he did not know about the policy or
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`that the process was unavailable to him at any time.
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`
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`During his approximately 11 years in administrative segregation, Mr.
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`Jenkins submitted one classification appeal, dated February 14, 2019. Dkt. 34-
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`23 at 2.
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`2 The IDOC went through six different versions of its classification policy while Mr.
`Jenkins was designated to solitary confinement. See dkts. 34-12, 34-13, 34-14, 34-15,
`34-16, 34-17. The differences among these versions of the policy are immaterial to the
`defendants' motion for summary judgment and each version included a similar appeal
`process, so the Court cites the most recent version for simplicity.
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`6
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`Case 2:21-cv-00075-JPH-MG Document 39 Filed 02/14/23 Page 7 of 13 PageID #: 908
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`
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`This classification appeal related to two ROCHs that Mr. Jenkins had
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`received in January 2019. The first determined that he would remain in
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`administrative segregation "pending status review." Dkt. 34-11 at 131 (January
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`9, 2019). The second stated that he would be discharged from administrative
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`segregation and transferred to New Castle Correctional Facility (NCCF) "for
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`adjustment." Id. at 132 (January 23, 2019). The supervisor of classification noted
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`"transfer submitted" in the "Action taken" portion of the form. Id.
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`
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`Mr. Jenkins then received an ASR dated February 1, 2019, informing him
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`that he would stay in administrative segregation:
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`Your status has been reviewed and there are no changes
`recommended to the Executive Director of Operations at this time.
`The items reviewed include: reason for current placement, conduct
`history, Program participation, OCMS notes, interactions with staff
`and other offenders. Your current Department-Wide Administrative
`Restrictive Housing Status shall remain in effect unless otherwise
`rescinded by the Executive Director of Operations.
`
`Dkt. 34-11 at 133.
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`It also informed him that he could appeal the determination:
`
`Placement on Department-Wide Administrative Status Housing may
`be appealed by submitting a Classification Appeal (SF 9260) within
`ten working days of admission to a Department-Wide Restrictive
`Status Housing Unit or any subsequent Classification action (i.e. 30
`Day or 90 Day reviews).
`
`
`Dkt. 34-11 at 133–134.
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`He later received an identical ASR dated March 1. Id. at 134.
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`
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`On February 14, 2019, Mr. Jenkins submitted a classification appeal
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`challenging the decisions—reported in the January ROCHs—that he would
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`7
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`Case 2:21-cv-00075-JPH-MG Document 39 Filed 02/14/23 Page 8 of 13 PageID #: 909
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`remain in segregation and then be transferred to NCCF once he was released
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`from segregation. Dkt. 34-23 at 2.3 On the appeal form, Mr. Jenkins wrote:
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`[The decision was:] That I remain on DWAS, also that upon my release I
`have to go thru a step-down program at New Castle or here at WVCF.
`[I base my appeal on the following reasons:] That I have been on the SCU
`for over 10 yrs and that my due process has continually been violated with
`cut and paste reviews. Over 10 years of isolation in a one man cell. I'm
`serving a 270 yr sentence.
`
`
`Id.
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`
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`K. Staton of the Classification Division returned Mr. Jenkins' appeal on
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`April 16, 2019, with a letter stating that he had been recommended for discharge
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`from segregation on February 20 and then transferred to NCCF on March 8. Id.
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`at 1.
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`
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`Mr. Jenkins filed this case on February 2, 2021. Dkt. 1. He pled viable
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`claims that his conditions of confinement in administrative segregation violated
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`the Eighth Amendment, but now concedes that he failed to exhaust
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`administrative remedies as to those claims. Dkt. 10 at 3; dkt. 36 at ¶ 6.
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`He also pled a viable claim that his Fourteenth Amendment due process
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`rights were violated because he did not receive meaningful periodic reviews of
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`his placement in administrative segregation between 2007 and 2019. This claim
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`is the subject of the defendants' motion for summary judgment.
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`
`
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`3 Although closer in time to the February 1 ASR (dkt. 34-11 at 133), Mr. Jenkins' appeal
`refers specifically to the contents of the January 9 and 23 ROCHs (id. at 131–32).
`Compare dkt. 34-23 at 2 (discussing "remain[ing] on DWAS" and "step-down program
`at New Castle") to dkt. 34-11 at 131 ("Remain DWRH-A pending status review"), 132
`("rec transfer to NCNTU for adjustment").
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`8
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`Case 2:21-cv-00075-JPH-MG Document 39 Filed 02/14/23 Page 9 of 13 PageID #: 910
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`IV.
`ANALYSIS
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`"Because exhaustion is an affirmative defense," the defendants face the
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`burden of establishing that "an administrative remedy was available and that
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`[Mr. Jenkins] failed to pursue it." Thomas v. Reese, 787 F.3d 845, 847 (7th Cir.
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`2015). "[T]he ordinary meaning of the word 'available' is 'capable of use for the
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`accomplishment of a purpose,' and that which 'is accessible or may be obtained.'"
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`Ross v. Blake, 578 U.S. 632, 642 (2016) (internal quotation omitted). "[A]n inmate
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`is required to exhaust those, but only those, grievance procedures that are
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`capable of use to obtain some relief for the action complained of." Id. (internal
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`quotation omitted). The IDOC's classification appeal procedure provides
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`administrative remedies for inmates confined in long-term administrative
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`segregation. Crouch v. Brown, 27 F.4th 1315 (7th Cir. 2022). Both ROCHs and
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`ASRs are appealable. Id. at 1322 ("Crouch could have appealed any one of the
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`35 ROCHs he received. . . . Crouch also could have appealed one of the twenty-
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`one 30-day reviews he received.").
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`Here, Mr. Jenkins does not dispute that he received each of the 33 ROCHs
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`and 101 ASRs that were issued to him between November 2007 and March 2019,
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`or that each was appealable. He does not allege was that the appeals process
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`was unavailable to him at any time over the 11-year timeframe. Instead, Mr.
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`Jenkins argues that by filing the classification appeal on February 14, 2019, he
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`exhausted available administrative remedies with respect to his claim that
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`Defendants violated his Due Process rights by keeping him in solitary
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`9
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`
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`Case 2:21-cv-00075-JPH-MG Document 39 Filed 02/14/23 Page 10 of 13 PageID #: 911
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`confinement for over 11 years without periodic meaningful review of his
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`placement. In other words, Mr. Jenkins argues that by filing one classification
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`appeal while still housed in solitary confinement, he preserved the ability to bring
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`Due Process claims based on the entire 11-year period that he was held in
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`solitary confinement. Dkt. 37 at 5 ("The number of appealable events is
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`inconsequential so long as the inmate submits an appeal to challenge his
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`classification pursuant to the rules promulgated by the agency in which he is
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`housed.").
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`An inmate "must submit . . . complaints and appeals 'in the place, and at
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`the time, the prison's administrative rules require.'" Dale, 376 F.3d at 655
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`(quoting Pozo, 286 F.3d at 1025). Strict compliance with exhaustion rules is
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`required. Crouch, 27 F.4th at 1320. Wabash Valley's rules required Mr. Jenkins
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`to submit classification appeals within 10 days of each classification decision.
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`It's undisputed that he did not submit classification appeals according to that
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`timeline for at least the first eleven years and two months he was in
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`administrative segregation.
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`Mr. Jenkins argues that the number of appealable events is irrelevant to
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`the exhaustion analysis so long as he can show he exhausted remedies as to one
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`event in the series. It is true that "prisoners need not file multiple, successive
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`grievances raising the same issue . . . if the objectionable condition is
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`continuing." Turley v. Rednour, 729 F.3d 645, 650 (7th Cir. 2013). Under that
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`rule, a prisoner has satisfied the exhaustion requirement "once a prison has
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`received notice of, and an opportunity to correct, a problem." Id. Having put the
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`10
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`Case 2:21-cv-00075-JPH-MG Document 39 Filed 02/14/23 Page 11 of 13 PageID #: 912
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`prison on notice of the alleged problem, the prisoner need not continue to file
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`grievances on the same issue.
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`But neither Turley nor any other authority the Court is aware of holds that
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`the filing of a grievance applies retroactively to previously expired claims that
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`were not timely grieved. Here, Wabash Valley's policy required classification
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`appeals to be filed within 10 days of the classification decision. Mr. Jenkins does
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`not contend that the appeals process was unavailable to him any point while he
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`was in solitary confinement between November 2007 and March 2019. He has
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`not shown that the filing of an appeal in February 2019 satisfies the requirement
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`of filing an appeal to a classification decision within 10 days of the decision for
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`any ROCH or ASR other than those he received in January 2019.
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`Mr. Jenkins argues that Crouch does not foreclose his claim because there
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`the plaintiff there did not file any classification appeal. But that misses the
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`point. Crouch was confined to solitary confinement for four years and during
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`that time received at least 56 classification reports. Mr. Crouch did not argue
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`that administrative remedies were unavailable to him, yet he did not appeal any
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`of the ROCHs or ASRs.
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`Like Mr. Crouch, Mr. Jenkins had an appeal procedure available to him
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`but did not use it until February 14, 2019. At best, therefore, Mr. Jenkins has
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`properly exhausted claims regarding his confinement in administrative
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`segregation from January 9, 20194—when he received the first of two decisions
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`4 It appears that Mr. Jenkins' appeal, which he dated February 14, 2019, was beyond
`the ten-working day deadline to appeal ROCHs dated January 9 and 23. But "a
`procedural shortcoming like failing to follow the prison's time deadlines amounts to a
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`11
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`Case 2:21-cv-00075-JPH-MG Document 39 Filed 02/14/23 Page 12 of 13 PageID #: 913
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`that he challenged in his classification appeal—until his release from
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`administrative segregation three months later. But this is too short a term to
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`support a Fourteenth Amendment claim, regardless of what process the
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`defendants offered Mr. Jenkins. See Marion v. Columbia Correction Inst., 559 F.3d
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`693, 697–98 (7th Cir. 2009) ("[S]ix months of segregation is 'not such an extreme
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`term' and, standing alone, would not trigger due process rights.") (quoting
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`Whitford v. Boglino, 63 F.3d 527, 533 (7th Cir. 1995)). Therefore, Mr. Jenkins
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`does not have a viable due process claim based on his February 14, 2019,
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`classification appeal.
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`Finally, the Court noted in Part III(B) above that Mr. Jenkins' February 1,
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`2019 ASR was the first ASR to explicitly notify Mr. Jenkins of his ability to
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`appeal. Mr. Jenkins does not contend that this change to the ASR forms shows
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`that the classification appeal process was unavailable before February 1, 2019.
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`Rather, Mr. Jenkins argues exclusively that he exhausted the classification
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`appeal process—not that the process was unavailable to him. See dkt. 37 at 3–
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`6. And, in any event, such an argument appears to be contrary to Crouch. See 27
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`F.4th at 1322 ("Crouch could have appealed any one of the 35 ROCHs he
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`received. . . . Crouch also could have appealed one of the twenty-one 30-day
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`reviews he received. At least six of these reviews contained new language
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`explaining how inmates could appeal the reviews . . . . Regardless, at any point
`
`
`failure to exhaust only if prison administrators explicitly relied on that shortcoming."
`Conyers v. Abitz, 416 F.3d 580, 585 (7th Cir. 2005). The prison staff did not reject Mr.
`Jenkins' appeal as untimely. See dkt. 34-23 at 1. Accordingly, it was sufficient to
`exhaust the appeal process as to the January ROCHs.
`
`12
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`Case 2:21-cv-00075-JPH-MG Document 39 Filed 02/14/23 Page 13 of 13 PageID #: 914
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`Crouch could have attached relevant copies of his 30-day reviews to a ROCH to
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`support his claims. This, too, is a sufficient basis on which to determine that
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`Crouch failed to exhaust his administrative remedies under the PLRA.").
`
`V.
`Conclusion
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`The defendants' motion for summary judgment, dkt. [34], is granted. Mr.
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`Jenkins' motion in response, dkt. [36], is denied to the extent it seeks to move
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`forward with Fourteenth Amendment claims.
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`This action is dismissed without prejudice. See Ford v. Johnson, 362
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`F.3d 395, 401 ("[I]f the prisoner does exhaust, but files suit early, then dismissal
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`of the premature action may be followed by a new suit that unquestionably post-
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`dates the administrative decision. . . . [T]herefore . . . all dismissals under
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`§ 1997e(a) should be without prejudice.") (emphasis in original). The clerk is
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`directed to enter final judgment.
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`SO ORDERED.
`
`
`
`Distribution:
`
`Brandyn Lee Arnold
`INDIANA ATTORNEY GENERAL
`brandyn.arnold@atg.in.gov
`
`Jeffrey R. Cardella
`LAW OFFICE OF JEFF CARDELLA LLC
`jeffcardella@cardellalawoffice.com
`
`Kyle L. Christie
`CHRISTIE FARRELL LEE & BELL, P.C.
`kyle@cflblaw.com
`
`
`13
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`Date: 2/14/2023
`
`