James Francis Hill v. Correctional Officer Gentry

Appellant is an inmate of the Medical Center for Federal Prisoners at Springfield, Missouri, under a federal criminal sentence. He sought to institute an action on diversity jurisdiction against a “correctional officer” of the Medical Center, to recover damages under Missouri law for an assault and battery alleged to have been committed upon him by the officer in the latter’s individual and not official capacity.

The District Court denied appellant leave to file the suit in forma pauperis, for the reason, as set forth in the court’s opinion, reported in 182 F.Supp. 500, 502, that “under the…