Pearl v. Dobbs

Michael Wyane Pearl, an inmate at the Cummins Unit of the Arkansas Department of Correction, appeals the district court’s December 8, 1980, dismissal of his 42 U.S.C. § 1983 lawsuit. Pearl claims that an inmate “turnkey,” who was assigned to open and close a hallway door in the Cummins Unit, struck him on June 19, 1979. Although Pearl’s pro se pleadings are difficult to decipher, Pearl apparently alleged that the inmate turnkey struck him with a key; the resulting injury required thirty-one stitches to Pearl’s head. Although we are troubled by some aspects of this case, we affirm the district…