Nonprecedential Disposition

* The defendants were not served with process in the district court and are not
participatinginthisappeal.Afterexaminingtheappellant’sbriefandtherecord,wehave
concludedthatoralargumentisunnecessary.Thus,theappealissubmittedonthebriefand
therecord.SeeFED. R. A PP. P. 34(a)(2)(c).
United States Court of Appeals
For the Seventh Circuit
Chicago, Illinois 60604
SubmittedNovember23,2010 *
DecidedDecember2,2010
Before
MICHAELS.KANNE,CircuitJudge
TERENCET.EVANS,CircuitJudge
DAVIDF.HAMILTON,CircuitJudge

No.091365
DAVIDM.JONES,
PlaintiffAppellant,
v.
HOWARDMORTON,etal.,
DefendantsAppellees.
AppealfromtheUnitedStatesDistrict
CourtfortheNorthernDistrictofIndiana,
FortWayneDivision.
No.3:08cv545
TheresaL.Springmann,
Judge.
ORDER
DavidJonesfiledsuitunder42U.S.C.§1983claimingthatprisonofficialshavebeen
deliberatelyindifferenttothreatsagainsthimfromgangmembersattheIndianaState
Prison.ThedistrictcourtdirectedJonestoprepaytheentirefilingfeeafterconcludingthat
hepreviouslyincurredthreestrikesforfilingfrivolouslitigationandwasnotinimminent
NONPRECEDENTIALDISPOSITION
Tobecitedonlyinaccordancewith
Fed.R.App.P.32.1

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No.091365 Page2
danger.See28U.S.C.§1915(g).WhenJonesdidnotpay,thecourtdismissedtheaction,
andJonesnowappeals.InlightofourrecentdecisioninTurleyv.Gaetz,No.093847,2010
WL4286368(7thCir.Nov.2,2010),wevacatethejudgmentandremandforfurther
proceedings.
Accordingtotheallegationsinhiscomplaint,whichatthisstagewemustpresume
aretrue,seeSantiagov.Walls,599F.3d749,756(7thCir.2010),Jonesexperiencedapatternof
forewarnedassaultsbygangmembersthatthedefendantsignoredandeveninstigated.
GangmembershadfirstthreatenedJonesaroundJune2007,buthisrequestforprotective
custodywasdenied.Thedefendantsmovedhimintoadormwithaninmatehepreviously
“hadtroublewith.”ThatinmatelaterrestrainedJonesatknifepointwhileanotherinmate
attackedhim.ForreasonsnotexplainedbyJones,hewaslaterplacedinsegregationand
toldhewouldremaintherefortwoyears,buteveninsegregationthethreatscontinued.
Jonesdoesnotsayexplicitlythatthetwoassailantsandtheotherswhothreatenedhimwere
gangmembers,buthedoesallegethatwhilehewasinsegregationguardsalloweda
numberofgangmembersintotherecreationyardsotheycouldassaulthim.Theseinmates
stabbedhiminthestomachandslicedhisfacewitharazor,sendinghimtothehospitaland
causingpermanentscarring.Jonesoncemorerequestedprotectivecustodyandagainwas
refused.Afterhisreleasefromthehospital,however,JoneswastransferredtoWestville
CorrectionalFacilityfortheremainderofhissegregationtime.WhileatWestville,Jones
suedandrequestedmonetarydamagesandaninjunctiontopreventhisreturntothe
IndianaStatePrison,wherethegangmemberswhoattackedhimstillwerehoused.
Jonesalsomovedtoproceedinformapauperis.Thedistrictcourtdeniedthis
requestontheunderstandingthatJoneshadalreadyaccumulatedthreestrikesandwasnot
in“imminentdanger”soastoexcuseprepaymentofthefullfilingfee.Jonesmovedfor
reconsideration.Hearguedthathewasinimminentdangerbecausehewasscheduledto
bereturnedtotheIndianaStatePrisoninsevenmonthswhenhissegregationtimeended,
andthushisseparationfromthegangmemberswhoattackedhimwasonlytemporary.
ThecourtreasonedthattheharmJonesfearedwasspeculativeratherthanimminentand
deniedhismotion.Ifhefacedarealthreatinthefuture,thecourtinformedJones,hecould
moveforinjunctiverelief,butinthemeantimehewasobligatedtopaytheentirefilingfee
inadvance.ThecourtlaterdismissedJones’slawsuitwhenhefailedtopay.
Afterhefiledthisappeal,Joneswasmoved—ashesaidwouldhappen—backtothe
IndianaStatePrison.Onthatbasiswegrantedhimleavetoproceedinformapauperis.
Jonesv.Bates,No.091365(7thCir.Apr.20,2010)(grantingJones’smotiontoreconsider).
Thisappeal,weobserved,presentsaquestionoffirstimpression:whetheranallegationthat
aninmateisguaranteedtobereturnedtosurroundingsthatwillplacehiminharm’swayis
sufficienttomeettheexceptionin§1915(g)forimminentdanger.Id.Jonesmaintainsthat,

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No.091365 Page3
atthetimehefiledhiscomplaint,heknewwithreasonablecertaintythathewouldbesent
backtotheIndianaStatePrison.Healsoarguesthatthestringofthreatsandtheassaults
forecastbythosethreatsestablishedwithsufficientprobabilitythatimminentdanger
awaitedhimthere.
Weareinclinedtoagree.Thetimingofimminentdangerisrelative,particularly
giventhepaceoflitigation.Wehavecautionedagainsta“chimerical”interpretationof
imminentdanger;therelevanttimeframeisnotlimitedtotheexactmomentaninmate
facesassault.Lewisv.Sullivan,279F.3d526,531(7thCir.2002).Buteventshaveovertaken
thisappeal.Section1915(g)providesthataprisonerincursastrikeforbringing“anaction
orappeal...thatwasdismissedonthegroundsthatitisfrivolous,malicious,orfailsto
stateaclaimuponwhichreliefmaybegranted.”Whenthedistrictcourtconcludedthat
Joneshadalreadyaccumulatedthreestrikes,thecourtcitedthreeofhispriorlawsuits:Jones
v.Clark,IP98C157(S.D.Ind.March4,1998);Jonesv.Maxey,IP98C910(S.D.Ind.Oct.2,
1998);andJonesv.Richwine,1:06CV162(S.D.Ind.Apr.25,2006).Countingthefirsttwo
casesasstrikesdoesnotseemproblematicbecausebothweredismissedintheirentiretyat
screening.Yetthethirdcase,wenowknow,didnotincurastrike.
ThedistrictcourtinRichwinedismissedseveralclaimsanddefendantsfromthe
complaintatscreeningandlatergrantedsummaryjudgmentfortheremainingdefendants.
IncountingthislawsuitasJones’sthirdstrike,thedistrictcourtreadGeorgev.Smith,507
F.3d605,60708(7thCir.2007),toholdthataprisoner’slawsuitincursastrikeifevenone
claimisdismissedonagroundlistedin§1915(g),nomatterhowmanyclaimsareincluded
inthecomplaint.Earlierthismonth,however,weclarifiedthatGeorgedoesnotsupportthis
contention.Rather,prisonersincurastrikeonlywhena“caseisdismissedinitsentirety
basedonthegroundslistedin§1915(g).”Turley,2010WL4286368,at*7.Thedistrictcourt,
withoutthebenefitofTurley,understandablyinterpretedGeorgeasitdid.Butonlypartof
Jones’scaseinRichwinewasdismissedatscreening,andgivenourholdinginTurley,hedid
notincurathirdstrikeforthatsuit.Ourownsearch,moreover,hasnotuncoveredany
otherlawsuitinwhichJonesincurredastrike,andthusthedistrictcourterredin
concludingthatthe“threestrikes”provisionappliedtohim.AndsinceJonesdoesnothave
threestrikes,thequestionofimminentdangerismoot.
ThejudgmentisVACATED,andthecaseisREMANDEDforfurtherproceedings.

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