DLD-133 NOT PRECEDENTIAL
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE THIRD CIRCUIT
___________
No. 11-4159
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DONALD MERRILL WERTZ,
Appellant
v.
COUNTY OF BLAIR, PENNSYLVANIA; PRESIDENT JUDGE JOLENE KOPRIVA;
JUDGE CARPENTER; JUDGE MILLIRON; BLAIR COUNTY COMMISSIONERS;
JUDGE DOYLE
____________________________________
On Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Western District of Pennsylvania
(D.C. Civil No. 3-10-cv-00276)
District Judge: Honorable Kim R. Gibson
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Submitted for Possible Summary Action
Pursuant to Third Circuit LAR 27.4 and I.O.P. 10.6
March 8, 2012
Before: AMBRO, JORDAN and VANASKIE, Circuit Judges
(Opinion filed: March 13, 2012)
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OPINION
_________
PER CURIAM
1
Donald Merrill Wertz was civilly committed to a mental institution in 1983 after
he was found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity. In November 2010, Wertz filed
a pro se complaint in the District Court pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 alleging that his
Fourteenth Amendment rights had been violated in connection with a re-commitment
hearing that took place in June 2009. Specifically, Wertz claimed that the court, in
reaching its decision to recommit him, relied in part on unsubstantiated testimony that he
“drove [his] car in[to] a group of people and shot at a lady” in 1978. (Compl., Dist. Ct.
Dkt. # 6, ¶ IV.) As relief, Wertz asked that the “false evidence” be “removed from [his]
records,” and requested money damages as well as his immediate release. (Id.)
On December 7, 2010, the Magistrate Judge entered an order instructing Wertz to
provide the following documents to the Clerk of Court on or before December 28, 2010:
proper instructions and U.S. Marshal Form 285 for service upon the defendants; a
completed notice and waiver of summons; and a copy of the complaint for each
defendant. 1 When Wertz failed to file the requested documents, the Magistrate Judge
issued an order to show cause why the case should not be dismissed. In the order, the
Magistrate Judge instructed Wertz to submit a response on or before January 20, 2011.
Wertz failed to respond to the show cause order. As a result, the Magistrate Judge
considered whether the complaint should be dismissed pursuant to Rule 41(b) of the
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 41(b) (authorizing dismissal for
1
The docket report indicates that the forms were forwarded to Wertz on
December 16, 2010.
2
failure to prosecute or comply with court’s orders). After reviewing the factors set forth
in Poulis v. State Farm Fire and Casualty Co., 747 F.2d 863, 868 (3d Cir. 1984), the
Magistrate Judge recommended that Wertz’s complaint be dismissed. The District Court
agreed, and, by order entered August 9, 2011, dismissed the complaint with prejudice. 2
Wertz now appeals from the District Court’s order.
We have jurisdiction over this appeal pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1291. We review
the District Court’s order for an abuse of discretion. Poulis, 747 F.2d at 868. We have
reviewed the record and are compelled to conclude that the Magistrate Judge and District
Court misconstrued some of Wertz’s claims in determining that dismissal was
appropriate under the Poulis framework. In her Report and Recommendation, the
Magistrate Judge stated that Wertz’s complaint challenged the underlying civil
commitment order that was entered after his 1983 conviction, and the District Court
agreed. While Wertz’s complaint can be understood to challenge the 1983 commitment
order, it also raises a challenge to the 2009 re-commitment hearing. To the extent that the
Magistrate Judge and the District Court did not consider that aspect of the pro se
complaint, they misread Wertz’s allegations.
Accordingly, we will vacate the District Court’s August 9, 2011 order and
summarily remand this matter for further proceedings. See Third Cir. LAR 27.4 and
2
Although the District Court’s order did not specify that dismissal was with
prejudice, a dismissal under Rule 41(b) operates as an adjudication on the merits
unless the order states otherwise. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 41(b).
3
I.O.P. 10.6. We express no opinion as to the merit of Wertz’s claims or the weight to be
afforded to any of the Poulis factors. 3
3
To the extent that Wertz states in his complaint that he seeks immediate
release from civil commitment, we note that his sole federal remedy is a writ of
habeas corpus. See Preiser v. Rodriguez, 411 U.S. 475, 500 (1973).
4