Jones v. Bock
United States Supreme Court
549 U.S. 199 (2007)
Relevant factsFree
Jones (plaintiff), a Michigan inmate injured in an accident, was assigned a work task he claimed he could not perform, was told by a staffer to do it anyway, and allegedly aggravated his injuries as a result; after his prison grievance went unredressed, he sued in federal court. Because Jones lacked copies of certain grievance documents, the trial court dismissed his complaint for failing to affirmatively prove exhaustion of administrative remedies as required by the PLRA, and the court of appeals upheld the dismissal.
IssueFree
Whether exhaustion of administrative remedies under the Prison Litigation Reform Act is an affirmative defense that must be pleaded and proved by the defendant.