Filed Date: May 11, 2015
Case Ongoing
Clearinghouse coding complete
On May 11, 2015, a Muslim prisoner filed this lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado. The plaintiff sued the Federal Bureau of Prisons (“BOP”) and the Warden of Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Security Prison (“ADX”), where the plaintiff was incarcerated. Represented by the Civil Rights Clinic of the University of Denver-Sturm College of Law, the plaintiff brought his claims under Bivens and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 (“RFRA”). He alleged that the prison’s practice of distributing his medication between 6:00 am and 6:00 pm during Ramadan – in violation of his religious faith – violated his rights under the First Amendment’s Free Exercise clause and under the RFRA. He sought declaratory and injunctive relief. The case was ultimately assigned to Judge R. Brooke Jackson.
On October 9, 2015, the plaintiff filed a substantially more detailed amended complaint. This complaint added several defendants, including individual wardens, medical staff members, and chaplains at the prison in their official and individual capacities, as well as the United States of America. It also expanded the relief sought. The plaintiff asked for: broader declaratory and injunctive relief requiring the defendants to respect his religious exercise, compensatory and punitive damages for the BOP’s “malicious and/or reckless deprivation” of his right to exercise his religion, and damages for the defendants’ failure to provide proper medical care because of his beliefs. He asked that the defendants be required to provide him Halal meals and to permit him to engage in group prayer. In the statement of facts, the plaintiff described specific examples of times that the defendants had intentionally disrespected his religion, such as mocking him and throwing the Holy Quran in the trash. He still alleged that the defendants’ actions had violated his First Amendment and RFRA rights, but he also added allegations stating violations of the Federal Tort Claims Act and the Fifth Amendment Equal Protection Clause.
On February 10, 2016, the defendants filed three separate motions to dismiss. First, the United States argued that the plaintiff’s tort claim for the alleged failure to provide proper medical care should be dismissed because the plaintiff failed to exhaust the remedies available before filing the lawsuit. Second, the Official-Capacity Defendants argued that the injunctive relief claims should be dismissed for failure to state a claim, and that the medication administration claim should be dismissed as moot because the prison had accommodated Plaintiff for the 2015 Ramadan. Third, the Individual-Capacity Defendants alleged that they were protected by qualified immunity. These were referred to Magistrate Judge Kristen L. Mix.
On August 30, 2016, Magistrate Judge Mix recommended that the court grant in part and deny in part these motions. Judge Jackson adopted the recommendation on October 25, 2016. 2016 WL 6212518. This dismissed without prejudice the plaintiff’s medication during Ramadan claim and dismissed with prejudice the plaintiff’s Fifth Amendment (as to access to an Imam) claims against the Individual-Defendants. The plaintiff’s First Amendment and RFRA claims against the Official-Defendants (as to a Halal Diet, access to an Imam, the Sunnah fasts, and group prayer), the plaintiff’s Fifth Amendment Equal Protection claim against the Official-Defendants, and the plaintiff’s Fifth Amendment claims against the Individual-Defendants remained.
Both parties moved for the Court to reconsider the August 30th order. On January 17, 2017, Judge Jackson granted the defendants’ motion but denied the plaintiffs’ motion. 2017 WL 219343. Therefore, all of the plaintiff’s claims against Individual-Defendants were dismissed.
Meanwhile, the parties had been engaging in discovery and preparing for trial for the remaining claims against the Official-Defendants. In December 2016, the court set a two-week jury trial for January 8, 2018. But on May 9, 2017, Judge Jackson referred the parties to the Magistrate Judge for a settlement conference. Presumably based on these settlement talks, the trial dates were pushed back.
These settlement talks failed, and on November 20, 2017, the BOP moved for partial summary judgment on the plaintiff’s Sunnah fasting claims, arguing that the plaintiff had failed to exhaust the remedies available before bringing the lawsuit.
On December 5, 2017, Judge Jackson denied the defendant’s motion for partial summary judgment. Although the order is not available, the docket states, “Since the parties appear to be largely starting over, and since there appears to be the possibility that changes within the BOP might moot the case, the Court elects not to address motions at this time.”
In January 2018, the defendants transferred the plaintiff to a new prison in Terre Haute, Indiana. In a status report filed by the plaintiff on January 30, 2018, the plaintiff’s attorneys notified the court that the defendants had been unwilling to grant them access to communicate with their client since the transfer. They had no information on the conditions of confinement at the new prison. The attorneys speculated that the defendants had made this transfer in an attempt to deprive the court of jurisdiction in the matter. The plaintiffs then attempted to use this transfer as an opportunity to file a supplemental complaint.
On April 10, 2018, Judge Jackson held that the transfer neither mooted the claim nor allowed the plaintiffs to file a supplemental complaint.
On April 18 the parties jointly agreed to dismiss the plaintiff’s First Amendment claim.
The parties then began again to prepare for trial. On August 1, 2018, Judge Jackson issued an order addressing numerous pretrial motions. 2018 WL 3647915. He denied the plaintiff’s motion for partial summary judgment seeking private regular access to an Imam, holding that this presented too great of a security risk. He denied the defendants’ motion to dismiss for improper venue and failure to exhaust. He granted the defendant’s motion to dismiss claims as to procedures that applied to ADX but not to Terre Haute as there was no reason to believe that the plaintiff would return to ADX.
At this point in the case, the Federal Bureau of Prisons was the only remaining defendant, with the remaining claims consisting of two RFRA claims. One challenged the defendant’s alleged failure to provide the plaintiff with a Halal diet and the other challenged the defendant’s failure to provide the plaintiff with access to an Imam.
On August 20-21, 2018, the Acting Director of the Bureau of Prisons asked the Warden at Terre Haute to provide Halal meals for the plaintiff. Within four days, the prison began providing the plaintiff with these meals.
Similarly, just days before trial, the prison hired an Imam to provide classes at the prison. The plaintiff, who is a Sunni Muslim, opposed this Imam because he believed (seemingly incorrectly according to the court’s final order) that the new Imam was Sufi and therefore inconsistent with his beliefs.
A bench trial was held on August 27, 2018.
On September 13, 2018, Judge Jackson held that the plaintiff’s Halal diet claims had been resolved, but noted that this had only occurred on the eve of trial after years of litigation. 2018 WL 4356787. He required that the meals continue past the lawsuit barring “compelling governmental interests.” He further held that defendant’s hiring of an Imam, however unsatisfactory to the plaintiff, had satisfied the defendant’s duty.
Finally, Judge Jackson held that the plaintiff was the prevailing party, and could be awarded attorney’s fees under the Civil Rights Attorney’s Fee Awards Act of 1976.
Litigation continued as to the appropriate amount for these fees. During the course of this litigation, on October 12, 2018, the defendant filed a motion to alter judgment to reflect that they had satisfied their duty by hiring the Imam. The court issued an amended final judgment on April 15, 2019 that ruled in favor of the defendants on this matter and left all other issues resolved in favor of the plaintiff.
The plaintiff appealed to the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals on this issue, and as of April 5, 2020 was awaiting a ruling. This case is ongoing.
Summary Authors
Gabriela Hybel (9/23/2018)
Alex Moody (4/5/2020)
For PACER's information on parties and their attorneys, see: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/5552005/parties/ajaj-v-bureau-of-prisons/
Abely, William F. (Colorado)
Adelstein, Jay David (Colorado)
Alaniz, Anibal J (Colorado)
Alberto, Christopher (Colorado)
Adebonojo, Kenneth (Colorado)
Jackson, Richard Brooke (Colorado)
Mix, Kristen L. (Colorado)
Adelstein, Jay David (Colorado)
Alberto, Christopher (Colorado)
Anderson, Michael D. (Colorado)
Andrejko, Nicole M. (Colorado)
Asphaug, Scott Erik (Colorado)
Attorney, Chief Criminal (Colorado)
AUSA, Tiffany Mallory (Colorado)
AUSA, Jonathan Ophardt (Colorado)
AUSA), Katherine Ann (Colorado)
Austin, Michael Duane (Colorado)
Axelrad, Joseph David (Colorado)
Bain-Creed, Benjamin (Colorado)
Barofsky, Neil Michael (Colorado)
Bartolotto, James G. (Colorado)
Bayens, Stephan Kenneth (Colorado)
Beidel, Jennifer L. (Colorado)
Bendor, Catherine A. (Colorado)
Berg, Arianna Rebecca (Colorado)
Bickers, Kathleen Louise (Colorado)
Biersbach, Nicholas J. (Colorado)
Bither, Christine A. (Colorado)
Blackington, Bradley A. (Colorado)
Blackwood, Elizabeth M (Colorado)
Bolden, Scott David (Colorado)
Bonner, James Patrick (Colorado)
Brawley, Kimberly A (Colorado)
Brier, Barbara Scott (Colorado)
Brodsky, Reed Michael (Colorado)
Brown, Jacqueline Camille (Colorado)
Burns, Jennifer Eileen (Colorado)
Canter, Charles Edward (Colorado)
Capriola, Richard J. (Colorado)
Carney, Christopher James (Colorado)
Carroll, Eric Vincent (Colorado)
Catanese, Liah Chantal (Colorado)
Cavanaugh, Kelly A. (Colorado)
Chan, Andrew Ken-Wei (Colorado)
Chase, Sara Elizabeth (Colorado)
Clark, Kenneth Sutherland (Colorado)
Clark, Casey Michael (Colorado)
Cohen, Richard Edward (Colorado)
Collins, Stephan A. (Colorado)
Connally, Charlie Dustin (Colorado)
Cooper, Richard Alan (Colorado)
COPELAND, KATAYOUN M. (Colorado)
D'Alessandro, Mark Thomas (Colorado)
Davies, Patricia W. (Colorado)
DellaBetta, Matthew (Colorado)
Dempsey, Jamie Goss (Colorado)
Department, Probation (Colorado)
DEVANEY, WILLIAM HASTINGS (Colorado)
Dick, Catherine Kuo (Colorado)
Dickinson, Daniel W. (Colorado)
DIVINY, CHRISTOPHER (Colorado)
Domaszek, Bridget J (Colorado)
Domingue, Camille A (Colorado)
Donaleski, Rebekah Allen (Colorado)
Duane, J. Mackenzie (Colorado)
Dupris, Cheryl Schrempp (Colorado)
Edwards, Sebastian Alexander (Colorado)
Eliopoulos, George Peter (Colorado)
Ellsworth, Marci L. (Colorado)
Everdell, Christian R. (Colorado)
Faruqui, Zia Mustafa (Colorado)
Feinzig, Margery B. (Colorado)
Fisherow, W Benjamin (Colorado)
Franzinger, Thomas Carl (Colorado)
Frohling, Richard G (Colorado)
Fuchs, Clinton Jacob (Colorado)
Garcia, Christopher Louis (Colorado)
Garrison, Suzanne M. (Colorado)
Gaugush, Simon Alexander (Colorado)
Gerace, Dominick S. (Colorado)
Geraci, Justina Louise (Colorado)
Gilchrist, Bayron T (Colorado)
Gillis, James Philip (Colorado)
Glober, Bonnie Ames (Colorado)
Godfrey, Nicole Brianne (Colorado)
Goldberg, Lauren R. (Colorado)
Goldin, Nicholas Stoloff (Colorado)
Goldsticker, Michael A (Colorado)
Gray, Christopher D. (Colorado)
Grewal, Annureet Kaur (Colorado)
Groom, Deborah Fennell (Colorado)
Haanstad, Gregory J (Colorado)
Hall, Jennifer Lynne (Colorado)
Hansen, Daniel John (Colorado)
Harlow, Christopher Loren (Colorado)
Hartman, Scott Andrew (Colorado)
Hattan, Andrea Whittier (Colorado)
Hernandez, Jason Peter (Colorado)
Houghton, Kristopher N (Colorado)
Hudson, Jennifer D.L. (Colorado)
Jackson, William Buchanan (Colorado)
Jefferis, Danielle C. (Colorado)
Jerrett, Michelle L. (Colorado)
Jestin, Katya Townshend (Colorado)
Johnston, Thomas E. (Colorado)
Jones, Mary Patricia (Colorado)
JORDAN, JENNIFER B. (Colorado)
Joyner, James Clayton (Colorado)
Jr, Hector Federico (Colorado)
Kasulis, Telemachus Philip (Colorado)
Kelleher, James Joseph (Colorado)
Kelley, Jeremy James (Colorado)
Kelly, Jacqueline Christine (Colorado)
Kenney, Christine E. (Colorado)
Kent, Thomas Michael (Colorado)
Kohnen, Ralph William (Colorado)
Komatireddy, Saritha (Colorado)
Korobov, Kristina M. (Colorado)
Krouse, Michael Kim (Colorado)
Kummerfeld, Nathaniel Christopher (Colorado)
Lacosta, Anthony W. (Colorado)
Lamb, Andrew William (Colorado)
Landreneau, Joseph P (Colorado)
Larison, Josephine M (Colorado)
Laroche, Matthew Joseph (Colorado)
Lear, Kevin Michael (Colorado)
Litigation, Financial (Colorado)
Lombardi, Vincent T (Colorado)
Lopez, Jonathan Errol (Colorado)
Lukas-Jackson, Jennifer A (Colorado)
MacAllister, Edward Brian (Colorado)
Macchiaverna, Elizabeth L. (Colorado)
MacDonald, Casey Nicole (Colorado)
Maderal, Francisco Raul (Colorado)
Maimin, Michael Douglas (Colorado)
Marando, Michael John (Colorado)
Marangola, Melissa M. (Colorado)
Martikan, Owen Peter (Colorado)
Martinez, Hugo Ricardo (Colorado)
Mastandrea-Miller, Angela (Colorado)
McAlister, James Donald (Colorado)
McCann, Douglas Edward (Colorado)
Mccarthy, Shawn Daniel (Colorado)
McCarthy, Brendan P. (Colorado)
McClellan, Jessica L. (Colorado)
McCord, Stacey Elise (Colorado)
McCormack, Michael T. (Colorado)
McCormick, Douglas F (Colorado)
McCree, Cameron Charles (Colorado)
McEntire, Brian Glen (Colorado)
McGorty, Glen Garrett (Colorado)
McGull, Abram McGull (Colorado)
McGurk, Kenneth Charles (Colorado)
McIntyre, Daniel Robert (Colorado)
McMahon, James Franklin (Colorado)
McQuaid, Nicholas Lloyd (Colorado)
Mebane, Terrance Anthony (Colorado)
Mecklenburg, Sheri H. (Colorado)
Mermelstein, Rebecca Gabrielle (Colorado)
Middendorf, Jeffrey Thomas (Colorado)
Miller, Ami Harshad (Colorado)
MILLER, ANGELA HEWLETT (Colorado)
Moe, Alison Gainfort (Colorado)
Moisa, Irma Rodriguez (Colorado)
Morales, Nicholas James (Colorado)
Moreno-Taxman, Karine (Colorado)
Morgan, Shawn Angus (Colorado)
Namie, Myers Patrick (Colorado)
Neff, Michael Daniel (Colorado)
New, Jonathan Brian (Colorado)
Nicholas, Max Clement (Colorado)
Notopoulos, Patricia E (Colorado)
Oakley, Donald Christopher (Colorado)
O'Brien, Michele C. (Colorado)
O'Callaghan, Edward Casey (Colorado)
O'Connor, Madeline M. (Colorado)
Office, US Attorney's (Colorado)
Okula, Stanley John (Colorado)
Olson, William Edward (Colorado)
O'Malley, Kathleen A. (Colorado)
Parente, Christopher Vincent (Colorado)
Parker, Charles William (Colorado)
Parkinson, Brett R. (Colorado)
Patrick, Michael Ryan (Colorado)
Pettis, Yohance Asim (Colorado)
Pico, Francis Leland (Colorado)
Pomeroy, Richard L. (Colorado)
Poswistilo, Susan M. (Colorado)
Powell, Ryan Donald (Colorado)
POZOS, CLARE PUTNAM (Colorado)
Preston, Jeffrey D. (Colorado)
Protection, United States (Colorado)
Queenin, Mackenzie A. (Colorado)
Quinn, Thomas Anthony (Colorado)
Redlinger, Julie Margaret (Colorado)
Regalia, Nicholas J (Colorado)
Richardson, Ian Craig (Colorado)
Richardson, Julius Ness (Colorado)
Richmond, Matthew V (Colorado)
Richter, Zachary C. (Colorado)
Riewerts, Alecia Lynne (Colorado)
Robinson, Richard E (Colorado)
Rocco, Patrick Louis (Colorado)
Rodriguez, Roberto H. (Colorado)
Romano, John Alexander (Colorado)
Romano, Virginia Chavez (Colorado)
Rosato, Carrie Elizabeth (Colorado)
Roth, Monique Perez (Colorado)
Roth, Lori Silverstein (Colorado)
Rumbaugh, Katherine Elise (Colorado)
Russell, Tiana Leia (Colorado)
Sacks, Marcus Scott (Colorado)
Sanchez, Kevin Ruben (Colorado)
Sansonetti, Thomas L (Colorado)
Santos, Christopher Andrew (Colorado)
Schattman-DOJ, Frederick Martin (Colorado)
Scheff, Jason Mitchell (Colorado)
Schwab, Alexander Baier (Colorado)
Scotten, Hagan Cordell (Colorado)
Searby, Bruce Hamilton (Colorado)
Shinbaum, Richard D. (Colorado)
Shoemaker, Brenda S (Colorado)
Smeltzer, Joshua D. (Colorado)
Snyder, Michael Damien (Colorado)
Soivilien, Nicholas A. (Colorado)
Solomon, Alexander A. (Colorado)
Sonderby, Chistopher P. (Colorado)
Stegeby, Erik Kenneth (Colorado)
Stevenson, Marina Carin (Colorado)
Sturgis, James Henry (Colorado)
Sutherland, James L. (Colorado)
Svcs-CC, US Pretrial (Colorado)
Sweeney, Benjamin R. (Colorado)
Sweet, James Robert (Colorado)
Thompson, James Patrick (Colorado)
Thornhill, Jessica Marie (Colorado)
Tracer, Daniel Marc (Colorado)
TULANTE, SOZI PEDRO (Colorado)
Turner, Serrin Andrew (Colorado)
Udell, Jeffrey Adam (Colorado)
use), MICHAEL BUCHANAN (Colorado)
Vanderhook, Katherine L (Colorado)
Vargas-Vera, Rebecca (Colorado)
Vasquez, Timothy S. (Colorado)
Velamoor, Niketh Varadaraj (Colorado)
Washington, Melvin K (Colorado)
Wasserman, Steven B. (Colorado)
Watson, Robert Thomas (Colorado)
Weinfurt, Kenneth E. (Colorado)
Wierzbicki, Michael T. (Colorado)
Williams, Nathan Stuart (Colorado)
Willing, Patricia A. (Colorado)
Willing-FLU, Patricia A. (Colorado)
WOLFE, MAURO MICHAEL (Colorado)
Wood, Rachael Lynne (Colorado)
Woodliff, Steven Christopher (Colorado)
Yuen, Tritia Lindsay (Colorado)
Zapata-Valladares, Teresa S. (Colorado)
Bailey, R. Bradford (Colorado)
Bennett, Michelle Renee (District of Columbia)
Bennett, Leonard Anthony (Colorado)
Blain, Jennifer Ellen (Colorado)
Block, Sarah Michelle (Colorado)
Cargo, Shane Patrick (Colorado)
Cohen, Nathalie Erin (Colorado)
Cook, Marcy Elizabeth (Colorado)
Coordinator, Litigation (Colorado)
Dickey, Lauren Marie (Colorado)
Erausquin, Matthew James (Colorado)
Eskew, David Michael (Colorado)
Field, Katherine Mesenbring (Colorado)
Giacomazzi, Mia Anne (Colorado)
Grubman, Scott Robert (Colorado)
Kabrawala, Ameet B. (Colorado)
Kapnik, Benjamin I. (Colorado)
Kelly, Kristi Cahoon (Colorado)
LA-CV, Assistant US (Colorado)
Licht-Steenfat, Jacob (Colorado)
Lutz, Nicholas Alexander (Colorado)
McGlothlin, Lauren B. (Colorado)
McKeon, Mark Joseph (Colorado)
Mikac, Janelle Mason (Colorado)
Moskowitz, David Z. (Colorado)
Mundell, Melissa Stebbins (Colorado)
Nash, Casey Shannon (Colorado)
Parchman, Afrika C. (Colorado)
Pfannenschmidt, Dennis (Colorado)
Prose, Susan Begesse (Colorado)
Randolph, Aurora Lynn (Colorado)
Schachner, Elliot M. (Colorado)
Traskos, Kevin Thomas (Colorado)
Vassallo, Kristin L. (Colorado)
Villasenor, Juan Gonzalo (Colorado)
Vincent, Katherine W (Colorado)
See docket on RECAP: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/5552005/ajaj-v-bureau-of-prisons/
Last updated March 11, 2024, 3:06 a.m.
State / Territory: Colorado
Case Type(s):
Special Collection(s):
Key Dates
Filing Date: May 11, 2015
Case Ongoing: Yes
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
An Muslim incarcerated individual
Plaintiff Type(s):
Attorney Organizations:
University of Denver Civil Rights Clinic
Public Interest Lawyer: Yes
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: No
Class Action Outcome: Not sought
Defendants
Administrative Maximum Security Prison (Denver, Denver), State
Defendant Type(s):
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Religious Freedom Rest. Act/Religious Land Use and Inst. Persons Act (RFRA/RLUIPA)
Ex Parte Young (Federal) or Bivens
Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA), 28 U.S.C. § 2674
Constitutional Clause(s):
Available Documents:
Injunctive (or Injunctive-like) Relief
Outcome
Prevailing Party: Plaintiff
Nature of Relief:
Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement
Source of Relief:
Issues
General:
Food service / nutrition / hydration
Informed consent/involuntary medication
Discrimination-basis:
Type of Facility: