David Watts, a state prisoner proceeding pro se, alleges that staff at Columbia Correctional Institution violated the Eighth Amendment by revealing to other inmates that he had filed a PREA complaint and by housing him with an inmate who had previously sexually assaulted him. Watts had sought various forms of relief from the court, including a stay of all deadlines, appointment of counsel, and sanctions against defense counsel for discovery disputes.
Judge Boor acknowledged Watts' challenges but found them insufficient to warrant counsel appointment. "Federal civil litigation is generally challenging for most self-represented parties, and their limited knowledge of the law is a common predicament," Boor wrote. The judge noted that U.S. District Judge William Conley had observed in a related case that despite Watts' documented hearing loss, he "appeared to be well oriented" and "could adequately hear, understand and respond to questions and make arguments intelligibly."
The case had been complicated by Watts' transfer between institutions and his placement on mental health observation, during which he lost access to legal materials for two-and-a-half months. Defendants had filed a motion for partial summary judgment on exhaustion grounds in December 2025, but Watts failed to respond by the January 2026 deadline. Judge Boor struck the July 2026 dispositive motions deadline and gave Watts until May 5, 2026, to respond to the exhaustion motion.
The discovery stay will remain in place until the court rules on defendants' summary judgment motion, which Judge Boor said could "shape the scope of this case going forward." When discovery resumes, the parties will be required to meet and confer within two weeks, with videoconferencing available to accommodate Watts' hearing difficulties. The judge warned that "no further extensions will be granted absent extraordinarily good cause."