In the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas Houston Division
Case 4:20-cv-01115 Document 76 Filed on 05/01/20 in TXSD Page 1 of 10 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS HOUSTON DIVISION LADDY CURTIS VALENTINE, et al, Plaintiffs, vs. Case No. 4:20-cv-01115 BRYAN COLLIER, et al, Defendants. POLUNSKY UNIT PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION TO INTERVENE Proposed Intervenors John Balentine, Tony Ford, Ruben Gutierrez, Travis Green, Joe Luna, and William Mason (collectively, the “Polunsky Unit Plaintiffs”), by and through the undersigned counsel, respectfully move under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 24(b) to intervene by permission as plaintiffs in the above-captioned case. Pursuant to Local Rule CV-7(i), the Polunsky Unit Plaintiffs certify that they have conferred in good faith with the parties to the case. Defendants do not consent to this intervention. Plaintiffs take no position at this time. BACKGROUND This lawsuit arises from a constitutional and statutory challenge brought by prisoners housed at the Wallace Pack Unit (collectively, the “Pack Unit Plaintiffs”) against Defendants the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (“TDCJ”) and its officials (collectively, the “Defendants”). See March 30, 2020 Compl., ECF 1. Specifically, the Pack Unit Plaintiffs allege that the Defendants have engaged, and continue to engage, in deliberately indifferent and discriminatory conduct in failing to protect the Pack Unit Plaintiffs and their fellow Pack Unit prisoners who face a high risk of severe illness from exposure to SARS-CoV-2019, the novel coronavirus that causes Coronavirus Disease 2019 (or “COVID-19”). See id. ¶¶ 31-43, 47-48, 73-100. Case 4:20-cv-01115 Document 76 Filed on 05/01/20 in TXSD Page 2 of 10 The Polunsky Unit Plaintiffs and the class they seek to represent are also in the custody of the TDCJ, and their complaint also challenges policies and conduct of the TDCJ and its personnel.
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