"Poetic Justice": Judge dismisses inmate's suit with a poem

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A judge has used a five-stanza poem to dismiss an Ohio prisoner's lawsuit over bathroom access, writing that "neither runs nor constipation can justify this litigation."

Franklin County Judge David Cain tells The Columbus Dispatch that a plaintiff filing such a "frivolous" case shouldn't expect him to take it seriously.

The inmate, Darek Lathan, alleged that he soiled himself and was ridiculed after a guard at the Correctional Reception Center in Orient refused his request to use an open restroom during recreation time one evening. He sued the state, seeking at least $2 million in damages.

Cain dismissed the case Thursday through written rhymes, saying "the law provideth no relief from such unmitigated grief."

Records show Lathan is now incarcerated elsewhere and had no attorney in the lawsuit.