No Lawyer For Ex-Mich. Convict With Bad Gums
A former Michigan prison inmate who blames gum problems on a lack of toothpaste will have to press his lawsuit without a court-appointed lawyer.
Federal Magistrate Judge Timothy Greeley says he's not willing to assign a lawyer at this stage of the case but that could change.
Jerry Flanory of Flint says he developed gum disease and had a tooth removed in 2006 after he was denied toothpaste for nearly a year as a form of discipline.
In May, a federal appeals court reinstated Flanory's lawsuit against prison officials in Newberry in the Upper Peninsula.
He has been doing his own legal work but says the issues are complex. The judge says a court-appointed lawyer in a civil lawsuit comes only in ``exceptional circumstances.''
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