A federal judge has ruled that a prisoner who sued a dentist for $5 million in punitive damages for allegedly not following up with him after he was diagnosed with a large mass around his left jaw bone did not have standing to bring the suit.

The civil rights lawsuit, filed pro se by Cheshire Correctional Institution inmate Darnell Tatem, alleged Naugatuck-based dentist Brian Perelmuter “never followed up” with him after he was forwarded his diagnosis and assigned his case. Perelmuter, the lawsuit says, was forwarded Tatem’s medical history 13 days after the initial diagnosis of the mass. Perelmuter was sued in his individual capacity.