Judge John Koeltl
Green Haven Correctional Facility inmate Parris was stabbed by another inmate. After receiving stitches at an outside hospital, Parris was placed in Green Haven’s hospital. He was later placed in special housing. In addition to the commissioner of the state’s corrections agency, Parris’ 42 USC §1983 action charged Green Haven’s superintendent and deputy superintendent with violating his Eighth Amendment rights by negligently failing to prevent his stabbing and being deliberately indifferent to his safety. The court dismissed Parris’ complaint, which was ambiguous on exhaustion of remedies under the Inmate Grievance Program. Beyond failing to allege personal involvement, Parris inadequately alleged an underlying violation of the Eighth Amendment. His complaint did not allege defendants knew of threats against him or that he was involved in prior altercations. Parris’ claim that he does not know his attacker made it implausible to infer that defendants knew of the risk he faced. Nor did Parris allege a history of serious inmate-on-inmate assaults where he was attacked, that defendants knew of such history, or that such prior assaults were similar enough to the attack he suffered such that remedial actions would have prevented his attack.