By C1 Staff
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Inmates like to file lawsuits, sometimes for reasonable offenses and sometimes for reasons we can’t quite fathom.
Dale Maisano may fall into the latter category, having just embarked on his 5,813th federal lawsuit, reports USA Today.
Though a prisoner in Florence, Ariz., more than 1,800 of those lawsuits have been filed in Nashville’s federal court.
And what’s the source of his complaint? The food.
“Stop the torture and give me food that will not make me ill.”
“Daily I’m given a diet that causes the Plaintiff to be severely ill.”
What is he asking for? Ten trillion dollars (in either U.S. dollars or gold).
In targeting governors, wardens, attorneys general and Corizon Health, which provides medical coverage for inmates, Maisano admits that he doesn’t believe he’ll actually get any money.
“A lot of them are just nuisance suits,” he says. “We’re trying to get our point across.”
And the point, according to Maisano, is that inmates aren’t being given proper food and healthcare. The Arizona Department of Corrections disputes this.
“Inmate Maisano has access to appropriate health care and his diet needs are met,” said a department spokesperson, Doug Nick. “The sheer volume of lawsuits he has filed and the financial demands he makes speak for themselves.”
Maisano has certainly gotten the attention of a few judges, but probably not in the way he’d like – one judge in 1992 forbid Maisano from filing any further lawsuits without the court’s permission, which Maisano clearly ignored. He did slow down for a few years before kicking back up in 2013.
His busiest day was Jan. 24, when he filed 249 lawsuits, according to USA Today. Most of his suits are dismissed, but he believes his effort is working simply due to the media coverage he’s receiving.
Maisano says he’s not crazy, but “could use some mental health help.”