P. Bradley Murray
How Judge Murray decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
On a prison-officials' summary-judgment motion, internal inconsistencies among the defendants' own incident report, body charts, and affidavits were themselves enough to defeat the motion, without crediting either side's narrative.
“At this time, the record evidence raises more questions than it answers, and ‘the Court cannot simply accept the officers’ subjective version of events, but rather must reconstruct the event in the light most favorable to the non-moving party’ to determine whether the use of force was excessive.”
On Social Security appeals, an ALJ's bare, boilerplate conclusion that no listing was met or equaled, without saying which listings were considered, prevents meaningful judicial review and requires remand.
“The ALJ did not state which listings were considered nor did he provide any analysis or reasoning for rejecting all listings.”
A federal civil-rights suit that overlaps an ongoing state proceeding over the same underlying dispute is treated as a Younger abstention problem, not decided on the merits of the federal claims.
“The Court finds that Plaintiffs’ claims are barred by the Younger abstention doctrine because their claims are the subject of ongoing state judicial proceedings in the Hale County Circuit Court related to the property at issue.”
Procedural preferences
Before a party may file a motion to compel discovery, the judge requires counsel to first hold a conference with him, usually by telephone.
“With motions to compel, Judge Murray requires that lawyers hold a conference with him, usually by telephone, before filing the motion.”
He requires an alternative-dispute-resolution plan in every scheduling order and treats settlement conferences and mediation as one of the most important parts of the job, though the conferences themselves are held only by the parties' agreement.
“Judge Murray is enthusiastic about mediation and considers it one of the most important parts of his job. His scheduling order requires the parties to submit an alternative dispute resolution plan.”
Pro se litigants who miss an IFP/filing-fee deadline get a recommendation of dismissal without prejudice rather than a harsher sanction, but only after an express warning and, at times, after the court construes an untimely phone call as an implicit request for more time.
“the undersigned broadly construed Hartline’s conversation with the Clerk’s Office as containing a request for additional time to comply with those orders and the undersigned granted that implicit request.”
Cautions
A prisoner-plaintiff's failure to disclose prior litigation on the complaint form, signed under penalty of perjury, is treated as an abuse of process warranting dismissal as malicious under Section 1915(e)(2)(B)(i), independent of any filing-fee issue.
“Because Plaintiff was not truthful in his complaint about his prior litigation, his action is subject to being dismissed as malicious for abusing the judicial process.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“ORDERED, ADJUDGED, and DECREED that Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment (Doc. 41) is GRANTED, and Plaintiff’s complaint is DISMISSED WITH PREJUDICE.”
“the undersigned Magistrate Judge RECOMMENDS that Defendants’ motions to dismiss be GRANTED and that this action be DISMISSED with prejudice.”
“Defendant Watford’s Motion to Strike (Doc. 10) is thereby MOOT.”
“the undersigned recommends that Plaintiff’s Complaint be dismissed without prejudice and with leave to file an Amended Complaint.”
“the undersigned recommends that it be dismissed without prejudice for Plaintiff’s failure to prosecute and to comply with the Court's order.”
“it is recommended that Brouillette’s present action be DISMISSED WITHOUT PREJUDICE, pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 41(b), due to his failure to prosecute this action by complying with this Court’s lawful order.”
“it is RECOMMENDED that this action be DISMISSED without prejudice for Plaintiff’s failure to prosecute and to comply with the Court's order.”
“the Court RECOMMENDS granting leave to file the counterclaim and that Pinnacle Properties’ motion to dismiss counterclaims be DENIED.”
“it is recommended that Hartline’s present action be DISMISSED WITHOUT PREJUDICE, pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 41(b), due to her failure to prosecute this action by complying with this Court’s lawful orders dated and entered on October 14, 2021 and November 15, 2021.”
“It is ORDERED that the decision of the Commissioner of Social Security denying Plaintiff Marilyn Jackson’s claim for benefits be REVERSED and REMANDED pursuant to sentence four of 42 U.S.C. § 405(g).”
“the decision of the Commissioner of Social Security denying Plaintiff Edward Martin’s claim for benefits is hereby REVERSED and REMANDED pursuant to sentence four of 42 U.S.C. § 405(g).”
“the Commissioner’s decision denying benefits should be reversed and remanded for further proceedings not inconsistent with this decision.”
“it is recommended that this action be dismissed without prejudice, prior to service of process, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2)(B)(i) as malicious and, alternatively, for failure to pay the partial filing fee.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
Sampled civil caseload spans consumer/FDCPA class litigation, employment discrimination, prisoner civil-rights, and products-liability suits, coming to him both by consent of the parties under 28 U.S.C. Section 636(c) and by referral from an Article III judge.
Put Judge Murray's record to work
Ezel drafts and answers grounded in this exact profile: how Judge Murray actually rules, not a generic AI guess.
Opens in Ezel Pro. Every answer is grounded in Judge Murray's own signed orders and cites them.