A prisoner's lawsuit was thrown out after he stopped communicating with the court.
Cecil E Fox v. Lexington County Detention Center Lexington County
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A prisoner's lawsuit was thrown out after he stopped communicating with the court.
Why it matters
In Fox v. Lexington County Detention Center, the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina dismissed the pro se civil rights lawsuit brought by Cecil E. Fox against the Lexington County Detention Center and the Lexington County Sheriff's Department. The court adopted a Magistrate Judge's recommendation and dismissed the case without prejudice because Fox failed to update the court with a current address and failed to respond to a court order identifying problems with his complaint.
Who it affects
This ruling directly affects Cecil E. Fox, whose lawsuit is now closed. More broadly, it serves as a reminder to anyone filing a lawsuit without a lawyer that failing to keep the court updated with a current address or respond to court orders can result in a case being dismissed.
What happens next
Current
Decision issued Aug 28, 2026
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- Decision issued Aug 28, 2026
- Possible rehearingParties can ask the same court to reconsider.
- Possible appeal to the circuit court
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Decision issued
Aug 28, 2026
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DEEPER READ
Cecil E. Fox, representing himself, filed a civil rights lawsuit under 42 U.S.C. Section 1983 against the Lexington County Detention Center and the Lexington County Sheriff's Department. A Magistrate Judge reviewed the case as part of standard preliminary procedures and identified deficiencies in Fox's amended complaint, ordering him to file a corrected version. The Magistrate Judge's order notifying Fox of these problems was returned to the court as undeliverable because Fox had not provided the court with a working address, even though he had been specifically instructed to keep the court informed of any address changes. Because Fox never responded to the court's order and effectively stopped participating in his own case, the Magistrate Judge issued a report on July 29, 2026, recommending that the case be dismissed for failure to comply with a court order and failure to prosecute. Fox was given 14 days to file written objections to that recommendation but filed none. With no objections filed, the district court reviewed the record only for clear error, found none, and adopted the Magistrate Judge's recommendation in full. The case was dismissed without prejudice, meaning Fox is not permanently barred from refiling, but the current lawsuit is closed. There was no dissent noted in the opinion.
CITATION AND RECORD
Record source: CourtListener
IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF SOUTH CAROLINA Cecil E. Fox, ) ) Plaintiff, ) ) Civil Action No. 0:26-cv-1122-BHH v. ) ) ORDER Lexington County Detention Center; ) Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, ) ) Respondent. ) ________________________________ ) This matter is before the Court upon Plaintiff Cecil E. Fox’s (“Plaintiff”) pro se amended complaint filed pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. (ECF No. 7.) In accordance with 28 U.S.C. § 636(b) and Local Civil Rule 73.02(B), D.S.C., the matter was referred to a United States Magistrate Judge for preliminary review. Because Petitioner is proceeding pro se, the Magistrate Judge issued an order notifying Plaintiff of pleading deficiencies in his amended complaint and instructing him to file a second amended complaint correcting the deficiencies. (ECF No. 15.) The Magistrate Judge’s order, however, was returned to the Court as undeliverable, and Plaintiff has not provided the Court with a new address despite being instructed to do so. (See ECF No. 5 at 2.) Accordingly, on July 29, 2026, the Magistrate Judge issued a report and recommendation (“Report”), outlining the issues and recommending that the Court dismiss this matter based on Petitioner’s failure to comply with a Court order and failure to prosecute. (ECF No. 22 at 2-4.) Attached to the Magistrate Judge’s Report was a notice advising Plaintiff of the right to file written objections to the Report within fourteen days of being served with a copy. To date, no objections have been filed. The Magistrate Judge makes only a recommendation to the Court. The recommendation has no presumptive weight, and the responsibility to make a final determination remains with the Court. Mathews v. Weber, 423 U.S. 261 (1976). The Court is charged with making a de novo determination only of those portions of the Report to which specific objections are made, and the Court may accept, reject, or modify, in whole or in part, the recommendation of the Magistrate Judge, or recommit the matter to the Magistrate Judge with instructions. 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1). In the absence of specific objections, the Court reviews the matter only for clear error. See Diamond v. Colonial Life & Accident Ins. Co., 416 F.3d 310, 315 (4th Cir. 2005) (stating that “in the absence of a timely filed objection, a district court need not conduct a de novo review, but instead must ‘only satisfy itself that there is no clear error on the face of the record in order to accept the recommendation.’”) (quoting Fed. R. Civ. P. 72 advisory committee’s note). Here, because no objections to the Report have been filed, the Court has reviewed the record and the findings of the Magistrate Judge for clear error. After review, the Court finds no clear error and fully agrees with the Magistrate Judge’s analysis. Accordingly, the Court adopts and incorporates the Magistrate Judge’s Report (ECF No. 22), and the Court dismisses this matter without prejudice for failure to comply with a Court order and failure to prosecute. IT IS SO ORDERED. /s/Bruce H. Hendricks United States District Judge August 28, 2026 Charleston, South Carolina 2
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