Perttu v. Richards

On June 18, 2025, the United States Supreme Court decided Perttu v. Richards, a federal prisoner civil rights case. Petitioner Perttu, an inmate in Michigan, sued prison official Richards under 42 U.S.C. §1983, alleging that Richards and other staff interfered with his access to the prison grievance system. The lower courts dismissed the suit, finding that Perttu failed to exhaust administrative remedies as required by the Prison Litigation Reform Act. The Supreme Court reviewed whether the exhaustion requirement should be excused when prison officials make the grievance process practically unavailable. The decision addressed the scope of the PLRA's exhaustion mandate and its exceptions.

The Supreme Court held that administrative remedies were effectively unavailable to Perttu, and therefore his failure to exhaust could not be used to dismiss his claim. The Court vacated the lower court's dismissal and remanded the case for further proceedings.

The central dispute was whether the Prison Litigation Reform Act's administrative exhaustion requirement barred Perttu's federal lawsuit when prison officials, including Richards, allegedly prevented him from completing the grievance process by refusing to provide forms or otherwise obstructing access.

The decision limits the exhaustion defense in prison litigation and affirms that incarcerated individuals may proceed to federal court when officials obstruct internal grievance procedures. It sets an important standard for lower courts applying the PLRA nationwide.