Sappington v. Gilley

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF TENNESSEE
WESTERN DIVISION
WILLIAM C. SAPPINGTON,
Petitioner,
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v. 	) 	No. 2:24-cv-02441-SHL-atc
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WARDEN JOHN GILLEY,
Respondent.
ORDER GRANTING RESPONDENT’S MOTION TO DISMISS
AND DISMISSING § 2254 PETITION WITH PREJUDICE
On June 21, 2024, Petitioner William C. Sappington filed a pro se Petition for a Writ of
Habeas Corpus under 28 U.S.C. § 2254. (ECF No. 1.) At that time, he was an inmate at the South
Central Correctional Facility (“SCCF”) in Clifton, Tennessee under prisoner identification number
352132. (Id. at PageID 1.) On September 4, 2026, the Court ordered the parties to show cause
why the Petition should not be dismissed as moot because, although Petitioner filed the Petition
while he was incarcerated, the record, following the filing, indicated that Petitioner had completed
his custodial sentence. (ECF No. 1 at PageID 1; ECF No. 1-2 at PageID 17; ECF No. 4 at PageID
22.)
On October 1, 2026, Respondent moved to dismiss the Petition as moot due to Petitioner’s
death. (ECF No. 6 at PageID 25 (citing what appears to be Petitioner’s obituary).) The death of a
habeas petitioner renders his federal habeas petition moot. See, e.g., Dellinger v. Mays, No. 3:09-
CV-104-TAVDCP, 2023 WL 2316330, at *2–3 (E.D. Tenn. Mar. 1, 2023) (collecting cases).
Therefore, Petitioner’s § 2254 Petition is DISMISSED WITH PREJUDICE.
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IT IS SO ORDERED, this 8th day of October, 2026.
s/ Sheryl H. Lipman
SHERYL H. LIPMAN
CHIEF UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE
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