Andrew Lopez v. Ronneberg, et al.

CourtDistrict Court, N.D. California
DecidedNovember 24, 2025
Docket4:24-cv-04212
StatusUnknown

This text of Andrew Lopez v. Ronneberg, et al. (Andrew Lopez v. Ronneberg, et al.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Andrew Lopez v. Ronneberg, et al., (N.D. Cal. 2025).

Opinion

1 2 3 4 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 5 NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 6 7 ANDREW LOPEZ, Case No. 24-cv-04212-HSG

8 Plaintiff, ORDER OF PARTIAL SERVICE 9 v.

10 RONNEBERG, et al., 11 Defendants.

12 13 Plaintiff, an inmate currently at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center (“SQRC”), has filed a 14 pro se action pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. In this order, the Court screens Plaintiff’s complaint 15 (Dkt. No. 1) pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915A. Plaintiff has paid the filing fee. Dkt. No. 5. 16 DISCUSSION 17 A. Standard of Review 18 A federal court must conduct a preliminary screening in any case in which a prisoner seeks 19 redress from a governmental entity or officer or employee of a governmental entity. See 28 U.S.C. 20 § 1915A(a). In its review, the court must identify any cognizable claims and dismiss any claims 21 that are frivolous, malicious, fail to state a claim upon which relief may be granted or seek 22 monetary relief from a defendant who is immune from such relief. See 28 U.S.C. § 1915A(b)(1), 23 (2). Pro se pleadings must, however, be liberally construed. See United States v. Qazi, 975 F.3d 24 989, 993 (9th Cir. 2020). 25 Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 8(a)(2) requires only “a short and plain statement of the 26 claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2). “Specific facts are not 27 necessary; the statement need only “‘give the defendant fair notice of what the . . . claim is and the 1 While Rule 8 does not require detailed factual allegations, it demands more than an unadorned, 2 the-defendant-unlawfully-harmed-me accusation. Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 677–78 (2009). 3 A pleading that offers only labels and conclusions, or a formulaic recitation of the elements of a 4 cause of action, or naked assertions devoid of further factual enhancement does not suffice. Id. 5 To state a claim under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, a plaintiff must allege two essential elements: (1) that a 6 right secured by the Constitution or laws of the United States was violated, and (2) that the alleged 7 violation was committed by a person acting under the color of state law. See West v. Atkins, 487 8 U.S. 42, 48 (1988). 9 B. Complaint 10 In Section II of the complaint, the following SQRC correctional officials are named as 11 defendants: segreants Ronnenberg and Real; lieutenant Campbell; correctional officers Alvarado 12 and Morales who were assigned to the SQRC gym; correctional officer Michael who was assigned 13 to the SQRC “Mack Shack;” and correctional officers Dotts, Burns, and Malikian, who were 14 assigned to SQRC Badger Unit. Dkt. No. 4 at 2. In the body of the complaint, Plaintiff identifies 15 two additional defendants: Investigative Services Unit officer Pushilk and sergeant Giacomozzi. 16 As detailed below, the complaint alleges that Defendants retaliated against him on seven 17 different occasions, and that defendants Malikian, Alvarado, and Morales were deliberately 18 indifferent to him when defendants Alvarado and Morales moved the microwave and refrigerator 19 to the gym loft and when defendant Malikian moved him to a fifth floor cell. Plaintiff also alleges 20 that these acts of retaliation and deliberate indifference violated California’s Bane Act. 21 July 7, 2021 – defendant Ronnenberg. On May 4, 2021, Plaintiff was transferred from 22 Pelican Bay State Prison to SQRC. On July 7, 2021, defendant Ronnenberg called Plaintiff to the 23 unit officer’s desk, referred to Plaintiff as “the Lopez that filed 19 complaints against Officer Lee 24 in Pelican Bay,” and then told Plaintiff, “We won’t be having that shit here! We won’t be having 25 that 602 filing shit! You got that!?” In late 2022, Defendant Ronnenberg transferred away from 26 SQRC, presumably to another correctional facility. 27 April 8, 2021 – defendant Michael. On April 8, 2021, Plaintiff was on his way to his job 1 standing next to defendant Michael that he would call the nurse as a witness, defendant Michael 2 told the nurse, “Now he’s gonna 602 me for being racist.” Defendant Michael then retaliated 3 against Plaintiff by summoning Plaintiff to the Mack Shack for a search. Defendant Michael 4 roughly searched Plaintiff and told him “Line up with the rest of the idiots, I got plenty of 602s 5 against me – nothing ever happens, you think you’re tough.” 6 September 2021 to October 2022 – defendants Morales and Alvarado. Plaintiff was 7 assigned to work as a clerk in the SQRC gymnasium. Plaintiff chose to work at a ground floor 8 desk because he has a spinal/nerve condition that makes it painful to climb stairs. There is a 9 microwave on the ground floor that Plaintiff used daily to make coffee and meals. Defendant 10 Morales created a hostile work environment for Plaintiff because defendant Morales lacks social 11 skills. In retaliation for Plaintiff trying to reason with defendant Morales, defendant Morales 12 (1) prohibited Plaintiff from using the stationary bike despite Plaintiff receiving authorization 13 from the SQRC gym coach, (2) prohibited Plaintiff from washing his clothes at work; (3) moved 14 the microwave to the gym loft; (4) would not allow Plaintiff to make phone calls from the inmate 15 gym phones yet allowed other inmates to make calls from the phone in the gym loft; (5) removed 16 Plaintiff’s book shelves; and (6) moved the refrigerator to the gym loft; and both defendants 17 Morales and Alvarado replaced the good chairs in Plaintiff’s work area with broken chairs and 18 allowed theft of Plaintiff’s work fan. On August 29, 2022, defendant Alvarado told other inmates 19 that the reason the microwave had been taken was because Plaintiff had filed a grievance. 20 August 19, 2022 – defendant Malikian. On August 17, 2022, Plaintiff submitted a 21 reasonable accommodation request, requesting that the microwave and refrigerator be moved back 22 to the ground floor so that he could access them. On August 19, 2022, defendant Malikian 23 ordered Plaintiff to move from his first floor cell to a fifth floor cell. Plaintiff protested the move, 24 stating that he had serious spinal related injuries and that climbing stairs would cause him severe 25 and unnecessary pain. A fifth floor cell requires Plaintiff to ascend and descend stairs between 26 four to nine times a day (breakfast, work, shower, dinner, phone, appeal interviews, COVID tests, 27 visits, legal mail pickup, etc.). Defendant Malikian responded, “Move or get a writeup,” knowing 1 told other inmates that the reason Plaintiff had been moved to the fifth floor was because Plaintiff 2 had filed a grievance. 3 October 6, 2022 – defendant Dotts. On October 6, 2022, defendant Dotts denied Plaintiff 4 his shower. When Plaintiff threatened to file a grievance, defendant Dotts said “Since you’re 5 gonna 602 me – I’m gonna write you up.” 6 November 3, 2022 – defendants Dotts and Real. On November 3, 2022, when Plaintiff 7 went to sign up for his worker call, defendant Dotts yelled at him: “Oh, it’s you, the guy [who’s] 8 602ing me.

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Bluebook (online)
Andrew Lopez v. Ronneberg, et al., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/andrew-lopez-v-ronneberg-et-al-cand-2025.