Arellano v. Santos

District Court, S.D. California·Decided October 26, 2020·No. 3:18-cv-02391·Unknown

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 11 RAUL ARELLANO, Case No.: 3:18-cv-02391-BTM-WVG CDCR #AH-1995, 12 ORDER DENYING PLAINTIFF’S Plaintiff, 13 MOTIONS TO RECONSIDER AND vs. FOR TEMPORARY RESTRAINING 14 ORDER Dr. MICHAEL BALBIN SANTOS, 15 Defendant. [ECF Nos. 42, 47] 16 17 18 Plaintiff Raul Arellano, incarcerated at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility 19 (“RJD”) in San Diego, California, and proceeding pro se, filed this civil rights action 20 pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983, on October 18, 2018. See Compl., ECF No. 1 at 1. Currently 21 pending before the Court are two matters: 1) Plaintiff’s Motion for Reconsideration of this 22 Court’s August 10, 2020 Order Denying Plaintiff’s Second Motion for Preliminary 23 Injunction or Temporary Restraining Order (“TRO”) (ECF No. 42); and 2) Plaintiff’s third 24 Motion for a TRO (ECF No. 47). 25 Because Plaintiff fails to present any newly discovered evidence, demonstrate any 26 clear error, or point to an intervening change in the controlling law since the Court denied 27 his second Motion for Preliminary Injunction or TRO, his Motion for Reconsideration is 28 DENIED. And because Plaintiff’s third Motion for TRO requests injunctive relief 1 involving non-parties and raises claims unrelated to the First and Eighth Amendment 2 claims at issue in this case against Defendant Santos, it too must be DENIED. 3 I. Procedural Background 4 This case involves Plaintiff’s claims against one Defendant, Dr. Michael Balbin 5 Santos, a physician employed at RJD. Plaintiff claims Dr. Santos violated his First and 6 Eighth Amendment rights when he tapered and/or terminated Plaintiff’s prescription for 7 Gabapentin between the months of May and September 2018. See Compl., ECF No. 1 at 8 3; ECF No. 3 at 2-5. Plaintiff’s claims have survived Dr. Santos’s efforts to dismiss them 9 pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6), see ECF No. 26, Santos has filed an Answer, see ECF 10 No. 27, and a Rule 16 Scheduling Order has issued. See ECF No. 28. 11 The Court denied Plaintiff’s first Motion for a TRO on December 31, 2018. See ECF 12 No. 10. Plaintiff sought reconsideration, but that motion was denied. See ECF Nos. 12, 13. 13 On May 22, 2020, Plaintiff filed a second Motion for a TRO, but on August 10, 2020, the 14 Court denied that motion as well. See ECF Nos. 31, 40. 15 Plaintiff now seeks reconsideration of the Court’s August 10, 2020 Order Denying 16 his second Motion for a Preliminary Injunction and TRO arguing that he has “stated in a 17 million ways sufficient facts … [to] prov[e] … Defendant[’]s deliberate indifference.” See 18 ECF No. 42 at 1. Plaintiff then recounts those facts, points the Court back to his previously 19 filed motions, declarations, and exhibits, and concludes they all “reveal[] that [he] is 20 currently in pain,” and “doctors are not doing what they can do.” Id. at 3‒10. Plaintiff 21 concludes with the same request for immediate injunctive relief as he has before‒‒ 22 specifically, he asks that the Court “order for [him] to be put in adequate and effective 23 medication known through [his] medical history to be effective without life-threatening 24 side effects (2700 mg of Gabapentin +250 mg [of] Depakote).” Id. at 11. 25 In addition, Plaintiff has filed a third Motion for a TRO. See ECF No. 47. Unlike his 26 previous motions seeking immediate injunctive relief requiring Dr. Santos to provide him 27 with a specific course of medication, this new Motion requests that the California 28 Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (“CDCR”) and “prison staff” at RJD, 1 including Officers Murphy and Wright, Counselor Meza, and Sergeant Segovia, grant 2 Plaintiff access to “all [his] legal property” so he can meet discovery and motion cut-off 3 deadlines in the 15 cases he is litigating in this Court on his own behalf, and on behalf of 4 others. See ECF No. 47 at 2. 5 II. Motion for Reconsideration 6 A. Standard of Review 7 The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure do not expressly provide for motions for 8 reconsideration. However, S.D. Cal. Civil Local Rule 7.1(i) does permit motions for 9 reconsideration “[w]henever any motion or any application or petition for any order or 10 other relief has been made to any judge ... has been refused in whole or in part.” S.D. Cal. 11 CivLR 7.1(i). The party seeking reconsideration must show “what new or different facts 12 and circumstances are claimed to exist which did not exist, or were not shown, upon such 13 prior application.” Id. Local Rule 7.1(i)(2), permits motions for re consideration within “30 14 days of the entry of the ruling.” 15 A motion for reconsideration filed pursuant to a Local Rule may also be construed 16 as a motion to alter or amend judgment under Rule 59(e) or Rule 60(b). See Osterneck v. 17 Ernst & Whinney, 489 U.S. 169, 174 (1989); In re Arrowhead Estates Development Co., 18 42 F.3d 1306, 1311 (9th Cir. 1994). In Osterneck, the Supreme Court stated that “a post- 19 judgment motion will be considered a Rule 59(e) motion where it involves ‘reconsideration 20 of matters properly encompassed in a decision on the merits.’” 489 U.S. at 174 (quoting 21 White v. New Hampshire Dep’t of Employ’t Sec., 455 U.S. 445, 451 (1982)). A district 22 court may grant a Rule 59(e) motion if it “‘is presented with newly discovered evidence, 23 committed clear error, or if there is an intervening change in the controlling law.’” Wood 24 v. Ryan, 759 F.3d 1117, 1121 (9th Cir. 2014) (citing McDowell v. Calderon, 197 F.3d 1253, 25 1255 (9th Cir. 1999) (en banc) (quoting 389 Orange St. Partners v. Arnold, 179 F.3d 656, 26 665 (9th Cir. 1999)). 27 / / / 28 / / / 1 B. Discussion 2 In Plaintiff’s current Motion for Reconsideration, which is timely filed pursuant to 3 S.D. Cal. CivLR 7.1(i)(2), he continues to argue that he has “establish[ed]” that Dr. Santos 4 acted with deliberate indifference to his serious medical needs and claims he has “stated 5 [so] in a million ways,” by “set[ting] out specific facts in an affidavit to clearly show that 6 immediate and irreparable injury could result” in the absence of a preliminary injunction. 7 See ECF No. 42 at 1‒2. In support, Plaintiff reiterates that that he has “told doctors as well 8 as Santos” that all [other] medications,” including Dilantin, Keppra, Depakote 9 (Divalproex) are ineffective to [treat his] tonic and partial seizures,” and that they cause 10 “life threatening side effects.” Id. at 2‒7. Plaintiff repeatedly insists his chronic neuropathic 11 pain “can only be minimized by certain kind[]s of medications (Lyrica, Gabapentin, 12 Cymbalta),” but claims Cymbalta gives him stomach pain, and Lyrica “fogs” his mind; 13 therefore, he “believe[s] Gabapentin outweighs Lyrica,” and concludes his “doctors are not 14 doing what they can do” to treat both his pain and his seizures. Id. at 8‒10. To address his 15 needs, Plaintiff again asks the Court to order Dr.

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