Asberry v. Florez

District Court, N.D. California·Decided November 30, 2021·No. 4:20-cv-04000·Unknown

Opinion

TONY ASBERRY, Case No. 20-cv-04000-YGR (PR) Plaintiff, ORDER GRANTING DEFENDANTS’ v. MOTION TO REVOKE IN FORMA PAUPERIS STATUS; AND NURSE FLOREZ, et al., DISMISSING ACTION WITHOUT Defendants.

Plaintiff, an inmate currently incarcerated at the California Substance Abuse and Treatment Facility, filed a pro se civil rights complaint pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Dkt. 1. He alleges violations of his constitutional rights by prison officials and medical staff at Salinas Valley State Prison (“SVSP”), where he was formerly incarcerated. Id. at 4-17. In his complaint, plaintiff names the following defendants at SVSP: Nurse Florez, Correctional Officers Alba, Villanueva, and Carrillo. Id. at 3. Plaintiff seeks compensatory and punitive damages. Id. at 18. Plaintiff was previously granted leave to proceed in forma pauperis (“IFP”). Dkt. 5. The parties are presently before the Court on defendant Villanueva’s motion to revoke plaintiff’s IFP status, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(g), and to dismiss the action without prejudice. Dkt. 12. Defendants Florez, Alba, and Carrillo have filed motions to join defendant Villanueva’s motion. Dkts. 18, 22, 24. Defendants Florez, Alba, and Carrillo motions are GRANTED, and the joinder is accepted. Also pending before this Court are pending motions filed by defendants Villanueva, Florez, Alba, and Carrillo (hereinafter “defendants”) requesting extensions of time to file responsive pleadings to the complaint pending the Court’s ruling on the motion to revoke plaintiff’s IFP status. Dkts. 13, 19, 21, 25. Having read and considered the papers submitted, and being fully informed, the Court GRANTS defendants’ motion to revoke plaintiff’s IFP status and to dismiss the action for the II. BACKGROUND As mentioned above, on January 15, 2021, the Court granted plaintiff’s motion for leave to proceed IFP. Dkt. 5. On the same date, the Court issued an Order of Service. Dkt. 6. The following background is taken from the Court’s January 15, 2021 Order, which states as follows: Plaintiff, who is a “full-time . . . wheelchair user,” alleges multiple claims, which the Court has summarized as the following: (1) a claim of deliberate indifference to his safety needs in violation of his Eighth Amendment rights, stemming from a May 20, 2019 incident in which he was attacked by two other inmates at SVSP (who he describes as unnamed “housing unit workers known as porters”), and Plaintiff has adequately linked all the named Defendants to his claim for failing to intervene during the attack; (2) a claim of deliberate indifference to Plaintiff’s serious medical needs in violation of his Eighth Amendment rights, stemming from the failure to properly treat his injuries stemming from the May 20, 2019 incident, and Plaintiff has adequately linked all the named Defendants to his claim; (4) a claim for retaliation based on the named Defendants’ failure to protect Plaintiff from being assaulted during the May 23, 2020 incident because Plaintiff filed grievances against other prison staff members; and (5) state law claims, including “other violations of mandatory duties imposed on Defendants.” Dkt. 1 at 4-17. Plaintiff has stated a cognizable First Amendment retaliation claim as well as a cognizable Eighth Amendment claims for deliberate indifference to his safety and serious medical needs against all named Defendants. The Court will exercise supplemental jurisdiction over Plaintiff’s state law claims, including “other violations of mandatory duties imposed on Defendants.” Dkt. 6 at 3. As mentioned above, defendants are requesting the Court revoke plaintiff’s IFP status under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(g) and to dismiss the instant action. Dkt. 12. Even though plaintiff was given the opportunity to file an opposition, he did not do so. A. 28 U.S.C. § 1915(g) The Prison Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (“PLRA”) was enacted, and became effective, on April 26, 1996. It provides that a prisoner may not bring a civil action IFP under 28 U.S.C. § 1915 “if the prisoner has, on 3 or more prior occasions, while incarcerated or detained in any facility, brought an action or appeal in a court of the United States that was dismissed on the grounds that it is frivolous, malicious, or fails to state a claim upon which relief may be granted, Section 1915(g) requires that this Court consider prisoner actions dismissed before, as well as after, the statute’s 1996 enactment. Tierney v. Kupers, 128 F.3d 1310, 1311-12 (9th Cir. 1997). Section 1915(g) is commonly referred to as the “three strikes rule.” The three strikes rule “requires so-called ‘frequent filer’ prisoners to prepay the entire filing fee before federal courts may consider their civil actions and appeals.” Kinnell v. Graves, 265 F.3d 1125, 1127 (10th Cir. 2001). For purposes of a dismissal that may be counted under section 1915(g), the phrase “fails to state a claim on which relief may be granted” parallels the language of Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) and carries the same interpretation, the word “frivolous” refers to a case that is “of little weight or importance: having no basis in law or fact,” and the word “malicious” refers to a case “filed with the ‘intention or desire to harm another.’” Andrews v. King, 398 F.3d 1113, 1121 (9th Cir. 2005) (citation omitted) (“Andrews I”). Only cases within one of these three categories can be counted as strikes for section 1915(g) purposes. See id. Dismissal of an action under section 1915(g) should only occur when, “after careful evaluation of the order dismissing an [earlier] action, and other relevant information, the district court determines that the action was dismissed because it was frivolous, malicious or failed to state a claim.” Id. Andrews I requires that the prisoner be given notice of the potential applicability of section 1915(g), by either the district court or the defendants, but also requires the prisoner to bear the ultimate burden of persuasion that section 1915(g) does not bar pauper status for him. Id. A defendant seeking to challenge a prisoner’s IFP status has the burden of producing evidence that allows the district court to conclude that the prisoner plaintiff has suffered at least three prior dismissals that count as strikes under section 1915(g). Id. at 1120. Once the defendants have met this initial burden, the burden shifts to the prisoner to show why a prior dismissal should not count as a strike, or why he is entitled to the imminent danger of serious physical injury exception. Id. A dismissal under section 1915(g) means that a prisoner cannot proceed with an action as a pauper under section 1915(g), but he still may pursue his claims if he pays the full filing fee at the outset of the action. See Tierney v. Kupers, 128 F.3d 1310, 1311-12 (9th Cir. 1997) (affirming B. Plaintiff’s Prior “Strikes” Defendants allege that plaintiff has filed, while incarcerated, at least three actions in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California that were dismissed on the basis that they were frivolous, malicious, or failed to state claim. At the time plaintiff was granted

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