Darrell Eugene Johnson, A.K.A. Darryl E. Johnson v. Cal. Correctional Health Care Services, et al.

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. California
DecidedSeptember 29, 2025
Docket1:25-cv-00921
StatusUnknown

This text of Darrell Eugene Johnson, A.K.A. Darryl E. Johnson v. Cal. Correctional Health Care Services, et al. (Darrell Eugene Johnson, A.K.A. Darryl E. Johnson v. Cal. Correctional Health Care Services, et al.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Darrell Eugene Johnson, A.K.A. Darryl E. Johnson v. Cal. Correctional Health Care Services, et al., (E.D. Cal. 2025).

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 11 DARRELL EUGENE JOHNSON, A.K.A. No. 1:25-cv-00921 GSA (PC) DARRYL E. JOHNSON, 12 ORDER AND FINDINGS AND Plaintiff, RECOMMENDATIONS 13 v. ORDER RECOMMENDING: 14 CALIF. CORRECTIONAL HEALTH (1) PLAINTIFF’S APPLICATION TO 15 CARE SERVICES, et al. PROCEED IN FORMA PAUPERIS BE DENIED CONSISTENT WITH 28 U.S.C. § 16 Defendants. 1915(G) 17 (ECF No. 2), AND 18 (2) PLAINTIFF BE REQUIRED TO PAY THE FILING FEE IN FULL PRIOR TO 19 PROCEEDING ANY FURTHER WITH THIS ACTION 20 PLAINTIFF’S OBJECTIONS DUE IN 21 FOURTEEN DAYS 22 23 Plaintiff, a state prisoner proceeding pro se, seeks relief pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and 24 has requested authority pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915 to proceed in forma pauperis. ECF Nos. 1, 25 2, 10. The matter was referred to a United States Magistrate Judge pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 26 636(b)(1)(B) and Local Rule 302. 27 For the reasons stated below the undersigned will recommend that Plaintiff’s application 28 to proceed in forma pauperis be denied consistent with 28 U.S.C. § 1915(g), and that he be 1 required to pay the filing fee in full prior to proceeding any further with this action. Plaintiff will 2 be given fourteen days to file objections to this order. 3 I. RELEVANT FACTS 4 A. Filing of Complaint 5 On July 22, 2025, Plaintiff’s complaint and his application to proceed in forma pauperis 6 were docketed in the Sacramento Division. ECF Nos. 1, 2. Shortly thereafter, on July 28, 2025, 7 the matter was transferred to this division. ECF No. 6. The same day, Plaintiff’s six-month 8 prison trust fund account statement was docketed. ECF No. 10. Thus, Plaintiff’s application to 9 proceed in forma pauperis is complete. 10 B. Discrepancies with Plaintiff’s True Name and Prison Identification Number 11 On July 29, 2025, the Court reviewed Plaintiff’s instant complaint as well as the cases that 12 Plaintiff had previously filed with Court. In so doing, it noted that on Plaintiff’s instant complaint 13 he stated to the Court that his name was “Darryl Johnson”; that his prisoner ID number was, “T- 14 52858,” and that was incarcerated at California State Prison – Solano (“CSP-Solano”). See ECF 15 No. 1 at 1 (case caption of Plaintiff’s complaint): see also ECF No. 9 at 2 (Court’s order 16 remarking same). The Court noted, however, that a search of the California Department of 17 Correction and Rehabilitation’s inmate search database yielded: (1) no inmates named “Darryl 18 Johnson” with a prisoner ID number of “T-52858”; (2) no inmates named “Darryl Johnson” were 19 were incarcerated at CSP-Solano, and (3) no individual currently incarcerated in the CDCR’s 20 system had a prisoner ID number of T-52858. ECF No. 9 at 2. The Court further noted that there 21 was, however, a prisoner in the CDCR’s system with the name of “Darrell Eugene Johnson” who 22 was currently incarcerated at CSP-Solano. Id. That individual had a prisoner ID number of “AX- 23 6100.” 24 C. Order Directing Plaintiff to Provide All Past Identification Numbers and to Show 25 Cause 26 Based on these findings, the “AX-6100” prisoner ID number was added to the docket in 27 this case. See ECF No. 9 at 2-3. In addition, because the “AX-6100” identification number and 28 the name “Darrell Eugene Johnson” were collectively tied to four strikes in the Court’s database, 1 Plaintiff was ordered to inform the Court what his correct prisoner ID number was. Id. Plaintiff 2 was given fourteen days to comply with the Court’s order. Id. 3 D. Plaintiff’s Showing of Cause 4 In Plaintiff’s showing of cause, he verified that his current prisoner ID number is “AX- 5 6100.” ECF No. 12 at 1. He also confirms that the spelling of his true name is “Darrell Eugene 6 Johnson.”1 Id. Plaintiff provides all his past CDCR prisoner identification numbers, one of 7 which, he states was “T-52858.” Id. He also admits that at one point, he was incarcerated in the 8 San Mateo County Jail. Id. He cannot, however, remember what his inmate ID number was 9 while he was being held there. Id. 10 Plaintiff appears to assert that these errors in his complaint were due to the fact that he is 11 in the prison’s Mental Health System Delivery Program and that he takes “psych” medication that 12 alter his thoughts and actions; that he cannot afford a lawyer; that he has an ADA helper; and, that 13 he has a hard time comprehending or understanding and is mentally impaired. ECF No. 12 at 1. 14 As a result, Plaintiff states he sometimes is unaware of what he has done until later. Id. 15 Plaintiff does not deny that he is the correct individual in the four cases that constitute 16 strikes. See generally ECF No. 12. He simply asks the Court to allow him to proceed in forma 17 pauperis because he cannot afford an attorney; he uses an Americans With Disabilities Act 18 helper; and, that he has a hard time comprehending things or understanding them. 19 II. IN FORMA PAUPERIS STATUS 20 “[In forma pauperis] status is not a constitutional right.” Rodriguez v. Cook, 169 F.3d 21 1176, 1180 (9th Cir. 1999) (brackets added); Smart v. Heinze, 347 F.2d 114, 116 (9th Cir. 1965) 22 (“To proceed in forma pauperis is a privilege not a right.”). An inmate’s in forma pauperis status 23 may be revoked at any time if the court, either sua sponte or on a motion, determines that the 24 status was improvidently granted. Keeton v. Marshall, No. CV 17-01213 FMO (KS), 2018 WL 25 4381543, at *6 (C.D. Cal. June 8, 2018) (citation omitted) (italics added); Owens v. Matthews, 26 1 In the showing of cause, Plaintiff states that he used the name “Darryl E. Johnson” on the 27 instant complaint because when he was incarcerated at the San Mateo County Jail, that is how they spelled his name. ECF No. 12 at 1. As a result, he used it for a long time because the jail 28 was using it. Id. 1 No. CV 16-07755 JFW (KS), 2017 WL 603183, at *2 (C.D. Cal. Jan. 6, 2017) (stating same). 2 The grant or refusal of permission to proceed in forma pauperis is left to the sound discretion of 3 the district court. Smart, 347 F.2d 114, 116 (9th Cir. 1963) (citing Weller v. Dickson, 314 F.2d 4 598 (9th Cir. 1963)). The latitude given a district court in such matters is especially broad in civil 5 actions by prisoners against their wardens and other officials. Smart, 347 F.2d at 116 (footnote 6 citation omitted); Shobe v. People of State of California, 362 F.2d 545, 546 (9th Cir. 1966) (citing 7 Smart). 8 III. THREE STRIKES RULE: 28 U.S.C. § 1915(g) 9 28 U.S.C. § 1915

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Darrell Eugene Johnson, A.K.A. Darryl E. Johnson v. Cal. Correctional Health Care Services, et al., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/darrell-eugene-johnson-aka-darryl-e-johnson-v-cal-correctional-caed-2025.