Fayed v. Davis

CourtDistrict Court, N.D. California
DecidedJanuary 3, 2024
Docket4:21-cv-08206
StatusUnknown

This text of Fayed v. Davis (Fayed v. Davis) 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
Fayed v. Davis, (N.D. Cal. 2024).

Opinion

1 2 3 4 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 5 NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 6 7 JAMES MICHAEL FAYED, Case No. 21-cv-08206-JST

8 Plaintiff, ORDER OF PARTIAL SERVICE; 9 v. DENYING REQUEST FOR APPOINTMENT OF COUNSEL 10 COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES, et al., Re: ECF Nos. 35, 38 Defendants. 11

12 13 Plaintiff, an inmate at San Quentin State Prison (“SQSP”) has filed a pro se action 14 pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. His third amended complaint (ECF No. 35) is now before the Court 15 for review under 28 U.S.C. § 1915A. This order also addresses Plaintiff’s renewed motion to 16 appoint counsel. ECF No. 38. 17 DISCUSSION 18 A. Standard of Review 19 A federal court must conduct a preliminary screening in any case in which a prisoner seeks 20 redress from a governmental entity or officer or employee of a governmental entity. See 28 U.S.C. 21 § 1915A(a). In its review, the court must identify any cognizable claims and dismiss any claims 22 that are frivolous, malicious, fail to state a claim upon which relief may be granted or seek 23 monetary relief from a defendant who is immune from such relief. See 28 U.S.C. § 1915A(b)(1), 24 (2). Pro se pleadings must, however, be liberally construed. See United States v. Qazi, 975 F.3d 25 989, 993 (9th Cir. 2020). 26 Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 8(a)(2) requires only “a short and plain statement of the 27 claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2). “Specific facts are not 1 grounds upon which it rests.’” Erickson v. Pardus, 551 U.S. 89, 93 (2007) (citations omitted). 2 While Rule 8 does not require detailed factual allegations, it demands more than an unadorned, 3 the-defendant-unlawfully-harmed-me accusation. Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 677–78 (2009). 4 A pleading that offers only labels and conclusions, or a formulaic recitation of the elements of a 5 cause of action, or naked assertions devoid of further factual enhancement does not suffice. Id. 6 To state a claim under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, a plaintiff must allege two essential elements: (1) that a 7 right secured by the Constitution or laws of the United States was violated, and (2) that the alleged 8 violation was committed by a person acting under the color of state law. See West v. Atkins, 487 9 U.S. 42, 48 (1988). 10 B. Procedural History 11 Plaintiff commenced this action on October 21, 2021, when he filed a complaint in this 12 court, alleging that California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (“CDCR”) Secretary 13 Kathleen Allison and the County of Los Angeles violated his constitutional rights by deducting 14 funds from his inmate trust account to satisfy his restitution obligation while his sentence was held 15 in abeyance pending the disposition of his direct appeal. See generally ECF No. 1. On November 16 4, 2021, the Court transferred the action to the Eastern District of California because none of the 17 named defendants lived in this district and none of the events occurred in this district, and because 18 Plaintiff provided defendant Allison’s location as Sacramento, California, which lies within the 19 Eastern District of California. ECF No. 8. 20 Before the Eastern District of California could screen the complaint, Plaintiff sua sponte 21 filed a first amended complaint. ECF No. 18. The first amended complaint again named 22 Secretary Allison as a defendant, and also added as defendants the Los Angeles District Attorney’s 23 Office, Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley, Deputy District Attorney Alan Jackson, 24 Deputy District Attorney Eric Harmon, the County of Los Angeles, the California Appellate 25 Project, and the Habeas Corpus Resource Center. Plaintiff again alleged that CDCR and other 26 defendants improperly deducted restitution from funds intended for his trust account while he was 27 in the process of appealing his conviction and the restitution order was stayed. He alleges that the 1 discriminatory. See generally ECF Nos. 18, 24. 2 The Eastern District of California dismissed the first amended complaint for failure to state 3 a claim because Plaintiff’s claim based on the taking of his property was not cognizable under 4 Section 1983. ECF No. 24 at 4. The court granted him leave to amend. Id. at 5. 5 Plaintiff filed a second amended complaint wherein he named as defendants CDCR, 6 CDCR Secretary Allison, the California Attorney General, the County of Los Angeles, and 7 California Governor Gavin Newsom. Plaintiff alleged that restitution funds were improperly 8 deducted from his inmate trust account while he was appealing his conviction, constituting an 9 authorized intentional taking of his property that is prohibited by state law, in violation of the 10 Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment. Plaintiff also alleges that he was improperly subject to an 11 increase in the monthly amount deducted for restitution as a result of California Proposition 66, in 12 violation of the Ex Post Facto Clause. See generally ECF No. 29. 13 The Eastern District of California dismissed the second amended complaint for failure to 14 state a claim for the following reasons. With respect to the first claim, the court dismissed the 15 claim because Plaintiff failed to establish that these defendants personally participated in the 16 deprivation of his constitutional rights, i.e., the deduction of restitution funds. The court dismissed 17 this claim with leave to amend. With respect to the second claim, the court dismissed this claim 18 with prejudice because the Ninth Circuit had previously held that a statutory increase in the rate of 19 restitution payments does not violate the Ex Post Facto Claim. ECF No. 31 at 4-5. 20 On February 21, 2023, Plaintiff filed a third amended complaint and a motion for a change 21 of venue, stating that the events described in the third amended complaint took place at San 22 Quentin State Prison, which is located in the venue of the Northern District of California. ECF 23 Nos. 35, 36. On March 9, 2023, the Eastern District of California granted the motion for change 24 of venue and transferred the action back to this court. 25 C. Third Amended Complaint 26 The third amended complaint names as defendants SQSP warden Ron Davis and the 27 County of Los Angeles. The third amended complaint makes the following allegations. The 1 restitution be due immediately upon Plaintiff’s incarceration at San Quentin State Prison despite 2 Plaintiff appealing his conviction and Cal. Penal Code § 1243 holding that a prisoner’s sentence is 3 held in suspension and abeyance pending disposition of direct appeal by the California Supreme 4 Court. Plaintiff further argues that SQSP Warden Davis “imposed additional restitution (above 5 and beyond) upon Plaintiff’s incarceration” that were ordered by the CDCR.

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Bluebook (online)
Fayed v. Davis, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fayed-v-davis-cand-2024.