Gabriel Sauceda v. Kilolo Kijakazi

CourtDistrict Court, C.D. California
DecidedSeptember 29, 2021
Docket2:20-cv-01040
StatusUnknown

This text of Gabriel Sauceda v. Kilolo Kijakazi (Gabriel Sauceda v. Kilolo Kijakazi) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, C.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gabriel Sauceda v. Kilolo Kijakazi, (C.D. Cal. 2021).

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 11 GABRIEL S., ) Case No. 2:20-cv-01040-SP ) 12 Plaintiff, ) ) 13 v. ) MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ) ORDER 14 ) KILOLO KIJAKAZI, Acting ) 15 Commissioner of Social Security ) Administration, ) 16 ) Defendant. ) 17 ) ) 18 19 I. 20 INTRODUCTION 21 On January 31, 2020, plaintiff Gabriel S. filed a complaint against 22 defendant, the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration 23 (“Commissioner”), seeking review of a denial of supplemental security income 24 (“SSI”). The parties have fully briefed the matter in dispute, and the court deems 25 the matter suitable for adjudication without oral argument. 26 Plaintiff presents one disputed issue for decision, whether the Administrative 27 Law Judge (“ALJ”) improperly rejected a portion of the examining physician’s 28 1 opinion. Memorandum in Support of Plaintiff’s Complaint (“P. Mem.”) at 4-10; 2 see Defendant’s Memorandum in Support of Answer (“D. Mem.”) at 1-5. 3 Having carefully studied the parties’ memoranda, the Administrative Record 4 (“AR”), and the decision of the ALJ, the court concludes that, as detailed herein, 5 the ALJ properly evaluated the opinion of plaintiff’s examining physician, Dr. 6 Ernest A. Bagner III. The court therefore affirms the decision of the Commissioner 7 denying benefits. 8 II. 9 FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND 10 Plaintiff, who was 27 years old on the alleged disability onset date, has a 11 high school equivalency diploma or GED. See AR at 333, 379. Plaintiff has past 12 relevant work as a fork lift operator and dump truck driver. AR at 35, 369-70. 13 On November 3, 2016, plaintiff filed an application for SSI, alleging an 14 onset date of November 3, 2016. See AR at 379, 460. Plaintiff claimed he 15 suffered from seizures, which started on about 2013. AR at 335, 379. Plaintiff’s 16 application was initially denied on March 21, 2017. AR at 25, 378-93. 17 Plaintiff requested a hearing, which the ALJ held on January 24, 2019. AR 18 at 328. Plaintiff, represented by counsel, appeared and testified at the hearing. AR 19 at 331-69. The ALJ also heard testimony from Susan Allison, a vocational expert. 20 AR at 369-71. The ALJ denied plaintiff’s claim for benefits on February 26, 2019. 21 AR at 37. 22 Applying the well-established five-step sequential evaluation process, the 23 ALJ found, at step one, that plaintiff had not engaged in substantial gainful activity 24 since November 3, 2016, the application date. AR at 27. 25 At step two, the ALJ found plaintiff suffered from the following severe 26 impairments: idiopathic epilepsy/seizure disorder, major depressive disorder with 27 anxiety, and panic disorder without agoraphobia. Id. 28 1 At step three, the ALJ found plaintiff’s impairments, whether individually or 2 in combination, did not meet or medically equal one of the impairments set forth in 3 20 C.F.R. Part 404, Subpart P, Appendix 1. AR at 28. 4 The ALJ then assessed plaintiff’s residual functional capacity (“RFC”),1 and 5 determined he had the ability: 6 to perform a full range of work at all exertional levels but with the 7 following nonexertional limitations: The claimant must observe 8 seizure precautions including no ladders, scaffolds, or ropes, no 9 unprotected heights or dangerous moving machinery, no open bodies 10 of water, and no operating a motor vehicle. The claimant is limited to 11 only non-complex routine tasks, no tasks requiring hypervigilence, 12 and no responsibility for the safety of others. 13 AR at 29-30. 14 The ALJ found, at step four, that plaintiff was unable to perform his past 15 relevant work as a fork lift operator or dump truck driver. AR at 35. 16 At step five, the ALJ determined that, considering plaintiff’s age, education, 17 work experience, and RFC, there are jobs that exist in significant numbers in the 18 national economy that plaintiff can perform, including as a hand packager, cashier 19 II, or assembler of plastic hospital parts. AR at 36. The ALJ accordingly 20 concluded plaintiff was not under a disability, as defined in the Social Security 21 Act, at any time from November 3, 2016 through the date of his decision. Id. 22 Plaintiff filed a timely request for review of the ALJ’s decision, but the 23 24 1 Residual functional capacity is what a claimant can do despite existing 25 exertional and nonexertional limitations. Cooper v. Sullivan, 880 F.2d 1152, 1155- 26 56 nn.5-7 (9th Cir. 1989) (citations omitted). “Between steps three and four of the five-step evaluation, the ALJ must proceed to an intermediate step in which the 27 ALJ assesses the claimant’s residual functional capacity.” Massachi v. Astrue, 486 28 F.3d 1149, 1151 n.2 (9th Cir. 2007) (citation omitted). 1 Appeals Council denied the request for review on February 21, 2020. AR at 1. 2 Accordingly, the ALJ’s decision became the final decision of the Commissioner. 3 III. 4 STANDARD OF REVIEW 5 This court is empowered to review decisions by the Commissioner to deny 6 benefits. 42 U.S.C. § 405(g). The findings and decision of the Social Security 7 Administration must be upheld if they are free of legal error and supported by 8 substantial evidence. Mayes v. Massanari, 276 F.3d 453, 458-59 (9th Cir. 2001) 9 (as amended). But if the court determines the ALJ’s findings are based on legal 10 error or are not supported by substantial evidence in the record, the court may 11 reject the findings and set aside the decision to deny benefits. Aukland v. 12 Massanari, 257 F.3d 1033, 1035 (9th Cir. 2001); Tonapetyan v. Halter, 242 F.3d 13 1144, 1147 (9th Cir. 2001). 14 “Substantial evidence is more than a mere scintilla, but less than a 15 preponderance.” Aukland, 257 F.3d at 1035 (citation omitted). Substantial 16 evidence is such “relevant evidence which a reasonable person might accept as 17 adequate to support a conclusion.” Reddick v. Chater, 157 F.3d 715, 720 (9th Cir. 18 1998) (citations omitted); Mayes, 276 F.3d at 459. To determine whether 19 substantial evidence supports the ALJ’s finding, the reviewing court must review 20 the administrative record as a whole, “weighing both the evidence that supports 21 and the evidence that detracts from the ALJ’s conclusion.” Mayes, 276 F.3d at 459 22 (citations omitted). The ALJ’s decision “cannot be affirmed simply by isolating a 23 specific quantum of supporting evidence.” Aukland, 257 F.3d at 1035 (internal 24 quotation marks omitted). If the evidence can reasonably support either affirming 25 or reversing the ALJ’s decision, the reviewing court “may not substitute its 26 judgment for that of the ALJ.” Id. (internal quotation marks omitted). 27 28 1 IV. 2 DISCUSSION 3 A. The ALJ Did Not Err in Discounting Dr. Bagner’s Opinion 4 Plaintiff argues the ALJ erred in rejecting Dr. Bagner’s opinion that plaintiff 5 was moderately limited in his ability to interact with the public, co-workers, and 6 supervisors. For the reasons below, the court concludes the ALJ did not err in 7 rejecting that opinion. 8 To determine whether a claimant has a medically determinable impairment, 9 the ALJ considers different types of evidence, including medical evidence. 20 10 C.F.R. §§ 404

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Gabriel Sauceda v. Kilolo Kijakazi, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gabriel-sauceda-v-kilolo-kijakazi-cacd-2021.