Gavin Osuna v. River Delta Unified School District, et al.

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. California
DecidedJanuary 7, 2026
Docket2:25-cv-01699
StatusUnknown

This text of Gavin Osuna v. River Delta Unified School District, et al. (Gavin Osuna v. River Delta Unified School District, 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
Gavin Osuna v. River Delta Unified School District, et al., (E.D. Cal. 2026).

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 11 GAVIN OSUNA, No. 2:25-cv-1699 DC AC PS 12 Plaintiff, 13 v. ORDER 14 RIVER DELTA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT, et al., 15 Defendants. 16

17 18 Plaintiff is proceeding in this action pro se. The case was accordingly referred to the 19 undersigned for pretrial purposes by E.D. Cal. 302(c)(21). The court previously found plaintiff’s 20 request for leave to proceed in forma pauperis (“IFP”) incomplete and ordered plaintiff to file a 21 completed and signed application within 14 days. ECF Nos. 2-3. Plaintiff has since refiled his 22 application and submitted the affidavit required by that statute. See 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(1). The 23 new motion to proceed IFP (ECF No. 4) will therefore be granted. 24 Upon screening the complaint, the court also finds that plaintiff has not adequately pled 25 claims as to any defendant. Accordingly, the complaint will not be served. Because the 26 complaint provides sufficient facts to suggest that plaintiff may be able to cure the defects in 27 these claims, however, plaintiff will be given the opportunity to file an amended complaint. 28 //// 1 I. SCREENING 2 A. Legal Standard 3 The federal IFP statute requires federal courts to dismiss a case if the action is legally 4 “frivolous or malicious,” fails to state a claim upon which relief may be granted or seeks 5 monetary relief from a defendant who is immune from such relief. 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2). A 6 claim is legally frivolous when it lacks an arguable basis either in law or in fact. Neitzke v. 7 Williams, 490 U.S. 319, 325 (1989). In reviewing a complaint under this standard, the court will 8 (1) accept as true all the factual allegations contained in the complaint, unless they are clearly 9 baseless or fanciful, (2) construe those allegations in the light most favorable to the plaintiff, and 10 (3) resolve all doubts in the plaintiff’s favor. See Neitzke, 490 U.S. at 327; Von Saher v. Norton 11 Simon Museum of Art at Pasadena, 592 F.3d 954, 960 (9th Cir. 2010), cert. denied, 564 U.S. 12 1037 (2011). 13 The court applies the same rules of construction in determining whether the complaint 14 states a claim on which relief can be granted. Erickson v. Pardus, 551 U.S. 89, 94 (2007) (court 15 must accept the allegations as true); Scheuer v. Rhodes, 416 U.S. 232, 236 (1974) (court must 16 construe the complaint in the light most favorable to the plaintiff). Pro se pleadings are held to a 17 less stringent standard than those drafted by lawyers. Haines v. Kerner, 404 U.S. 519, 520 18 (1972). However, the court need not accept as true conclusory allegations, unreasonable 19 inferences, or unwarranted deductions of fact. Western Mining Council v. Watt, 643 F.2d 618, 20 624 (9th Cir. 1981). A formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause of action does not suffice 21 to state a claim. Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555-57 (2007); Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 22 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009). 23 To state a claim on which relief may be granted, the plaintiff must allege enough facts “to 24 state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.” Twombly, 550 U.S. at 570. “A claim has 25 facial plausibility when the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the 26 reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.” Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 27 678. A pro se litigant is entitled to notice of the deficiencies in the complaint and an opportunity 28 to amend, unless the complaint’s deficiencies could not be cured by amendment. See Noll v. 1 Carlson, 809 F.2d 1446, 1448 (9th Cir. 1987), superseded on other grounds by statute as stated in 2 Lopez v. Smith, 203 F.3d 1122 (9th Cir.2000)) (en banc). 3 B. The Complaint 4 Plaintiff’s lawsuit arises out of alleged constitutional violations by the RDUSD, along 5 with its employees Katherine Wright and Royce Cornelson, and seeks relief pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 6 § 1983. ECF No. 1 at 2-3. The complaint alleges that on September 4, 2023, while a 17-year-old 7 RDUSD student, plaintiff made a post on social media that did not disrupt school operations or 8 violate the California Education Code. ECF No. 1 at 3. This post also constituted protected 9 speech under the First Amendment. Id. On September 5, 2023, plaintiff was called out sick by 10 his parents. Id. He would later produce a doctor’s note confirming that plaintiff’s chronic 11 condition had worsened, and authorizing ten days of home instruction. Id. at 3, 12. 12 Also on September 5, however, RDUSD administrators suspended plaintiff from school 13 based on his social media post. Id. at 3. This suspension occurred while plaintiff was absent due 14 to his illness, without giving him notice of the alleged violations, an opportunity to respond, or an 15 opportunity to have a guardian or advocate assist in his defense against the suspension. Id. This 16 also led to the revocation of his inter-district transfer application from the Sacramento City 17 Unified School District. Id. at 14. 18 Both of plaintiff’s § 1983 claims arise under the Fourteenth Amendment. Id. at 4. The 19 first alleges lack of due process in suspending plaintiff without adequate notice of the charges or a 20 reasonable opportunity to defend himself, as required under Goss v. Lopez, 419 U.S. 565, 574, 21 581 (1975). Id. The second invokes the Equal Protection Clause, alleging that plaintiff’s 22 suspension was harsh compared to discipline other students face when voicing similar or more 23 egregious views. Id. at 4-5. In addition to declaratory relief confirming that defendants had 24 violated plaintiff’s constitutional rights, plaintiff seeks compensatory and punitive damages, an 25 injunction compelling the removal of plaintiff’s suspension from his record and prohibiting 26 retaliation, and attorney’s fees and costs. Id. at 5. 27 //// 28 //// 1 C. Analysis 2 1. Scope of Relief as to RDUSD 3 “The Eleventh Amendment bars suits against the State or its agencies for all types of 4 relief, absent unequivocal consent by the state.” Krainski v. Nev. Ex rel. Bd. of Regents of Nev. 5 Sys. Of Higher Educ., 616 F.3d 963, 967 (9th Cir. 2010) (internal quotations omitted). California 6 school districts like RDUSD are state agencies for purposes of determining Eleventh Amendment 7 immunity. Cole v. Oroville Union High School Dist., 228 F.3d 1092, 1100 n.4 (9th Cir. 2000). 8 As to the § 1983 claims, 42 U.S.C. § 1983 only authorizes suit against a “person,” and neither a 9 state nor a state agency is a “person” within the meaning of § 1983. See Will v. Mich. State 10 Dep’t of Police, 491 U.S. 58, 65 (1989). 11 The Eleventh Amendment does not entirely “bar claims for prospective declaratory or 12 injunctive relief against states or state agencies.” Maizner v. Hawaii, Dept.

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Related

Haines v. Kerner
404 U.S. 519 (Supreme Court, 1972)
Board of Regents of State Colleges v. Roth
408 U.S. 564 (Supreme Court, 1972)
Scheuer v. Rhodes
416 U.S. 232 (Supreme Court, 1974)
Goss v. Lopez
419 U.S. 565 (Supreme Court, 1975)
Rizzo v. Goode
423 U.S. 362 (Supreme Court, 1976)
Cleveland Board of Education v. Loudermill
470 U.S. 532 (Supreme Court, 1985)
Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier
484 U.S. 260 (Supreme Court, 1988)
West v. Atkins
487 U.S. 42 (Supreme Court, 1988)
Will v. Michigan Department of State Police
491 U.S. 58 (Supreme Court, 1989)
Albright v. Oliver
510 U.S. 266 (Supreme Court, 1994)
Erickson v. Pardus
551 U.S. 89 (Supreme Court, 2007)
Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly
550 U.S. 544 (Supreme Court, 2007)
Ashcroft v. Iqbal
556 U.S. 662 (Supreme Court, 2009)
Krainski v. Nevada Ex Rel. Board of Regents
616 F.3d 963 (Ninth Circuit, 2010)
Gerhart v. Lake County, Mont.
637 F.3d 1013 (Ninth Circuit, 2011)
Florer v. Congregation Pidyon Shevuyim, N.A.
639 F.3d 916 (Ninth Circuit, 2011)
Johnson v. Duffy
588 F.2d 740 (Ninth Circuit, 1978)
Western Mining Council v. Watt
643 F.2d 618 (Ninth Circuit, 1981)

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Bluebook (online)
Gavin Osuna v. River Delta Unified School District, et al., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gavin-osuna-v-river-delta-unified-school-district-et-al-caed-2026.