Gould v. California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

District Court, N.D. California·Decided June 1, 2020·No. 4:19-cv-00015·Unknown

Opinion

STEVEN ERIC GOULD, Case No. 19-cv-00015-HSG

Plaintiff, ORDER GRANTING IN PART AND DENYING IN PART MOTION FOR v. SUMMARY JUDGMENT; DENYING REQUEST FOR DEFAULT LAURIE MARINO, et al., JUDGMENT; DIRECTIONS TO PLAINTIFF; REFERRING CASE TO Defendants. PRO SE PRISONER MEDIATION PROGRAM; ADMINISTRATIVELY Re: Dkt. Nos. 12, 23

Plaintiff filed this pro se action pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 regarding constitutional violations that occurred at Correctional Training Facility (“CTF”) in Soledad, California, where he was previously housed.1 Now pending before the Court is plaintiff’s request that the Court enter default judgment against defendants ABC Ventures LLC (“ABC”) and Marino. Dkt. No. 12. There has been no response filed to this motion. Also pending before the Court is the summary judgment motion filed by defendants CTF Warden Koenig, CTF Food Administrator Marino, CTF Food Manager Tucker, and California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Secretary Scott Kernan (collectively, “CTF Defendants”). Dkt. No. 23. Plaintiff has filed an opposition, and the CTF Defendants have filed a reply. Dkt. Nos. 25, 26. For the reasons set forth below, the Court DENIES plaintiff’s request for default judgment and DENIES the CTF Defendants’ summary judgment motion. Dkt. Nos. 12, 23. //

1 Plaintiff was paroled on June 18, 2019 and released into the custody of the Orange County I. Request for Default Judgment Plaintiff has filed a motion requesting default judgment against defendants Laurie Marino and ABC Ventures LLC. Plaintiff argues that default judgment is appropriate because summons was served on defendants Marino and ABC on May 9, 2019, and these defendants failed to answer the complaint within the 21 days set forth in the summons. Plaintiff argues that these defendants have been in default since May 30, 2019, and that their default constitutes acceptance of the facts alleged in the complaint and liability for $1.2 million in compensatory damages. See Dkt. No. 12. No defendant has responded to this motion. Plaintiff is correct that Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(a)(1)(A)(i) requires a defendant to serve an answer within twenty-one days after being served with the summons and complaint. Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(a)(1)(A)(i). Fed. R. Civ. P. 55(a) provides that when a party against whom a judgment for affirmative relief is sought has failed to plead or otherwise defend, i.e., answer as required by Fed. R. Civ. P. 12, and that failure is shown by affidavit or otherwise, the clerk must enter the party’s default. Fed. R. Civ. P. 55(a). After entry of default, the Court may entertain a request for entry of default judgment pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 55(b). Where a clerk of court has not entered default against a defendant, a motion for default judgment against that defendant is improper. Ardalan v. McHugh, No. 13-CV-01138-LHK, 2013 WL 6212710, at *23 (N.D. Cal. Nov. 27, 2013); see also e.g., Marty v. Green, No. 2:10-CV-01823 KJM KJN PS, 2011 WL 320303, at *3 (E.D. Cal. Jan. 28, 2011) (finding that plaintiff failed to follow proper procedural steps to file a motion for default judgment where plaintiff failed to first seek a clerk’s entry of default from the Clerk of the Court and denying motion for default judgment); Norman v. Small, No. 09CV2235 WQH NLS, 2010 WL 5173683, at *2 (S.D. Cal. Dec. 14, 2010) (denying default judgment because the clerk had not entered default). Here, the Clerk of the Court has not entered default against either defendant Marino or defendant ABC Ventures LLC, so the motion for default judgment against these defendants is improper. In addition, as explained below, defendant Marino timely and properly filed a waiver of reply after being served and the record is unclear as to whether ABC Ventures LLC has been A. Defendant Marino Plaintiff incorrectly equates issuance of a summons for service by the United States Marshal with service of that summons. Issuance of a summons means that the Clerk has issued that summons for the United States Marshal to serve. See, e.g., Dkt. No. 8. An acknowledgement of receipt is an acknowledgement filed by the United States Marshal indicating that it received the service documents issued by the Clerk. See, e.g., Dkt. No. 10. Neither the issuance of summons nor an acknowledgement of receipt indicates whether service has been effected on a defendant. Defendant Marino was served on June 25, 2019. See Dkt. No. 28 at 1. Her waiver of reply,2 filed four days later on June 29, 2019, was timely. See Dkt. No. 14. Entry of default against defendant Marino is not warranted here, and the Clerk of the Court has not entered default against defendant Marino. The Court therefore DENIES plaintiff’s request for entry of default judgment against defendant Marino. B. Defendant ABC Ventures LLC Here, the record is unclear as to whether defendant ABC Ventures LLC has been properly served with the summons and complaint. Pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 4(h), a corporation must be served either in the manner prescribed by Rule 4(e)(1) for serving an individual, or by delivering a copy of the summons and of the complaint to an officer, a managing or general agent, or any other agent authorized by appointment or by law to receive service of process and—if the agent is one authorized by statute and the statute so requires—by also mailing a copy of each to the defendant. Fed. R. Civ. P. 4(h). According to the executed summons filed with the Court, the United States Marshal served defendant ABC Ventures LLC by personally serving, on May 15, 2018, Adam Clingerman, whom the United States Marshal identifies as the owner of ABC Ventures LLC. Dkt. No. 28 at 5. The Court cannot determine from the record whether the manner of service of the summons complies with the requirements set forth in Fed. R. Civ. P. 4(h). For example, it is unclear if Mr. Clingerman is an officer or agent authorized to receive service of process.

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