Johnson v. Broomfield

CourtDistrict Court, N.D. California
DecidedFebruary 9, 2022
Docket5:21-cv-07158
StatusUnknown

This text of Johnson v. Broomfield (Johnson v. Broomfield) 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
Johnson v. Broomfield, (N.D. Cal. 2022).

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 LACEDRIC W. JOHNSON, 11 Case No. 21-07158 EJD (PR) Plaintiff, 12 ORDER OF SERVICE; OF DISMISSAL WITH LEAVE TO 13 v. AMEND; DIRECTING DEFENDANTS TO FILE 14 DISPOSITIVE MOTION OR RON BROOMFIELD, et al., NOTICE REGARDING SUCH 15 MOTION; INSTRUCTIONS TO Defendants. CLERK 16

17 18 Plaintiff, a state prisoner at San Quentin State Prison (“SQSP”), filed the instant pro 19 se civil rights action pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Dkt. No. 1. The action was reassigned 20 from Magistrate Judge Thomas S. Hixson to the Undersigned because Plaintiff did not file 21 consent to the jurisdiction of a United States Magistrate Judge pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 22 636(c). Dkt. Nos. 4, 5. Plaintiff has filed a motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis 23 which will be addressed in a separate order. Dkt. No. 2. 24 25 DISCUSSION 26 A. Standard of Review 27 A federal court must conduct a preliminary screening in any case in which a 1 prisoner seeks redress from a governmental entity or officer or employee of a 2 governmental entity. See 28 U.S.C. § 1915A(a). In its review, the court must identify any 3 cognizable claims and dismiss any claims that are frivolous, malicious, fail to state a claim 4 upon which relief may be granted or seek monetary relief from a defendant who is immune 5 from such relief. See id. § 1915A(b)(1),(2). Pro se pleadings must, however, be liberally 6 construed. See Balistreri v. Pacifica Police Dep’t, 901 F.2d 696, 699 (9th Cir. 1988). 7 To state a claim under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, a plaintiff must allege two essential 8 elements: (1) that a right secured by the Constitution or laws of the United States was 9 violated, and (2) that the alleged violation was committed by a person acting under the 10 color of state law. See West v. Atkins, 487 U.S. 42, 48 (1988). 11 B. Plaintiff’s Claims 12 Plaintiff alleges that shortly after Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of 13 emergency on March 19, 2020, regarding the Covid-19 pandemic, the Secretary of the 14 CDCR, Ralph Diaz, announced on April 1, 2020, the decision to accelerate the release of 15 certain nonviolent inmates who were within 60 days of release in order to reduce the 16 spread of the virus. Dkt. No. 1 at 4. Plaintiff alleges that the determination was made 17 jointly by the CDCR and the Governor, and that J. Clark Kelso, the Federal Receiver, was 18 also signatory to the Memorandum. Id. 19 Plaintiff alleges that on April 9, 2020, he filed a health care grievance, No. SQ-HC- 20 20000274, claiming that he had a pre-existing condition that compromised his immune 21 system due to contracting Valley Fever in 2011, a fungus that attacks the lungs, and a 22 recent battle with leukopenia (low white blood cells). Id. at 5. He requested “emergency 23 release.” Id. He was interviewed by Defendant Nurse Podolsky by telephone on April 21, 24 2020, who informed him that “there is nothing we can do for you, it’s a custody issue.” Id. 25 Plaintiff pursued an inmate grievance (Log No. SQ-A-20-01468) on the matter, which was 26 rejected; when he resubmitted the appeal to the Acting Warden Ron Broomfield, it was not 1 Governor’s Office but never received a response. Id. 2 Plaintiff claims that after the California Institute for Men (“CIM”) experienced a 3 Covid-19 outbreak in May 2020, the CDCR transferred 121 inmates from CIM to SQSP on 4 May 30, 2020, “in an effort to protect those individuals from the virus.” Id. at 7. Plaintiff 5 claims that by the time several of these transferees had tested positive for Covid-19, they 6 had been in open housing units for six days. Id. at 8. Plaintiff claims that on June 11, 7 2020, he began to experience various symptoms: hacking cough that left a peculiar taste on 8 his tongue, labored breathing, wheezing in the lungs and chest cavity, and coughing up 9 blood. Id. He was transferred to the hospital where he remained until June 13, 2020; there 10 he was diagnosed with heart failure and “other Covid-19 related injuries.” Id. at 9. Upon 11 his return to SQSP, he was placed in administrative segregation, “the hole,” for a 14-day 12 quarantine. Id. On June 17, 2020, Dr. Smith told Plaintiff that he had Covid. Id. 13 Plaintiff claims that on June 15, 2020, an “Urgent Memo” was released, which 14 indicated that Acting Warden Ron Broomfield, Clarence Cryer, Alison Pachynski, and Dr. 15 Shanon Garrigan knew of various deficiencies at SQSP which required immediate action 16 but that they failed to act, well in advance of Plaintiff contracting Covid-19 and suffering 17 heart failure and other injuries from infection. Id. at 9-10. Plaintiff filed another health 18 care grievance, again requesting expedited release; it was denied at the “Headquarters’ 19 level response” on December 7, 2020. Id. at 10. Plaintiff filed an inmate grievance on 20 September 15, 2020, alleging deliberate indifference to pre-existing medical conditions 21 and seeking early release and compensation; Plaintiff also referred to his previous inmate 22 appeal, Log No. SQ-A-20-01468, which had gone unanswered by the Acting Warden. Id. 23 at 11. 24 Plaintiff also refers to an inspection report covering the period of June 24, 2020 to 25 January 29, 2021, conducted by the State of California’s Department of Industrial 26 Relations Division of Occupational Safety and Health (“OSHA”) which found numerous 1 impact on him contracting Covid-19 and suffering heart failure, and that Acting Warden 2 Broomfield is responsible for keeping the prison in compliance with OSHA standards, 3 along with Ralph Diaz and Kathleen Allison. Id. at 12. Plaintiff also refers to a report 4 issued by the Officer of the Inspector General dated February 1, 2021, which included a 5 discussion on the CDCR’s decision to transfer inmates from CIM to SQSP. Id. at 12. 6 Plaintiff alleges that the report found that efforts by J. Bick, R. Tharrat, R. Diaz, and K. 7 Allison to prepare for an execute the transfers were “deeply flawed and risked the health 8 and lives of thousands of incarcerated persons and staff.” Id. at 13. Plaintiff claims that 9 within two weeks after this transfer, he contracted Covid-19 and had to be hospitalized due 10 to heart failure and other medical complications. Id. at 14. 11 Based on the foregoing allegations, Plaintiff claims his rights under the Eighth 12 Amendment were violated based on the following: (1) exposure to hazardous conditions 13 based on overcrowding and unsanitary conditions, Dkt. No. 1 at 17-18; (2) deliberate 14 indifference to unreasonable risk of harm based on exposure to infectious and deadly 15 communicable disease – Covid-19, id. at 19-20; and (3) “cruel and unusual punishment – 16 deliberate indifference – Covid-19 exposure,” id. at 21. Plaintiff seeks damages, including 17 punitive, and declaratory relief. Id. at 22. Liberally construed, Plaintiff states a cognizable 18 claim under the Eighth Amendment for deliberate indifference to inmate safety at SQSP 19 which resulted in harm. See Farmer v. Brennan, 511 U.S. 825, 832 (1994); DeShaney v. 20 Winnebago County Dep't of Social Servs., 489 U.S. 189, 199-200 (1989). 21 C.

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