Lopez v. Lee

CourtDistrict Court, N.D. California
DecidedJune 14, 2024
Docket4:23-cv-03660
StatusUnknown

This text of Lopez v. Lee (Lopez v. Lee) 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
Lopez v. Lee, (N.D. Cal. 2024).

Opinion

1 2 3 4 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 5 NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 6 7 ANDREW LOPEZ, Case No. 23-cv-03660-HSG

8 Plaintiff, ORDER OF PARTIAL SERVICE; DISMISSING CERTAIN CLAIMS AND 9 v. DEFENDANTS WITH LEAVE TO AMEND 10 M. LEE, et al.,

11 Defendants.

12 13 Plaintiff, an inmate currently at San Quentin State Prison (“SQSP”), has filed a pro se 14 action pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. In this order, the Court screens Plaintiff’s complaint (Dkt. 15 No. 1) pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915A. Plaintiff has paid the filing fee. Dkt. No. 5. 16 DISCUSSION 17 A. Standard of Review 18 A federal court must conduct a preliminary screening in any case in which a prisoner seeks 19 redress from a governmental entity or officer or employee of a governmental entity. See 28 U.S.C. 20 § 1915A(a). In its review, the court must identify any cognizable claims and dismiss any claims 21 that are frivolous, malicious, fail to state a claim upon which relief may be granted or seek 22 monetary relief from a defendant who is immune from such relief. See 28 U.S.C. § 1915A(b)(1), 23 (2). Pro se pleadings must, however, be liberally construed. See United States v. Qazi, 975 F.3d 24 989, 993 (9th Cir. 2020). 25 Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 8(a)(2) requires only “a short and plain statement of the 26 claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2). “Specific facts are not 27 necessary; the statement need only “‘give the defendant fair notice of what the . . . claim is and the 1 While Rule 8 does not require detailed factual allegations, it demands more than an unadorned, 2 the-defendant-unlawfully-harmed-me accusation. Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 677–78 (2009). 3 A pleading that offers only labels and conclusions, or a formulaic recitation of the elements of a 4 cause of action, or naked assertions devoid of further factual enhancement does not suffice. Id. 5 To state a claim under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, a plaintiff must allege two essential elements: (1) that a 6 right secured by the Constitution or laws of the United States was violated, and (2) that the alleged 7 violation was committed by a person acting under the color of state law. See West v. Atkins, 487 8 U.S. 42, 48 (1988). 9 B. Complaint 10 The complaint suffers from numerous deficiencies. 11 First, the complaint fails to comply with Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2)’s requirement of providing 12 a “short and plain statement of the claim.” Instead, in over twenty single-spaced typed pages, the 13 complaint recounts in excessive detail numerous negative interactions that Plaintiff has had with 14 SQSP and Pelican Bay State Prison (“PBSP”) correctional officials between April 2020 to April 15 2023. 16 Second, the complaint violates Fed. R. Civ. Proc. 20(a)(2)’s joinder requirements. Rule 17 20(a)(2) provides that all persons “may be joined in one action as defendants if: (A) any right to 18 relief is asserted against them jointly, severally, or in the alternative with respect to or arising out 19 of the same transaction, occurrence, or series of transactions or occurrences; and (B) any question 20 of law or fact common to all defendants will arise in the action.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 20(a)(2). The 21 upshot of these rules is that “multiple claims against a single party are fine, but Claim A against 22 Defendant 1 should not be joined with unrelated Claim B against Defendant 2.” George v. Smith, 23 507 F.3d 605, 607 (7th Cir. 2007). Plaintiff brings First Amendment retaliation and Bane Act 24 claims regarding events at Pelican Bay State Prison, where he was previously housed, and San 25 Quentin State Prison, where he is currently housed; and an Eighth Amendment deliberate 26 indifference to serious medical needs claim regarding events at San Quentin State Prison. The 27 only connection between the events at SQSP and at PBSP is that defendant SQSP officer 1 filed 19 complaints against Lee, and that Ronnenberg wouldn’t be having “that 602 filing shit” at 2 SQSP. Dkt. No. 1 at 25 (Compl. ¶ 248). The events at SQSP do not involve a question of law or 3 fact common to the PBSP defendants. Whether defendant Ronnenberg engaged in retaliatory 4 behavior is a legal and factual question independent of whether defendant Lee engaged in 5 retaliatory behavior. And the retaliation claims are wholly unrelated to the Eighth Amendment 6 deliberate indifference to serious medical needs claim. Accordingly, the Court DISMISSES the 7 claims against San Quentin State Prison officers Ronnenberg, Real, Micheal, Malikian, Morales, 8 Alvarado, and Dotts, and DISMISSES these individuals from this action. This dismissal is 9 without prejudice to Plaintiff filing a separate civil rights action raising his claims against these 10 correctional officers. 11 Third, the complaint has not brought legal claims against SQSP hearing officer 12 Willingham or SQSP warden Broomfield. Other than identifying these individuals as defendants, 13 Dkt. No. 1 at 6 (Compl., ¶¶ 24, 26), the complaint does make any other reference to officer 14 Willingham or warden Broomfield. These individuals are not referenced in the factual allegations 15 and are not identified in the legal claims of actions. The Court therefore DISMISSES SQSP 16 hearing officer Willingham or SQSP warden Broomfield from this action. 17 Fourth, the complaint has not stated cognizable claims against PBSP chief deputy warden 18 Bell, PBSP warden Robertson, former SQSP deputy warden Oak Smith, former CDCR Secretary 19 Allison, current CDCR Secretary Maccomber, and Chief of Inmate Appeals Moseley. The 20 complaint alleges that these individuals’ primary involvement in the alleged events was either 21 (1) their receipt or review of Plaintiff’s grievances or complaints regarding the way the phone 22 signup sheet was being administered and related retaliatory action, or (2) their position as a 23 supervisor responsible for promulgating and carrying out prison regulations. See, e.g., Dkt. No. 1 24 at 7, 10, 12-13, 15-17 (Compl. ¶¶ 40, 76, 93, 121, 126-28, 136). Section 1983 liability may be 25 imposed on a defendant only if the plaintiff can show that the defendant proximately caused the 26 deprivation of a federally protected right. See Leer v. Murphy, 844 F.2d 628, 634 (9th Cir. 1988). 27 There is no Section 1983 liability simply because an individual supervised the alleged wrongdoer. 1 supervisory liability, under Section 1983, i.e., no liability under theory that one is liable simply 2 because he supervises person who has violated plaintiff’s right). Conclusory allegations that a 3 supervisor promulgated unconstitutional policies and procedures which authorized their 4 subordinates’ unconstitutional conduct are speculative and do not suffice to state a claim of 5 supervisory liability. Keates v.

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Lopez v. Lee, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lopez-v-lee-cand-2024.