Mackey v. Bloomfield

CourtDistrict Court, N.D. California
DecidedSeptember 25, 2023
Docket3:22-cv-05105
StatusUnknown

This text of Mackey v. Bloomfield (Mackey v. Bloomfield) 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
Mackey v. Bloomfield, (N.D. Cal. 2023).

Opinion

1 2 3 4 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 5 NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 6 7 VINCENT ROBERT MACKEY, Case No. 22-cv-05105-JSC

8 Plaintiff, ORDER GRANTING TEIXEIRA’S MOTION TO DISMISS; DENYING 9 v. DELLA BAKER’S MOTION TO DISMISS; DENYING MOTIONS TO 10 SEVER AND FOR DEFAULT JUDGMENT; SETTING BRIEFING 11 COUNSELOR DELLA BAKER; SCHEDULE FOR SUMMARY LIEUTENANT TEIXEIRA, JUDGMENT MOTION 12 Re: Dkt. Nos. 24, 25, 33, 34, 39 Defendants. 13

14 INTRODUCTION 15 Plaintiff, a California prisoner proceeding without attorney representation, filed this civil 16 rights case under 42 U.S.C. ' 1983 against officials at San Quentin State Prison (“SQSP”). 17 Following review of the first amended complaint (ECF No. 12) under 28 U.S.C. § 1915A, three 18 claims were dismissed and two remain: one against Defendant Correctional Counselor Della 19 Baker1 and one against Defendant Lieutenant Teixeira. (ECF Nos. 19, 26.) Defendants Teixeira 20 and Della Baker have filed separate motions to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules 21 of Civil Procedure for failure to state a claim upon which relief may be granted. (ECF Nos. 24, 22 33.) Teixeira has also filed a motion to sever the claim against him from the claim against Della 23 Baker, and Della Baker has joined in this motion. (ECF Nos. 25, 34.) Although given the 24 opportunity to oppose these motions, Plaintiff has not done so. Plaintiff has filed a motion for 25 default judgment, Defendants have filed an opposition, and Plaintiff has filed a “response.” (ECF 26 27 1 Nos. 39, 40, 42.) 2 For the reasons discussed below, Teixeira’s motion to dismiss is GRANTED, and 3 Plaintiff’s claim against him is DISMISSED. Della Baker’s motion to dismiss is DENIED. 4 Defendants’ motion to sever is DENED as moot. Plaintiff’s motion for default judgment is 5 DENIED. 6 BACKGROUND 7 In the amended complaint, Plaintiff alleges he has discovered “various” documents 8 “systematically and strategically placed” in his central file (“C-File”) “over the years” that falsely 9 portray him as “extremely violent,” which has created “greater opportunity to keep me from 10 release from prison under Prop 57 (non-violent early parole opportunity).” (ECF No. 12 at 2.) He 11 alleges he was “denied at Board” based upon “intentionally misleading, false, deceptive 12 info[rmation].” (Id. at 3.) 13 Plaintiff alleges in 2015 Defendant Della Baker placed a document in his central file (“C- 14 File”) indicating, falsely, he committed first-degree robbery and kidnapping for ransom in 1985. 15 (Id. at 2-3.) Plaintiff requested removal of the document from his C-File, but it remains. (Id. at 3.) 16 Plaintiff also alleges Defendant Teixeira was the “Senior Hearing Officer” who “engaged 17 in biased, manipulative[,] unfair hearing on both RVRs. He accused me ‘before’ the hearing as 18 ‘oakay doking’ and ‘manipulating’ his officer. Denied my witness. (9/29/22).” (Id. at 3.) The 19 Court construes these allegations, and the allegations about documentation in his C-File falsely 20 portraying him as violent, to mean that Teixeira presided over a disciplinary hearing on September 21 29, 2022, on two Rules Violations Reports (“RVR”s) at which Plaintiff was denied witnesses and 22 wrongly found guilty of violating prison rules. (Id. at 3.)2 23 After reviewing the amended complaint under 28 U.S.C. § 1915A, the Court concluded 24 these allegations, when liberally construed, stated claims for the violation of Plaintiff’s right to 25 due process that are capable of judicial review and determination. 26 // 27 1 DISCUSSION 2 I. Motion to Dismiss 3 A. Standard of Review 4 Failure to state a claim is grounds for dismissal under Rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of 5 Civil Procedure. Dismissal for failure to state a claim is a ruling on a question of law. Parks 6 School of Business, Inc., v. Symington, 51 F.3d 1480, 1483 (9th Cir. 1995). “The issue is not 7 whether plaintiff will ultimately prevail, but whether he is entitled to offer evidence to support his 8 claim.” Usher v. City of Los Angeles, 828 F.2d 556, 561 (9th Cir. 1987). 9 Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 8(a)(2) requires only “a short and plain statement of the 10 claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief.” “Specific facts are not necessary; the 11 statement need only give the defendant fair notice of what the . . . . claim is and the grounds upon 12 which it rests.” Erickson v. Pardus, 551 U.S. 89, 93 (2007) (citations and internal quotations 13 omitted). Although to state a claim a complaint “does not need detailed factual allegations, . . . a 14 plaintiff’s obligation to provide the grounds of his entitle[ment] to relief requires more than labels 15 and conclusions, and a formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause of action will not do. . . . 16 Factual allegations must be enough to raise a right to relief above the speculative level.” Bell 17 Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 550 (2007) (citations omitted). A motion to dismiss 18 should be granted if the complaint does not proffer “enough facts to state a claim for relief that is 19 plausible on its face.” Id. at 570. 20 Allegations of fact in the complaint must be taken as true and construed in the light most 21 favorable to the non-moving party. Sprewell v. Golden State Warriors, 266 F.3d 979, 988 (9th 22 Cir. 2001). The court need not, however, “accept as true allegations that are merely conclusory, 23 unwarranted deductions of fact, or unreasonable inferences.” Id. 24 A pleading filed by a party unrepresented by counsel must be liberally construed, and 25 “however inartfully pleaded, must be held to less stringent standards than formal pleadings drafted 26 by lawyers.” Estelle v. Gamble, 429 U.S. 97, 106 (1976) (internal quotations and citations 27 omitted). 1 For purposes of its Section 1915 review, the Court concluded Plaintiff’s allegation that 2 Teixeira refused to allow witnesses states a due process claim capable of judicial determination 3 and review when liberally construed. (ECF No. 19.)3 Teixeira argues Plaintiff has not plausibly 4 alleged a due process claim because he has not alleged a liberty interest protected by due process 5 and, even if he did, he has not alleged facts supporting a plausible inference Teixeira violated his 6 due process rights at the hearing. (ECF No. 24.) 7 “The Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process Clause protects persons against deprivations 8 of life, liberty, or property; and those who seek to invoke its procedural protection must establish 9 that one of these interests is at stake.” Wilkinson v. Austin, 545 U.S. 209, 221 (2005). A liberty 10 interest “may arise from the Constitution itself ... or it may arise from an expectation or interest 11 created by state laws or policies.” Id.

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Bluebook (online)
Mackey v. Bloomfield, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mackey-v-bloomfield-cand-2023.