McGinnis v. Taylor

District Court, D. Hawaii·Decided March 11, 2020·No. 1:19-cv-00625·Unknown

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF HAWAII

THOMAS KELLY MCGINNIS, ) Civ. No. 19-00625 DKW-WRP #A4013561, ) ) ORDER DISMISSING FIRST Plaintiff, ) AMENDED COMPLAINT IN PART ) AND DIRECTING EARLY vs. ) DISCOVERY ) JENNIFER LOPEZ, et al., ) ) Defendants. ) _______________________________ ) Before the court is pro se Plaintiff Thomas Kelly McGinnis’ first amended prisoner civil rights complaint (“FAC”) brought pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. ECF No. 7.1 McGinnis claims that Defendants, an unidentified Maui Community Correctional Center (“MCCC”) Adult Correctional Officer (“ACO”), and Nurse Jennifer Lopez violated his constitutional rights when the ACO allegedly failed to protect him from assault by two MCCC inmates and Nurse Lopez denied him adequate medical care thereafter.2 McGinnis is no longer incarcerated at MCCC.

1The Court refers to the Federal Judiciary’s Case Management/Electronic Case Files (“CM/ECF”) numbering and pagination system for filed documents. 2McGinnis names the Hawaii Department of Public Safety (“DPS”) and MCCC in the FAC’s caption only. He explicitly names Nurse Lopez and the unidentified ACO in their individual capacities within the FAC. He mentions other unidentified ACOs who were on duty in March 2019, but he fails to name them in the caption or within the FAC. Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 1915(e)(2) and 1915A(a), (1) Count II is DISMISSED with prejudice because amendment is futile regarding McGinnis’

claim against Nurse Jennifer Lopez for the denial of medical care; (2) Count III is DISMISSED without prejudice to McGinnis filing an amended pleading that cures the deficiencies identified below; and (3) Count I, as alleged against the

unidentified Module C ACO on duty on January 28, 2019, states a claim and may be served after McGinnis identifies this Defendant. I. STATUTORY SCREENING

Courts must conduct a pre-Answer screening of prisoner pleadings pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 1915(e)(2) (if they are proceeding in forma pauperis) and 1915A(a) (if they allege claims against government officials). Claims or complaints that are frivolous, malicious, fail to state a claim for relief, or seek

damages from defendants who are immune from suit must be dismissed. See Lopez v. Smith, 203 F.3d 1122, 1126-27 (9th Cir. 2000) (en banc); Rhodes v. Robinson, 621 F.3d 1002, 1004 (9th Cir. 2010).

Screening under §§ 1915(e)(2) and 1915A(a) involves the same standard of review as that used under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). See Rosati v. Igbinoso, 791 F.3d 1037, 1039 (9th Cir. 2015) (citation omitted). Under Rule

12(b)(6), a complaint must “contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to 2 state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009) (internal quotation marks omitted). A claim is “plausible” when the

facts alleged in the complaint support a reasonable inference that the plaintiff is entitled to relief from a specific defendant for specific misconduct. Id. (citation omitted). “Threadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported by

mere conclusory statements, do not suffice.” Id. The “mere possibility of misconduct” or an “unadorned, the defendant-unlawfully-harmed me accusation” falls short of meeting this plausibility standard. Id. at 678-79; see also Moss v.

U.S. Secret Serv., 572 F.3d 962, 969 (9th Cir. 2009). Pro se litigants’ pleadings must be liberally construed, and all doubts should be resolved in their favor. Hebbe v. Pliler, 627 F.3d 338, 342 (9th Cir. 2010) (citations omitted). The court must grant leave to amend if it appears the plaintiff

can correct the defects in the complaint, Lopez, 203 F.3d at 1130, but if a claim or complaint cannot be saved by amendment, dismissal with prejudice is appropriate. Sylvia Landfield Tr. v. City of L.A., 729 F.3d 1189, 1196 (9th Cir. 2013).

\\\ \\\ \\\

\\\ 3 II. BACKGROUND3 On January 28, 2019, McGinnis was an unsentenced inmate assigned to

MCCC Module C, Cell C-1. FAC, ECF No. 7 at 48 (Count I). Because McGinnis and his cell mates were on scheduled morning recreation, their cell door was unlocked. Module C is reserved for protective and close custody inmates, although

it is also apparently used for other inmates to relieve overcrowding. See id. at 52. Two close custody inmates in Cell C-6 asked the unidentified ACO on duty in the Module C control box to open their cell door so that they could retrieve a

hair brush outside of their cell. The ACO did so, which allowed these inmates to go to McGinnis’ unlocked cell and assault him. Id. at 48, 52. McGinnis lost consciousness during the attack, but he believes that it continued for twenty minutes before assistance arrived in his cell. Id.

When McGinnis regained consciousness, MCCC medical staff told him he was being taken to the Maui Memorial Medical Center, where he was x-rayed, diagnosed, and treated for a “cracked” right elbow, bruised ribs, and lacerations on

his head. Id. at 49, 52 (Count II). McGinnis was given a sling for his arm, an injection for pain relief, and sent back to MCCC.

3The FAC’s statement of facts is accepted as true for screening purposes and construed in the light most favorable to McGinnis. Nordstrom v. Ryan, 762 F.3d 903, 908 (9th Cir. 2014). 4 Upon his return, McGinnis asked Nurse Lopez for ice and bandages for his head. Id. at 49. Lopez allegedly denied this request, which McGinnis says caused

him “psychological [trauma].” Id. In Count III, McGinnis alleges that unidentified Module B ACOs failed to protect him in March 2019, after he was transferred to Module B and “a riot . . .

broke out after healing from assault.” Id. at 50 (Count III). McGinnis provides no other details regarding this claim. McGinnis names Defendants Lopez and ACO’s in their individual capacities

only, alleging they violated his rights under the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments. He seeks monetary damages, medical care, and psychological counseling. Id. at 51. III. DISCUSSION

To state a claim under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, a plaintiff must allege: (1) that a right secured by the Constitution or laws of the United States was violated, and (2) that the alleged violation was committed by a person acting under the color of state

law. See West v. Atkins, 487 U.S. 42, 48 (1988). Section 1983 requires a connection or link between a defendant’s actions and the plaintiff’s alleged deprivation. See Monell v. Dep’t of Soc. Servs., 436 U.S.

658, 692 (1978); Rizzo v. Goode, 423 U.S. 362, 371-72, 377 (1976); May v.

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