Mendoza v. City Of Fresno

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. California
DecidedFebruary 11, 2020
Docket1:19-cv-01500
StatusUnknown

This text of Mendoza v. City Of Fresno (Mendoza v. City Of Fresno) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mendoza v. City Of Fresno, (E.D. Cal. 2020).

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 JENNIFER MENDOZA, Case No. 1:19-cv-01500-DAD-EPG 11 Plaintiff, SCREENING ORDER REQUIRING 12 PLAINTIFF TO: v. 13 (1) FILE A FIRST AMENDED

14 CITY OF FRESNO, et al., COMPLAINT; 15 Defendants. OR 16 (2) NOTIFY THE COURT THAT SHE WISHES TO STAND ON HER 17 COMPLAINT, SUBJECT TO THIS 18 COURT ISSUING FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE 19 DISTRICT JUDGE CONSISTENT WITH THIS ORDER 20 (ECF No. 1) 21 THIRTY (30) DAY DEADLINE 22 23 Plaintiff, Jennifer Mendoza, is proceeding pro se and in forma pauperis in this action 24 brought pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1983. The Complaint, filed October 23, 2019, alleges claims 25 against the City of Fresno, Adam Estrada, Matthew Clifton, Scott Payn, Kenda Navarro, and 26 Sharon Takayama. (ECF No. 1.) The Court has screened the Complaint and has determined that 27 Plaintiff has failed to state any cognizable claim. 28 //// 1 I. SCREENING REQUIREMENT 2 Under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2), in any case in which a plaintiff is proceeding in forma 3 pauperis, the Court must conduct a review of the claims brought by the plaintiff to determine 4 whether it “state[s] a claim on which relief may be granted,” is “frivolous or malicious,” or 5 “seek[s] monetary relief against a defendant who is immune from such relief.” If the Court 6 determines that the complaint fails to state a claim on which relief may be granted, it must be 7 dismissed. Id. Similarly, if the Court determines the complaint is frivolous or malicious, it must 8 be dismissed. Id. An action is deemed to be frivolous if it is “of little weight or importance: 9 having no basis in law or fact” and malicious if it was filed with the “intention or desire to harm 10 another.” Andrews v. King, 398 F.3d 1113, 1121 (9th Cir. 2005). Leave to amend may be granted 11 to the extent that the deficiencies of the complaint can be cured by amendment. Cato v. United 12 States, 70 F.3d 1103, 1106 (9th Cir. 1995). 13 A complaint must contain “a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the 14 pleader is entitled to relief . . . .” Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2). Detailed factual allegations are not 15 required, but “[t]hreadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported by mere 16 conclusory statements, do not suffice.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009) (citing Bell 17 Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555 (2007)). Plaintiff must set forth “sufficient factual 18 matter, accepted as true, to ‘state a claim that is plausible on its face.’” Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 663 19 (quoting Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555). While factual allegations are accepted as true, legal 20 conclusions are not. Id. at 678. 21 In determining whether a complaint states an actionable claim, the Court must accept the 22 allegations in the complaint as true, Hosp. Bldg. Co. v. Trs. of Rex Hospital, 425 U.S. 738, 740 23 (1976), construe pro se pleadings liberally in the light most favorable to the Plaintiff, Resnick v. 24 Hayes, 213 F.3d 443, 447 (9th Cir. 2000), and resolve all doubts in the Plaintiff’s favor. Jenkins 25 v. McKeithen, 395 U.S. 411, 421 (1969). Pleadings of pro se plaintiffs “must be held to less 26 stringent standards than formal pleadings drafted by lawyers.” Hebbe v. Pliler, 627 F.3d 338, 342 27 (9th Cir. 2010) (holding that pro se complaints should continue to be liberally construed after 28 Iqbal). 1 II. PLAINTIFF’S ALLEGATIONS 2 The Complaint alleges the following: On July 8, 2018, an acquaintance of Plaintiff lost 3 items at Plaintiff’s apartment. When the acquaintance could not locate those items, she called the 4 police and said she had been assaulted by a female on drugs and that this female was in Plaintiff’s 5 apartment. The police came to Plaintiff’s apartment with the apartment complex’s manager, who 6 had a key to Plaintiff’s apartment. The manager opened the door and asked police to wait outside 7 while she checked on Plaintiff. The manager made contact with Plaintiff in the living room. The 8 manager and Plaintiff then proceeded to the front door. Officer Estrada was standing outside the 9 front door and was making comments about how Plaintiff’s apartment looked. Officer Estrada 10 asked if they could come in and Plaintiff told him, “no,” because her apartment was a mess. 11 Officer Estrada entered into Plaintiff’s home without her consent as Plaintiff did not give the 12 officer permission to enter her apartment. 13 For relief, Plaintiff is seeking to have “the ruling of a lower court to be reversed”; “for 14 evidence against me be dismissed which is the reason protective service took my children”; and 15 for monetary damages for violation of her right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure. 16 (ECF No. 1 at 5-6.) 17 III. SECTION 1983 18 The Civil Rights Act under which this action was filed provides: Every person who, under color of any statute, ordinance, regulation, custom, or usage, of 19 any State or Territory or the District of Columbia, subjects, or causes to be subjected, any citizen of the United States or other person within the jurisdiction thereof to the 20 deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution and laws, shall be liable to the party injured in an action at law, suit in equity, or other proper 21 proceeding for redress.... 22 42 U.S.C. § 1983. “[Section] 1983 ‘is not itself a source of substantive rights,’ but merely 23 provides ‘a method for vindicating federal rights elsewhere conferred.’” Graham v. Connor, 490 24 U.S. 386, 393-94 (1989) (quoting Baker v. McCollan, 443 U.S. 137, 144 n.3 (1979)); see also 25 Chapman v. Houston Welfare Rights Org., 441 U.S. 600, 618 (1979); Hall v. City of Los Angeles, 26 697 F.3d 1059, 1068 (9th Cir. 2012); Crowley v. Nevada, 678 F.3d 730, 734 (9th Cir. 2012); 27 Anderson v. Warner, 451 F.3d 1063, 1067 (9th Cir. 2006). 28 To state a claim under § 1983, a plaintiff must allege that (1) the defendant acted under 1 color of state law, and (2) the defendant deprived him of rights secured by the Constitution or 2 federal law. Long v. County of Los Angeles, 442 F.3d 1178, 1185 (9th Cir. 2006); see also Marsh 3 v. Cnty. of San Diego, 680 F.3d 1148, 1158 (9th Cir. 2012) (discussing “under color of state 4 law”).

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Doe Ex Dem. Patterson v. Winn
24 U.S. 380 (Supreme Court, 1826)
Jenkins v. McKeithen
395 U.S. 411 (Supreme Court, 1969)
Hospital Building Co. v. Trustees of Rex Hospital
425 U.S. 738 (Supreme Court, 1976)
Monell v. New York City Dept. of Social Servs.
436 U.S. 658 (Supreme Court, 1978)
Chapman v. Houston Welfare Rights Organization
441 U.S. 600 (Supreme Court, 1979)
Baker v. McCollan
443 U.S. 137 (Supreme Court, 1979)
Heck v. Humphrey
512 U.S. 477 (Supreme Court, 1994)
Muhammad v. Close
540 U.S. 749 (Supreme Court, 2004)
Exxon Mobil Corp. v. Saudi Basic Industries Corp.
544 U.S. 280 (Supreme Court, 2005)
Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly
550 U.S. 544 (Supreme Court, 2007)
Ashcroft v. Iqbal
556 U.S. 662 (Supreme Court, 2009)
Hebbe v. Pliler
627 F.3d 338 (Ninth Circuit, 2010)
Andrews v. King
398 F.3d 1113 (Ninth Circuit, 2005)
Marsh v. County of San Diego
680 F.3d 1148 (Ninth Circuit, 2012)
Michael Lacey v. Joseph Arpaio
693 F.3d 896 (Ninth Circuit, 2012)
Harold Hall v. City of Los Angeles
697 F.3d 1059 (Ninth Circuit, 2012)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
Mendoza v. City Of Fresno, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mendoza-v-city-of-fresno-caed-2020.