Moore v. Howell

District Court, D. Nevada·Decided December 2, 2020·No. 2:19-cv-02108·Unknown

Opinion

3 EVAN EUGENE MOORE, Case No. 2:19-cv-02108-GMN-BNW

4 Plaintiff, SCREENING ORDER v. 5 JERRY HOWELL, et al., 6 Defendants. 7 8 9 Plaintiff, who is incarcerated in the custody of the Nevada Department of 10 Corrections (“NDOC”), has submitted a civil rights complaint pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 11 1983, and has filed an application to proceed in forma pauperis and a motion for 12 appointment of counsel. (ECF Nos. 1, 1-1, 1-3.) The matter of the filing fee will be 13 temporarily deferred. The Court now screens Plaintiff’s civil rights complaint under 28 14 U.S.C. § 1915A and addresses Plaintiff’s motion. 16 Federal courts must conduct a preliminary screening in any case in which an 17 incarcerated person seeks redress from a governmental entity or officer or employee of 18 a governmental entity. See 28 U.S.C. § 1915A(a). In its review, the Court must identify 19 any cognizable claims and dismiss any claims that are frivolous, malicious, fail to state a 20 claim upon which relief may be granted, or seek monetary relief from a defendant who is 21 immune from such relief. See id. §§ 1915A(b)(1), (2). Pro se pleadings, however, must 22 be liberally construed. See Balistreri v. Pacifica Police Dep’t, 901 F.2d 696, 699 (9th Cir. 23 1990). To state a claim under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, a plaintiff must allege two essential 24 elements: (1) the violation of a right secured by the Constitution or laws of the United 25 States, and (2) that the alleged violation was committed by a person acting under color 26 of state law. See West v. Atkins, 487 U.S. 42, 48 (1988). 27 In addition to the screening requirements under § 1915A, pursuant to the Prison Litigation Reform Act (“PLRA”), a federal court must dismiss an incarcerated person’s 1 claim if “the allegation of poverty is untrue” or if the action “is frivolous or malicious, fails 2 to state a claim on which relief may be granted, or seeks monetary relief against a 3 defendant who is immune from such relief.” 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2). Dismissal of a 4 complaint for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted is provided for in 5 Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6), and the court applies the same standard under 6 § 1915 when reviewing the adequacy of a complaint or an amended complaint. When a 7 court dismisses a complaint under § 1915(e), the plaintiff should be given leave to amend 8 the complaint with directions as to curing its deficiencies, unless it is clear from the face 9 of the complaint that the deficiencies could not be cured by amendment. See Cato v. 10 United States, 70 F.3d 1103, 1106 (9th Cir. 1995). 11 Review under Rule 12(b)(6) is essentially a ruling on a question of law. See 12 Chappel v. Lab. Corp. of Am., 232 F.3d 719, 723 (9th Cir. 2000). Dismissal for failure to 13 state a claim is proper only if it is clear that the plaintiff cannot prove any set of facts in 14 support of the claim that would entitle him or her to relief. See Morley v. Walker, 175 F.3d 15 756, 759 (9th Cir. 1999). In making this determination, the court takes as true all 16 allegations of material fact stated in the complaint, and the court construes them in the 17 light most favorable to the plaintiff. See Warshaw v. Xoma Corp., 74 F.3d 955, 957 (9th 18 Cir. 1996). Allegations of a pro se complainant are held to less stringent standards than 19 formal pleadings drafted by lawyers. See Hughes v. Rowe, 449 U.S. 5, 9 (1980). While 20 the standard under Rule 12(b)(6) does not require detailed factual allegations, a plaintiff 21 must provide more than mere labels and conclusions. See Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 22 550 U.S. 544, 555 (2007). A formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause of action is 23 insufficient. See Id. 24 Additionally, a reviewing court should “begin by identifying pleadings [allegations] 25 that, because they are no more than mere conclusions, are not entitled to the assumption 26 of truth.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 679 (2009). “While legal conclusions can provide 27 the framework of a complaint, they must be supported with factual allegations.” Id. “When 1 determine whether they plausibly give rise to an entitlement to relief.” Id. “Determining 2 whether a complaint states a plausible claim for relief . . . [is] a context-specific task that 3 requires the reviewing court to draw on its judicial experience and common sense.” Id. 4 Finally, all or part of a complaint filed by an incarcerated person may be dismissed 5 sua sponte if that person’s claims lack an arguable basis either in law or in fact. This 6 includes claims based on legal conclusions that are untenable (e.g., claims against 7 defendants who are immune from suit or claims of infringement of a legal interest which 8 clearly does not exist), as well as claims based on fanciful factual allegations (e.g., 9 fantastic or delusional scenarios). See Neitzke v. Williams, 490 U.S. 319, 327–28 (1989); 10 see also McKeever v. Block, 932 F.2d 795, 798 (9th Cir. 1991). 12 In the complaint, Plaintiff sues multiple defendants for events that took place while 13 Plaintiff was incarcerated at Southern Desert Correctional Center (“SDCC”). (ECF No. 1- 14 1 at 1.) Plaintiff sues Defendants Jerry Howell, Arias, Kelly, and J. Ybarra. (Id. at 2-3.) 15 Plaintiff alleges one count and seeks monetary relief. (Id. at 4-17.) 16 The complaint alleges the following: On June 29, 2019, Plaintiff went to the 17 culinary for work. (Id. at 6.) Arias conducted a strip search of Plaintiff, requiring him to 18 remove his clothing, lift his penis and testicles, and spread his buttocks to permit a visual 19 inspection. (Id.) Kelly informed the inmates that the strip search was in response to an 20 inmate filing a PREA complaint.1 (Id. at 7.) Kelly stated that the inmates could thank the 21 “guy with the bald head and blue hat” for that strip search and that correctional officers 22 would conduct daily strip searches as a result of the PREA complaint. (Id.) Ybarra, 23 agreed with Kelly, saying “yea, he’s from Oakland California, [and] he did this to you.” 24 (Id.) Howell was notified of Arias’s improper strip search, but he did nothing to discipline 25 or control Arias. (Id.) 26 Plaintiff was traumatized by the strip search because he was raped by his uncle 27 when he was 11 years old. (Id. at 8.) Plaintiff sought psychological and physical 1 treatment for the trauma of the strip search, and in September 2019, Plaintiff saw Dr. 2 Depry. (Id. at 9.) Dr.

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

Moore v. Howell, (D. Nev. 2020).

Moore v. Howell (Moore v. Howell) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

Bell v. Wolfish
441 U.S. 520 (Supreme Court, 1979)
Hughes v. Rowe
449 U.S. 5 (Supreme Court, 1980)
Turner v. Safley
482 U.S. 78 (Supreme Court, 1987)
West v. Atkins
487 U.S. 42 (Supreme Court, 1988)
Neitzke v. Williams
490 U.S. 319 (Supreme Court, 1989)
Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly
550 U.S. 544 (Supreme Court, 2007)
Ashcroft v. Iqbal
556 U.S. 662 (Supreme Court, 2009)
Larry A. Storseth, 623435 v. John D. Spellman
654 F.2d 1349 (Ninth Circuit, 1981)
Edward McKeever Jr. v. Sherman Block
932 F.2d 795 (Ninth Circuit, 1991)
Palmer v. Valdez
560 F.3d 965 (Ninth Circuit, 2009)
Bull v. City and County of San Francisco
595 F.3d 964 (Ninth Circuit, 2010)
Cato v. United States
70 F.3d 1103 (Ninth Circuit, 1995)
Taylor v. List
880 F.2d 1040 (Ninth Circuit, 1989)