Oscar Flores Carrillo v. Utah Dep't of Health and Human Servs. et al.

CourtDistrict Court, D. Utah
DecidedJune 30, 2026
Docket2:25-cv-00768
StatusUnknown

This text of Oscar Flores Carrillo v. Utah Dep't of Health and Human Servs. et al. (Oscar Flores Carrillo v. Utah Dep't of Health and Human Servs. et al.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Utah primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Oscar Flores Carrillo v. Utah Dep't of Health and Human Servs. et al., (D. Utah 2026).

Opinion

THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT DISTRICT OF UTAH

OSCAR FLORES CARRILLO,

Plaintiff, MEMORANDUM DECISION AND ORDER TO CURE DEFICIENT COMPLAINT v.

Case No. 2:25-CV-768-DAK UTAH DEP'T OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVS. et al., District Judge Dale A. Kimball

Defendants.

Pro se plaintiff, Oscar Flores Carrillo, while held at Utah State Correctional Facility, brought this civil-rights action, see 42 U.S.C.S. § 1983 (2026).1 Having now screened the Complaint, Dkt. No. 1, under its statutory review function, 28 U.S.C.S. § 1915A (2026),2 the

1The federal statute creating a "civil action for deprivation of rights" reads, in pertinent part: Every person who, under color of any statute, ordinance, regulation, custom, or usage, of any State or Territory . . ., subjects, or causes to be subjected, any citizen of the United States or other person within the jurisdiction thereof to the 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 proceeding for redress, except that in any action brought against a judicial officer for an act or omission taken in such officer's judicial capacity, injunctive relief shall not be granted unless a declaratory decree was violated or declaratory relief was unavailable. 42 U.S.C.S. § 1983 (2026).

2The screening statute reads: (a) Screening.--The court shall review . . . a complaint in a civil action in which a prisoner seeks redress from a governmental entity or officer or employee of a governmental entity. (b) Grounds for dismissal.--On review, the court shall identify cognizable claims or dismiss the complaint, or any portion of the complaint, if the complaint-- (1) is frivolous, malicious, or fails to state a claim upon which relief may be granted; or (2) seeks monetary relief from a defendant who is immune from such relief. 28 U.S.C.S. § 1915A (2026). Court orders Plaintiff to file an amended complaint curing deficiencies if he would like to further pursue claims. A. COMPLAINT'S DEFICIENCIES The Complaint: 1. possibly improperly alleges civil-rights violations on a respondeat superior theory. (See below.)

2. generally does not properly affirmatively link an individual named defendant to each element of each alleged civil-rights violation. (See below.)

3. is not clear as to whether Plaintiff understands the difference between suing defendants in their individual or official capacities. (See below.)

4. must be amended with an understanding of how sovereign immunity applies to states, state entities, and state employees. (See below.)

5. improperly names Utah Department of Health and Human Services and Correctional Health Services as § 1983 defendants, when they are not independent legal entities that can sue or be sued. See Hinton v. Dennis, 362 Fed. App'x 904, 907 (10th Cir. 2010) (unpublished) ("Generally, governmental sub-units are not separate suable entities that may be sued under § 1983.").

6. does not appear to provide adequate details (e.g., physical descriptions, dates and times of interactions, etc.) about unknown defendants, to help the Court try to seek waiver of service from them.

7. does not concisely link each element of the claim of improper medical treatment to each individually named defendant. (See below.)

8. does not specify a basis for a discrimination claim regarding alleged denial of surgery.

9. does not appear to recognize Defendants' alleged failures to follow promises, jail policy, state statutes and codes, ethics rules, or standards set by commissions, do not necessarily equal federal constitutional violations. See, e.g., Williams v. Miller, 696 F. App'x 862, 870 (10th Cir. 2017) ("Merely showing that [defendants] may have violated prison policy is not enough [to show a constitutional violation]." (citations omitted)); Porro v. Barnes, 624 F.3d 1322, 1329 (10th Cir. 2010) (stating plaintiff never sought "to explain how or why the violation of the . . . [prison] policy . . . necessarily demonstrates" his constitutional rights were breached and "[i]t is his burden to establish that the Constitution, not just a policy, is implicated" (emphasis in original)); Hostetler v. Green, 323 F. App'x 653, 657-58 (10th Cir. 2009) (unpublished) (noting defendant's mere violation of prison regulation does not equate to constitutional violation); Hovater v. Robinson, 1 F.3d 1063, 1068 n.4 (10th Cir. 1993) ("[A] failure to adhere to administrative regulations does not equate to a constitutional violation.").

10. does not adequately link each element of a due-process claim to specific named defendant(s). See Cleveland Bd. of Educ. v. Loudermill, 470 U.S. 532, 542 (1985) ("An essential principle of due process is that a deprivation of life, liberty, or property be preceded by notice and opportunity for hearing appropriate to the nature of the case." (cleaned up)).

11. does not adequately link each element of a state medical malpractice claim to specific named defendant(s). See Meeks v. Wei Peng, 2024 UT 5, ¶ 34 ("To establish a claim of medical malpractice, a plaintiff has the burden to prove four elements: '(1) the standard of care by which the physician's conduct is to be measured, (2) breach of that standard by the physician, (3) injury that was proximately caused by the physician's negligence, and (4) damages.'" (quoting Jensen v. IHC Hosps., Inc., 2003 UT 51, ¶ 96, 82 P.3d 1076 (cleaned up))).

12. possibly needs clarification as to what pendent jurisdiction means to a plaintiff bringing state-law claims in a federal action. (See below.)

13. has claims apparently based on current confinement; however, the complaint appears not to have been submitted using legal help Plaintiff is constitutionally entitled to by his institution--e.g., contract attorneys. See Lewis v. Casey, 518 U.S. 343, 356 (1996) (requiring prisoners be given "'adequate law libraries or adequate assistance from persons trained in the law' . . . to ensure that inmates . . . have a reasonably adequate opportunity to file nonfrivolous legal claims challenging their convictions or conditions of confinement") (quoting Bounds v. Smith, 430 U.S. 817, 828 (1977) (emphasis added)).

B. GUIDANCE FOR PLAINTIFF Rule 8 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure requires a complaint to contain "(1) a short and plain statement of the grounds for the court's jurisdiction . . .; (2) a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief; and (3) a demand for the relief sought." Rule 8's requirements mean to guarantee "that defendants enjoy fair notice of what the claims against them are and the grounds upon which they rest." TV Commc'ns Network, Inc. v ESPN, Inc., 767 F. Supp. 1062, 1069 (D. Colo. 1991). Pro se litigants are not excused from meeting these minimal pleading demands. "This is so because a pro se plaintiff requires no special legal training to recount the facts surrounding his alleged injury, and he must provide such facts if the court is to determine whether he makes out a claim on which relief can be granted." Hall v. Bellmon, 935 F.2d 1106, 1110 (10th Cir. 1991). Moreover, it is improper for the Court "to assume the role of advocate for a pro se litigant." Id.

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

Related

Bounds v. Smith
430 U.S. 817 (Supreme Court, 1977)
Cleveland Board of Education v. Loudermill
470 U.S. 532 (Supreme Court, 1985)
Carnegie-Mellon University v. Cohill
484 U.S. 343 (Supreme Court, 1988)
Hafer v. Melo
502 U.S. 21 (Supreme Court, 1991)
Lewis v. Casey
518 U.S. 343 (Supreme Court, 1996)
Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly
550 U.S. 544 (Supreme Court, 2007)
Jones v. Bock
549 U.S. 199 (Supreme Court, 2007)
Ashcroft v. Iqbal
556 U.S. 662 (Supreme Court, 2009)
Murray v. Archambo
132 F.3d 609 (Tenth Circuit, 1998)
Barney v. Pulsipher
143 F.3d 1299 (Tenth Circuit, 1998)
Sealock v. State Of Colorado
218 F.3d 1205 (Tenth Circuit, 2000)
Oxendine v. Kaplan
241 F.3d 1272 (Tenth Circuit, 2001)
Garrett v. Stratman
254 F.3d 946 (Tenth Circuit, 2001)
Davis v. Mineta
302 F.3d 1104 (Tenth Circuit, 2002)
Buck v. Utah Labor Commission
73 F. App'x 345 (Tenth Circuit, 2003)
Mata v. Saiz
427 F.3d 745 (Tenth Circuit, 2005)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
Oscar Flores Carrillo v. Utah Dep't of Health and Human Servs. et al., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/oscar-flores-carrillo-v-utah-dept-of-health-and-human-servs-et-al-utd-2026.