(PC) Burchett v. California Dept of Corr and Rehabilitations

District Court, E.D. California·Decided March 17, 2021·No. 1:19-cv-00055·Unknown

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

PETER BURCHETT, Case No. 1:19-cv-00055-NONE-EPG (PC) Plaintiff, FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS RECOMMENDING THAT THE EIGHT DOE v. DEFENDANTS BE DISMISSED FOR FAILURE TO SERVE, THAT DEFENDANT RAMIREZ’S JANE DOE, et al., MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT BE GRANTED IN PART AND DENIED IN PART, Defendants. THAT PLAINTIFF’S CLAIM AGAINST DEFENDANT RAMIREZ BE DISMISSED WITHOUT PREJUDICE BECAUSE PLAINTIFF ADMINISTRATIVE REMEDIES, AND THAT

(ECF Nos. 103 & 109) OBJECTIONS, IF ANY, DUE WITHIN TWENTY-ONE DAYS

ORDER DENYING PLAINTIFF’S MOTION FOR EXTENSION OF TIME

(ECF No. 115)

I. INTRODUCTION Peter Burchett (“Plaintiff”) is a state prisoner proceeding pro se and in forma pauperis in this civil rights action filed pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. This case proceeds “on Plaintiff’s excessive force claims against the eight Doe Defendants that allegedly attacked him on January 31, 2018, and defendant Ramirez.” (ECF No. 57, p. 2).1

On January 26, 2021, defendant Ramirez filed a motion for summary judgment. (ECF No. 109). Plaintiff filed his opposition on March 2, 2021. (ECF No. 114). Defendant Ramirez filed his reply on March 9, 2021. (ECF No. 117). Additionally, Plaintiff’s deadline to file a motion to substitute named defendants in place of the Doe Defendants who allegedly attacked him on January 31, 2018, has passed, and Plaintiff failed to file the motion. For the reasons that follow, the Court will recommend that the eight Doe Defendants be dismissed without prejudice for failure to serve, that defendant Ramirez’s motion for summary judgment be granted in part and denied in part, that Plaintiff’s claim against defendant Ramirez be dismissed without prejudice because Plaintiff failed to exhaust available administrative remedies, and that this case be closed. a. Background and Motion for Extension On October 27, 2020, the Court gave Plaintiff sixty days “to file a motion to substitute named defendants in place of the Doe Defendants who allegedly attacked him on January 31, 2018.” (ECF No. 103, p. 2). In the order the Court noted that “[o]n the record at the Conference, defense counsel indicated that the names might be listed on Exhibit T of Defendant’s initial disclosures, which is a Crime/Incident Report.” (Id. at n.1). On December 28, 2020, Plaintiff filed a motion for an extension of time to file the motion to substitute. (ECF No. 106). On January 6, 2021, the Court granted Plaintiff’s motion and gave Plaintiff forty- five days from the date of service of the order to file the motion to substitute. (ECF No. 107). The Court also told Plaintiff that if he needed “an additional extension of time, in his motion he should attach his request for law library access and/or paging services, as well as the institution’s response to his request.” (Id. at p. 2). On February 17, 2021, Plaintiff filed additional motions for an extension of the motion to substitute deadline. (ECF Nos. 111 & 112). The Court denied Plaintiff’s requests for additional time to file the motion to substitute because Plaintiff did not attach the documents required by the Court’s order, because Plaintiff failed to explain why he needed access to the law library in order to identify the defendants, and because Plaintiff failed to explain the steps he had taken to identify the Doe Defendants. (ECF No. 113). Plaintiff’s deadline to file a motion to substitute has now passed and Plaintiff has not filed a motion to substitute. On March 3, 2021, Plaintiff did file what appears to be another motion for an extension of the motion to substitute deadline, as well as a statement in support. (ECF Nos. 115 & 116). In the motion, Plaintiff alleges, among other things, that his institution of confinement holds gladiator matches, that some institutions are flying confederate flags, and that he is being retaliated against.2 Plaintiff’s allegations are largely unrelated to this case. The Court notes that if Plaintiff believes his constitutional or other rights are being violated based on the allegations in the motion, he may file separate action(s).3 Plaintiff does appear to allege that he is not able to provide copies of his requests for law library access and/or paging services or the institution’s responses. However, even if this is true, Plaintiff once again fails to explain why he needed access to the law library in order to identify the Doe Defendants. Plaintiff also once again fails to explain the steps he has taken in the last four months to identify the Doe Defendants. As noted above, it appears that Plaintiff may already have a document in his possession that identifies the Doe Defendants. Accordingly, Plaintiff’s motion for extension of time (ECF No. 115) will be denied. b. Legal Standards Pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 4(m), If a defendant is not served within 90 days after the complaint is filed, the court—on motion or on its own after notice to the plaintiff—must dismiss the action without prejudice against that defendant or order that service be made within a specified time. But if the plaintiff shows good cause for the failure, the court must extend the time for service for an appropriate period. 2 One of the alleged incidents of retaliation involved Plaintiff being forced to participate in the scheduling conference in an area where others could see and hear Plaintiff. (ECF No. 15, pgs. 15-16). However, the telephonic scheduling conference held on October 27, 2020, was a public proceeding, not a confidential proceeding. 3 Plaintiff also appears to ask the Court to order that certain evidence be preserved. However, there are Fed. R. Civ. P. 4(m). In cases involving a plaintiff proceeding in forma pauperis, the Marshal, upon order of the Court, shall serve the summons and the complaint. Fed. R. Civ. P. 4(c)(3). “‘[A]n incarcerated pro se plaintiff proceeding in forma pauperis is entitled to rely on the U.S. Marshal for service of the summons and complaint and … should not be penalized by having his action dismissed for failure to effect service where the U.S. Marshal or the court clerk has failed to perform his duties….’” Walker v. Sumner, 14 F.3d 1415, 1422 (9th Cir. 1994) (quoting Puett v. Blandford, 912 F.2d 270, 275 (9th Cir. 1990) (alterations in original)), overruled on other grounds by Sandin v. Connor, 515 U.S. 472 (1995). “So long as the prisoner has furnished the information necessary to identify the defendant, the marshal’s failure to effect service is ‘automatically good cause….’” Walker, 14 F.3d at 1422 (quoting Sellers v. United States, 902 F.2d 598, 603 (7th Cir.1990)). However, where a plaintiff proceeding in forma pauperis fails to provide the Marshal with accurate and sufficient information to effect service of the summons and complaint, dismissal of the unserved defendants is appropriate. Walker, 14 F.3d at 1421-22. c. Analysis On January 6, 2020, the Court allowed this case to proceed against eight Doe Defendants. As discussed above, on October 27, 2020, the Court gave Plaintiff sixty days “to file a motion to substitute named defendants in place of the Doe Defendants who allegedly attacked him on January 31, 2018.” (ECF No. 103, p. 2). On that same day the Court opened discovery. (ECF No. 102, p. 2). Plaintiff was given an extension of this deadline (ECF No.

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