(PC) Coleman v. California Department of Corrections

District Court, E.D. California·Decided December 22, 2022·No. 2:21-cv-00625·Unknown

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 11 SAAHDI COLEMAN, No. 2:21-cv-00625-TLN-EFB (PC) 12 Plaintiff, 13 v. ORDER 14 CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS, et al., 15 Defendants. 16

17 18 Plaintiff is a state prisoner proceeding without counsel in this action brought under 42 19 U.S.C. § 1983. On May 12, 2022, the court screened plaintiff’s amended complaint under 28 20 U.S.C. § 1915A and found that plaintiff’s complaint contained significant portions that were 21 illegible and scattershot allegations in violation of Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 8. ECF No. 22 25. The court granted plaintiff leave to file a second amended complaint, but plaintiff failed to do 23 so within the time granted by the court. Thus, on June 16, 2022, the court recommended that the 24 district judge dismiss the case. ECF No. 26. However, that same day, plaintiff filed a motion 25 seeking additional time to file the second amended complaint. ECF No. 27. Consequently, the 26 court held the recommendation of dismissal in abeyance to allow plaintiff additional time. ECF 27 No. 28. Plaintiff filed his second amended complaint on August 10, 2022, which is now before 28 the court for screening. 1 I. Screening Requirement 2 Federal courts must engage in a preliminary screening of cases in which prisoners seek 3 redress from a governmental entity or officer or employee of a governmental entity. 28 U.S.C. 4 § 1915A(a). The court must identify cognizable claims or dismiss the complaint, or any portion 5 of the complaint, if the complaint “is frivolous, malicious, or fails to state a claim upon which 6 relief may be granted,” or “seeks monetary relief from a defendant who is immune from such 7 relief.” Id. § 1915A(b). 8 II. Screening Order 9 Plaintiff pursues claims based on the Eighth Amendment and the First Amendment to the 10 U.S. Constitution against fifteen defendants: (1) the California Department of Corrections and 11 Rehabilitation; (2) Jeff Lynch, warden at California State Prison – Sacramento (CSP-Sac) and 12 member of the institutional classification committees concerning plaintiff’s housing; (3) Dr. 13 Morgan, head of the Short-Term Restricted Housing Unit (STRH Unit) at CSP-Sac and member 14 of the institutional classification committees concerning plaintiff’s housing; (4) Thompson, STRH 15 Unit psychologist at CSP-Sac; (5) Collinsworth, correctional sergeant at CSP-Sac and member of 16 the institutional classification committees concerning plaintiff’s housing; (6) S. Manson, 17 correctional sergeant at CSP-Sac; (7) Tyler, registered nurse on the CSP-Sac STRH Unit; (8) J. 18 Stewart, member of the institutional classification committees concerning plaintiff’s housing at 19 CSP-Sac; (9) E. Jones, member of the institutional classification committees concerning 20 plaintiff’s housing at CSP-Sac; (10) B. Frericks, correctional officer on the STRH Unit; (11) B. 21 Nguyen, correctional officer on the STRH Unit; (12) Burkheart, correctional officer on the STRH 22 Unit; (13) J. Kelly, correctional officer on the STRH Unit; (14) J. Frederick, correctional 23 counselor on the STRH Unit; and (15) D. Contreras, correctional counselor on the STRH Unit 24 and member of the institutional classification committees concerning plaintiff’s housing. ECF 25 No. 30 at 1-2. Plaintiff alleges that defendants subjected him to unconstitutionally-lengthy 26 solitary confinement for 10 months in the CSP-Sac STRH Unit and in unconstitutional conditions 27 of confinement, and then retaliated against him for grieving those conditions. According to 28 plaintiff, the defendants participated in an “STRH brotherhood” that conspired to deprive him of 1 his constitutional rights and to cover up for one another. It is not always clear from the second 2 amended complaint which claims plaintiff wishes to pursue against which defendants. However, 3 after careful review, the court finds that plaintiff has stated potentially cognizable claims against 4 fourteen of the fifteen listed defendants, as follows. 5 The Eighth Amendment protects prisoners from inhumane methods of punishment and 6 from inhumane conditions of confinement. Morgan v. Morgensen, 465 F.3d 1041, 1045 (9th Cir. 7 2006). Extreme deprivations are required to make out a conditions-of-confinement claim, and 8 only those deprivations denying the minimal civilized measure of life’s necessities are 9 sufficiently grave to form the basis of an Eighth Amendment violation. Hudson v. McMillian, 10 503 U.S. 1, 9 (1992). “Prison officials have a duty to ensure that prisoners are provided adequate 11 shelter, food, clothing, sanitation, medical care, and personal safety.” Johnson v. Lewis, 217 F.3d 12 726, 731-32 (9th Cir. 2000) (quotations and citations omitted). 13 To state a claim for retaliation in violation of the First Amendment, a prisoner must allege 14 facts showing five elements: (1) that a state actor took some adverse action against him (2) 15 because of (3) his protected conduct, (4) that such action chilled his exercise of his First 16 Amendment rights, and (5) that the action did not reasonably advance a legitimate correctional 17 goal. Rhodes v. Robinson, 408 F.3d 559, 567-68 (9th Cir. 2005). The plaintiff need not allege 18 that his speech was actually inhibited or suppressed, but merely that the defendant’s conduct was 19 such as would chill or silence a person of ordinary firmness from future First Amendment 20 activities. Id. at 568-69. Conduct protected by the First Amendment includes communications 21 that are “part of the grievance process.” Brodheim v. Cry, 584 F.3d 1262, 1271 n.4 (9th Cir. 22 2009). 23 Plaintiff alleges that an institutional classification committee consisting of defendants 24 Lynch, Stewart, Jones, Morgan, Frederick, Contreras, and Collinsworth transferred him to CSP- 25 Sac’s STRH Unit on May 1, 2020. These defendants allegedly elected to keep plaintiff confined 26 there at five successive committee meetings for a total period of 10 months, even though a 27 standing court order required his transfer out of the unit within 72 hours of May 6, 2020. 28 //// 1 According to plaintiff, staff on the STRH Unit “operated like an organized gang or 2 brotherhood” and retaliated against inmates who tried to report staff misconduct. Members of 3 this “brotherhood” wore a “distinctive neck covering and wristband.” Plaintiff “witnessed 4 defendants Jeff Lynch, Dr. Morgan, J. Frederick, D. Contreras, J. Stewart, G. Jones, Sergeant 5 Collinsworth and Sergeant S. Manson giving out handshakes, arm punches, or back slaps after 6 [plaintiff] had just been attacked by defendant Tyler, or B. Freriks, or B. Nguyen or Burkheart.” 7 Plaintiff alleges that he was denied clean clothes, underwear, warm showers, light, 8 warmth, necessary COVID-19 protective gear, and proper ventilation in the STRH Unit. He 9 claims that the unit showers were filthy and that, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, defendants 10 Freriks, Nguyen, and Burkheart refused to disinfect recreational yard cages, telephones, or 11 showers. Unspecified defendants “denied all sanitation and hygiene protocols” to plaintiff.

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