(PC) Dickson v. Gomez

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. California
DecidedSeptember 25, 2023
Docket1:17-cv-00294
StatusUnknown

This text of (PC) Dickson v. Gomez ((PC) Dickson v. Gomez) 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
(PC) Dickson v. Gomez, (E.D. Cal. 2023).

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 11 CHRISTOPHER DICKSON, Case No. 1:17-cv-00294-ADA-BAM (PC) 12 Plaintiff, ORDER DENYING PLAINTIFF’S MOTION TO COMPEL DISCOVERY 13 v. (ECF No. 70) 14 GOMEZ, et al., 15 Defendants. 16 17 I. Procedural History 18 Plaintiff Christopher Dickson (“Plaintiff”) is a state prisoner proceeding pro se and in 19 forma pauperis in this civil rights action pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. This action proceeds 20 against Defendants Gomez, Rios, and Martinez for excessive force in violation of the Eighth 21 Amendment and against Defendants Duncan and Esparza for violations of Plaintiff’s Fourteenth 22 Amendment due process rights. 23 On May 21, 2021, Plaintiff filed a motion for an order compelling discovery. (ECF No. 24 70.) Following a meet and confer regarding the discovery dispute, the parties filed a joint 25 statement indicating that six discovery issues remained unresolved. (ECF No. 72.) The Court 26 reinstated briefing on the motion to compel as to the remaining six issues. (ECF No. 73.) 27 Defendants filed an opposition to the motion to compel, (ECF No. 74), and Plaintiff filed a reply, 28 (ECF No. 78). The motion is now fully briefed. Local Rule 230(l). 1 II. Plaintiff’s Motion to Compel 2 In the motion to compel, Plaintiff seeks further responses to Requests for Production of 3 Documents (set one) served on Defendants Martinez, Gomez, and Rios. (ECF No. 70.) 4 Following the parties’ meet and confer, the motion to compel is now limited to Requests for 5 Production Nos. 1–2, 9–12. (ECF No. 72.) Plaintiff argues that the requested documents go to 6 Defendants’ history and practice of violence against other inmates, and contrary to Defendants’ 7 objections, he is only requesting information that is helpful and important to his case. Plaintiff 8 alone will see or use these documents only for the case, and he will return them back to 9 Defendants when the case is over. Plaintiff also seeks an order for Defendants to pay Plaintiff for 10 expenses incurred in filing the motion to compel, arguing that Defendants’ refusal to answer or 11 produce the requested documents had no substantial justification. (ECF No. 70.) 12 In opposition, Defendants argue that Plaintiff failed to demonstrate that Defendants’ 13 objections and responses are inadequate. (ECF No. 74.) Specifically, Defendants raised 14 legitimate security concerns, such as the official information privilege, and the possibility of harm 15 arising from production is high compared to the potential utility for Plaintiff. Further, as to 16 Request Nos. 11–12, the requested documents are public records equally available to Plaintiff, 17 and Defendants nonetheless provided CourtLink records as a courtesy to Plaintiff. Finally, in the 18 event any further production of privileged or confidential material is ordered, Defendants request 19 that the Court first review the material in camera before determining whether such documents 20 should be produced and whether they should be subject to a protective order. If the Court is 21 inclined to order documents produced subject to a protective order, Defendants request that they 22 be permitted to brief the Court regarding the terms of any such order. (Id.) 23 In reply, Plaintiff argues that even when defense counsel states that public records are 24 available to Plaintiff, Plaintiff does not have the same access Defendants have to the same 25 documents. (ECF No. 78.) Plaintiff also argues that because Defendants Martinez, Gomez, and 26 Rios are the “main players” in this suit, their past history and acts are fair game for use as 27 impeachment and Defendants can submit redacted versions of files or records to conceal names of 28 Defendants and inmates while disclosing the acts of Defendants. Further, files are not privileged 1 if they remain in the confines of this case. Finally, Plaintiff attaches an exhibit that appears to be 2 an offer of proof from Inmate Shadale L. Williams, indicating an intent to testify on behalf of 3 Plaintiff in a state court action brought by the State of California against Plaintiff. (Id.) 4 A. Legal Standards 5 1. Motions to Compel 6 Under Rule 37 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, “a party seeking discovery may 7 move for an order compelling an answer, designation, production, or inspection.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 8 37(a)(3)(B). The court may order a party to provide further responses to an “evasive or 9 incomplete disclosure, answer, or response.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 37(a)(4). “District courts have 10 ‘broad discretion to manage discovery and to control the course of litigation under Federal Rule 11 of Civil Procedure 16.’” Hunt v. Cty. of Orange, 672 F.3d 606, 616 (9th Cir. 2012) (quoting 12 Avila v. Willits Envtl. Remediation Trust, 633 F.3d 828, 833 (9th Cir. 2011)). 13 The moving party bears the burden of informing the Court: (1) which discovery requests 14 are the subject of the motion to compel; (2) which of the responses are disputed; (3) why the 15 response is deficient; (4) why any objections are not justified; and (5) why the information sought 16 through discovery is relevant to the prosecution or defense of this action. McCoy v. Ramirez, 17 2016 WL 3196738 at *1 (E.D. Cal. 2016); Ellis v. Cambra, 2008 WL 860523, at *4 (E.D. Cal. 18 2008) (“Plaintiff must inform the court which discovery requests are the subject of his motion to 19 compel, and, for each disputed response, inform the court why the information sought is relevant 20 and why defendant’s objections are not justified.”). 21 In responding to requests for production, a party must produce documents or other 22 tangible things which are in their “possession, custody or control.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 34(a). 23 Responses must either state that inspection and related activities will be permitted as requested or 24 state an objection to the request, including the reasons. Fed. R. Civ. P. 34(b)(2)(B). A reasonable 25 inquiry must be made, and if no responsive documents or tangible things exist, Fed. R. Civ. P. 26 26(g)(1), the responding party should so state with sufficient specificity to allow the Court to 27 determine whether the party made a reasonable inquiry and exercised due diligence, Uribe v. 28 McKesson, No. 08cv1285 DMS (NLS), 2010 WL 892093, at *2–3 (E.D. Cal. Mar. 9, 2010). 1 Actual possession, custody or control is not required. “A party may be ordered to produce 2 a document in the possession of a non-party entity if that party has a legal right to obtain the 3 document or has control over the entity [that] is in possession of the document.” Soto v. City of 4 Concord, 162 F.R.D. 603, 619 (N.D. Cal. 1995); see also Allen v. Woodford, 2007 WL 309945, at 5 *2 (E.D. Cal. Jan. 30, 2007) (“Property is deemed within a party’s possession, custody, or control 6 if the party has actual possession, custody, or control thereof or the legal right to obtain the 7 property on demand.”). 8 2.

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Bluebook (online)
(PC) Dickson v. Gomez, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pc-dickson-v-gomez-caed-2023.