(PC) Evans v. Cisneros

District Court, E.D. California·Decided June 17, 2025·No. 1:22-cv-01238·Unknown

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 11 CLEVELAND EVANS, Case No. 1:22-cv-01238-KES-BAM (PC) 12 Plaintiff, FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO GRANT DEFENDANTS’ AMENDED 13 v. MOTION TO DISMISS PORTIONS OF PLAINTIFF’S SECOND AMENDED 14 CISNEROS, et al., COMPLAINT

15 Defendants. (ECF No. 40) 16 FOURTEEN (14) DAY DEADLINE 17 18 Plaintiff Cleveland Evans (“Plaintiff”) is a former 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 on 20 Plaintiff’s second amended complaint on First Amendment claims against Defendants D. 21 O’Donaughy, R. Moua, F. Barraza Hernandez, and L. Ruiz-Montalvo and on Religious Land Use 22 and Institutionalized Persons Act (“RLUIPA”) claims against Defendants D. O’Donaughy and A. 23 Rodriguez. 24 On March 5, 2024, Defendants O’Donaughy, Moua, Barraza Hernandez, Ruiz-Montalvo, 25 and Rodriguez (“Defendants”) filed an amended motion to dismiss portions of Plaintiff’s second 26 amended complaint. (ECF No. 40.) Plaintiff filed his opposition to the motion to dismiss on 27 March 27, 2024. (ECF No. 44.) Defendants did not file a reply brief. Following resolution of 28 Defendants’ subsequent motion to revoke Plaintiff’s in forma pauperis status, the motion to 1 dismiss is deemed submitted. (ECF Nos. 45, 51); Local Rule 230(l). 2 I. Relevant Allegations in Second Amended Complaint 3 Plaintiff is currently out of custody. The events in the second amended complaint are 4 alleged to have occurred while Plaintiff was housed at California Substance Abuse and Treatment 5 Facility (“SATF”). Plaintiff names as defendants: (1) Denise O’Donaughy, correctional food 6 manager; (2) A. Rodriguez, supervisor correctional cook; (3) Moua, correctional officer; (4) L. 7 Ruiz, correctional officer; and (5) F. Barraza, correctional officer. Defendants are being sued in 8 their individual and official capacities. Plaintiff alleges that each of the Defendants “had 9 knowledge of Plaintiff’s dietary requirements.” 10 Plaintiff is a practicing member (Muslim) of the Islamic faith. An essential element of the 11 Islamic faith relates to the “diet of practicing Muslims.” As dictated in the “Holy Quran,” 12 primary religious source, dietary requirements are identified in the context of lawful “Halal” food 13 versus unlawful foods for consumption. At issue here is Halal food not being provided. Plaintiff 14 contends he has a First Amendment right to be afforded a religious diet. 15 Plaintiff holds a sincere belief in the Islamic Faith and adheres to the dietary requirements 16 cited in the Holy Quran (Chapter(s) 2 verse 168, 172, 173; Chapter 5, verse 3, 4, 5.) Plaintiff has 17 received prior approval per procedural regulation to receive Halal food. The Defendants have 18 failed to afford Plaintiff such rights. The failure of the Defendants amount to Plaintiff being 19 denied his First Amendment right in religious freedom. 20 “Plaintiff contends that over a (9) nine month period while housed in administrative 21 segregation unit (Ad-Seg) Plaintiff was forced to contest with prison officials over being provided 22 (Halal Food) religious diet. After several informal and formal ‘requests for interview(s) and 23 inmate appeals’ addressed to the prison food manager, supervisor(s), including some of the 24 Defendants cited herein the Plaintiff has been left with no other remedy to address the failure of 25 providing Plaintiff with a religious diet. The failure of the Defendants constitute a violation of 26 Plaintiff’s First Amendment right (Free Exercise Clause).” (ECF No. 28, p. 3.) Plaintiff alleges 27 that on average three days out of each week throughout the nine months, a religious diet was not 28 provided. 1 Plaintiff alleges that as early as October of 2021, prison officials including Defendant 2 O’Donaughy (food manager) were informed of Plaintiff not being afforded Halal food in several 3 Inmate Requests for Interviews. In addition, Plaintiff had in-person confrontations with 4 Defendants Moua, L. Ruiz, and F. Barraza about not being afforded Halal food. Plaintiff had 5 written notices which included inmate complaints to Defendant O’Donaughy in her role as Food 6 Manger and who was informed or had knowledge of the claims of deprivation in Inmate Requests 7 for Interview and was informative as reasonably possible given Plaintiff’s confinement in 8 segregated housing. Defendant Moua informally claimed in one incident to have presented 9 Plaintiff’s concerns to Defendant O’Donaughy. There was no remedy provided by any defendant. 10 Defendant A. Rodriguez was aware of Plaintiff’s claims of not being provided Halal food. 11 Defendant Rodriguez knew Plaintiff was not being provided Halal food via communication with 12 several corrections officers, two of which were Defendants Moua and Ruiz. Defendant 13 Rodriguez was tasked with reviewing Plaintiff’s claims of deprivation. Defendant Rodriguez 14 took no reasonable steps to address the merits of the claims or remedy the violations, which was 15 within his authority to do so. 16 Defendant Moua was tasked with distributing food to prisoners, including Plaintiff, 17 housed in Ad-Seg, Section H. Throughout a five-day work week, Defendant Moua “noticed 18 Plaintiff’s ongoing complaints” of not receiving Halal food. One day, Halal food would be in the 19 food cart, and the next day or two, there would be no religious diet food. Defendant Moua had 20 expressed his efforts at informing other officials such as Defendant Rodriguez and O’Donaughy. 21 Defendant Moua took to documenting/responding to at least one inmate request for interview 22 addressed to Moua, as a result of the many encounters. One formal response established Plaintiff 23 did not receive a Halal diet and Plaintiff was compelled to accept a non-religious diet. 24 Defendant L. Ruiz had knowledge of Plaintiff’s religious dietary requirements prior to the 25 deprivation, but made little to no tangible effort to resolve the deprivation on several occasions. 26 In communications between Defendant Ruiz and Plaintiff, Ruiz always had baseless excuses as to 27 why or who was to blame for there being no Halal food. In one confrontation, Ruiz said “I am 28 not the food manager, 602 (appeal) the food manager.” (ECF No. 28, p. 4.) Defendant Ruiz was 1 wearing a body camera recording the conversation and the non-Halal food that Plaintiff was being 2 compelled to accept. Defendant Ruiz, like all the rest of the Defendants, perpetuated a culture of 3 indifference in administrative segregation. 4 Defendant Barraza was tasked with distributing food to Sections G and H. Plaintiff was 5 housed in the last cell in the unit (#199). Prior to being issued any food, Plaintiff asked 6 Defendant Barraza if Plaintiff could open or remove the food tray lids, which is a normal request 7 by Plaintiff for all officials who pass out or distribute food. Once Plaintiff removed the tray lids, 8 Plaintiff immediately saw that the breakfast tray of food was not Halal. Defendant Barraza took 9 the food tray back and said that he would locate a Halal food tray. Soon thereafter Defendant 10 Barraza approached the cell with the same food, stating, “There is no other food trays (no Halal 11 food) and that officials (custody supervisors and the correctional food manager) is aware of the 12 issues.” There was no meaningful effort to locate or obtain Halal food tray by Defendant 13 Barraza, and Plaintiff was compelled to accept non-Halal food. 14 Plaintiff contends he exhausted his administrative remedies as to all Defendants and video 15 evidence will corroborate his claims. 16 As remedies, Plaintiff seeks declaratory relief, injunctive relief, and nominal, 17 compensatory, and punitive damages. 18 II.

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