(PC) Foust v. Warden

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. California
DecidedApril 10, 2023
Docket2:21-cv-00312
StatusUnknown

This text of (PC) Foust v. Warden ((PC) Foust v. Warden) 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) Foust v. Warden, (E.D. Cal. 2023).

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 11 CARL FOUST, No. 2:21-CV-0312-DJC-DMC-P 12 Plaintiff, 13 v. ORDER 14 WARDEN, 15 Defendant. 16 17 Plaintiff, a prisoner proceeding pro se, brings this civil rights action under 42 18 U.S.C. § 1983. Before the Court is Plaintiff’s second amended complaint. ECF No. 43. 19 20 I. SCREENING REQUIREMENT 21 The Court must screen complaints from prisoners seeking relief against a 22 governmental entity, officer, or employee. See 28 U.S.C. § 1915A(a). The Court must identify 23 any cognizable claims and dismiss any portion of the complaint that is frivolous or malicious, 24 fails to state a claim upon which relief may be granted, or seeks monetary relief from a defendant 25 who is immune from such relief. See 28 U.S.C. § 1915A(b)(1), (2). 26 / / / 27 / / / 28 / / / 1 A complaint must contain a short and plain statement of the claim showing that a 2 plaintiff is entitled to relief. Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2). The complaint must provide “enough facts to 3 state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.” Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570 4 (2007). Detailed factual allegations are not required, but “[t]hreadbare recitals of the elements of 5 a cause of action, supported by mere conclusory statements, do not suffice.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 6 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009). To survive screening, a plaintiff's claims must be facially plausible, 7 which requires sufficient factual detail to allow the Court to reasonably infer that each named 8 defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged. Id. at 678–79; Moss v. U.S. Secret Service, 572 9 F.3d 962, 969 (9th Cir. 2009). Plaintiffs must demonstrate that each defendant personally 10 participated in the deprivation of the plaintiff's rights. Jones v. Williams, 297 F.3d 930, 934 (9th 11 Cir. 2002). If the allegations “do not permit the court to infer more than the mere possibility of 12 misconduct,” the complaint does not state a claim. Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 679. The complaint need not 13 identify “a precise legal theory.” Kobold v. Good Samaritan Reg'l Med. Ctr., 832 F.3d 1024, 1038 14 (9th Cir. 2016). 15 The Court must construe a pro se litigant's complaint liberally. See Haines v. 16 Kerner, 404 U.S. 519, 520 (1972) (per curiam); Wilhelm v. Rotman, 680 F.3d 1113, 1121 (9th 17 Cir. 2012). However, a liberal interpretation of a complaint may not supply a claim’s essential 18 elements if they were not pled. Bruns v. Nat'l Credit Union Admin., 122 F.3d 1251, 1257 (9th 19 Cir. 1997). The Court may dismiss a pro se litigant's complaint “if it appears beyond doubt that 20 the plaintiff can prove no set of facts in support of his claim which would entitle him to relief.” 21 Hayes v. Idaho Corr. Ctr., 849 F.3d 1204, 1208 (9th Cir. 2017). 22 23 II. PLAINTIFF’S ALLEGATIONS 24 Plaintiff names as defendants “L.T.A. Mrs. Star,” “DDP C/O Pierreman,” “Sgt. 25 Ledesma,” and “Warden Cvana.” See ECF No. 43, pg. 1. Based on the factual allegations 26 / / / 27 / / / 28 / / / 1 contained in the second amended complaint, Plaintiff raises three claims as follows, all alleging 2 retaliation in connection with mail. See id. 3 Claim I 4 Plaintiff states:

5 I am being discriminated against in seeking to get my legal papers to the Court in the proper manner. I’m a DDP inmate and need assistance with 6 redding [sic] and writing. DDP Sgt. Ledesma, while assisting me, took my legal mail to I-2 holding unit, to get Scotch tape. He refused to allow 7 me to watch him seal and then[n] sign the envelopes. He also refused to allow me into I-2 while he was taping and signing the legal mail. He went 8 into I-2 housing unit for 10-15 minutes and when he came out the letters were sealed and I watched him put the legal letters in the mail box. I did 9 not see who actually signed the envelopes. The subject of one of the pieces of legal mail was a complaint on a DDP Correctional Officer 10 Pierrreman, who worked on I-2. I fear that since the legal mail had not been sealed, and that Sgt. Ledesma took 10-15 min. to get the tape on the 11 unit, that I feel that I’m being retaliated on, because the contents of the complaint potentially could have been shared with C/O Pierreman, a DDP 12 officer, the subject of the complaint.

13 Id. at 3. 14 Claim II

15 Additionally, I included a request for the Judge to interview me over teleconference because of the retaliation I been going through, regarding 16 my legal mail getting tampered with. For example, the Court gave me a 30-day extension and the legal mail took longer them [sic] 30 days to 17 reach me. The Court sent it 11-3-21 and I received the legal mail on 12-3- 21. For reference sake, one legal mail pertained to case 2:21-cv-00510- 18 DMC-P. The other legal mail was reference to court case no. 2:19-cv- 02579-JAM-DMC. I am also attached copies of what I was sending to 19 Court to make sure it was properly sent. I am requesting to speak to the Judge on video because my eyes are messed up and I’m pending eye 20 surgery. I am also requesting a private investigator and attorney due to my lack of vision (I’m awaiting surgery for my eyes). I am over quarantine 21 and retaliation, and I am have the DDP/Clark L.T.A. Mrs. Star violated my civil rights and [indecipherable] by condescending me front of the 22 inmate that lives in cell I-2-236. She knows I have two cases pending in Federal Court, I am DDP, I want this. 23 Id. at 4. 24 25 Claim III

26 To be investigated all the [w]ay up to the Ninth Circuit because I’m already in Court. I am under Armstrong/Clark remedica [sic] act per court 27 order. I am also (A.D.A). I have to turn in a response and the DDP C/O Pierreman Officer on 6/25/2020 and the L.T.A. Mrs. Star quarantine over 28 me. I have to turn in a response to the Federal Court by on 7/8/2020. 1 While she was helping me she should of never had another inmate in the dayroom listening. It’s always been private because I’m the only one in 2 this unit in Federal Court and she’s been helping me out since days one. She never asked the inmate to leave and she gave me an ultimatum to 3 dictate the letter for me in 15 minutes. She kept the L.T.A. on repeating what she was dictating for me like I didn’t understand [indecipherable] I 4 was explaining to her. She knows I have a (PREA) case pending and what happened to me was on camera. Nobody should of been present. The 5 DDP C/O Pierreman and the DDP Sgt. Working behind Ledesma come and talked to me and sad [sic] the DDP/Clark L.T.A. Mrs. Star would 6 make copies for me the next day. When she come on 6/26/2020 she sad [sic] I already talked to you and refused to help me and I case number 7 2:21-CV-00312-DMC, Warden Cvana, order, (PC) Foust vs. courts. The inmate that lives in cell I-2-236 low she knows I have two cases pending 8 in Federal Court. I am a DPPL. In I-2-236 low Mr. Jones Edwin D. and I be retaliation. 9 Id. at 5-6. 10 11 12 III. DISCUSSION 13 Section 1983, under which Plaintiff brings this action, provides a cause of action 14 for deprivation of constitutional rights and rights under federal law. 28 U.S.C. § 1983.

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

Related

Haines v. Kerner
404 U.S. 519 (Supreme Court, 1972)
Procunier v. Martinez
416 U.S. 396 (Supreme Court, 1974)
Wolff v. McDonnell
418 U.S. 539 (Supreme Court, 1974)
Bounds v. Smith
430 U.S. 817 (Supreme Court, 1977)
Chapman v. Houston Welfare Rights Organization
441 U.S. 600 (Supreme Court, 1979)
Baker v. McCollan
443 U.S. 137 (Supreme Court, 1979)
Turner v. Safley
482 U.S. 78 (Supreme Court, 1987)
Graham v. Connor
490 U.S. 386 (Supreme Court, 1989)
Lewis v. Casey
518 U.S. 343 (Supreme Court, 1996)
Christopher v. Harbury
536 U.S. 403 (Supreme Court, 2002)
Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly
550 U.S. 544 (Supreme Court, 2007)
Ashcroft v. Iqbal
556 U.S. 662 (Supreme Court, 2009)
Diaz-Fonseca v. Commonwealth of PR
451 F.3d 13 (First Circuit, 2006)
Nevada Department of Corrections v. Greene
648 F.3d 1014 (Ninth Circuit, 2011)
United States v. Allen Bamberger
452 F.2d 696 (Second Circuit, 1972)
Joseph Taylor v. W. L. Sterrett
532 F.2d 462 (Fifth Circuit, 1976)
John James Sherman v. Ellis MacDougall
656 F.2d 527 (Ninth Circuit, 1981)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
(PC) Foust v. Warden, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pc-foust-v-warden-caed-2023.