(PC) Gipbsin v. Roth

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. California
DecidedJuly 30, 2020
Docket2:18-cv-03164
StatusUnknown

This text of (PC) Gipbsin v. Roth ((PC) Gipbsin v. Roth) 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) Gipbsin v. Roth, (E.D. Cal. 2020).

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 8 FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 9 10 CLARENCE A. GIPBSIN, No. 2:18-cv-03164-CKD 11 Plaintiff, 12 v. ORDER AND 13 ROTH, et al., FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 14 Defendants. 15 16 Plaintiff is a state prisoner proceeding pro se and in forma pauperis in this federal civil 17 rights action filed pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Currently pending before the court is 18 defendants’ motion to revoke plaintiff’s in forma pauperis status on the grounds that the 19 dismissals of at least three prior actions filed by plaintiff qualify as “strikes” against him pursuant 20 to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(g). Plaintiff has filed a subsequent motion to proceed in forma pauperis 21 (“IFP”) which the court construes as an opposition to defendants’ motion. ECF No. 44. For the 22 reasons outlined below, the court recommends that defendants’ motion be granted and that 23 plaintiff’s IFP status be revoked. 24 I. Factual Background 25 In his complaint filed on December 7, 2018, plaintiff alleges that while confined at 26 California State Prison-Sacramento (“CSP-Sac”), he was kept handcuffed in a holding cell for a 27 period of 30 hours on February 26th and 27th, 2018 without food or water all while exposed to 28 the rain and cold. ECF No. 1 at 3. Defendants Meiers and Roth refused to remove plaintiff from 1 the holding cell. Id. Plaintiff further alleges that defendants Stigelmeyer, Sabala, Ehler, 2 Kennedy, Tran, Hord, and Spark body slammed and beat him on February 28, 2018. ECF No. 1 3 at 4. The court granted plaintiff leave to proceed in forma pauperis (“IFP”) on May 28, 2019 and 4 gave plaintiff the option of proceeding on the conditions of confinement and Eighth Amendment 5 claims against these defendants or of filing an amended complaint to fix the deficiencies with the 6 remaining defendant. ECF No. 12. Plaintiff elected to proceed with the original complaint as 7 screened and service was ordered on June 6, 2019. ECF Nos. 15, 16. 8 II. Defendants’ Motion to Revoke In Forma Pauperis 9 On September 24, 2019, defendants filed a motion for an order revoking plaintiff’s IFP 10 status based on six prior actions or appeals that defendants assert were dismissed as frivolous, 11 malicious, or failed to state a claim upon which relief could be granted. ECF No. 37. They 12 request that the court take judicial notice of the PACER documents and court records from 13 plaintiff's filings which are attached to the motion. ECF No. 37-2. Defendants further contend 14 that plaintiff was not under imminent danger of serious physical injury at the time that he filed the 15 complaint to warrant continuing plaintiff’s IFP status under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(g). ECF No. 37. 16 In his opposition, plaintiff asserts that he has not suffered three prior strikes to justify 17 revoking his IFP status because some of the prior actions involved habeas claims. ECF No. 44. 18 Plaintiff generally argues that defendants are using the motion as a tactic to delay the 19 proceedings. ECF No. 44. Plaintiff also contends that he was under imminent danger at the time 20 of filing the complaint because he was injured as a result of defendants’ conduct. Id. 21 By way of reply, defendants counter that plaintiff’s opposition does not meet his burden of 22 explaining why the six prior dismissals should not constitute strikes. ECF No. 45 at 2. 23 Defendants also counter that plaintiff was not under imminent danger of serious physical injury at 24 the time that he filed the complaint because the events at issue occurred in February 2018 and the 25 complaint was not filed until December 2018. ECF No. 45 at 3. Plaintiff does not identify any 26 ongoing threat that would constitute an imminent danger of serious physical injury more than 27 nine months after the events in dispute occurred. ECF No. 45 at 3. 28 ///// 1 III. Legal Standards 2 28 U.S.C. § 1915(g) sets forth what is known as the “three strikes” rule. Under this rule, a 3 prisoner who has previously brought three or more lawsuits in a court of the United States that 4 were dismissed on the grounds that they were “frivolous, malicious, or fail to state a claim upon 5 which relief may be granted” may not proceed in forma pauperis in the current litigation unless 6 that prisoner “is under imminent danger of serious physical injury.” 28 U.S.C. § 1915(g). In 7 defining “frivolous,” the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal has concluded that a claim is frivolous 8 when it lacks any “basis in law or fact” or is “of little weight or importance.” Andrews v. King, 9 398 F.3d 1113, 1121 (9th Cir. 2005) (citations omitted). A claim is “malicious” when it is “filed 10 with the intention or desire to harm another.” Id. Failing to state a claim has been interpreted to 11 be equivalent to a dismissal pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. 12 See Moore v. Maricopa Cnty. Sheriff’s Office, 657 F.3d 890, 893 (9th Cir. 2011) (citations 13 omitted). 14 In moving to revoke the plaintiff's in forma pauperis status, the defendant bears the initial 15 burden of producing evidence showing that at least three of plaintiff's previous actions have been 16 dismissed by a federal court for one or more of the above reasons. Andrews v. King, 398 F.3d at 17 1121. If the defendant meets this showing, then the burden shifts to the plaintiff to prove that the 18 dismissed actions do not qualify as “strikes” within the meaning of 28 U.S.C. § 1915(g). 19 Andrews, 398 F.3d at 1121. A prisoner’s IFP status should be revoked pursuant to 28 U.S.C. 20 § 1915(g) “only when, after careful evaluation of the order dismissing [each] action, and other 21 relevant information, the district court determines that [each] action was dismissed because it was 22 frivolous, malicious or failed to state a claim.” Andrews v. King, 398 F.3d 1113, 1121 (9th Cir. 23 2005). 24 ///// 25 ///// 26 //// 27 ///// 28 ///// 1 IV. Analysis 2 A. District Court Actions1 3 1. Gipbsin v. Runnels, et al., Case No. 1:02-cv-6190-OWW-DLB (PC) (E.D. Cal.) 4 In this civil rights action filed on or about September 27, 2002, plaintiff alleged that 5 correctional officers at North Kern State Prison used excessive force against him on October 18, 6 1996. ECF No. 37-2 at 22 (Findings and Recommendations April 12, 2004); ECF No. 37-2 at 28- 7 29 (Order Adopting Findings and Recommendations). Plaintiff also alleged that correctional 8 officers at Corcoran State Prison used excessive force against him on January 5, 2000. Id. 9 In ruling on defendants’ motion to dismiss, the court concluded that the claim against the 10 North Kern State Prison guards was barred by the relevant statute of limitations applicable to § 11 1983 actions. ECF No. 37-2 at 23; ECF No. 37-2 at 29. The court also concluded that the claims 12 against the Corcoran State Prison guards were duplicative of the claims in Gibson v. Galaza, Case 13 No. CV F 00-5381-AWI-YNP-P.2 ECF No. 37-2 at 23-25.

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Bluebook (online)
(PC) Gipbsin v. Roth, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pc-gipbsin-v-roth-caed-2020.