(PC) Guzman v. Superior Court of California, County of Orange

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. California
DecidedSeptember 9, 2020
Docket1:19-cv-01644
StatusUnknown

This text of (PC) Guzman v. Superior Court of California, County of Orange ((PC) Guzman v. Superior Court of California, County of Orange) 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) Guzman v. Superior Court of California, County of Orange, (E.D. Cal. 2020).

Opinion

8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10

11 JUAN C. GUZMAN, 1:19-cv-01644-NONE-GSA-PC

12 Plaintiff, ORDER DISMISSING COMPLAINT FOR FAILURE TO STATE A CLAIM, WITH 13 vs. LEAVE TO AMEND (ECF No. 1.) 14 SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF ORANGE, et al., THIRTY-DAY DEADLINE TO FILE FIRST 15 AMENDED COMPLAINT Defendants. 16

20 21 I. BACKGROUND 22 Juan C. Guzman (“Plaintiff”) is a state prisoner proceeding pro se with this civil rights 23 action pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Plaintiff filed the Complaint commencing this action on 24 November 20, 2019. (ECF No. 1.) 25 The Complaint is now before the court for screening. 28 U.S.C. § 1915. 26 II. SCREENING REQUIREMENT 27 The Court is required to screen complaints brought by prisoners seeking relief against a 28 governmental entity or officer or employee of a governmental entity. 28 U.S.C. § 1915A(a). The 1 Court must dismiss a complaint or portion thereof if the prisoner has raised claims that are legally 2 “frivolous or malicious,” that fail to state a claim upon which relief may be granted, or that seek 3 monetary relief from a defendant who is immune from such relief. 28 U.S.C. § 1915A(b)(1),(2). 4 “Notwithstanding any filing fee, or any portion thereof, that may have been paid, the court shall 5 dismiss the case at any time if the court determines that the action or appeal fails to state a claim 6 upon which relief may be granted.” 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2)(B)(ii). 7 A complaint is required to contain “a short and plain statement of the claim showing that 8 the pleader is entitled to relief.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2). Detailed factual allegations are not 9 required, but “[t]hreadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported by mere 10 conclusory statements, do not suffice.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009) (citing Bell 11 Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555 (2007)). While a plaintiff’s allegations are taken 12 as true, courts “are not required to indulge unwarranted inferences.” Doe I v. Wal-Mart Stores, 13 Inc., 572 F.3d 677, 681 (9th Cir. 2009) (internal quotation marks and citation omitted). To state 14 a viable claim, Plaintiff must set forth “sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to ‘state a claim 15 to relief that is plausible on its face.’” Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678-79; Moss v. U.S. Secret Service, 16 572 F.3d 962, 969 (9th Cir. 2009). While factual allegations are accepted as true, legal 17 conclusions are not. Id. The mere possibility of misconduct falls short of meeting this 18 plausibility standard. Id. 19 III. SUMMARY OF COMPLAINT 20 Plaintiff is presently incarcerated at the California Correctional Institution (CCI) in 21 Tehachapi, California, in the custody of the California Department of Corrections and 22 Rehabilitation (CDCR), where the events at issue in the Complaint allegedly occurred. Plaintiff 23 names as defendants the Orange County Superior Court of California, CDCR, CCI, and Mr. 24 Sullivan (Warden). A summary of Plaintiff’s allegations follows: 25 Arrest and Conviction 26 During Plaintiff’s arrest the Police took his gold necklace and chain and almost $10,000 27 in cash, which was never returned to him. During interrogation, Plaintiff was never read his 28 Miranda rights, even his right to have counsel, but was sent straight to a county jail for almost 1 two years, from preliminary appearance to jury trial. On December 19, 2000, the trial was 2 declared a mistrial and Plaintiff expected another jury trial, but after a month he was found guilty 3 of two counts of the same offense, Penal Code 288(a), and given a life sentence. Plaintiff claims 4 that he should not have been given a life sentence under Penal Code 288(a). He was sent to 5 prison for this. Under the Seventh Amendment a mistrial must be preserved, but the District 6 Attorney found him guilty and convicted him without a Judge’s order or signature. This 7 threatened Plaintiff’s safety because in prison correctional officers and inmates will beat you. 8 The court kept denying Plaintiff’s request for DNA evidence which was never presented during 9 the jury trial, and no expert was there to testify. Plaintiff has suffered for 20 years separated from 10 his family and children. 11 Prison Conditions 12 Plaintiff lost communication with his family because of the charges against him and is 13 trying his best to explain his innocence, even sending confidential mail, but they never responded 14 to his letter. Plaintiff noticed, based on his job experience on the Trash Crew, that many bundles 15 of mail were in the trash. 16 Plaintiff was almost punished by the Sergeant and placed in the hole for six months. 17 Plaintiff was traumatized and deteriorated physically and mentally because prison staff have 18 access to your case and can see your charges and call you a child molester, even in front of the 19 other inmates, especially at CCI Tehachapi. That’s why so many inmates there are beaten and 20 some commit suicide. Plaintiff got all of these injuries in prison. It’s like torture every day. If 21 you see and investigate this old facility that was built in 1934 – see the beds, mattresses, showers, 22 drinking water containing 15-20% lead, scary dirty kitchen – that’s why 99.9% are sick, taking 23 medicine, have mental illnesses, and suffer from chronic pain. Many inmates are injured and 24 need medical attention, especially under the Americans with Disabilities Act, but they don’t 25 follow the remedial plan and the Warden, Mr. Sullivan, does not care. Plaintiff was blinded and 26 his head was injured while working at his job, and he is still in severe pain. Plaintiff has 27 complained, but the medical clinic does not care and some LVN nurses need more training. 28 /// 1 Relief 2 Plaintiff seeks relief from his 20 years of suffering. 3 IV. PLAINTIFF’S CLAIMS 4 The Civil Rights Act under which this action was filed provides:

5 Every person who, under color of any statute, ordinance, regulation, custom, or usage, of any State or Territory or the District of Columbia, subjects, or causes to 6 be subjected, any citizen of the United States or other person within the jurisdiction thereof to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities 7 secured by the Constitution and laws, shall be liable to the party injured in an action at law, suit in equity, or other proper proceeding for redress . . . . 8

9 42 U.S.C. § 1983. 10 “[Section] 1983 ‘is not itself a source of substantive rights,’ but merely provides ‘a 11 method for vindicating federal rights elsewhere conferred.’” Graham v. Connor, 490 U.S. 386, 12 393-94 (1989) (quoting Baker v. McCollan, 443 U.S. 137, 144 n.3 (1979)); see also Chapman v. 13 Houston Welfare Rights Org., 441 U.S. 600, 618 (1979); Hall v. City of Los Angeles, 697 F.3d 14 1059, 1068 (9th Cir. 2012); Crowley v.

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

Related

Preiser v. Rodriguez
411 U.S. 475 (Supreme Court, 1973)
Estelle v. Gamble
429 U.S. 97 (Supreme Court, 1976)
Chapman v. Houston Welfare Rights Organization
441 U.S. 600 (Supreme Court, 1979)
Baker v. McCollan
443 U.S. 137 (Supreme Court, 1979)
Rhodes v. Chapman
452 U.S. 337 (Supreme Court, 1981)
Graham v. Connor
490 U.S. 386 (Supreme Court, 1989)
Hudson v. McMillian
503 U.S. 1 (Supreme Court, 1992)
Heck v. Humphrey
512 U.S. 477 (Supreme Court, 1994)
Edwards v. Balisok
520 U.S. 641 (Supreme Court, 1997)
Hope v. Pelzer
536 U.S. 730 (Supreme Court, 2002)
Tennessee v. Lane
541 U.S. 509 (Supreme Court, 2004)
Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly
550 U.S. 544 (Supreme Court, 2007)
Ashcroft v. Iqbal
556 U.S. 662 (Supreme Court, 2009)
Thomas v. Ponder
611 F.3d 1144 (Ninth Circuit, 2010)
Johnson v. Duffy
588 F.2d 740 (Ninth Circuit, 1978)
Noll v. Carlson
809 F.2d 1446 (Ninth Circuit, 1987)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
(PC) Guzman v. Superior Court of California, County of Orange, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pc-guzman-v-superior-court-of-california-county-of-orange-caed-2020.