(PC) Harrison v. Osuji

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. California
DecidedNovember 21, 2023
Docket1:23-cv-01413
StatusUnknown

This text of (PC) Harrison v. Osuji ((PC) Harrison v. Osuji) 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) Harrison v. Osuji, (E.D. Cal. 2023).

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 11 MICHAEL D. HARRISON, No. 1:23-cv-01413-ADA-SAB (PC) 12 Plaintiff, FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATION RECOMMENDING DISMISSAL OF ACTION 13 v. FOR FAILURE TO STATE A COGNIZABLE CLAIM FOR RELIEF 14 JOHNWILLY OSUJI, et al. (ECF No. 1) 15 Defendants. 16 17 Plaintiff is proceeding pro se and in this action filed pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. 18 Currently before the Court is Plaintiff’s complaint, filed September 27, 2023. 19 I. 20 SCREENING REQUIREMENT 21 The Court is required to screen complaints brought by prisoners seeking relief against a 22 governmental entity or officer or employee of a governmental entity. 28 U.S.C. § 1915A(a). The 23 Court must dismiss a complaint or portion thereof if the prisoner has raised claims that are legally 24 “frivolous or malicious,” that “fail[] to state a claim on which relief may be granted,” or that 25 “seek[] monetary relief against a defendant who is immune from such relief.” 28 U.S.C. § 26 1915(e)(2)(B); see also 28 U.S.C. § 1915A(b). 27 A complaint must contain “a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the 28 pleader is entitled to relief. . . .” Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2). Detailed factual allegations are not 1 required, but “[t]hreadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported by mere 2 conclusory statements, do not suffice.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009) (citing Bell 3 Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555 (2007)). Moreover, Plaintiff must demonstrate 4 that each defendant personally participated in the deprivation of Plaintiff’s rights. Jones v. 5 Williams, 297 F.3d 930, 934 (9th Cir. 2002). 6 Prisoners proceeding pro se in civil rights actions are entitled to have their pleadings 7 liberally construed and to have any doubt resolved in their favor. Wilhelm v. Rotman, 680 F.3d 8 1113, 1121 (9th Cir. 2012) (citations omitted). To survive screening, Plaintiff’s claims must be 9 facially plausible, which requires sufficient factual detail to allow the Court to reasonably infer 10 that each named defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged. Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678-79; Moss 11 v. U.S. Secret Service, 572 F.3d 962, 969 (9th Cir. 2009). The “sheer possibility that a defendant 12 has acted unlawfully” is not sufficient, and “facts that are ‘merely consistent with’ a defendant’s 13 liability” falls short of satisfying the plausibility standard. Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678; Moss, 572 F.3d 14 at 969. 15 II. 16 SUMMARY OF ALLEGATIONS 17 The Court accepts Plaintiff’s allegations in his complaint as true only for the purpose of 18 the screening requirement under 28 U.S.C. § 1915. 19 Plaintiff names attorney Johnwilly Osuji as the sole Defendant in this action. 20 On or about February 2, 2023, Plaintiff was represented by attorney Johnwilly Osuji at a 21 parole hearing after being erroneously convicted and sentenced to state prison for 15 years to life 22 for killing his wife. Plaintiff explained to the attorney before the parole hearing that the Board 23 continues to deny parole for several false reasons. A false conviction due to a false probation 24 report erroneously claiming that Plaintiff killed his wife in 1979. Attorney Osuji said he 25 understood what Plaintiff was saying. Plaintiff even showed him a certificate of no marriage 26 issued to Plaintiff by the County Clerk Recorder proving he was not married in 1979. Attorney 27 Osuji asked Plaintiff if he knew why he was denied parole at his last hearing to which Plaintiff 28 responded he did exactly know why. Attorney Osuji stated that Plaintiff was denied parole due to 1 a lack of adequate parole plans. During the meeting, Osuji gave Plaintiff a list of parole re-entry 2 housing to contact to obtain adequate parole plans. Plaintiff wrote all the as well as many others. 3 Plaintiff was accepted in the best of the best programs. Plaintiff also had all of the Board 4 requirements, namely, years of clean time, self-help groups, trades, professions, and participation 5 in enhanced outpatient program. All attorney Osuji had to do was request a release date as 6 Plaintiff meet the requirements for parole. However, attorney Osuji did not protect Plaintiff’s 7 constitutional rights at the parole hearing. Osuji took it upon himself to tell a lie on Plaintiff and 8 used false evidence in violation of California Penal Code 1473. Plaintiff told Osuji prior to the 9 hearing that he did not kill his wife, but he brought it up at the hearing anyway causing prejudice 10 to Plaintiff. The commissioners heard the lies from Osuji and acted upon it by denying parole for 11 another 3 years. It was falsely claimed that Plaintiff needed to internalize. 12 Plaintiff claims attorney Osuji committed perjury and ineffective assistance of counsel at 13 his parole hearing. Plaintiff seeks to have attorney Osuji fined, disbarred, 10 million dollars in 14 compensatory damages, and 10 million dollars in punitive damages. 15 III. 16 DISCUSSION 17 A. Ineffective Assistance Counsel at Parole Hearing 18 There are two methods for state prisoners to raise complaints in federal court related to 19 their imprisonment. See Muhammad v. Close, 540 U.S. 749, 750 (2004) (“Federal law opens two 20 main avenues to relief on complaints related to imprisonment: a petition for habeas corpus and a 21 complaint under [§ 1983]”). In general, claims of constitutional violations related to the 22 “circumstances of confinement” must be brought in a civil rights action under § 1983, while 23 constitutional challenges to the validity or duration of a prisoner's confinement must be raised in a 24 petition for federal habeas corpus under 28 U.S.C. § 2254, or through appropriate state relief. 25 Wilkinson v. Dotson, 544 U.S. 74, 78–79 (2005) (“This Court has held that a prisoner in state 26 custody cannot use a § 1983 action to challenge ‘the fact or duration of his confinement.’ ”) 27 (quoting Preiser v. Rodriguez, 411 U.S. 475, 489 (1973)); see also Nettles v. Grounds, 830 F.3d 28 922, 927 (9th Cir. 2016) (en banc) (“The Court has long held that habeas is the exclusive vehicle 1 for claims brought by state prisoners that fall within the core of habeas, and such claims may not 2 be brought in a § 1983 action.”) (citing Wilkinson, 544 U.S. at 81–82) (“[A] state prisoner’s § 3 1983 action is barred (absent prior invalidation) - no matter the relief sought (damages or 4 equitable relief), no matter the target of the prisoner's suit (state conduct leading to conviction or 5 internal prison proceedings[ ] - if success in that action would necessarily demonstrate the 6 invalidity of confinement or its duration.”)).

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(PC) Harrison v. Osuji, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pc-harrison-v-osuji-caed-2023.