(PC) Humphries v. Curry

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. California
DecidedJune 3, 2022
Docket2:22-cv-00090
StatusUnknown

This text of (PC) Humphries v. Curry ((PC) Humphries v. Curry) 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) Humphries v. Curry, (E.D. Cal. 2022).

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 11 DARYLE L. HUMPHRIES, No. 2:22-cv-0090 KJN P 12 Plaintiff, 13 v. ORDER 14 P. CURRY, 15 Defendant. 16 17 Plaintiff is a state prisoner, proceeding without counsel. Plaintiff seeks relief pursuant to 18 42 U.S.C. § 1983, and has requested leave to proceed in forma pauperis pursuant to 28 U.S.C. 19 § 1915. This proceeding was referred to this court pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1) and Local 20 Rule 302. 21 Plaintiff submitted a declaration that makes the showing required by 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a). 22 Accordingly, the request to proceed in forma pauperis is granted. 23 Plaintiff is required to pay the statutory filing fee of $350.00 for this action. 28 U.S.C. 24 §§ 1914(a), 1915(b)(1). By this order, plaintiff is assessed an initial partial filing fee in 25 accordance with the provisions of 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(1). By separate order, the court will direct 26 the appropriate agency to collect the initial partial filing fee from plaintiff’s trust account and 27 forward it to the Clerk of the Court. Thereafter, plaintiff will be obligated to make monthly 28 payments of twenty percent of the preceding month’s income credited to plaintiff’s prison trust 1 account. These payments will be forwarded by the appropriate agency to the Clerk of the Court 2 each time the amount in plaintiff’s account exceeds $10.00, until the filing fee is paid in full. 28 3 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(2). 4 Screening Standards 5 The court is required to screen complaints brought by prisoners seeking relief against a 6 governmental entity or officer or employee of a governmental entity. 28 U.S.C. § 1915A(a). The 7 court must dismiss a complaint or portion thereof if the prisoner raised claims that are legally 8 “frivolous or malicious,” that fail to state a claim upon which relief may be granted, or that seek 9 monetary relief from a defendant who is immune from such relief. 28 U.S.C. § 1915A(b)(1), (2). 10 A claim is legally frivolous when it lacks an arguable basis either in law or in fact. 11 Neitzke v. Williams, 490 U.S. 319, 325 (1989); Franklin v. Murphy, 745 F.2d 1221, 1227-28 (9th 12 Cir. 1984). The court may, therefore, dismiss a claim as frivolous when it is based on an 13 indisputably meritless legal theory or where the factual contentions are clearly baseless. Neitzke, 14 490 U.S. at 327. The critical inquiry is whether a constitutional claim, however inartfully 15 pleaded, has an arguable legal and factual basis. See Jackson v. Arizona, 885 F.2d 639, 640 (9th 16 Cir. 1989), superseded by statute as stated in Lopez v. Smith, 203 F.3d 1122, 1130-31 (9th Cir. 17 2000) (“[A] judge may dismiss [in forma pauperis] claims which are based on indisputably 18 meritless legal theories or whose factual contentions are clearly baseless.”); Franklin, 745 F.2d at 19 1227. 20 Rule 8(a)(2) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure “requires only ‘a short and plain 21 statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief,’ in order to ‘give the 22 defendant fair notice of what the . . . claim is and the grounds upon which it rests.’” Bell Atlantic 23 Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555 (2007) (quoting Conley v. Gibson, 355 U.S. 41, 47 (1957)). 24 In order to survive dismissal for failure to state a claim, a complaint must contain more than “a 25 formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause of action;” it must contain factual allegations 26 sufficient “to raise a right to relief above the speculative level.” Id. However, “[s]pecific facts 27 are not necessary; the statement [of facts] need only ‘give the defendant fair notice of what the . . 28 . claim is and the grounds upon which it rests.’” Erickson v. Pardus, 551 U.S. 89, 93 (2007) 1 (quoting Bell Atlantic Corp., 550 U.S. at 555) (citations and internal quotations marks omitted). 2 In reviewing a complaint under this standard, the court must accept as true the allegations of the 3 complaint in question, id., and construe the pleading in the light most favorable to the plaintiff. 4 Scheuer v. Rhodes, 416 U.S. 232, 236 (1974), overruled on other grounds, Davis v. Scherer, 468 5 U.S. 183 (1984). 6 Plaintiff’s Complaint 7 Plaintiff alleges that while he was hospitalized at California Medical Facility (“CMF”), 8 waiting for surgery on his throat and left hip, defendant LVN Curry went to another inmate’s cell, 9 took a dirty bowl containing food, grime and mildew, and filled it with ice. Curry then 10 deliberately poured the ice into a container that belonged to plaintiff. Such actions were 11 witnessed by pastoral care services worker Sonny, who reported the misconduct to J. Tan, R.N., 12 despite Curry’s request that Sonny not report such misconduct. 13 While Sonny was reporting the incident, and before Sonny advised plaintiff what had 14 happened, plaintiff ingested some of the ice and became ill, suffering nausea, a headache, and 15 diarrhea, vomiting on several occasions, and remained sick for the next ten days. Plaintiff’s 16 request that Curry be removed was denied, but the institutional level response found that Curry 17 violated CDCR policy. Plaintiff seeks money damages. 18 Discussion 19 Eighth Amendment Claims 20 The court reviewed plaintiff’s complaint and, for the limited purposes of § 1915A 21 screening, finds that it states potentially cognizable Eighth Amendment claims against defendant 22 Curry. See 28 U.S.C. § 1915A. 23 ADA/RA Claims 24 Plaintiff claims he was admitted to G-225-L in a wheelchair, complaining of pain to his 25 left hip and leg, and was only able to bear weight with two person assistance. Plaintiff claims that 26 defendant Curry, having knowledge of plaintiff’s condition, “took advantage of such condition, 27 and solely on the basis of plaintiff’s disabilities, proceeded to assault plaintiff and batter him with 28 the laced ice, and otherwise [was] deliberately indifferent to plaintiff’s health care needs.” (ECF 1 No. 1 at 12.) Plaintiff also alleges defendant Curry abused her position of trust. Plaintiff seeks 2 money damages.

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

Related

Conley v. Gibson
355 U.S. 41 (Supreme Court, 1957)
Scheuer v. Rhodes
416 U.S. 232 (Supreme Court, 1974)
Neitzke v. Williams
490 U.S. 319 (Supreme Court, 1989)
Crawford-El v. Britton
523 U.S. 574 (Supreme Court, 1998)
Pennsylvania Department of Corrections v. Yeskey
524 U.S. 206 (Supreme Court, 1998)
Olmstead v. L.C.
527 U.S. 581 (Supreme Court, 1999)
Swierkiewicz v. Sorema N. A.
534 U.S. 506 (Supreme Court, 2002)
United States v. Georgia
546 U.S. 151 (Supreme Court, 2006)
Erickson v. Pardus
551 U.S. 89 (Supreme Court, 2007)
Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly
550 U.S. 544 (Supreme Court, 2007)
Ashcroft v. Iqbal
556 U.S. 662 (Supreme Court, 2009)
Simmons v. Navajo County, Ariz.
609 F.3d 1011 (Ninth Circuit, 2010)
Fitzgerald v. Corrections Corp. of America
403 F.3d 1134 (Tenth Circuit, 2005)
Harry Franklin v. Ms. Murphy and Hoyt Cupp
745 F.2d 1221 (Ninth Circuit, 1984)
Sergio Ramirez v. County of San Bernardino
806 F.3d 1002 (Ninth Circuit, 2015)
The Jenny
5 U.S. 183 (Supreme Court, 1866)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
(PC) Humphries v. Curry, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pc-humphries-v-curry-caed-2022.