(PC) Jeffrey T. Eastman v. Westbrook

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. California
DecidedSeptember 27, 2021
Docket1:21-cv-00797
StatusUnknown

This text of (PC) Jeffrey T. Eastman v. Westbrook ((PC) Jeffrey T. Eastman v. Westbrook) 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) Jeffrey T. Eastman v. Westbrook, (E.D. Cal. 2021).

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10

11 JEFFREY TODD EASTMAN, ) Case No.: 1:21-cv-00797-SAB (PC) ) 12 Plaintiff, ) ) ORDER DIRECTING CLERK OF COURT TO 13 v. ) RANDOMLY ASSIGN A DISTRICT JUDGE TO THIS ACTION 14 ROBERT B. WESTBROOK, et al., ) ) FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 15 Defendants. ) RECOMMENDING DISMISSAL OF ACTION ) 16 ) (ECF No. 10) ) 17 )

18 Plaintiff Jeffrey Todd Eastman is proceeding pro se and in forma pauperis in this civil rights 19 action pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. 20 Plaintiff filed the instant action on May 17, 2021. On July 21, 2021, the Court screened 21 Plaintiff complaint, found that no cognizable claims were stated, and granted Plaintiff thirty days to 22 file an amended complaint. (ECF No. 9.) Plaintiff failed to file an amended complaint, and on August 23 30, 2021, the Court ordered Plaintiff to show cause within fourteen days why the action should not be 24 dismissed. (ECF No. 10.) Plaintiff has failed to respond to the order to show cause and the time to do 25 so has now passed. 26 /// 27 /// 28 /// 1 I. 2 SCREENING REQUIREMENT 3 The Court is required to screen complaints brought by prisoners seeking relief against a 4 governmental entity or officer or employee of a governmental entity. 28 U.S.C. § 1915A(a). The Court 5 must dismiss a complaint or portion thereof if the prisoner has raised claims that are legally “frivolous 6 or malicious,” that “fail[] to state a claim on which relief may be granted,” or that “seek[] monetary 7 relief against a defendant who is immune from such relief.” 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2)(B); see also 28 8 U.S.C. § 1915A(b). 9 A complaint must contain “a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is 10 entitled to relief. . . .” Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2). Detailed factual allegations are not required, but 11 “[t]hreadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported by mere conclusory statements, do 12 not suffice.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009) (citing Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 13 U.S. 544, 555 (2007)). Moreover, Plaintiff must demonstrate that each defendant personally participated 14 in the deprivation of Plaintiff’s rights. Jones v. Williams, 297 F.3d 930, 934 (9th Cir. 2002). 15 Prisoners proceeding pro se in civil rights actions are entitled to have their pleadings liberally 16 construed and to have any doubt resolved in their favor. Wilhelm v. Rotman, 680 F.3d 1113, 1121 (9th 17 Cir. 2012) (citations omitted). To survive screening, Plaintiff’s claims must be facially plausible, which 18 requires sufficient factual detail to allow the Court to reasonably infer that each named defendant is 19 liable for the misconduct alleged. Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678-79; Moss v. U.S. Secret Service, 572 F.3d 962, 20 969 (9th Cir. 2009). The “sheer possibility that a defendant has acted unlawfully” is not sufficient, and 21 “facts that are ‘merely consistent with’ a defendant’s liability” falls short of satisfying the plausibility 22 standard. Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678; Moss, 572 F.3d at 969. 23 II. 24 SUMMARY OF ALLEGATIONS 25 The Court accepts Plaintiff’s allegations in his complaint as true only for the purpose of the 26 screening requirement under 28 U.S.C. § 1915. 27 On August 21, 2020, Plaintiff filed a writ of habeas corpus in the Stanislaus County Superior 28 Court. In the writ, Plaintiff provided full facts and proof that due to the outbreak of Covid-19 in the jail 1 and his acute immune disorder, he was at a higher risk of injury and death. Plaintiff submitted supporting 2 medical documents to support his fears and concerns, along with the fact that the contagion has spread 3 rapidly throughout the quarters of the housing unit to which he was assigned. Plaintiff had requested to 4 be released to a family member’s house or placed in a hotel as a more reasonable safety accommodation. 5 Plaintiff’s petition was blatantly ignored at the personal agenda of the judge as he procrastinated for six 6 months to answer the petition for order to show cause and gave several excuses why he had not. Then, 7 in the middle of a jury trial (April 2021) the contagion spread again in Plaintiff’s housing unit. Instead 8 of considering Plaintiff’s original request for release, Plaintiff was moved to the hospital unit where 9 other who tested positive were housed. The trial was postponed and Plaintiff’s habeas corpus was denied 10 on May 5, 2021, stating a defendant may not file a petition of habeas corpus in propria persona and he 11 failed to submit evidence in support of the petition. Plaintiff was not able to shower safety because 12 those who were infected used the same one. Plaintiff was left in imminent danger. 13 Wellpath medical lied by stating in an official letter that Plaintiff had not told them about his 14 immune disorder when he was first incarcerated at the Public Safety Center. However, Plaintiff’s 15 medical records will show that on July 26, 2018 (ten days after he was booked) he told Wellpath medical 16 staff Coletle Zelaya about his immune disorder several months before the outbreak of Covid-19 in the 17 facility. To support the informal response of county counsel and district attorney, Wellpath claimed that 18 they had the contagion under control and that Plaintiff was in no danger. However, they disregarded 19 and ignored Plaintiff’s inquiry in which he asked if they could prevent another onset of his immune 20 disorder in light of the Covid-19 virus-similar to the virus which almost killed him in 2014. Wellpath 21 medical could not and cannot help nor prevent Covid-19 from setting off his immune disorder and killing 22 him. Plaintiff cannot take the vaccination. Wellpath lied to the courts indicating they could take care 23 of the imminent danger. 24 Plaintiff is now in the H-unit hospital of the facility where everyone has contracted the contagion 25 Covid-19. There is no safe place for Plaintiff to be housed in the facility because the virus is everywhere. 26 Plaintiff requested to be released to the safety and security of his family or friend’s home in 27 order to continue securely in his ongoing case. While others were being specifically selected to be 28 released on their own recognizance. Plaintiff’s pre-medical immune disorder was not taken into 1 consideration. Plaintiff was ignored, his petition was disregarded and delay for an unreasonable 2 amount of time which denied his constitutional right to file the petition in propria persona. Plaintiff 3 has been left exposed to the imminent threat of the virus at the facility, and he has developed extreme 4 fear, despair, lack of confidence, mental pain, excessive worry, excessive sleeping, weariness, weight 5 gain, and extreme nervousness. 6 At one point, lieutenant Clifton interfered with Plaintiff’s direct grievance to Wellpath medical 7 (grievance dated May 15, 2020), and Plaintiff never received a reply from Wellpath because Clifton 8 obstructed Plaintiff’s right to the grievance process and medical inquiry. 9 III. 10 DISCUSSION 11 A. Judicial Immunity 12 Absolute judicial immunity is afforded to judges for acts performed by the judge that relate to 13 the judicial process. In re Castillo, 297 F.3d 940, 947 (9th Cir. 2002), as amended (Sept. 6, 2002).

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)
City of St. Louis v. Praprotnik
485 U.S. 112 (Supreme Court, 1988)
Ashcroft v. Iqbal
556 U.S. 662 (Supreme Court, 2009)
Dougherty v. City of Covina
654 F.3d 892 (Ninth Circuit, 2011)
Gregory Carey v. John E. King
856 F.2d 1439 (Ninth Circuit, 1988)
Davis v. City of Ellensburg
869 F.2d 1230 (Ninth Circuit, 1989)
Michael Henry Ferdik v. Joe Bonzelet, Sheriff
963 F.2d 1258 (Ninth Circuit, 1992)
Buckley v. Barlow
997 F.2d 494 (Eighth Circuit, 1993)
United States v. Peter Simonelli
237 F.3d 19 (First Circuit, 2001)
Ramirez v. Galaza
334 F.3d 850 (Ninth Circuit, 2003)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
(PC) Jeffrey T. Eastman v. Westbrook, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pc-jeffrey-t-eastman-v-westbrook-caed-2021.