(PC) Matthew A. Lawrie v. Christian Pfeiffer

District Court, E.D. California·Decided October 17, 2024·No. 1:21-cv-00724·Unknown

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 11 MATTHEW A. LAWRIE, No. 1:21-cv-00724 KES GSA (PC) 12 Plaintiff, SCREENING ORDER (FIRST AMENDED COMPLAINT) 13 v. (ECF No. 31) 14 CHRISTIAN PFEIFFER, ORDER DIRECTING PLAINTIFF TO FILE 15 Defendant. AN AMENDED COMPLAINT 16 PLAINTIFF’S AMENDED COMPLAINT DUE IN THIRTY DAYS 17

18 Plaintiff, a state prisoner proceeding pro se and in forma pauperis, has filed this civil 19 rights action seeking relief under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. The matter was referred to a United States 20 Magistrate Judge pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1)(B) and Local Rule 302. 21 Before this Court is Plaintiff’s first amended complaint (“FAC”). ECF No. 31. For the 22 reasons stated below, Plaintiff will be given a final opportunity to file an amended complaint that 23 successfully states a cognizable claim. He will be given thirty days to do so. 24 I. FIRST AMENDED COMPLAINT 25 A. Facts Alleged and Harm Caused 26 Plaintiff, currently an inmate at Mule Creek State Prison (“MCSP”), names Christian 27 Pfeiffer, the Warden at Kern Valley State Prison (“KVSP”), as the sole defendant in this action. 28 1 ECF No. 31 at 1-2. In it are two Claims, both of which are so bereft of factual support concerning 2 Defendant Pfeiffer that the Court is left unable to determine just how Defendant Pfeiffer is 3 allegedly responsible for either of them. 4 In Claim One, Plaintiff contends that while at KVSP, he was denied medical care, access 5 to courts, due process, free speech, freedom of religion, and freedom from cruel and unusual 6 punishment. Id. at 3 (Claim One – Plaintiff underlining rights violated on civil rights form and 7 stating “see the underlined areas violated please”). In support of this claim Plaintiff, with little or 8 no explanation, alleges: 1- that he was apparently prevented from pursuing a workers 9 compensation claim, 2- that in 2019 he was injured by staff and needed surgery, 3-that he was a 10 victim of excessive force, 3- that he has experienced continual prejudice, and 4- suffered other 11 harms including staff falsely reporting a fight with a cellmate which prejudiced Plaintiff at a 12 classification hearing at KVSP, and later were used to “block parole 4/4/23” . 13 In Claim two- Plaintiff underlines the following as the claimed constitutional violations, 14 access to courts and due process. He states that he is now housed at Mule Creek State Prison and 15 that at this prison he has suffered the following constitutional violations: 1-he is blocked from 16 access to courts because of lack of access to the law library, denied legal paging for court forms, 17 copies, “etc”, 2- that the more he exercises his rights to due process and access to courts the more 18 he is blocked from programs for parole suitability and jobs, and 3- the food he is provided at 19 MCSP is often rotten and uncooked. Importantly, Plaintiff does not explain how Defendant 20 Pfeiffer, who is the Warden at KVSP, is responsible for Constitutional violations allegedly 21 occurring at MCSP. See ECF No. 31 at 3-4. 22 B. Remedy Sought 23 Plaintiff asks for the following relief: (1) the removal of false wording from all committee 24 reports that state “predatory behavior”, (2) that he be allowed to use alternative dispute methods 25 on all cases, (3) that he be awarded monetary and punitive damages in the amount of 26 $1,000,000.00, or (4) that this matter be set for trial. ECF No. 31 at 5. In further support of his 27 claims and requests for relief, Plaintiff has filed fifteen pages of attachments. See id. at 6-20. 28 II. SCREENING REQUIREMENT 1 The Court is required to screen complaints brought by prisoners seeking relief against a 2 governmental entity or officer or employee of a governmental entity. 28 U.S.C. § 1915A(a). The 3 Court must dismiss a complaint or portion thereof if the prisoner has raised claims that are legally 4 “frivolous or malicious,” that fail to state a claim upon which relief may be granted, or that seek 5 monetary relief from a defendant who is immune from such relief. 28 U.S.C. § 1915A(b)(1)-(2). 6 “Notwithstanding any filing fee, or any portion thereof, that may have been paid, the court shall 7 dismiss the case at any time if the court determines that the action or appeal fails to state a claim 8 upon which relief may be granted.” 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2)(B)(ii). 9 A complaint is required to contain “a short and plain statement of the claim showing that 10 the pleader is entitled to relief.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2). The pleading must be “simple, concise, 11 and direct.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(d)(1). Detailed factual allegations are not required, but 12 “[t]hreadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported by mere conclusory 13 statements, do not suffice.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009) (citing Bell Atlantic 14 Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555 (2007)). While a plaintiff’s allegations are taken as true, 15 courts “are not required to indulge unwarranted inferences.” Doe I v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., 572 16 F.3d 677, 681 (9th Cir. 2009) (internal quotation marks and citation omitted). To state a viable 17 claim, a plaintiff must set forth “sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to ‘state a claim to 18 relief that is plausible on its face.’” Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678-79; Moss v. United States Secret 19 Service, 572 F.3d 962, 969 (9th Cir. 2009). While factual allegations are accepted as true, legal 20 conclusions are not. Id. The mere possibility of misconduct falls short of meeting this 21 plausibility standard. Id. 22 III. STANDARD OF REVIEW 23 A. Generally 24 Section 1983 “provides a cause of action for the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or 25 immunities secured by the Constitution and laws of the United States.” Wilder v. Virginia Hosp. 26 Ass’n, 496 U.S. 498, 508 (1990) (quoting 42 U.S.C. § 1983). Section 1983 is not itself a source 27 of substantive rights, but merely provides a method for vindicating federal rights conferred 28 elsewhere. Graham v. Connor, 490 U.S. 386, 393-94 (1989). 1 To state a claim under Section 1983, a plaintiff must allege two essential elements: (1) 2 that a right secured by the Constitution or laws of the United States was violated and (2) that the 3 alleged violation was committed by a person acting under the color of state law. See West v. 4 Atkins, 487 U.S. 42, 48 (1988); Ketchum v. Alameda Cty., 811 F.2d 1243, 1245 (9th Cir. 1987). 5 B.

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