(PC) Muhammad v. Seibel

District Court, E.D. California·Decided July 13, 2020·No. 2:18-cv-02831·Unknown

Opinion

KWESI MUHAMMAD, No. 2:18-cv-2775 AC P Plaintiff, v. ORDER KATHERYN KESTERSON, et al., Defendants.

KWESI MUHAMMAD, No. 2:18-cv-2831 AC P Plaintiff, v. ORDER KIMBERLY SEIBEL, et al., Defendants. I. Introduction Plaintiff is a state prisoner currently incarcerated at the California Training Facility in Soledad. Plaintiff challenges conditions of his prior confinement at Deuel Vocational Institution (DVI). Plaintiff commenced these actions in the San Joaquin County Superior Court. Defendants removed both actions from the Superior Court to this federal district court pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1441(a), paid the filing fees, and filed a related-case notice in each case. The nearly identical First Amended Complaints (FACs) in both cases are before the court for screening under 28 U.S.C. § 1915A. For the reasons set forth below, the undersigned declines to direct service of either complaint but provides plaintiff the opportunity to file a Second Amended Complaint in Muhammad v. Seibel et al., Case No. 2:18-cv-2831 AC P. II. Cases Properly Related Defendants filed a Notice of Related Case in each of the instant cases. See Muhammad v. Kesterson et al., Case No. 2:18-cv-2775 AC P, at ECF No. 3; Muhammad v. Seibel et al., Case No. 2:18-cv-2831 AC P, at ECF No. 3. The undersigned finds these cases properly related under the standards set forth in Local Rule 123. These actions involve the same plaintiff and the allegations and claims against the defendants “involve similar questions of fact and the same question of law.” Local Rule 123(a)(3). All defendants are represented by the same California Deputy Attorney General. Therefore, the assignment of these cases to the same Magistrate Judge and District Judge will “effect a substantial savings of judicial effort.” Id. III. Screening of Plaintiff’s Complaints A. Legal Standards for Screening Prisoner Complaints The court is required to screen complaints brought by prisoners seeking relief against a governmental entity or officer or employee of a governmental entity. 28 U.S.C. § 1915A(a). The court must dismiss a complaint or portion thereof if the prisoner has raised claims that are legally “frivolous or malicious,” that fail to state a claim upon which relief may be granted, or that seek monetary relief from a defendant who is immune from such relief. 28 U.S.C. § 1915A(b)(1),(2). A claim is legally frivolous when it lacks an arguable basis either in law or in fact. Neitzke v. Williams, 490 U.S. 319, 325 (1989); Franklin v. Murphy, 745 F.2d 1221, 1227-28 (9th Cir. 1984). Rule 8 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure “requires only ‘a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief,’ in order to ‘give the defendant fair notice of what the . . . claim is and the grounds upon which it rests.’” Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555 (2007) (quoting Conley v. Gibson, 355 U.S. 41, 47 (1957)). “[T]he pleading standard Rule 8 announces does not require ‘detailed factual allegations,’ but it demands more than an unadorned, the-defendant-unlawfully-harmed-me accusation.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009) (quoting Twombly at 555). To survive dismissal for failure to state a claim, “a complaint must contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to “state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.’” Iqbal at 678 (quoting Twombly at 570). “A claim has facial plausibility when the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged. “A document filed pro se is ‘to be liberally construed,’ and ‘a pro se complaint, however inartfully pleaded, must be held to less stringent standards than formal pleadings drafted by lawyers.’” Erickson v. Pardus, 551 U.S. 89, 94 (2007) (quoting Estelle v. Gamble, 429 U.S. 97, 106 (1976) (internal quotation marks omitted)). See also Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(e) (“Pleadings shall be so construed as to do justice.”). Additionally, a pro se litigant is entitled to notice of the deficiencies in the complaint and an opportunity to amend, unless the complaint’s deficiencies cannot be cured by amendment. See Noll v. Carlson, 809 F.2d 1446, 1448 (9th Cir. 1987). B. The Complaints These cases challenge the conduct of four defendants (two defendants are named in each case), each of whom participated in the denial of plaintiff’s requests for accommodations in the shower facility in plaintiff’s DVI housing unit. The FACs present federal claims under Title II of the ADA, 42 U.S.C. § 12131 et seq.; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (RA), 29 U.S.C.A. § 794; and the Eighth Amendment pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Plaintiff seeks declaratory relief and compensatory damages. Plaintiff’s original complaints alleged claims under California’s Government Claims Act, but his FACs do not,1 and are therefore not addressed herein. The FACs allege as follows. Plaintiff had foot surgery on January 16, 2018, which precluded weightbearing on his left foot and required him “to either use crutches or a wheelchair full time for mobility for 38 days.” FACs ¶ 4, Ex. A.2 On January 21, 2018, plaintiff submitted 1 Nevertheless, both FACs note that plaintiff timely filed a government claim, which was expressly rejected. FACs ¶ 10, Exs. F, G. 2 Plaintiff’s allegations in both FACs are nearly identical and reflect the same paragraph numbers; his exhibits to both complaints are also identically designated. Cf. Muhammad v. an ADA3 accommodation request for grab bars to be installed in the subject shower. On January 23, 2018, the request was denied by defendant M. Starr, DVI Associate Warden and ADA Coordinator. Plaintiff’s request was denied on the ground that he was already “being accommodated with 2 different types of shower chairs, hand held shower wand and fixed shower bench.” FACs ¶ 6, Ex. B. On January 29, 2018, plaintiff requested supervisorial review of his accommodation request. On February 12, 2018, the request was denied by defendant K. Kesterson, DVI Chief Deputy Warden. Plaintiff’s request was denied on the ground that “[t]he accommodation provided to you meet the requirements. You are accommodated w/2 different types of shower chairs, hand held shower wand and a fixed shower bench.” FACs ¶ 7, Ex. B. On February 22, 2018, plaintiff submitted an administrative grievance (inmate appeal) again requesting the installation of grab bars in the shower. FACs ¶ 8, Ex. C. First Level Review was bypassed. Following an interview with plaintiff by a correctional counselor who

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