(PC) Reid v. Nash

District Court, E.D. California·Decided September 5, 2025·No. 1:22-cv-00549·Unknown

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5

6 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 7 EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 8

9 WALTER R. REID, 1:22-cv-00549-KES-EPG (PC) 10 11 Plaintiff, F R I E N C D O IN M G M S E A N N D D IN R G E P C L O A M IN M T E I N FF D ’ A S T M IO O N TI S O N 12 v. F A O M R E L N E D A E V D E C T O O M F P I L L A E I A N T S E B C E O D N E D N IED 13 BARRY GREEN, (ECF No. 62) 14 Defendant. OBJECTIONS, IF ANY, DUE WITHIN 15 THIRTY (30) DAYS

16 Plaintiff Walter R. Reid (Plaintiff) is a state prisoner proceeding pro se in this civil 17 rights action filed pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Plaintiff filed his initial complaint on April 18 26, 2022. (ECF No. 1). Following discovery and summary judgment, the case proceeds on 19 plaintiff’s Eighth Amendment claim against defendant Green for deliberate indifference to his 20 serious medical needs. (ECF Nos. 23, 24). 21 On April 4, 2025, while Defendant Green’s motion for summary judgment was 22 pending, Plaintiff filed a motion for leave to file a second amended complaint. (ECF NO. 62). 23 Plaintiff seeks to add defendants John and Jane Does 1-30, including the Chief Medical Officer, 24 as defendants based on their involvement as supervisors of the prison’s medical department. 25 Plaintiff also seeks to add a claim for violation of due process against all defendants. 26 Upon review, the Court recommends that Plaintiff’s motion for leave to file a second 27 amended complaint be DENIED. 28 1 I. BACKGROUND 2 A. Screening of Plaintiff’s Previous Complaint 3 Plaintiff filed his initial complaint on April 26, 2022. (ECF No. 1). On January 23, 4 2023, the Court screened Plaintiff’s complaint and found that the case should proceed solely on 5 Plaintiff’s Eighth Amendment claim against Defendant Green for deliberate indifference to 6 Plaintiff’s serious medical needs. (ECF No. 15). The screening order explained that Plaintiff’s 7 complaint failed to state a cognizable claim against the supervisor of the prison’s medical 8 department and also failed to state a cognizable claim against any defendant for violation of 9 due process. 10 Specifically, the screening order found that Plaintiff had not alleged facts to state a 11 claim against Defendant Jason Nash, whom Plaintiff alleged “oversees the medical system at 12 Avenal State Prison.” (ECF No. 1, at p. 3). Citing Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 676-77 13 (2009), the screening order found that “supervisory personnel are not liable under section 1983 14 for the actions of their employees under a theory of respondeat superior and, therefore, when a 15 named defendant holds a supervisory position, the causal link between the supervisory 16 defendant and the claimed constitutional violation must be specifically alleged. As Plaintiff 17 includes no factual allegations regarding defendant Nash, Plaintiff fails to state a claim against 18 defendant Nash.” (ECF No. 15, at pp. 7 and 10). 19 Further, the screening order found Plaintiff failed to allege facts sufficient to state a due 20 process violation claim because “Plaintiff alleges that he should have received immediate care, 21 but Plaintiff does not identify any process that he should have been provided before being 22 deprived of a liberty interest. Accordingly, Plaintiff fails to state a Fourteenth Amendment due 23 process claim based on his allegations that he was not immediately provided with medical 24 care.” (ECF No. 15, at p. 12). Plaintiff was granted leave to amend. 25 On February 21, 2023, Plaintiff filed his response to the Court’s screening order and 26 stated that he wanted to stand on his complaint and have it reviewed by a district judge. (ECF 27 No. 16). Accordingly, on February 23, 2023, the Court issued findings and recommendations 28 to the district judge consistent with the screening order. (ECF No. 18). On March 23, 2023, 1 Plaintiff filed a motion for an extension of time to file a First Amended Complaint solely 2 against Defendant Green. (ECF No. 21). The Court granted Plaintiff’s motion and vacated the 3 February 23, 2023, findings and recommendations. (ECF No. 22). 4 On April 3, 2023, Plaintiff filed his First Amended Complaint solely against Defendant 5 Green. (ECF No. 23). The Court found Plaintiff’s single claim should proceed past screening, 6 and ordered service of Plaintiff’s First Amended Complaint on Defendant Green. (ECF No. 7 24). 8 B. Case Proceeds Against Defendant Green 9 The case has proceeded against Defendant Green since that time. 10 On September 11, 2023, the Court issued a scheduling order opening discovery and 11 scheduling the case through dispositive motions. (ECF No. 34). Under the scheduling order, 12 non-expert discovery closed on May 8, 2024, and dispositive motions were due on June 7, 13 2024. (Id. at pp. 5-6). 14 On November 21, 2023, Defendant Green filed a motion for summary judgment. (ECF 15 No. 41). Plaintiff filed his opposition on December 11, 2023, and Defendant Green filed his 16 reply brief on December 14, 2023. (ECF Nos. 49 and 50). On July 1, 2024, the Court issued a 17 findings and recommendation recommending that Defendant Green’s motion for summary 18 judgment be denied. (ECF No. 57). 19 On September 2, 2025, the presiding district judge issued an order adopting the findings 20 and recommendations in full and denying Defendant Green’s motion for summary judgment. 21 (ECF No. 66). 22 II. PLAINTIFF’S MOTION FOR LEAVE TO AMEND 23 On March 20, 2025, Plaintiff filed a document titled “First Amended Prisoner Civil 24 Rights Complaint.” (ECF No. 60). On March 21, 2025, the Court issued a minute order 25 striking Plaintiff’s filing because Plaintiff did not have leave of the court or a stipulation to 26 amend his complaint, and because Plaintiff is already proceeding on his first amended 27 complaint. (ECF No. 61). 28 1 On April 4, 2025, Plaintiff filed a motion for leave to file a second amended complaint. 2 (ECF No. 62). In his motion, Plaintiff briefly asserts that he has not delayed in presenting the 3 proposed second amendment, that Defendants will not be prejudiced by the amendment, and 4 the proposed amendment is not futile. (Id.) 5 On April 4, 2025, Plaintiff lodged a proposed second amended complaint. (ECF No. 6 63). The proposed second amended complaint seeks to allege “[s]upervisor defendants failed 7 to ensure policies and training to prevent harm.” (Id. at p. 2). Plaintiff also seeks to add 8 unnamed defendants, including “Defendants John and Jane Does 1-10” who “are unknown 9 medical personnel, correctional officers, and supervisory staff responsible for the 10 unconstitutional acts and omissions described herein,” and “Defendant Supervisory Personnel, 11 including the Chief Medical Officer,” who “failed to properly train, supervise, or implement 12 policies to prevent unconstitutional medical neglect.” (Id. at p. 2-3). 13 Plaintiff also seeks to add two additional claims for violation of due process and 14 supervisory liability. (ECF No. 63). For the due process claim, Plaintiff seeks to allege: 15 “Plaintiff was deprived of necessary medical care without any meaningful process or 16 opportunity to challenge his treatment. Defendants' actions resulted in extreme pain, infection, 17 and unnecessary suffering, depriving Plaintiff of his liberty interest in receiving adequate 18 medical care.” (Id. at p. 4). For supervisory liability, Plaintiff seeks to allege: “Supervisory 19 Defendants implemented policies or practices that directly caused Plaintiff's injuries. The 20 failure to properly train, supervise, or intervene in medical care violations resulted in deliberate 21 indifference under Starr v. Baca, 652 F. 3d 1202 (9th Cir. 2011).” (Id. at p. 5). 22 On April 16, 2025, Defendant filed an opposition to Plaintiff’s motion for leave to 23 amend the complaint.

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