(PC) Rilurcasa v. State of California

District Court, E.D. California·Decided October 12, 2021·No. 1:20-cv-01568·Unknown

Opinion

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11 TOM JON RILURCASA, ) Case No.: 1:20-cv-01568-NONE-SAB (PC) ) 12 Plaintiff, ) ) FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 13 v. ) RECOMMENDING DISMISSAL OF CERTAIN CLAIMS AND DEFENDANTS FOR FAILURE TO 14 STATE OF CALIFORNIA, et al., ) STATE A COGNIZABLE CLAIM ) 15 Defendants. ) (ECF No. 21) ) 16 ) ) 17 )

18 Plaintiff Tom Jon Rilurcasa is proceeding pro se and in forma pauperis in this civil rights 19 action pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. 20 Currently before the Court is Plaintiff’s second amended complaint, filed July 16, 2021. 21 I. 23 The Court is required to screen complaints brought by prisoners seeking relief against a 24 governmental entity or officer or employee of a governmental entity. 28 U.S.C. § 1915A(a). The Court 25 must dismiss a complaint or portion thereof if the prisoner has raised claims that are legally “frivolous 26 or malicious,” that “fail[] to state a claim on which relief may be granted,” or that “seek[] monetary 27 relief against a defendant who is immune from such relief.” 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2)(B); see also 28 28 U.S.C. § 1915A(b). 1 A complaint must contain “a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is 2 entitled to relief. . . .” Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2). Detailed factual allegations are not required, but 3 “[t]hreadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported by mere conclusory statements, do 4 not suffice.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009) (citing Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 5 U.S. 544, 555 (2007)). Moreover, Plaintiff must demonstrate that each defendant personally participated 6 in the deprivation of Plaintiff’s rights. Jones v. Williams, 297 F.3d 930, 934 (9th Cir. 2002). 7 Prisoners proceeding pro se in civil rights actions are entitled to have their pleadings liberally 8 construed and to have any doubt resolved in their favor. Wilhelm v. Rotman, 680 F.3d 1113, 1121 (9th 9 Cir. 2012) (citations omitted). To survive screening, Plaintiff’s claims must be facially plausible, which 10 requires sufficient factual detail to allow the Court to reasonably infer that each named defendant is 11 liable for the misconduct alleged. Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678-79; Moss v. U.S. Secret Service, 572 F.3d 962, 12 969 (9th Cir. 2009). The “sheer possibility that a defendant has acted unlawfully” is not sufficient, and 13 “facts that are ‘merely consistent with’ a defendant’s liability” falls short of satisfying the plausibility 14 standard. Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678; Moss, 572 F.3d at 969. 15 II. 17 Plaintiff names Warden Stu Sherman, Doctor Ryan Kim, Doctor Bernard Brown, Doctor 18 Martin Laufik, Doctor Bruce Troup, Doctor Griffith Eleonor, Physician Assistant Mbadugha Chika, 19 Physician Assistant Oberst David, Registered Nurse Angela Ratliff, Registered Nurse Fajardo Grace, 20 Registered Nurse Roberts Danyelle, Physical Therapist Moreno Estere, HCGOR S. Gome, HCARN D. 21 Roberts, CEO C. Cryer and Chief HCCAB S. Gates, as Defendants. 22 “It is the responsibility of CDCR to promote the utilization advance directives to determine 23 plaintiff’s health care preferences, including, but not limited to decisions regarding plaintiff’s 24 medication and surgeries on his knee and shoulder. However, plaintiff was never informed of his right 25 to say in his medical care by co[rr]ections staff, medical staff or an ASL interpreter.” (Sec. Am. 26 27 28 1 Compl. at 5.)1 “PCP failed to properly schedule plaintiff with a high priority care within fourteen 2 days. Instead, plaintiff was schedule routine care within 90, 180 days, which caused plaintiff[’]s first 3 surgery on his knee to be put off for over two years, and he is still waiting for his second surgery on 4 his shoulder.” (Id.) “Plaintiff was also refused specialized health care housing in the he [sic] was 5 refused a lower bunk/lower tier which cause more damage to plaintiff[’]s knee and shoulder.” (Id. at 6 6.) 7 “[I]t is the responsibility of all CDCR to make sure that of [sic] deaf inmates has effective 8 communication when there is an exchange of health care information with the health care provider or 9 in health care grievances, with the help of an American sign language interpreter. It is plaintiff’s 10 statements when he seen doctors, and nurse them [sic] would refuse from time to time to provide him 11 with an ASL interpreter.” (Id. at 6-7.) 12 “[D]efendants did not provide proper medical care made [sic] plaintiff wait two years to 13 receive surgery, and more damage to his knee and shoulder. This shows that, et al, all named 14 defendants that is prison officials, et al, were want only [sic] deliberately indifferent to plaintiff[’]s 15 serious medical need causing him substantial harm to his health.” (Sec. Am. Compl. at 13-14.) 18 A. Deliberate Indifference to Serious Medical Need 19 The Eighth Amendment’s prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment protects convicted 20 prisoners. Bell v. Wolfish, 441 U.S. 520, 535 (1979); Graham v. Connor, 490 U.S. 386, 395 n.10 (1989). 21 Prison officials have a duty to ensure that prisoners are provided adequate shelter, food, clothing, 22 sanitation, medical care, and personal safety, Johnson v. Lewis, 217 F.3d 726, 731 (9th Cir. 2000) 23 (quotation marks and citations omitted), but not every injury that a prisoner sustains while in prison 24 represents a constitutional violation, Morgan v. Morgensen, 465 F.3d 1041, 1045 (9th 2006) (quotation 25 marks omitted). To maintain an Eighth Amendment claim, a prisoner must show that prison officials 26

27 1 References herein to page numbers are to the Court’s ECF pagination headers. 28 1 were deliberately indifferent to a substantial risk of harm to her health or safety. Farmer v. Brennan, 2 511 U.S. 825, 847 (1994); Thomas v. Ponder, 611 F.3d 1144, 1150-51 (9th Cir. 2010); Foster v. Runnels, 3 554 F.3d 807, 812-14 (9th Cir. 2009); Morgan, 465 F.3d at 1045; Johnson, 217 F.3d at 731; Frost v. 4 Agnos, 152 F.3d 1124, 1128 (9th Cir. 1998). A deliberate indifference claim has both a subjective and 5 an objective element. Helling v. McKinney, 509 U.S. 25, 35 (1993); Colwell v. Bannister, 763 F.3d 6 1060, 1066 (9th Cir. 2014) (quoting Snow v. McDaniel, 681 F.3d 978, 985 (9th Cir. 2012), overruled in 7 part on other grounds, Peralta v. Dillard, 744 F.3d 1076, 1082-83 (9th Cir. 2014)); Lopez v. Smith, 203 8 F.3d 1122, 1133 (9th Cir. 2000); Toguchi v. Chung, 391 F.3d 1051, 1057 (9th Cir. 2004). Mere 9 negligence on the part of a prison official is not sufficient to establish liability, but rather, the official’s 10 conduct must have been wanton. Farmer, 511 U.S. at 83; Frost, 152 F.3d at 1128. 11 To meet the objective element of the deliberate indifference standard, a plaintiff must 12 demonstrate the existence of a serious risk to his health or safety. Helling, 509 U.S. at 35; Colwell, 763 13 F.3d at 1066.

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