(PC) Rivera v. Davey

District Court, E.D. California·Decided February 26, 2021·No. 1:16-cv-01817·Unknown

Opinion

RICKY RIVERA, Case No.: 1:16-cv-01817-AWI-BAM (PC) Plaintiff, FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATION TO DISMISS ACTION, WITHOUT PREJUDICE, v. FOR FAILURE TO EXHAUST ADMINISTRATIVE REMEDIES DAVE DAVEY, et al., (ECF No. 52) Defendants. FOURTEEN (14) DAY DEADLINE Plaintiff Ricky Rivera is a state prisoner proceeding pro se and in forma pauperis in this civil action pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. On August 7, 2020, Defendants Crain, Davey, Robicheaux filed a motion to dismiss on the ground that Plaintiff failed to exhaust all available administrative remedies before filing suit. (ECF No. 52.) Plaintiff filed an opposition to the motion on September 20, 2020. (ECF No. 56.) Defendants filed a reply brief on September 17, 2020. (ECF No. 57.) The motion is deemed submitted. Local Rule 230(l). I. Summary of Second Amended Complaint Plaintiff names the following defendants: (1) CSP-COR Warden Dave Davey; (2) Community Resource Manager M. Robicheaux; (3) Christian Chaplain Ed Crain;1 and (4) S.M.V. Chapoleun,2 Catholic Priest.

1 Plaintiff refers to this Defendant both a “Cain” and “Crain” in the second amended complaint. The exhibits attached to the complaint identify this Defendant as “Crain,” and therefore, the Court will adopt this spelling.

2 Defendant Chapoleun was dismissed on August 20, 2020 from this action, without prejudice, for failure to serve process under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 4(m). (Doc. 53.) Plaintiff alleges as follows: Plaintiff is Jewish since birth, by a Jewish mother. Plaintiff asserts that he is a member of the Aleph Institute, which was founded in 1981 by Rabbi Sholom D. Lipskar at the express direct of the Lubaritcher Rebbe. Further, Plaintiff alleges that all Defendants are, and have been aware, that Plaintiff has been a Jew since birth. Plaintiff’s faith requires him to follow the religious prayers and rituals under the Jewish faith. Plaintiff’s sincerely held religious belief is that Jewish religious practices be conducted in a room that does not contain a toilet or similar receptacle and the Mezuzah cannot be placed or hung on an entrance door to a restroom. On June 23, 2014, Plaintiff arrived at CSP-COR, after being transferred from Wasco State Prison. However, from May 2014 through April 2016, Plaintiff’s requests to practice his Jewish prayers and Jewish holy day events were repeatedly denied by Defendants Robicheaux, Crain, Chapoleun, and Davey. From July 2014 through November or December 2015, Defendant Chapoleun was employed as the CSP-COR chaplain. From November or December 2015 and then on, Defendant Crain replaced Defendant Chapoleun as the CSP-COR chaplain. Defendant Robicheaux was/is Defendants Chapoleun’s and Crain’s supervisor. On May 18, 2014, June 1, 2014, July 10, 2014, September 23, 2014, September 30, 2014, October 4, 2014, October 6, 2014, October 11, 2014, October 12, 2014, December 12, 2014, December 26, 2014, January 31, 2015, February 28, 2015, March 1, 2015, March 29, 2015, March 31, 2015, May 2, 2015, May 19, 2015, July 1, 2015, July 21, 2015, August 31, 2015, September 11, 2015, September 18, 2015, September 23, 2015, October 2, 2015, December 2, 2015, December 17, 2015, January 20, 2016, March 18, 2016, March 19, 2016, and on April 17, 2016, Plaintiff submitted separate Form 22 Inmate Request for Interview, Item or Service (“Form 22”) requests to Defendant Robicheaux and either Defendants Chapoleun or Crain via the institutional mail, asking the Defendants to observe specific Jewish holy day ritual on July 17, 2014, August 5, 2014, September 25-26, 2014, September 23, 2014, September 28, 2014, September 30, 2014, October 4, 2014, October 9-17, 2014, December 12, 17-24, 2014, December 26, 2014, January 1, 2015, January 31, 2015, February 4, 2015, February 28, 2015, March 4-5, 2015, March 29, 2015, April 3-10, 2015, May 7, 2015, May 24-25, 2015, July 1, 2015, July 5, 2015, July 21, 2015, July 26, 2015, September 11, 2015, September 14-16, 2015, September 23, 2015, September 28-October 6, 2015, December 7-22, 2015, January 25, 2016, March 18, 23-24, 2016, and April 22, 2016. Each Form 22 request asked for space and time in the chapel and notified Defendants Robicheaux and Chapoleun or Crain to the fact that Plaintiff could not perform any holy day rituals in his prison cell because the holy day rituals cannot be performed in a room that contains a toilet or any other receptacle where a person is intended to urinate or defecate. Plaintiff suggested if the Chapel were not available, space in the gym or education room would suffice. Plaintiff’s request to use the yard for his religious service was denied because Plaintiff and all STG-Surenos were subject to modified program during this period. However, Plaintiff never received a response to any of the Form 22s that he submitted between May 18, 2014 and April 17, 2016, in violation of Title 15. Further, on all the dates Plaintiff requested use of the Facility Chapel between July 15, 2014 and April 22, 2016, Plaintiff was denied access to the Facility Chapel or any other room without a toilet where he could perform a Jewish holy day ritual. Plaintiff alleges that Defendants Robicheaux and Chapoleun or Crain each individually denied him access to the Facility Chapel or any other room without a toilet where he could perform a Jewish holy day ritual. The denials were not reasonably related to legitimate penological interests because for two years he was substantially burdened in his practice. On August 17, 2015, August 24, 2015, and November 21, 2015, Plaintiff sent Form 22 requests to Defendant Robicheaux, asking the Defendant to immediately assist him and rectify the continued denial and deprivation of his requested religious obligatory prayers and holy day events being conducted in the Chapel facility. However, Defendant Robicheaux failed to respond to Plaintiff’s Form 22 requests and failed to assist Plaintiff in establishing a time and place to perform his obligatory Jewish prayers and holy day events in 2015 at the Facility Chapel. In 2014 and/or 2015, Plaintiff made personal requests to Defendant Crain and Chapoleun at the Chapel for time and space and/or a room without a toilet to allow him to conduct his Jewish Prayers/Rituals consistent with his religious beliefs. Both Defendant did not make any appropriate accommodations for Plaintiff. This was not reasonably related to legitimate penological interests. On September 30, 2014, December 31, 2014, March 31, 2015, June 30, 2015, September 30, 2015, December 31, 2015, and March 31, 2016, Plaintiff submitted separate Form 22 requests to Defendant Davey, asking Defendant Davey to adopt a policy and procedure to rectify the denial of access to the Facility Chapel or other room without a toilet where Jewish holy day rituals could be performed. Plaintiff asserts that he never received any response to the Form 22s. No accommodations were made for Plaintiff’s sincerely held religious beliefs and Defendant Davey’s nonresponse was not reasonably related to a legitimate penological interest because a non response burdened Plaintiff’s religious practice for a year. However, on April 1, 2016, an unidentified man in plain clothes called Plaintiff for an interview regarding all of the Form 22s that Plaintiff had sent to Defendant Davey. The unidentified man, who Plaintiff identifies at DOE#1,3 refused to give Plaintiff his name, had all of the Form 22s in his physical possession, and informed Plaintiff that he would only answer the Form 22s verbally so that no evidence that the conversation had occurred would exist. The unidentified man told Plaintiff that he was addressing Plaintiff’s Form 22s on behalf of Defendant Davey, that Defendant Davey had actually read the Form 22s, and that Defendant Davey knowingly neglecte

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