(PC) Spence v. Kaur

District Court, E.D. California·Decided December 20, 2019·No. 2:16-cv-01828·Unknown

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 11 GERALD SPENCE, No. 2:16-cv-1828 TLN KJN P 12 Plaintiff, 13 v. ORDER AND FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 14 G. KAUR, et al., 15 Defendants. 16 17 Plaintiff is a state prisoner, proceeding pro se. This action proceeds on plaintiff’s second 18 amended complaint in which he claims that while he was housed at California State Prison- 19 Solano, defendant Kaur, Sr. Librarian, retaliated against plaintiff for filing a form 22 against her, 20 by issuing a 128-B and then a CDC-115 (“RVR”) on the same allegedly false charges. Plaintiff’s 21 motion for leave to file a third amended complaint is now before the court. As discussed below, 22 it is recommended that plaintiff’s motion to amend be partially granted. 23 I. Background 24 Plaintiff’s original complaint was filed on July 22, 2016. On April 27, 2017, plaintiff 25 filed an amended complaint as of right. (ECF No. 19.) On June 20, 2017, plaintiff’s amended 26 complaint was dismissed with leave to amend. (ECF No. 20.) On August 7, 2017, plaintiff filed 27 a second amended complaint. (ECF No. 23.) On January 19, 2018, the court found plaintiff 28 //// 1 stated a potentially cognizable claim against defendant Kaur.1 (ECF No. 25 at 1.) Defendant 2 Kaur filed an answer on September 19, 2018. (ECF No. 44.) On October 11, 2018, the court 3 issued a discovery and scheduling order. On November 20, 2018, pursuant to plaintiff’s request, 4 the undersigned extended the discovery deadline to February 25, 2019, and the pretrial motions 5 deadline was extended to May 20, 2019. (ECF No. 51.) On January 23, 2019, the undersigned 6 granted plaintiff’s second request to extend the discovery deadline, which was extended to April 7 19, 2019, and the pretrial motions deadline was extended to July 19, 2019. (ECF No. 58.) 8 On March 7, 2019, plaintiff filed a motion to amend, accompanied by his proposed third 9 amended complaint. (ECF Nos. 60, 61.) Defendant Kaur opposes the motion; plaintiff filed a 10 reply. (ECF Nos. 62, 63.) 11 On June 21, 2019, the court confirmed that discovery was closed, and the dispositive 12 motions deadline was vacated. (ECF No. 82.) 13 II. Proposed Amendment 14 In the proposed third amended complaint, plaintiff adds due process claims against 15 defendant Kaur, and adds substantive and procedural due process claims, retaliation claims, and 16 “gender bias” or discrimination claims against newly-named Correctional Sgt. Muhammad, and 17 Correctional Sgt. Chambers based on their assistance to defendant Kaur in filing a CDCR 128B 18 Informational Chrono and RVR against plaintiff. (ECF No. 61.) Plaintiff seeks, inter alia, 19 complete removal of the 128B Chrono and RVR, as well as monetary damages. 20 III Motion to Amend 21 A. The Parties’ Briefing 22 In his motion, plaintiff notes that his first amended complaint alleged that his due process 23 rights were violated by defendant Chambers in connection with the hearing on the alleged 24 retaliatory disciplinary issued by defendant Kaur,2 and argues as follows. Recently discovered

25 1 On February 14, 2018, defendants Ditto and Williams were dismissed without leave to amend. (ECF No. 27.) 26

27 2 Plaintiff references the court’s prior ruling: “In his second claim, plaintiff claims that ‘Chambers “heard” the [alleged] retaliatory disciplinary.’ (ECF No. 19 at 5.) Plaintiff concedes 28 that the RVR was overturned after plaintiff served the penalty assessed, 30-day deprivation of 1 documents “show the direct involvement of both Sgt. Chambers and Aisha Muhammed in 2 drafting, advising, approving and hearing the RVR and composition of the 128B, the basis of the 3 RVR.” (ECF No. 61 at 1.) Plaintiff was unable to earlier move to amend because such 4 documents “were disclosed only 30 day[s] prior after [sic] the close of discovery.” ECF No. 61 at 5 2.) Service of process on such new defendants can be expedited because “defendants can waive 6 service,” and any additional discovery will be “minimal.” (Id.) His proposed amendment is for 7 good cause, made in good faith as a result of his diligence, and delay alone is an insufficient 8 ground to deny amendment. Further, such new documentary evidence demonstrates “futility is 9 moot.” (Id.) Finally, plaintiff should be permitted to amend because his new claims are “facially 10 plausible,” allowing reasonable inferences that the defendants are liable for their alleged 11 misconduct. (ECF No. 61 at 2.) 12 Defendant Kaur contends that the motion should be denied for the following reasons. 13 Plaintiff’s effort to bring a due process challenge is futile because such claim was dismissed when 14 the court screened plaintiff’s first amended complaint, specifically finding that plaintiff must 15 pursue unrelated due process claims in a separate action. (ECF No. 62 at 1.) Further, adding new 16 defendants only 22 days before discovery is to close would prejudice defendant Kaur by unduly 17 delaying this case. In addition to the delay in adding new defendants, discovery would need to be 18 extended in order to litigate new theories of liability: due process and gender discrimination, as 19 well as retaliation claims against the two new defendants. Finally, amendment is futile for two 20 reasons: (1) because the court previously dismissed plaintiff’s due process claim against 21 Chambers; and because plaintiff’s due process and gender discrimination claims against 22 Chambers and Muhammad concern the adjudication of the RVR, such claims are unrelated to 23 plaintiff’s retaliation claim against Kaur, and are barred under Rule 18(a) of the Federal Rules of 24 Civil Procedure; and (2) because plaintiff’s proposed third amended complaint fails to state a

25 yard and law library access. (¶) Plaintiff fails to identify the factual basis upon which he raises this claim. In other words, he fails to identify any constitutional or federal statutory violation by 26 Chambers’ actions. . . . (¶) Plaintiff’s allegations contained in Claim II . . . fail to state viable 27 retaliation claims because plaintiff fails to identify any facts connecting such defendants to plaintiff’s protected conduct or showing that their actions were based on retaliation.” (ECF No. 28 20 at 3-4.) 1 claim against Chambers and Muhammad -- plaintiff failed to allege facts showing either 2 Chambers or Muhammad violated plaintiff’s due process rights during the adjudication of the 3 RVR, and there are no facts demonstrating either of them took any adverse action against plaintiff 4 because of his protected First Amendment rights. (ECF. No. 62 at 6.) Defendant argues 5 amendment is futile if it would fail to withstand a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim, 6 citing Dougherty v. Town of North Hempstead Bd. Of Zoning Appeals, 282 F.3d 83, 88 (2d Cir. 7 2002). (ECF No. 62 at 6.) 8 In reply,3 plaintiff argues that his newly-discovered documents “leave no intelligent 9 debate” about the involvement of Sgt. Chambers and Sgt. Muhammed “as principals in the 10 creation, approval and hearing of the RVR they spoon-fed to a willing and waiting Kaur.” (ECF 11 No. 64 at 1.) In addition to “several drafts, private meetings, coaching, approving Chambers 12 solicited testimony off the record from Kaur while denying plaintiff any witnesses, though 13 requested,” plaintiff contends the most glaring evidence is that both the 128B and RVR authored 14 by Kaur failed to include any specific violation, but the citation of 3005(b)(1) was added by 15 Kaur’s alleged co-conspirators. (ECF No. 64 at 1-2.) Plaintiff submitted his motion to amend 16 soon after receipt of the documents appended to his reply. (ECF No. 64 at 5-13.) 17 B. Legal Standard 18 Because defendant has filed an answer, Rule 15(a)(2) governs plaintiff’s motion to amend, 19 as follows: 20 (2) Other Amendments.

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