(PC) Valencia v. Martinez

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. California
DecidedApril 29, 2025
Docket1:24-cv-01441
StatusUnknown

This text of (PC) Valencia v. Martinez ((PC) Valencia v. Martinez) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
(PC) Valencia v. Martinez, (E.D. Cal. 2025).

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 11 ERIC VALENCIA, No. 1:24-cv-01441-SAB (PC) 12 Plaintiff, ORDER DIRECTING CLERK OF COURT TO RANDOMLY ASSIGN A DISTRICT 13 v. JUDGE TO THIS ACTION 14 MARTINEZ, et al., FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS RECOMMENDING DISMISSAL OF 15 ACTION Defendants. 16 (ECF No. 8) 17 18 Plaintiff is proceeding pro se and in forma pauperis in this civil rights complaint pursuant 19 to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. 20 Plaintiff’s complaint in this action was filed on November 25, 2024. (ECF No. 1.) 21 On February 19, 2025, the Court screened the complaint, found that Plaintiff failed to state 22 a cognizable claim for relief, and granted Plaintiff thirty days to file an amended complaint. 23 (ECF No. 7.) 24 Plaintiff failed to file an amended complaint or otherwise respond to the December 9, 25 2024 order. Therefore, on March 31, 2025, the Court issued an order for Plaintiff to show cause 26 why the action should not be dismissed. (ECF No. 8.) Plaintiff has failed to respond to the order 27 to show cause and the time to do so has now passed. Accordingly, dismissal of the action is 28 warranted. 1 I. 2 SCREENING REQUIREMENT 3 The Court is required to screen complaints brought by prisoners seeking relief against a 4 governmental entity or officer or employee of a governmental entity. 28 U.S.C. § 1915A(a). The 5 Court must dismiss a complaint or portion thereof if the prisoner has raised claims that are legally 6 “frivolous or malicious,” that “fail[] to state a claim on which relief may be granted,” or that 7 “seek[] monetary relief against a defendant who is immune from such relief.” 28 U.S.C. § 8 1915(e)(2)(B); see also 28 U.S.C. § 1915A(b). 9 A complaint must contain “a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the 10 pleader is entitled to relief. . . .” Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2). Detailed factual allegations are not 11 required, but “[t]hreadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported by mere 12 conclusory statements, do not suffice.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009) (citing Bell 13 Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555 (2007)). Moreover, Plaintiff must demonstrate 14 that each defendant personally participated in the deprivation of Plaintiff’s rights. Jones v. 15 Williams, 297 F.3d 930, 934 (9th Cir. 2002). 16 Prisoners proceeding pro se in civil rights actions are entitled to have their pleadings 17 liberally construed and to have any doubt resolved in their favor. Wilhelm v. Rotman, 680 F.3d 18 1113, 1121 (9th Cir. 2012) (citations omitted). To survive screening, Plaintiff’s claims must be 19 facially plausible, which requires sufficient factual detail to allow the Court to reasonably infer 20 that each named defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged. Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678-79; Moss 21 v. U.S. Secret Service, 572 F.3d 962, 969 (9th Cir. 2009). The “sheer possibility that a defendant 22 has acted unlawfully” is not sufficient, and “facts that are ‘merely consistent with’ a defendant’s 23 liability” falls short of satisfying the plausibility standard. Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678; Moss, 572 F.3d 24 at 969. 25 II. 26 COMPLAINT ALLEGATIONS 27 The Court accepts Plaintiff’s allegations in the complaint as true only for the purpose of the 28 screening requirement under 28 U.S.C. § 1915. 1 On November 19, 2024, at approximately 12:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m., Defendant officer 2 Martinez can be seen on facility surveillance in module “M,” leaving the officer podium after 3 conspiring with Defendant officer Navarro and entering dorm “4,” while Navarro remained 4 stationary. 5 Martinez approached Plaintiff very closely, then walking to storage containers containing 6 inmate Cuellar’s legal property, then telling Plaintiff “you know what is funny? I can throw all 7 these papers away and you can’t grieve me!” Martinez returned to the officers podium and 8 conversed with Navarro. 9 Approximately twenty minutes later and during a routine lockdown, Martinez threatened 10 to attack Plaintiff by pounding his fists together while standing directly in front of Plaintiff, 11 calling him out of his dorm to the laundry room to fight. Martinez waited until the lockdown to 12 begin in minimize witnesses. Plaintiff suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder from Madera 13 police officers attacking hi which resulted in a civil rights complaint in Valencia v. Martinez, et 14 al., No. 1:24-cv-01146-KES-CDB (PC). 15 Plaintiff declined the fight and immediately became in fear for his life. Plaintiff submitted 16 an emergency grievance to the neighbor module officer Bennings. Bennings forwarded the 17 information to the watch commander (Doe 1). Doe 1 failed to take reasonable actions to protect 18 Plaintiff. 19 Martinez returned to the module searching for Plaintiff from the podium. Plaintiff 20 abandoned his legal work and retreated to his cell and eventually fell asleep. Plaintiff had 21 nightmares for the remainder of the night in fear of being beaten by Martinez. Navarro 22 intentionally failed to prevent and encouraged Martinez to act indifferent to Plaintiff. Does 2 23 through 5 also failed to protect Plaintiff. 24 III. 25 DISCUSSION 26 A. Linkage Requirement 27 Section 1983 of the Civil Rights Act requires that there be an actual connection or link 28 between the actions of the defendants and the deprivation alleged to have been suffered by 1 Plaintiff. See Monell v. Dep’t of Soc. Servs., 436 U.S. 658, (1978); Rizzo v. Goode, 423 U.S. 362 2 (1976). The Ninth Circuit has held that “[a] person ‘subjects another to the deprivation of a 3 constitutional right, within the meaning of section 1983, if he does an affirmative act, participates 4 in another’s affirmative acts or omits to perform an act which he is legally required to do that 5 causes the deprivation of which complaint is made.” Johnson v. Duffy, 588 F.2d 740, 743 (9th 6 Cir. 1978); see also Barren v. Harrington, 152 F.3d 1193, 1194 (9th Cir. 1998) (“A plaintiff must 7 allege facts, not simply conclusions, that show that an individual was personally involved in the 8 deprivation of his civil rights.”). 9 B. Threat to Safety 10 “[P]retrial detainees ... possess greater constitutional rights than prisoners.” Stone v. City 11 of San Francisco, 968 F.2d 850, 857 n.10 (9th Cir. 1992); see also Gary H. v. Hegstrom, 831 F.2d 12 1430, 1432 (9th Cir. 1987). “If a plaintiff “had not been convicted of a crime, but had only been 13 arrested, [then] his rights derive from the due process clause rather than the Eighth Amendment’s 14 protection against cruel and unusual punishment.” Gibson v. County of Washoe, 290 F.3d 1175, 15 1187 (9th Cir. 2002); see also Bell v. Wolfish, 441 U.S. 520

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Related

Rizzo v. Goode
423 U.S. 362 (Supreme Court, 1976)
Monell v. New York City Dept. of Social Servs.
436 U.S. 658 (Supreme Court, 1978)
Bell v. Wolfish
441 U.S. 520 (Supreme Court, 1979)
Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly
550 U.S. 544 (Supreme Court, 2007)
Ashcroft v. Iqbal
556 U.S. 662 (Supreme Court, 2009)
Charles J. Oltarzewski, Jr. v. Marcia Ruggiero
830 F.2d 136 (Ninth Circuit, 1987)
Gregory Carey v. John E. King
856 F.2d 1439 (Ninth Circuit, 1988)
Gibson v. County of Washoe, Nevada
290 F.3d 1175 (Ninth Circuit, 2002)

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(PC) Valencia v. Martinez, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pc-valencia-v-martinez-caed-2025.