(PC) Vazquez-Gonzalez v. Arviza

District Court, E.D. California·Decided December 1, 2023·No. 1:23-cv-00925·Unknown

Opinion

IVAN VAZQUEZ-GONZALEZ, No. 1:23-cv-00925-SAB (PC) Plaintiff, ORDER DIRECTING CLERK OF COURT TO RANDOMLY ASSIGN A DISTRICT JUDGE v. TO THIS ACTION M. ARVIZA, et al., FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS RECOMMENDING DISMISSAL OF ACTION Defendants. (ECF No. 11)

Plaintiff is proceeding pro se and in forma pauperis in this civil rights action filed pursuant to Bivens v. Six Unknown Federal Narcotic Agents, 403 U.S. 388 (1971). Plaintiff’s complaint in this action was filed on June 20, 2023. (ECF No. 1.) On September 26, 2023, the Court screened the complaint, found that Plaintiff failed to state a cognizable claim for relief, and granted Plaintiff thirty days to file an amended complaint. (ECF No. 10.) Plaintiff failed to file an amended complaint or otherwise respond to the September 26, 2023 order. Therefore, on November 7, 2023, the Court issued an order for Plaintiff to show cause why the action should not be dismissed. (ECF No. 11.) Plaintiff has failed to respond to the order to show cause and the time to do so has now passed. Accordingly, dismissal of the action is warranted. I. As Plaintiff is proceeding in forma pauperis (ECF No. 11), the Court screens the complaint under 28 U.S.C. § 1915. “Notwithstanding any filing fee, or any portion thereof, that may have been paid, the court shall dismiss the case at any time if the court determines that the action or appeal fails to state a claim upon which relief may be granted.” 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2)(B)(ii). A complaint is required to contain “a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2). Detailed factual allegations are not required, but “[t]hreadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported by mere conclusory statements, do not suffice.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009) (citing Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555 (2007)). A plaintiff must set forth “sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to ‘state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.’ ” Id. (quoting Twombly, 550 U.S. at 570). The mere possibility of misconduct falls short of meeting this plausibility standard. Id. at 679. While a plaintiff's allegations are taken as true, courts “are not required to indulge unwarranted inferences.” Doe I v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., 572 F.3d 677, 681 (9th Cir. 2009) (citation and internal quotation marks omitted). Additionally, a plaintiff's legal conclusions are not accepted as true. Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678. Pleadings of pro se plaintiffs “must be held to less stringent standards than formal pleadings drafted by lawyers.” Hebbe v. Pliler, 627 F.3d 338, 342 (9th Cir. 2010) (holding that pro se complaints should continue to be liberally construed after Iqbal). II. On November 10, 2022, Plaintiff was placed in an isolated cell by F.C.I. Mendota on a process of investigation. On December 25, 2022, a formal examination for colon cancer was conducted. On January 14, 2023, Plaintiff was notified that the results were positive for colon cancer. Plaintiff was informed the same day that he needed to be transferred to an outside hospital to determine the exact point of where the cancer is forming. From that day on Plaintiff waited to be transferred to the outside hospital, but as the days and weeks went on nothing happened. Plaintiff proceeded to follow up with “sick call” and talking to medical staff. Four months passed while Plaintiff was in isolation and he was not told a simple word other than he tested positive for colon cancer. On May 7, 2023, Plaintiff was released in general population from an isolated cell and from that day on he made daily visits to the health services in an attempt to be examined or to find a solution to being transferred to an outside hospital. Now five months have passed and nothing has occurred. As the situation worsens, Plaintiff’s physical and mental state is deteriorating from the lack of medical attention. Plaintiff cannot sleep, he has lost his appetite, has lack of motivation, and cannot partake in his daily activities. A. Linkage Requirement The Civil Rights Act, 42 U.S.C. § 1983, requires that there be an actual connection or link between the actions of the defendants and the deprivation alleged to have been suffered by Plaintiff. See Monell v. Dep’t of Soc. Servs., 436 U.S. 658 (1978); Rizzo v. Goode, 423 U.S. 362 (1976). The Ninth Circuit has held that “[a] person ‘subjects another to the deprivation of a constitutional right, within the meaning of section 1983, if he does an affirmative act, participates in another's affirmative acts or omits to perform an act which he is legally required to do that causes the deprivation of which complaint is made.” Johnson v. Duffy, 588 F.2d 740, 743 (9th Cir. 1978). Plaintiff’s complaint does not link the named Defendants to any conduct which allegedly violations his constitutional rights. Indeed, other than naming Warden M. Arviza and Registered Nurse B. Burgin in the caption of the complaint, Plaintiff does not name them in the factual allegations of the complaint. The amended complaint contains fewer allegations linking defendants to alleged violation than did the original complaint. In fact, Plaintiff fails to link any named Defendant to any conduct which allegedly violated Plaintiff's constitutional rights. For this reason, alone, Plaintiff fails to state a cognizable claim for relief. B. Supervisory Liability To the extent Plaintiff seeks to hold Warden Arviza liable based solely upon her supervisory role, he may not do so. Liability may not be imposed on supervisory personnel for the actions or omissions of their subordinates under the theory of respondeat superior. Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 676–77; Simmons v. Navajo Cty., Ariz., 609 F.3d 1011, 1020–21 (9th Cir. 2010); Ewing v. City of Stockton, 588 F.3d 1218, 1235 (9th Cir. 2009); Jones v. Williams, 297 F.3d 930, 934 (9th Cir. 2002). “A supervisor may be liable only if (1) he or she is personally involved in the constitutional deprivation, or (2) there is a sufficient causal connection between the supervisor's wrongful conduct and the constitutional violation.” Crowley v. Bannister, 734 F.3d 967, 977 (9th Cir. 2013) (citation and quotation marks omitted); accord Lemire v. Cal. Dep’t of Corrs. & Rehab., 726 F.3d 1062, 1074–75 (9th Cir. 2013); Lacey v. Maricopa Cty., 693 F.3d 896, 915–16 (9th Cir. 2012) (en banc). “Under the latter theory, supervisory liability exists even without overt personal participation in the offensive act if supervisory officials implement a policy so deficient that the policy itself is a repudiation of constitutional rights and is the moving force of a constitutional violation.” Crowley, 734 F.3d at 977 (citing Hansen v. Black, 885 F.2d 642, 646 (9th Cir. 1989)) (internal quotation marks omitted). Plaintiff attempts t

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