(PC) Villareal v. County of Fresno

District Court, E.D. California·Decided June 30, 2022·No. 1:15-cv-01410·Unknown

Opinion

ELAINE K. VILLAREAL, No. 1:15-cv-01410-DAD-EPG Plaintiff, v. FINAL PRETRIAL ORDER Defendants. On May 16, 2022, the court conducted a final pretrial conference. Attorney Jeff Price appeared as counsel for plaintiff; attorney Leslie Dillahunty appeared as counsel for defendant. Having considered the parties’ objections, the court now issues this final pretrial order. In this civil rights action, plaintiff, a former inmate at Fresno County South Annex Jail (“South Annex Jail”), asserts a claim under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 that is predicated on plaintiff’s Eighth Amendment claim challenging the conditions of confinement based on an alleged lack of access to sufficient exercise. I. JURISDICTION/VENUE Jurisdiction is predicated on 28 U.S.C. §§ 1331, 1343(a)(3). Jurisdiction is not contested. Venue is proper pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1391(b)(2). Venue is not contested. Both parties have demanded a jury trial. The jury will consist of eight jurors. 1. Sheriff Mims was elected to the position of Fresno County Sheriff in November of 2006 and still holds the position of Sheriff for Fresno County today. 2. The chain of command in the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office is as follows: the Sheriff, then the Undersheriff, and then there are two Assistant Sheriffs. 3. One Assistant Sheriff oversees the functioning of the Fresno County Jail. The other Assistant Sheriff oversees the operations of the Fresno County Sheriff Deputies. 4. As it pertains to the operation of the jail, under the Assistant Sheriff there are two Captains assigned – one for Operations and one for Services. 5. It is the Operations Captain assigned to the jail who is responsible for the day-to- day functioning of the Fresno County Jail facilities. 6. The Services Captain assigned to the jail is responsible for overseeing the responding to grievances and the provision of services to the inmates. 7. Under the Captains assigned to the jail, there are Lieutenants, and under the Lieutenants are the Sergeants. 8. Under the Sergeants at the jail are the Correctional Officers. 9. Sheriff Mims is not personally involved in the daily operations of any of the Fresno County Jail facilities. This would include, but not be limited to, the South Annex Jail. 10. During her service as the elected Fresno County Sheriff, Sheriff Mims has not received weekly management reports of inmate complaints from the South Annex Jail or any other Fresno County jail facility. 11. During her service as the elected Fresno County Sheriff, Sheriff Mims has not received monthly management reports of inmate complaints from the South Annex Jail or any other Fresno County jail facility. 12. During her service as the elected Fresno County Sheriff, Sheriff Mims has not received quarterly management reports of inmate complaints from the South Annex Jail or any other Fresno County jail facility. ///// 13. During her service as the elected Fresno County Sheriff, Sheriff Mims has not received periodic management reports of inmate complaints from the South Annex Jail or any other Fresno County jail facility. 14. At the South Annex Jail, where the plaintiff was housed, the third and fourth floors are divided into housing pods. Each are identified by a letter “A”, “B”, “C”, etc. 15. Within each pod, there are cells in which the inmates sleep. 16. Each cell also has a sink and toilet. 17. In each pod, there is a multi-headed shower area which is shared by all inmates in that pod. 18. On the roof of the South Annex Jail, there are two outdoor recreation areas or yards. On the second floor of the South Annex Jail, there are two in-door gyms. 19. Both the outdoor recreation area and the gyms are for use by the inmates for exercise and recreation. 20. Sheriff Mims has never received any correspondence from the plaintiff, Elaine Villareal. 21. Sheriff Mims has never met Elaine Villareal. 22. Sheriff Mims did not come to learn of the existence or identity of Ms. Villareal until sometime around mid-2020. 23. Sheriff Mims has reviewed and approved Fresno County Sheriff’s Office Jail Division Policies and Procedures. 24. All the approved policies are drafted in compliance with the requirements set forth in Title 15 of the California Code of Regulations. 25. Included as part of the policies Sheriff Mims has reviewed and approved are the Inmate Grievance Procedure, Inmate Exercise and Recreation policy, Cleanliness and Security Inspections policy, and Maintenance Reporting and Repairs policy, as well as other Policies and Procedures. ///// ///// 26. The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, Jail Division, has a custom, policy and practice that inmates in the Fresno County Jail are to be afforded the opportunity to participate in a minimum of three hours of scheduled exercise and/or recreation per week. 27. The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, Jail Division, has a custom, policy and practice of providing an inmate grievance procedure to provide the best and most expedient resolution to inmate complaints at the lowest appropriate staff level. 28. The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, Jail Division, has a custom, policy and practice of providing an inmate grievance procedure that allows for appeal to the next level of review. 29. Correctional officers in the Jail Division of the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office are provided training on the jail custom, policy and practice of affording inmates the opportunity to participate in a minimum of three hours of scheduled exercise and/or recreation per week. 30. Correctional officers in the Jail Division of the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office are provided training on the jail custom, policy and practice of providing inmates a grievance procedure. 31. Correctional officers in the Jail Division of the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office are provided training on the jail custom, policy and practice of providing inmates with the ability to appeal and resolve grievances relating to any condition of confinement that affects the inmate personally. 32. The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, Jail Division, has a custom, policy and practice that all staff members are to identify and properly report any known item in need of repair, maintenance and/or modification. 33. Plaintiff was booked into the Fresno County Jail on or about March 5, 2015. 34. Plaintiff was housed in the South Annex Jail. 35. The relevant time period for plaintiff’s allegations is March 5, 2015, through September 17, 2015. 1. Whether Elaine Villareal was denied the right to exercise. 2. Whether the County’s exercise policy of providing exercise in accordance with Title 15 of the California Code of Regulations. 3. Whether jail staff had a policy of not allowing inmates, including the plaintiff, to regularly participate in recreation or exercise. 4. Whether jail staff constantly announced to inmates that they had no rights. 5. Whether jail staff would use the opportunity to exercise “as a carrot.” 6. Whether jail staff acted in a manner that was “arbitrary and capricious” in allowing or disallowing inmates to participate in recreation or exercise. 7. Whether jail staff refused to sign off on properly presented inmate grievances. 8. All remaining facts are in dispute. Plaintiff incorporates here all her assertions of fact from her Statement of Genuine Issues of Disputed Fact and supporting declarations. (Doc. Nos. 197, 198, 199.) Defendant incorporates here all facts admitted by plaintiff in her response to defendants’ Separate Statement of Undisputed Material Facts. (Doc. No. 197.) V. DISPUTED EVIDENTIARY ISSUES/MOTIONS IN LIMINE The parties have not yet filed motions in limine. The court does not encourage the filing of motions in limine unless they are addressed to issues that can realistically be

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(PC) Villareal v. County of Fresno, (E.D. Cal. 2022).

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