(PC) West v. Withrow

District Court, E.D. California·Decided June 23, 2025·No. 2:25-cv-00537·Unknown

Opinion

ROY WEST, Case No. 2:25-cv-0537-JDP (P) Plaintiff, v. ORDER PATRICK WITHROW, et al., Defendants. Plaintiff, a state pretrial detainee proceeding pro se, brings this § 1983 action against fifty- nine defendants, alleging that they provided him inadequate medical care and thus violated his Fourteenth Amendment rights. ECF No. 1. He also moves to proceed in forma pauperis. ECF No. 6. For the purposes of screening, plaintiff has sufficiently alleged Fourteenth Amendment claims against defendants Dr. Kym, Plosser, Mendoza, Fanzia, Darren, and Does 5 through 50 for inadequate medical care. However, his allegations fail to state cognizable Fourteenth Amendment claims against the remaining defendants. Plaintiff may, if he chooses, file an amended complaint that addresses the deficiencies noted herein, or he may proceed only on the cognizable Fourteenth Amendment claims. I will deny as moot plaintiff’s request to proceed in forma pauperis, as he has paid the filing fee.1 1 I will also withdraw my prior Order and Findings and Recommendations regarding this matter, ECF No. 7 Screening and Pleading Requirements A federal court must screen the complaint of any claimant seeking permission to proceed in forma pauperis. See 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e). The court must identify any cognizable claims and dismiss any portion of the complaint that is frivolous or malicious, fails to state a claim upon which relief may be granted, or seeks monetary relief from a defendant who is immune from such relief. Id. A complaint must contain a short and plain statement that plaintiff is entitled to relief, Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2), and provide “enough facts to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face,” Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570 (2007). The plausibility standard does not require detailed allegations, but legal conclusions do not suffice. See Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009). If the allegations “do not permit the court to infer more than the mere possibility of misconduct,” the complaint states no claim. Id. at 679. The complaint need not identify “a precise legal theory.” Kobold v. Good Samaritan Reg’l Med. Ctr., 832 F.3d 1024, 1038 (9th Cir. 2016). Instead, what plaintiff must state is a “claim”—a set of “allegations that give rise to an enforceable right to relief.” Nagrampa v. MailCoups, Inc., 469 F.3d 1257, 1264 n.2 (9th Cir. 2006) (en banc) (citations omitted). The court must construe a pro se litigant’s complaint liberally. See Haines v. Kerner, 404 U.S. 519, 520 (1972) (per curiam). The court may dismiss a pro se litigant’s complaint “if it appears beyond doubt that the plaintiff can prove no set of facts in support of his claim which would entitle him to relief.” Hayes v. Idaho Corr. Ctr., 849 F.3d 1204, 1208 (9th Cir. 2017). However, “‘a liberal interpretation of a civil rights complaint may not supply essential elements of the claim that were not initially pled.’” Bruns v. Nat’l Credit Union Admin., 122 F.3d 1251, 1257 (9th Cir. 1997) (quoting Ivey v. Bd. of Regents, 673 F.2d 266, 268 (9th Cir. 1982)). Analysis Plaintiff brings this action against fifty-nine identified and unidentified defendants: Sheriff Patrick Withrow and Captain Samuel Cortez at the San Joaquin County Jail (“SJCJ”), as well as Rosalisa, Dr. Kym, Taylor Vos, Ma Del Carmen Plosser, Robyn Mendoza, Fanzia, and Darren, health care providers at SJCJ, and John Doe defendants 5 through 50. ECF No. 1 at 3-4.2 He contends that these defendants provided inadequate medical care under the Fourteenth Amendment when they refused to properly address his medical needs, leading to him enduring multiple partial foot amputations and partial deafness. See id. at 5-23. Plaintiff alleges that in August 2022, he was a pretrial detainee at SJCJ awaiting his criminal retrial. Id. at 5. He asserts that he is a long-time diabetic who suffered from neuropathy in his lower extremities. Id. Plaintiff alleges that on August 31, 2022, he was receiving medical care for his left toe. Id. He alleges that during this treatment, he informed Rosalisa that he had an open blister on his right big toe, and Rosalisa refused to look at the wound and told plaintiff to submit a medical request to have the toe examined. Id. He alleges that he submitted a medical request, but he did not receive any medical care. Id. On September 7, during Rosalisa’s routine cleaning of plaintiff’s left toe, plaintiff alleges that he again told Rosalisa that his right big toe needed medical attention because the wound had changed colors and grown. Id. Rosalisa again told plaintiff to submit a medical request form because she was not there to examine plaintiff’s other injuries. Id. Plaintiff alleges that on September 15, he saw another SJCJ medical employee who examined his right big toe and immediately sent him to Dr. Kym. Id. at 6. Dr. Kym examined the toe and sent plaintiff to a nearby hospital. Id. At the hospital, plaintiff alleges that he received IV antibiotics and other medical care, and he was later informed that his toe had gangrene and needed to be amputated. Id. Two days later, plaintiff’s right big toe was amputated due to the infection. Id. After surgery, the surgeon informed plaintiff that he needed to clean his amputation site everyday using betadine, the cavity needed to be packed with betadine, and it needed to be wrapped with a dry sterile gauze. Id. at 7. These instructions were in plaintiff’s

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