(PC) Young v. Herrea

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. California
DecidedApril 10, 2025
Docket1:24-cv-00873
StatusUnknown

This text of (PC) Young v. Herrea ((PC) Young v. Herrea) 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) Young v. Herrea, (E.D. Cal. 2025).

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 11 GALE JOSEPH YOUNG, Case No. 1:24-cv-0873-BAM (PC) 12 Plaintiff, ORDER DIRECTING CLERK OF COURT TO RANDOMLY ASSIGN DISTRICT JUDGE TO 13 v. ACTION 14 HERREA, et al., FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING DISMISSAL OF CERTAIN 15 Defendants. CLAIMS AND DEFENDANTS

16 (ECF No. 14 ) 17 FOURTEEN (14) DAY DEADLINE 18 19 Plaintiff Gale Joseph Young (“Plaintiff”) is a state prisoner proceeding pro se and in 20 forma pauperis in this civil rights action pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Before the Court could 21 screen the complaint, Plaintiff filed a first amended complaint. The Court screened Plaintiff’s 22 first amended complaint, and Plaintiff was granted leave to amend or to notify the Court of his 23 willingness to proceed on the cognizable claim. Plaintiff’s second amended complaint is 24 currently before the Court for screening. (ECF No. 14.) 25 I. Screening Requirement and Standard 26 The Court is required to screen complaints brought by prisoners seeking relief against a 27 governmental entity and/or against an officer or employee of a governmental entity. 28 U.S.C. 28 § 1915A(a). Plaintiff’s complaint, or any portion thereof, is subject to dismissal if it is frivolous 1 or malicious, if it fails to state a claim upon which relief may be granted, or if it seeks monetary 2 relief from a defendant who is immune from such relief. 28 U.S.C. §§ 1915A(b). 3 A complaint must contain “a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the 4 pleader is entitled to relief . . . .” Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2). Detailed factual allegations are not 5 required, but “[t]hreadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported by mere 6 conclusory statements, do not suffice.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009) (citing Bell 7 Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555 (2007)). While a plaintiff’s allegations are taken as 8 true, courts “are not required to indulge unwarranted inferences.” Doe I v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., 9 572 F.3d 677, 681 (9th Cir. 2009) (internal quotation marks and citation omitted). 10 To survive screening, Plaintiff’s claims must be facially plausible, which requires 11 sufficient factual detail to allow the Court to reasonably infer that each named defendant is liable 12 for the misconduct alleged. Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678 (quotation marks omitted); Moss v. U.S. Secret 13 Serv., 572 F.3d 962, 969 (9th Cir. 2009). The sheer possibility that a defendant acted unlawfully 14 is not sufficient, and mere consistency with liability falls short of satisfying the plausibility 15 standard. Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678 (quotation marks omitted); Moss, 572 F.3d at 969. 16 II. Plaintiff’s Allegations 17 Plaintiff is currently housed at Martinez County Jail, in Martinez, California. Plaintiff 18 alleges the events in the complaint occurred while he was a state prisoner housed at Corcoran 19 State Prison. Plaintiff names as defendants: (1) California Department of Rehabilitation and 20 Correction, (2) Herrea, correctional officer, C-yard, (3) Sgt. Gonzales, sergeant on C-yard. 21 In claim 1, Plaintiff alleges excessive force, cruel and punishment. On or about June 5, 22 2022, during an institutional cell search, correctional officer Herrea searched Plaintiff’s cell and 23 confiscated Plaintiff’s TV with CD player and CD purchased from an approved vendor by 24 Plaintiff’s family. While doing so, Plaintiff yelled at CO Herrea, “that’s mine, my family bought 25 that, you can’t just take it!” CO Herrea then escorted Plaintiff back to his cell with hands cuffed 26 behind his back. Vindictively CO Herrea squeezed Plaintiff’s right arm to make Plaintiff look 27 and half turn, then slammed Plaintiff on Plaintiff’s head extremely hard causing Plaintiff to lose 28 consciousness and suffer a concussion that had to be treated at an outside hospital. The incident 1 was caught on security video from multiple angles. Days later, two sergeants contacted Plaintiff 2 and encouraged Plaintiff to write a grievance promising Plaintiff would not suffer retaliation, 3 which was not true. To this day, Plaintiff suffers from migraine headaches due to the concussion 4 caused by Herrea. 5 In claim 2, Plaintiff alleges Due Process and cruel and unusual punishment. Sergeant 6 Gonzales, who handles inmates’ property (TV w/CD player) issues, initially told Plaintiff that he 7 would return Plaintiff’s TV w/CD player if Plaintiff could show a receipt. Sgt. Gonzales even 8 told Plaintiff there was not a confiscation receipt. Plaintiff produced 2 receipts for TVs with 9 CD/player that were purchased while Plaintiff was housed in Corcoran, both receipts were 10 already filed in Plaintiff’s inmate C-file. While Plaintiff was showing Sgt. Gonzales the receipts, 11 Plaintiff also met with Internal Affairs, then Sgt. Gonzales falsely claimed Plaintiff’s TV w/CD 12 play had another inmate’s ID number on it. Plaintiff then asked Sgt. Gonzales to show Plaintiff 13 or take a picture of the TV with the ID number he falsely claimed was on Plaintiff’s TV, knowing 14 he could not. Sgt. Gonzales then stopped responding to Plaintiff’s grievance to return the TV 15 w/CD player and CD. A whole year passed for the response time, and even when Plaintiff saw 16 Sgt. Gonzales on prison grounds in passing and asked about returning Plaintiff’s property, he 17 refused to discuss the matter. 18 Plaintiff seeks financial compensation and a formal apology. 19 III. Discussion 20 Supervisory Liability 21 Insofar as Plaintiff is attempting to sue Defendant Sergeant Gonzales, or any other 22 defendant, based on his supervisory role, he may not do so. Liability may not be imposed on 23 supervisory personnel for the actions or omissions of their subordinates under the theory of 24 respondeat superior. Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 676–77; Simmons v. Navajo Cty., Ariz., 609 F.3d 1011, 25 1020–21 (9th Cir. 2010); Ewing v. City of Stockton, 588 F.3d 1218, 1235 (9th Cir. 2009); Jones v. 26 Williams, 297 F.3d 930, 934 (9th Cir. 2002). 27 Supervisors may be held liable only if they “participated in or directed the violations, or 28 knew of the violations and failed to act to prevent them.” Taylor v. List, 880 F.2d 1040, 1045 (9th 1 Cir. 1989); accord Starr v. Baca, 652 F.3d 1202, 1205–06 (9th Cir. 2011); Corales v. Bennett, 2 567 F.3d 554, 570 (9th Cir. 2009). Supervisory liability may also exist without any personal 3 participation if the official implemented “a policy so deficient that the policy itself is a 4 repudiation of the constitutional rights and is the moving force of the constitutional violation.” 5 Redman v. County of San Diego, 942 F.2d 1435, 1446 (9th Cir. 1991) (citations and quotations 6 marks omitted), abrogated on other grounds by Farmer v. Brennan, 511 U.S. 825, 114 S.Ct. 1970, 7 128 L.Ed.2d 811 (1970). 8 Here, Plaintiff has failed to establish that Defendant Sergeant Gonzales, or other 9 supervisor, participated in or directed any constitutional violation or that he implemented a policy 10 so deficient that it was the moving force of any constitutional violation.

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Bluebook (online)
(PC) Young v. Herrea, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pc-young-v-herrea-caed-2025.