Pember 067165 v. Ryan

CourtDistrict Court, D. Arizona
DecidedNovember 18, 2019
Docket2:17-cv-04069
StatusUnknown

This text of Pember 067165 v. Ryan (Pember 067165 v. Ryan) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Arizona primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pember 067165 v. Ryan, (D. Ariz. 2019).

Opinion

1 NA 2 3 4 5 6 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 7 FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA 8 9 Jay Lynn Pember, No. CV 17-04069-PHX-JJT (JFM) 10 Plaintiff, 11 v. ORDER 12 Charles L. Ryan, et al., 13 Defendants.

14 15 I. Background 16 Plaintiff Jay Lynn Pember, who is currently confined in the Arizona State Prison 17 Complex-Eyman, has filed a pro se civil rights Complaint pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. 18 On screening Plaintiff’s Second Amended Complaint (Doc. 73) pursuant to 28 U.S.C. 19 § 1915A(a), the Court determined that Plaintiff stated Eighth Amendment medical care 20 claims against Defendants Babich, Gay, Johnson, Hawley, and Does 6-15 in Count Two 21 and ordered them to answer.1 (Doc. 101.) The Court dismissed the remaining claims and 22 Defendants. (Id.) 23 Plaintiff previously filed a “Motion for Temporary Res[t]raining Order and 24 Preliminary Injunction” (Docs. 15, 19), a “Motion for Order-Access to Legal Supplies” 25 (Doc. 25), and a “Motion for Temporary Restraining Order and Preliminary Injunction” 26

27 1 The Court gave Plaintiff 60 days to file a notice of substitution substituting the 28 actual names of Does 6-15. (Doc. 101.) Does 6-9 were substituted for their actual names, Gertz, Schmid, Demery, and Torrez, respectively. (See Doc. 115.) Does 10-15 were dismissed for failure to timely substitute. (See Doc. 130.) 1 (Doc. 29). In the motions for injunctive relief, Plaintiff sought a Court Order directing 2 Defendants to provide him adequate pain medication, to take him to an outside 3 neurosurgeon, and to give him access to legal supplies. (Doc. 54.) In an October 29, 2018 4 Order (Doc. 54), the Court denied Plaintiff’s motions for injunctive relief. In denying 5 Plaintiff’s motions, the Court found that the evidence showed Plaintiff had been taken to 6 see a neurologist on August 3, 2018, additional consult requests had been submitted 7 pursuant to the neurologist’s recommendations, Plaintiff’s pain was being treated with 8 Meloxicam, and Plaintiff’s right to access the courts had not been violated. (Doc. 54.) 9 However, the Court denied the motions with leave to re-file if Plaintiff’s pain medication 10 was again discontinued; if he was not scheduled for an EMG, MRI, and physical therapy 11 as recommended by Dr. Feiz-Erfan; and/or if he was not scheduled for a neurosurgery 12 follow-up as recommended. (Id.) 13 On January 30, 2019, Plaintiff filed a Motion for a Temporary Restraining Order 14 and a Preliminary Injunction (Doc. 78). In an August 27, 2019 Order, the Court granted 15 the Motion to the extent it ordered Defendants to file a notice within 20 days (1) indicating 16 Plaintiff’s condition at the present time and his current course of treatment, specifically 17 pertaining to pain management; (2) showing that Plaintiff either is currently receiving 18 physical therapy, or such relief is no longer medically indicated; (3) showing that Plaintiff 19 has received an MRI of his lumbar spine, or that an MRI of the lumbar spine is no longer 20 medically-indicated; and (4) showing that Plaintiff has seen or is scheduled to see Dr. Feiz- 21 Erfan for a follow-up evaluation and recommended care. The Court denied the Motion in 22 all other respects. 23 On September 12, 2019, Plaintiff filed a Motion for Contempt (Doc. 159). On 24 September 16, 2019, Defendants filed a Notice in response to the Court’s August 27, 2019 25 Order (Doc. 160). On September 20, 2019, Plaintiff filed a Reply to Defendants’ Notice 26 (Doc. 163). On September 24, 2019, Plaintiff filed a Motion for Preliminary Injunction 27 Hearing (Doc. 166). On October 15, 2019, Plaintiff filed a Second Motion for Contempt 28 1 (Doc. 177). In an October 16, 2019 Order, Magistrate Judge Metcalf denied Plaintiff’s 2 Motion to Strike. 3 II. Motion for Contempt and Objections 4 On September 12, 2019, Plaintiff filed a Motion for Contempt (Doc. 159), which 5 the Court construes as a Motion for Contempt and Objection to Magistrate Judge Metcalf’s 6 August 8, 2019 Order denying Plaintiff’s Motion for Extension. Plaintiff states that 7 Defendants have intentionally delayed this case and failed to carry out the neurosurgeon’s 8 recommendations. Plaintiff states that Defendants retaliated against him by discontinuing 9 medications and prescribing him a “harmful cocktails of drugs.” (Id. at 2-3.) Plaintiff 10 alleges that he was prescribed keppra and tramadol, which caused him to suffer dizziness, 11 anger, and hallucinations. Plaintiff’s tramadol prescription was discontinued on September 12 4, 2019 because of the side effects he was experiencing. Plaintiff claims he does not have 13 any pain relief, and Corizon and ADC retaliated against him and interfered with his medical 14 treatment, causing his medications to be discontinued. Plaintiff claims that this all occurred 15 after the deadlines for amendments, supplements, and disclosures expired. 16 Plaintiff asks the Court to find Defendant Demery and non-party Ortiz in contempt 17 of the Court’s August 27, 2019 Order, objects to the Magistrate Judge Metcalf’s August 8, 18 2019 Order, and asks the Court to order counsel to meet with Plaintiff regarding a possible 19 settlement. 20 A. Contempt 21 Plaintiff’s asserts that Defendant Demery and non-party Ortiz are in contempt of the 22 Court’s August 27, 2019 Order by failing to carry out the neurosurgeon’s recommendations 23 and provide him with proper medication. 24 1. Legal Standard 25 Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 70(e), the district court may hold a 26 disobedient party in contempt. “This power may be used by a district court to impose 27 compliance with its lawful orders.” S. Cal. Darts Assoc. v. S. Cal. Darts Assoc., Inc., No. 28 CV 12-01899-RGK (JCGx), 2012 WL 12882764, at *1 (citing Shillitani v. United States, 1 384 U.S. 364, 370 (1966) (“[t]here can be no question that courts have inherent power to 2 enforce compliance with their lawful orders through civil contempt”)). The Court has broad 3 discretion in deciding whether to hold a party in contempt. Hook v. Ariz. Dep’t of Corrs., 4 107 F.3d 1397, 1403 (9th Cir. 1997). 5 The movant has the initial burden to show “by clear and convincing evidence that 6 the contemnors violated a specific and definite order of the court.” In re Bennett, 298 F.3d 7 1059, 1069 (9th Cir. 2002) (citation and quotation omitted). Once the initial burden is 8 satisfied, the “burden then shifts to the contemnors to demonstrate why they were unable 9 to comply.” Id. (citation and quotation omitted). Generally, a violation is found where a 10 party fails “to take all reasonable steps within the party’s power to comply” with a court 11 order, and “[t]he contempt need not be willful.” Reno Air Racing Ass’n., Inc. v. McCord, 12 452 F.3d 1126, 1130 (9th Cir. 2006) (citations and quotations omitted). Good faith action 13 based on a reasonable interpretation of a court order is a defense to civil contempt. Id. 14 “Substantial compliance” with a court order is also a defense to civil contempt, regardless 15 of “a few technical violations,” as long as every reasonable effort has been made to comply. 16 In re Dual-Deck Video Cassette Recorder Antitrust Litig., 10 F.3d 693, 695 (9th Cir. 1993) 17 (citations omitted). 18 2.

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Pember 067165 v. Ryan, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pember-067165-v-ryan-azd-2019.