Raul Cervantes Valenzuela v. V. Torres

District Court, C.D. California·Decided December 5, 2019·No. 2:19-cv-07559·Unknown

Opinion

1 2

4 5 6 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 7 CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 8

9 10 RAUL CERVANTES VALENZUELA, Case No. CV 19-7559-CJC (KK) 11 Plaintiff, 12 v. ORDER DISMISSING FIRST AMENDED COMPLAINT WITH 13 V. TORRES, ET AL., LEAVE TO AMEND 14 Defendants. 15 16 17 I. 18 INTRODUCTION 19 Plaintiff Raul Cervantes Valenzuela (“Plaintiff” or “Cervantes”), proceeding 20 pro se and in forma pauperis, filed a First Amended Complaint (“FAC”) pursuant to 21 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (“Section 1983”) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”). 22 As discussed below, the Court dismisses the FAC with leave to amend. 23 II. 24 BACKGROUND 25 On August 29, 2019, Cervantes, currently an inmate at California State Prison – 26 Los Angeles County in Lancaster, California (“CSP-LAC”), constructively filed1 a 27 Under the “mailbox rule,” when a pro se inmate gives prison authorities a 1 complaint (“Complaint”) pursuant to Section 1983 and the ADA against defendants 2 V. Torres, D. Moisa, and Sgt. Villalobos alleging “false charges, retaliation, assault and 3 battery, [and] failure to prevent assault and battery (ADA)” claims arising out of an 4 incident on April 13, 2019. ECF Docket No. (“Dkt.”) 1, Compl. 5 On October 18, 2019, the Court dismissed the Complaint with leave to amend, 6 finding it (a) failed to specify the capacity in which each defendant was sued and the 7 requested relief; (b) failed to state a Fourteenth Amendment due process claim against 8 defendant Torres for “false charges”; (c) failed to state a First Amendment retaliation 9 claim against defendants Moisa and Villalobos; and (d) failed to state a claim under the 10 ADA. Dkt. 17. 11 On October 24, 2019, Cervantes constructively filed the instant FAC.2 Dkt. 12 18, FAC. Cervantes sues V. Torres, D. Moisa, and Sgt. Villalobos (“Defendants”) in 13 their individual capacity. The allegations in the FAC appear to allege First and Eighth 14 Amendment claims arising out of incidents on October 21, 2019 and an unspecified 15 date.3 16 According to the FAC, on October 21, 2019, after Cervantes refused to 17 “withdraw [a] statement” regarding a prison account dispute, Cervantes was pepper 18

19 omitted); Douglas v. Noelle, 567 F.3d 1103, 1107 (9th Cir. 2009) (stating the “mailbox rule applies to § 1983 suits filed by pro se prisoners”). While Cervantes did not date 20 the Complaint, see Compl. at 4, 17, it is marked as received by the Court on August 29, 2019. In the absence of a date indicating when Cervantes gave prison authorities 21 the Complaint, the Court deems the Complaint filed on August 29, 2019. 2 The Court notes Cervantes has filed multiple letters with the Court, dkts. 15, 22 16, 19, 20, including a letter dated October 21, 2019, dkt. 21, which seeks to “supplement” the FAC and describes an incident on October 21, 2019. Cervantes has 23 been previously advised that letters will be rejected pursuant to Local Rule 83-2.5. Thus, as set forth in further detail below, if he chooses to proceed, Cervantes must 24 bring all claims in a single document captioned “Second Amended Complaint,” and any allegations or facts presented in letters will not be considered. 25 3 The Court notes Cervantes was previously ordered “not [to] include new 26 defendants or allegations that are not reasonably related to the claims asserted in the Complaint.” Dkt. 17 at 11. Cervantes is expressly cautioned that if he chooses to file 27 a Second Amended Complaint, he may not change the nature of this suit by adding new, unrelated claims and any attempt to do so will result in an order striking the 1 sprayed by officer Magdala.4 FAC at 3. Cervantes alleges defendant Torres then hit 2 Cervantes on his ribs and head. Id. Cervantes alleges officer Gray destroyed “all 3 personal property (ADA)” and officer Makarade was throwing Cervantes’s pictures 4 and other personal property around as defendant Villalobos observed. Id. at 7-8. 5 Cervantes alleges he was placed in administrative segregation and charged with assault 6 on a peace officer. Id. Cervantes alleges defendant Villalobos “owes Plaintiff the 7 right to be protected from assault from any employee” and to protect him from being 8 harmed. Id. at 5. 9 The FAC also alleges on an unspecified date,5 defendant Moisa assaulted 10 Cervantes when he ordered Cervantes to tuck in his shirt. Id. at 4. Cervantes alleges 11 that instead of writing Cervantes an RVR “for disobeying an order … [defendant 12 Moisa had] something else in mind evil intent first Amendment … he stood in front 13 of me and say now who is the bitch I … said I don’t know what you talking about and 14 when he started assaulting me I did not resist.” Id. at 4. 15 Cervantes appears to claim the assaults and destroying of his property were in 16 retaliation for Cervantes having filed a prior lawsuit, stating: “Sgt. Villalobos, D. 17 Moisa. V. Torres knew about my lawsuit because Attorney General Xavier Becerra is 18 the attorney for the State of California who attorney are for defendants of (CDCR) on 19 lawsuits.” Id. at 5. 20 Cervantes seeks compensatory damages.6 Id. at 4. 21

22 4 It is unclear whether officer “Magdala” is officer “Makarade” as referred to elsewhere in the FAC. See, e.g., FAC at 7. 23 5 It is unclear whether this is the same incident as the April 13, 2019 incident described in the Complaint. However, Cervantes was cautioned that “[a]n amended 24 complaint supersedes the preceding complaint” and that “any claim raised in a preceding complaint is waived if it is not raised again in the First Amended 25 Complaint.” See dkt. 17 at 11. If Cervantes intends to bring claims arising out of the April 13, 2019 incident in his Second Amended Complaint, he must re-state them in 26 full. 27 6 Cervantes also seeks to “decrease from appointed magistrate (KK) and … a [de] novo review by District Judge.” FAC at 8. However, magistrate judges have the 1 III. 2 STANDARD OF REVIEW 3 Where a plaintiff is incarcerated and/or proceeding in forma pauperis, a court 4 must screen the complaint under 28 U.S.C. §§ 1915 and 1915A and is required to 5 dismiss the case at any time if it concludes the action is frivolous or malicious, fails to 6 state a claim on which relief may be granted, or seeks monetary relief against a 7 defendant who is immune from such relief. 28 U.S.C. §§ 1915(e)(2)(B), 1915A; see 8 Barren v. Harrington, 152 F.3d 1193, 1194 (9th Cir. 1998). 9 Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 8 (“Rule 8”), a complaint must contain a 10 “short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief.” 11 Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2). In determining whether a complaint fails to state a claim for 12 screening purposes, a court applies the same pleading standard as it would when 13 evaluating a motion to dismiss under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). See 14 Watison v. Carter, 668 F.3d 1108, 1112 (9th Cir. 2012).

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