Richson-Bey v. Palmer

District Court, E.D. California·Decided June 29, 2023·No. 1:23-cv-00463·Unknown

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

SEAN JEFFREY RICHSON-BEY, Case No. 1:23-cv-00463-SAB

Plaintiff, ORDER DIRECTING CLERK OF COURT TO RANDOMLY ASSIGN A DISTRICT v. JUDGE TO THIS ACTION

W. PALMER, et al., FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS RECOMMENDING DISMISSING THE Defendants. COMPLAINT

(ECF No. 1)

OBJECTIONS DUE WITHIN TWENTY- ONE DAYS Plaintiff Sean Jeffrey Richson-Bey (“Plaintiff”), a California state prisoner proceeding pro se, initiated this civil rights action pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 on March 27, 2023, against W. Palmer, M. Benninghoff, and Wolf (collectively, “Defendants”). (ECF No. 1.) The complaint is now before this Court for screening. For the reasons stated herein, the Court recommends that the complaint be dismissed, without prejudice, for failure to state a claim. I. The Court is required to screen complaints brought by prisoners seeking relief against a governmental entity or officer or employee of a governmental entity. 28 U.S.C. § 1915A(a). The Court must dismiss a complaint or portion thereof if the prisoner has raised claims that are legally “frivolous or malicious,” that “fail[] to state a claim on which relief may be granted,” or that “seek[] monetary relief against a defendant who is immune from such relief.” 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2)(B). Federal Rule of Civil Procedure (“Rule”) 8 requires that a complaint contain “a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief ….” Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2). If the factual elements of a cause of action are present but are scattered throughout the complaint and not organized into a “short and plain statement of the claim,” dismissal for failure to satisfy Rule 8 is proper. McHenry v. Renne, 84 F.3d 1172, 1178 (9th Cir. 1996). Thus, to comply with Rule 8, a complaint should clearly and fully set forth “who is being sued, for what relief, and on what theory, with enough detail to guide discovery.” Id. Such notice pleading is required in federal court in order to “give the defendant fair notice of what the claim … is and the grounds upon which it rests.” Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly (Twombly), 550 U.S. 544, 555 (2007) (internal quotations omitted). Detailed factual allegations are not required, but “[t]hreadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported by mere conclusory statements, do not suffice.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal (Iqbal), 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009) (citing Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555 (2007)). “Vague and conclusory allegations of official participation in civil rights violations are not sufficient ….” Ivey v. Bd. of Regents of the Univ. of Alaska, 673 F.2d 266, 268 (9th Cir. 1982). Prisoners proceeding pro se in civil rights actions are entitled to have their pleadings liberally construed and to have any doubt resolved in their favor. Wilhelm v. Rotman, 680 F.3d 1113, 1121 (9th Cir. 2012) (citations omitted). Nonetheless, to survive screening, Plaintiff’s claims must be facially plausible, which requires sufficient factual detail to allow the Court to reasonably infer that each named defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged. Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678–79; Moss v. U.S. Secret Serv., 572 F.3d 962, 969 (9th Cir. 2009). The “sheer possibility that a defendant has acted unlawfully” is not sufficient, and “facts that are ‘merely consistent with’ a defendant’s liability” falls short of satisfying the plausibility standard. Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678; Moss, 572 F.3d at 969. Thus, where a plaintiff fails to “nudge [his or her] claims … across the line from conceivable to plausible[,]” the complaint is properly dismissed. Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 680 (internal quotations omitted). Leave to amend may be granted to the extent that the deficiencies of the complaint can be cured by amendment. Cato v. U.S., 70 F.3d 1103, 1106 (9th Cir. 1995). II. The Court accepts Plaintiff’s allegations as true only for the purpose of the sua sponte screening requirement under 28 U.S.C. § 1915. This action appears to arise from state criminal court proceedings at the Superior Court for Kings County. (See ECF No. 1 at 7 (“affidavit of averment of jurisdiction” referring to Plaintiff’s criminal case, People v. Richson, No. 23CM-0060).) Defendant Palmer is a magistrate at the Kings County Superior Court. (Compl. ¶ 4.) Defendant Benninghoff is an attorney. (Id. at ¶ 5.) Defendant Wolf is a deputy district attorney for Kings County. (Id. at ¶ 6.) Plaintiff, a prisoner at Salinas Valley State Prison, alleges he is a “Moorish-American National Human Flesh and Blood Being, Aboriginal, Indigenous to the Americas” and governed by the U.S. Constitution and the 1836 United States-Morocco Treaty of Peace and Friendship. (See id. at ¶¶ 3, 7.) Plaintiff alleges he was asked to appear for a state court hearing via videoconference (Zoom) on February 22, 2023. (Id. at ¶ 7.) Plaintiff refused to attend the hearing by Zoom. (Id.) On March 20, 2023, Plaintiff was again asked to appear for a state court hearing by Zoom; he sought to decline the appearance, but was required to do so “under threat, duress, and coercion of purported order authorizing physical extraction of [Plaintiff’s] Natural Person to compel compliance or attendance. (Id. at ¶ 8.) Plaintiff appeared before Defendant magistrate Palmer, but sought to contest the court’s jurisdiction over him for lack of due process in this action; he proffered an affidavit in support of this contention. (Id. at ¶ 9; ECF No. 1 at 7.) Plaintiff alleges Palmer returned the affidavit to Plaintiff and did not further respond on that matter, and refused to hear or entertain Plaintiff’s oral arguments on the issue of jurisdiction. (Compl. ¶ 9.) Instead, Palmer appointed defense counsel to Plaintiff (Defendant Benninghoff) and proceeded with arraignment proceedings on Plaintiff’s matter. (Id.) Plaintiff alleges Benninghoff entered a plea of “not guilty” on his behalf, set preliminary and pretrial matters, and waived pre-arraignment matters over Plaintiff’s objections and without his consent. (Id. at ¶¶ 9– 10.) Plaintiff claims these actions demonstrate Benninghoff was in collusion with the prosecution (Wolf) and magistrate Palmer to violate Plaintiff’s unspecified rights, “trafficking [his] Natural Person … for involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, and/or slavery.” (Id. at ¶¶ 10–11.) The operative complaint asserts causes of action for: (1) unreasonable seizure under the Fourth Amendment related to forcing Plaintiff to appear at his state court arraignment; (2) due process violations under the Fifth Amendment, the 1836 United States Morocco Treaty of Peace and Friendship, and the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, based on Plaintiff’s contention that the March 20, 2023 hearing constituted “summary proceedings”; (3) violations of the Sixth Amendment arising from the appointment of counsel in Plaintiff’s criminal matter, over his objection; and (4) violations of the Fifth Amendment arising from the “exercise of jurisdiction [over Plaintiff] by [an] incompetent tribunal.” (Id. at ¶¶ 12–15.) Plaintiff seeks relief against each Defendant pursuant to 18 U.S.C. §

Richson-Bey v. Palmer, (E.D. Cal. 2023).

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