Robinson v. Madden

CourtDistrict Court, S.D. California
DecidedMarch 7, 2023
Docket3:22-cv-01401
StatusUnknown

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

Bluebook
Robinson v. Madden, (S.D. Cal. 2023).

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 11 RAYVONE ROBINSON, Case No.: 22-cv-01401-GPC-DEB

12 Plaintiff, ORDER GRANTING DEFENDANTS’ 13 v. MOTION TO DISMISS WITH LEAVE TO AMEND 14 J. GALLEGOS, Correctional Counselor,

FRANK SHARPE, Classification and 15 [Dkt. No. 13.] Parole Representative, 16 Defendants. 17

18 Before the Court is Defendants J. Gallegos and Frank Sharpe’s motion to dismiss 19 for failure to state a claim pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). (Dkt. No. 20 13.) Plaintiff did not file an opposition.1 Based on the reasoning below, the Court 21 GRANTS Defendants’ motion to dismiss with leave to amend. 22 23 24 1 Even though the opposition was due on January 13, 2023, (Dkt. No. 14), on January 26, 2023, because 25 Court rescheduled the hearing date, it also granted Plaintiff leave to file an opposition by February 17, 2023. (Dkt. No. 15.) However, to date, no opposition has been filed. Moreover, a failure to file an 26 opposition “may constitute a consent to the granting of a motion . . . .” S.D. Local Civ. R. 7.1(f)(3). Despite this rule, the Court considers the merits of Defendants’ motion. 27 1 Procedural Background 2 On September 13, 2022, Rayvone Robinson (“Plaintiff”), a state prisoner 3 incarcerated at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility (“RJD”), filed a civil rights action 4 pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 against Defendants Raymond Madden (“Madden”), Warden; 5 J. Gallegos (“Gallegos”), Correctional Counselor I; Frank Sharpe (“Sharpe”), 6 Classification and Parole Representative; and Kathleen Allison (“Allison”), Secretary of 7 the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (“CDCR”). (Dkt. No. 1, 8 Compl.) He also filed a motion for leave to proceed in form pauperis (“IFP”) and motion 9 for temporary restraining order. (Dkt. Nos. 2, 3.) On September 20, 2022, the Court 10 granted Plaintiff’s motion to proceed IFP, denied the motion for temporary restraining 11 order and dismissed Defendants Allison and Madden without prejudice for failing to state 12 a claim pursuant to the Court’s sua sponte review under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2) and § 13 1915A(b). (Dkt. No. 6.) Defendants Gallegos and Sharpe move to dismiss the claims 14 against them. (Dkt. No. 13.) 15 Factual Background 16 According to the complaint, Plaintiff is currently serving a prison sentence for the 17 murder of a high-level member of the Compton Crip gang. (Dkt. No. 1, Compl. at 3.2) He 18 claims that prior to 2019, he was protected from violent attacks in prison by fellow 19 members of the Blood gang with which he was associated. (Id.) On April 24, 2019, 20 Plaintiff signed CDCR 128-86, Renunciation of STG3 Affiliation, Association and Illicit 21 Behavior, requesting protective placement on a Sensitive Needs Yard (“SNY”). (Id. at 3, 22 12.) Through his renunciation of STG affiliation, Plaintiff disassociated himself from the 23 Blood gang and was granted a Level IV SNY classification. (Id. at 3-4, 12.) However, 24

25 26 2 Page numbers are based on the CM/ECF pagination. 3 Security Threat Group 27 1 while at Level IV SNY, contrary to CDCR regulations, he discovered Security Threat 2 Group (“STG”) activities and he was the victim of violent assaults while housed there after 3 he refused to pay fellow inmates for protection. (Id. at 4.) After being subject to a couple 4 of violent assaults, Plaintiff complied and paid the “rent” for protection while he was at 5 Level IV SNY. (Id.) The STG gang members at Level IV SNY operated without any 6 restraint or consequences. (Id.) Plaintiff further claims that even though he was subject to 7 extortion and assaults, he did not report these incidents because he “would have face[d] 8 possible death because ‘snitching’ is highly disfavored within the level IV prison 9 population.” (Id. at 7.) 10 Plaintiff states that in 2022 he received a “behavior override placement” and was 11 moved to Level III SNY at RJD, which did not have any “STG gang members who were 12 carrying out violent assaults or extortion such as [Plaintiff] was constantly subjected to in 13 the level IV SNY facilities.” (Id. at 4-5.) In August 2022, Plaintiff claims Defendant 14 Gallegos told him he “[was] going to be taken to a classification committee for transfer 15 back to a level IV SNY facility due to Plaintiff becoming involed (sic) in two incidents or 16 altercations.” (Id. at 5.) He further asserts he received information from another inmate 17 that if Plaintiff returned to Level IV SNY without paying the extortion fee, he would be 18 immediately removed, meaning he would be “violently” removed. (Id.) Plaintiff further 19 claims that when he told Defendant Gallegos about his fears and threats to his safety, 20 Gallegos “completely disregarded the risk to Plaintiff[’s] safety” and told Plaintiff “he 21 would still be taking Plaintiff to a classification committee for transfer to a level IV SNY 22 facility.” (Id. at 7.) Plaintiff additionally alleges that Defendant Sharpe, as Gallegos’ 23 supervisor, approved taking “Plaintiff to the classification committee for transfer . . . 24 disregarding the risk to Plaintiff’s safety.” (Id.) 25 The complaint alleges Defendants Gallegos and Sharpe violated his Eighth 26 Amendment right for failing to protect Plaintiff by facilitating consideration of his transfer 27 1 from a Level III to a Level IV correctional facility. (Dkt. No. 1, Compl. at 7.) He also 2 seeks an injunction barring Defendants from “transferring or placing [Plaintiff] in any level 3 IV facility . . . where . . . gang members exist, without written notice to the court and good 4 cause shown,” $300,000 in compensatory relief, and $25,000 in punitive damages from 5 each defendant. (Id. at 11.) 6 Discussion 7 A Legal Standard on Motion to Dismiss Under Rule 12(b)(6) 8 Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 8(a)(2) requires that any “pleading that states a claim 9 for relief must contain . . . a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader 10 is entitled to relief.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2). This pleading standard “does not require 11 ‘detailed factual allegations,’ but it demands more than an unadorned, the defendant- 12 unlawfully-harmed-me accusation.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009) (quoting 13 Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 554, 555 (2007)). 14 A Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss “tests the legal sufficiency of a claim.” Navarro 15 v. Block, 250 F.3d 729, 732 (9th Cir. 2001). “To survive a motion to dismiss, a complaint 16 must contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to ‘state a claim to relief that is 17 plausible on its face.’” Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678 (quoting Twombly, 550 U.S. at 570). A 18 claim is facially plausible when there exists sufficient factual content such that the court 19 may “draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.” 20 Id. “Threadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported by mere conclusory 21 statements, do not suffice.” Id. at 678; Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555 (noting that on a motion 22 to dismiss the court is “not bound to accept as true a legal conclusion couched as a factual 23 allegation”); see Turner v. City & Cnty. of San Francisco, 788 F.3d 1206, 1210 (9th Cir.

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Robinson v. Madden, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/robinson-v-madden-casd-2023.