Roxanne Purdagone v. Officer Greg Rodriguez and Michael Pallares

District Court, E.D. California·Decided December 5, 2025·No. 1:23-cv-01324·Unknown

Opinion

ROXANNE PURDAGONE, Case No. 1:23-cv-01324-JLT-HBK (PC) Plaintiff, FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO GRANT IN PART AND DENY IN PART v. DEFENDANT PALLARES’ MOTION TO DISMISS1 OFFICER GREG RODRIGUEZ and MICHAEL PALLARES, (Doc. No. 21) Defendants. FOURTEEN DAY DEADLINE

This matter was reassigned to the undersigned on July 3, 2025. (Doc. No. 34). Plaintiff Roxanne Purdagone is a state prisoner proceeding through counsel on her First Amended Complaint alleging violations of civil and constitutional Rights under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. (Doc. No. 19, “FAC”). Defendant Michael Pallares filed a motion to dismiss pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). (Doc. No. 21). Plaintiff filed an opposition (Doc. No. 25), and Defendant filed a reply (Doc. No. 26). For the reasons set forth below, the undersigned recommends the district court grant in part and deny in part the motion to dismiss. Specifically, the undersigned recommends that Defendant Pallares’ motion to dismiss be granted as to Plaintiff’s first and second claims, but denied as to Plaintiff’s third and fourth claims. 1This matter was referred to the undersigned pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1)(B) and Eastern District of California Local Rule 302 (E.D. Cal. 2025). A. Case Initiation and the FAC Plaintiff filed her FAC on March 4, 2024, naming as Defendants Officer Greg Rodriguez, Acting Warden Miachael Pallares, and Does 1 to 30.2 (Doc. No. 19 at 3-4, ¶¶ 6-7). Defendant Pallares is sued in his individual capacity. (Id. at 3-4, ¶ 6). The FAC alleges that at all relevant times, Plaintiff was incarcerated at CDCR’s Central California Women’s Facility (“CCWF”), where Defendant Pallares was the acting warden. (Id. at 6, ¶ 17). “[A]t various and repeated times from 2021 through early 2023,” various CCWF employees, including but not limited to Defendant Rodriguez, “coerced, intimidated and threatened [Plaintiff] that if she did not perform sexual acts with those men that they would take punitive action against her including placing her in solitary confinement or (Ad Seg), or other punitive and uncomfortable punishments.” (Id. at 6, ¶ 17). Plaintiff was sexually abused by Defendant Rodriguez “on at least three occasions, two in late 2022 and on in early 2023.” (Id.). Defendant Rodriguez would direct Plaintiff to “go into the Board of Parole Hearing room (BPH) with him” and lock the door once they entered. (Id. at 6, ¶ 17). Once in the room Defendant Rodriguez “turned off the lights and attacked [Plaintiff] from behind,” and on each occasion he “bent [Plaintiff] over the desk in the room and raped her from behind.” (Id. at 6, ¶ 18). Plaintiff alleges she “reported the attacks to prison administration, including, but not limited to, [Defendant] Pallares, but no response was given to her.” (Id. at 6, ¶ 20). She further alleges that Pallares “made intentional decisions with respect to the co-defendants that allowed them to have unmonitored access to areas not subject to video surveillance or other monitoring.” (Id. at 9, ¶ 32). Based on these allegations, Plaintiff asserts four claims: (1) cruel and unusual punishment/excessive force against Rodriguez, Pallares, and Does 1-10; (2) right to bodily integrity against Rodriguez, Pallares, and Does 1-10; (3) failure to protect against Pallares and 2 While Plaintiff includes the State of California and California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation in the caption of the FAC, the FAC does not contain any allegations against these parties. (See Doc. Nos. 19, 35). Even if the FAC could be construed as asserting claims against these parties, Plaintiff stated her desire to voluntarily dismiss them from this action. (Doc. No. 32). Does 11-20; and (4) supervisory liability against Pallares and Does 11-20. (Id. at 7-11). B. Defendants Motion On April 3, 2024, Pallares moved to dismiss all claims against him. (Doc. No. 21). Defendant argues Plaintiff’s first claim for cruel and unusual punishment/excessive force fails because “an Eighth Amendment claim for sexual assault requires that the plaintiff allege the defendant touched the plaintiff in a sexual manner or otherwise personally engaged in sexual misconduct for the defendant’s own gratification,” but the FAC “contains no allegations that Warden Pallares used any force or touched [Plaintiff] at all, much less in a sexual manner, or otherwise engaged in any sexual misconduct with [Plaintiff].” (Doc. No. 21-1 at 4-5). Additionally, Pallares argues he is entitled to qualified immunity on this claim because it was “not clearly established that the alleged conduct by Warden Pallares here could violate the Eighth Amendment.” (Id. at 1-2). Next, Defendant argues Plaintiff’s Fourteenth Amendment right to bodily integrity claim is not cognizable because the Eighth Amendment governs convicted inmates’ claims regarding alleged sexual assault. (Id. at 6:14-26). Further, Defendant argues that “even if the Court is inclined to recognize such a claim, it would fail as to Warden Pallares for the same reasons stated with respect to the Eighth Amendment claim, as [Plaintiff] has alleged no sexual touching or other sexual conduct by Warden Pallares.” (Id. at 6-7). Defendant also argues he is entitled to qualified immunity as to this claim because “it is not clearly established that convicted inmates can state a ‘bodily integrity’ claim under the Fourteenth Amendment.” (Id. at 7:19-21). Turning to Plaintiff’s failure to protect claim, Defendant argues “Plaintiff has not alleged sufficient facts to state a claim for failure to protect” because she vaguely asserts Defendant Pallares failed to properly investigate “prior claims of sexual harassment, physical and sexual assaults” but fails to “plead facts showing Pallares, or any official, knew of a substantial risk of serious harm to [Plaintiff].” (Id. at 9:11-15 (international quotation omitted)). Additionally, Defendant Pallares argues that Plaintiff fails “to specify any particular act or omission by Pallares that caused her injuries.” (Id. at 9:22-23). As to the supervisory liability claim, Defendant argues such claim fails because there is no respondeat superior liability under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and the FAC does not allege “any facts plausibly suggesting that Warden Pallares was on notice that Defendant Rodriguez or any other staff were sexually assaulting inmates.” (Id. at 10-11). Defendant argues this failure to allege sufficient facts to support the claim also entitles him to qualified immunity. (Id. at 11). Finally, Defendant argues dismissal with prejudice is proper because amendment would be futile. (Id. at 12). C. Plaintiff’s Opposition Plaintiff filed her opposition to Defendant’s Motion on July 5, 2024. (Doc. No. 25). Plaintiff first argues that Pallares is not entitled to qualified immunity because he “knew and [was] aware that female inmates had complained of sexual harassment, sexual assault and [rape] by Officer Rodriguez at the BPH Hearing Office and failed to remove Officer Rodriguez from the BPH assignment or install a video system in the Hearing Office to monitor that location.” (Id. at 3-4). Additionally, Plaintiff argues the right to be free from sexual abuse is clearly established. (Id. at 4). Plaintiff next addresses the substance of her claims. In a heading asserting she has alleged facts sufficient to support her cruel and unusual punishment claim, Plaintiff argues that her “failure to protect claim under the Eighth Amendment against Pallares is asserting liability for [his] culpable inaction and is properly pled.” (Id. at 7:13-14). Plaintiff proceeds to set forth arg

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Roxanne Purdagone v. Officer Greg Rodriguez and Michael Pallares, (E.D. Cal. 2025).

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