Scally v. Flores

CourtDistrict Court, S.D. California
DecidedMarch 30, 2022
Docket3:22-cv-00182
StatusUnknown

This text of Scally v. Flores (Scally v. Flores) 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
Scally v. Flores, (S.D. Cal. 2022).

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 11 TONY EUGENE SCALLY, Case No.: 22cv0182-DMS (MDD) CDCR #G-7776, 12 ORDER: Plaintiff, 13 vs. (1) GRANTING MOTION TO 14 PROCEED IN FORMA PAUPERIS, A. FLORES and E. VEGA, 15 and Correctional Officers,

16 Defendants. (2) DISMISSING COMPLAINT FOR 17 FAILING TO STATE A CLAIM PURSUANT TO 28 U.S.C. 18 §§ 1915(e)(2) & 1915A(b) 19 20 On February 7, 2022, Plaintiff Tony Eugene Scally, a state prisoner proceeding pro 21 se, filed a civil rights Complaint pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. (ECF No. 1.) On February 22 14, 2022, the Court dismissed the Complaint because Plaintiff failed to pay the civil filing 23 fee or submit an application to proceed In Forma Pauperis (“IFP”). (ECF No. 3.) Plaintiff 24 submitted a copy of his inmate trust account statement on March 4, 2022, and filed a motion 25 to proceed IPF on March 7, 2022. (ECF Nos. 4-5.) 26 I. Motion to Proceed IFP 27 All parties instituting any civil action, suit or proceeding in a district court of the 28 United States, except an application for writ of habeas corpus, must pay a filing fee of 1 $402. See 28 U.S.C. § 1914(a). The action may proceed despite a failure to prepay the 2 entire fee only if leave to proceed IFP is granted pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a). See 3 Andrews v. Cervantes, 493 F.3d 1047, 1051 (9th Cir. 2007). Section 1915(a)(2) also 4 requires prisoners seeking leave to proceed IFP to submit a “certified copy of the trust fund 5 account statement (or institutional equivalent) for . . . the 6-month period immediately 6 preceding the filing of the complaint.” 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(2); Andrews v. King, 398 F.3d 7 1113, 1119 (9th Cir. 2005). From the certified trust account statement, the Court assesses 8 an initial payment of 20% of (a) the average monthly deposits in the account for the past 9 six months, or (b) the average monthly balance in the account for the past six months, 10 whichever is greater, unless the prisoner has no assets. See 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(1) & (4). 11 The institution collects subsequent payments, assessed at 20% of the preceding month’s 12 income, in any month in which the account exceeds $10, and forwards those payments to 13 the Court until the entire filing fee is paid. See 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(2). Plaintiff remains 14 obligated to pay the entire fee in monthly installments regardless of whether their action is 15 ultimately dismissed. Bruce v. Samuels, 577 U.S. 82, 84 (2016); 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(1) 16 & (2); Taylor v. Delatoore, 281 F.3d 844, 847 (9th Cir. 2002). 17 In support of his IFP Motion, Plaintiff has submitted two copies of his California 18 Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (“CDCR”) Inmate Statement Report dated 19 February 23, 2022, and March 1, 2022. (ECF No. 4 at 1; ECF No. 5 at 6.) The first 20 statement, which is closer in time to the filing of the Complaint, indicates that during the 21 six months prior to filing suit Plaintiff had an average monthly balance of $188.46, average 22 monthly deposits of $61.67, and had an available balance of $147.62 in his account at the 23 time he filed suit. (ECF No. 4 at 1.) Plaintiff’s Motion to Proceed IFP is GRANTED. 24 The Court assesses an initial partial filing fee of $37.69. Plaintiff remains obligated to pay 25

26 27 1 In addition to a $350 fee, civil litigants, other than those granted leave to proceed IFP, must pay an additional administrative fee of $52. See 28 U.S.C. § 1914(a) (Judicial 28 1 the remaining $312.31 in monthly installments even if this action is ultimately dismissed. 2 Bruce, 577 U.S. at 84; 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(1)&(2). 3 II. Screening pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 1915(e)(2) & 1915A(b) 4 A. Standard of Review 5 Because Plaintiff is a prisoner and is proceeding IFP, his Complaint requires a pre- 6 Answer screening pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 1915(e)(2) & 1915A(b). Under these statutes, 7 the Court must sua sponte dismiss a prisoner’s IFP complaint, or any portion of it, which 8 is frivolous, malicious, fails to state a claim, or seeks damages from defendants who are 9 immune. See Lopez v. Smith, 203 F.3d 1122, 1126-27 (9th Cir. 2000) (en banc) (discussing 10 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2)); Rhodes v. Robinson, 621 F.3d 1002, 1004 (9th Cir. 2010) 11 (discussing 28 U.S.C. § 1915A(b)). 12 “The standard for determining whether a plaintiff has failed to state a claim upon 13 which relief can be granted under § 1915(e)(2)(B)(ii) is the same as the Federal Rule of 14 Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) standard for failure to state a claim.” Watison v. Carter, 668 F.3d 15 1108, 1112 (9th Cir. 2012); see also Wilhelm v. Rotman, 680 F.3d 1113, 1121 (9th Cir. 16 2012) (noting that § 1915A screening “incorporates the familiar standard applied in the 17 context of failure to state a claim under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6).”) Rule 18 12(b)(6) requires a complaint to “contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to ‘state 19 a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.’” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009), 20 quoting Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570 (2007). Detailed factual 21 allegations are not required, but “[t]hreadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action, 22 supported by mere conclusory statements, do not suffice.” Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678. 23 “Determining whether a complaint states a plausible claim for relief [is] . . . a context- 24 specific task that requires the reviewing court to draw on its judicial experience and 25 common sense.” Id. 26 Title 42 U.S.C. § 1983 “creates a private right of action against individuals who, 27 acting under color of state law, violate federal constitutional or statutory rights.” 28 Devereaux v. Abbey, 263 F.3d 1070, 1074 (9th Cir. 2001).

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Scally v. Flores, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/scally-v-flores-casd-2022.