Scaperotta v. Kauai Community Correctional Center

District Court, D. Hawaii·Decided February 5, 2021·No. 1:20-cv-00549·Unknown

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF HAWAII

CHRISTOPHER JAY SCAPEROTTA, Civ. No. 20-00549 JMS-KJM #A6083262, ORDER DISMISSING COMPLAINT Plaintiff, WITH PARTIAL LEAVE TO AMEND

v.

KAUAI COMMUNITY CORRECTIONAL CENTER, et al.,

Defendants.

ORDER DISMISSING COMPLAINT WITH PARTIAL LEAVE TO AMEND

Before the court is Plaintiff Christopher Jay Scaperotta’s (“Scaperotta”) Prisoner Civil Rights Complaint (“Complaint”)1 brought pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983.2 ECF No. 1. Scaperotta alleges that Defendants, the Kauai

1 The Complaint includes Scaperotta’s original December 11, 2020 filing, ECF No. 1, and the “Addendum to Complaint” that the Clerk’s Office received and filed on February 4, 2021, ECF No. 12.

2 This is one of eight complaints Scaperotta filed between December 10, 2020, and December 11, 2020. See also Scaperotta v. Kauai Police Dep’t, No. 20-00542 LEK-KJM (D. Haw.); Scaperotta v. Rhue, No. 20-00544 DKW-KJM (D. Haw.); Scaperotta v. State of Vermont, No. 20-00545 JMS-RT (D. Haw.); Scaperotta v. Kauai Police Dep’t, No. 20-00546 DKW-RT (D. Haw.); Scaperotta v. Kauai Cmty. Corr. Ctr., No. 20-00548 DKW-RT (D. Haw.); Scaperotta v. Kauai Cmty. Corr. Ctr., No. 20-00549 JMS-KJM (D. Haw.); Scaperotta v. Wagatsuma, No. 20-00551 JAO-RT (D. Haw.). Community Correctional Center (“KCCC”), Jack Viohle, and Dr. Charles, violated his constitutional rights.3 Id. at PageID ## 1–2. Scaperotta is currently

incarcerated at the KCCC. For the following reasons, the Complaint is DISMISSED pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 1915(e) and 1915A(a), with partial leave granted to amend.

I. STATUTORY SCREENING The court is required to screen all prisoner pleadings pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 1915(e)(2) and 1915A(a). Byrd v. Phoenix Police Dep’t, 885 F.3d 639, 641 (9th Cir. 2018) (per curiam). Claims or complaints that are frivolous,

malicious, fail to state a claim for relief, or seek damages from defendants who are immune from suit must be dismissed. See Lopez v. Smith, 203 F.3d 1122, 1126–27 (9th Cir. 2000) (en banc); Rhodes v. Robinson, 621 F.3d 1002, 1004 (9th Cir.

2010). Screening under 28 U.S.C. §§ 1915(e)(2) and 1915A(a) involves the same standard of review as that used under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). See Rosati v. Igbinoso, 791 F.3d 1037, 1039 (9th Cir. 2015) (per

curiam). Under this standard, a complaint must “contain sufficient factual matter,

3 Scaperotta cites the First, Sixth, Eighth, Thirteenth, and Fourteenth Amendments. See ECF No. 1 at PageID ## 2, 5–7; ECF No. 12 at PageID ## 58–60. The Sixth Amendment (addressing a criminal defendant’s rights) and the Thirteenth Amendment (abolishing slavery) have no apparent relevance here. accepted as true, to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009) (internal quotation marks and citation omitted). A

claim is “plausible” when the facts alleged support a reasonable inference that the plaintiff is entitled to relief from a specific defendant for specific misconduct. See id.

Rule 12 is read in conjunction with Rule 8(a)(2) when screening a complaint. Rule 8 “requires only ‘a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief,’ in order to ‘give the defendant fair notice of what the . . . claim is and the grounds upon which it rests.’” Bell Atl. Corp. v.

Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555 (2007) (quoting Conley v. Gibson, 355 U.S. 41, 47 (1957)); see Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2) and (d)(1). “Threadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported by mere conclusory statements, do not

suffice.” Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678 (citation omitted). The “mere possibility of misconduct,” or an “unadorned, the-defendant-unlawfully-harmed-me accusation” falls short of meeting this plausibility standard. Id. at 678–79 (citations omitted); see also Moss v. U.S. Secret Serv., 572 F.3d 962, 969 (9th Cir. 2009).

Pro se litigants’ pleadings must be liberally construed and all doubts should be resolved in their favor. See Hebbe v. Pliler, 627 F.3d 338, 342 (9th Cir. 2010) (citations omitted). The court must grant leave to amend if it appears the

plaintiff can correct the defects in the complaint. See Lopez, 203 F.3d at 1130. When a claim cannot be saved by amendment, dismissal with prejudice is appropriate. See Sylvia Landfield Tr. v. City of Los Angeles, 729 F.3d 1189, 1196

(9th Cir. 2013). II. SCAPEROTTA’S CLAIMS4 In Count I, Scaperotta makes various factual allegations about events

at the KCCC during the fall of an unspecified year.5 ECF No. 1 at PageID # 5. He claims that: (1) another inmate “assaulted and harassed” him; (2) unidentified prison officials moved him to a cell with a broken sink; (3) unnamed prison officials moved him to a cell with no bunk; and (4) an unspecified adult correction

officer (“ACO”) assaulted him. Id. Scaperotta alleges in Count II that eight unidentified ACOs held him down, lowered his pants, and injected him with Haldol and Ativan in late October

of an unspecified year. Id. at PageID # 6. He also claims that prison officials transferred him to the Oahu Community Correctional Center (“OCCC”) “against [his] will.” Id.

4 Scaperotta’s factual allegations are accepted as true. Nordstrom v. Ryan, 762 F.3d 903, 908 (9th Cir. 2014).

5 In one of his other actions, Scaperotta claims that he has been incarcerated at the KCCC approximately six times during the last six years. See Complaint at PageID # 9, Scaperotta v. Kauai Cmty. Corr. Ctr., Civ. No. 20-00550 JMS-RT (D. Haw. Dec. 11, 2020), ECF No. 1. Scaperotta alleges in Count III that Defendants Viohle and Dr. Charles transferred him to the OCCC. Id. at PageID # 7. Upon arriving at the

OCCC, Scaperotta was allegedly housed in the “psych[] ward.” Id. Scaperotta alleges in Count IV6 that ACO Murin, who is not named as a Defendant, looked at his legal documents after he returned to the KCCC on

January 27, 2021. ECF No. 12 at PageID # 58. Scaperotta claims that these documents were “damaged,” missing pages, and “in disarray” when they were returned to him. Id. He also claims that a pen went missing and his glasses were broken. Id.

In Count V, Scaperotta alleges that, upon his return to the KCCC, unidentified ACOs said they did not know where his cell property, including legal documents, personal hygiene items, and clothing, were. Id. at PageID # 59.

Finally, Scaperotta alleges in Count VI that the sink in his cell is clogged and broken.

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