Shorty v. Hill

District Court, S.D. California·Decided July 2, 2025·No. 3:25-cv-00656·Unknown

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 11 AERICK WAYNE SHORTY, Case No.: 3:25-cv-0656-BEN-MSB CDCR #BC-1060, 12 1) SCREENING COMPLAINT AND Plaintiff, 13 DISMISSING CLAIMS AGAINST vs. DEFENDANTS HILL AND JOHN 14 DOE 1‒8 FOR FAILING TO J. HILL, Warden; 15 STATE A CLAIM PURSUANT A. RAMIREZ, Correctional Officer; TO 28 U.S.C. § 1915A(b)(1) 16 E. ESTRADA, Correctional Officer;

JOHN DOE 1‒8, Correctional Officers, 17 AND Defendants. 18 2) DIRECTING CLERK OF COURT 19 TO ISSUE A SUMMONS UPON DEFENDANTS RAMIREZ AND 20 ESTRADA PURSUANT 21 TO Fed. R. Civ. P. 4(b) 22 23 Plaintiff Aerick Wayne Shorty, a prisoner at R.J. Donovan Correctional Facility 24 (“RJD”) in San Diego, California, is proceeding without counsel with this civil rights suit 25 filed pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. See Compl., ECF No. 1. Plaintiff alleges Defendants 26 violated his constitutional rights by conducting sexually intrusive and retaliatory searches 27 of both his body and cell on at least two occasions in 2023 and 2024. Id. at 3‒6. 28 / / / 1 I. Procedural Background 2 When Plaintiff filed his complaint on March 19, 2025, he failed to pay the filing fee 3 required by 28 U.S.C. § 1914(a) to commence a civil action, so the Court dismissed the 4 case and gave him 45 days to either pay the $405 filing fee required by 28 U.S.C. § 1914(a), 5 or request leave to proceed in forma pauperis (“IFP”) pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a). See 6 ECF No. 3. On April 11, 2025, Plaintiff paid the filing fee and the case was re-opened. 7 See ECF No. 4 (Receipt No. 160348). 8 Because Plaintiff is a prisoner seeking redress from governmental officers, his 9 complaint requires screening pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915A(a) before any of his claims 10 may proceed. The Court now conducts that initial review and, for the reasons explained 11 below, finds that while Plaintiff fails to state any plausible claim for relief against Warden 12 Hill or John Doe 1‒8, his allegations against Defendants Ramirez and Estrada are sufficient 13 to proceed. 14 II. Screening Standards 15 Section 1915A(a) “mandates early review— ‘before docketing [] or [] as soon as 16 practicable after docketing’—for all complaints ‘in which a prisoner seeks redress from a 17 governmental entity or officer or employee of a governmental entity.’” Chavez v. 18 Robinson, 817 F.3d 1162, 1168 (9th Cir. 2016). The mandatory screening provisions of 19 § 1915A apply to all prisoners, no matter their fee status, who bring suit against a 20 governmental entity, officer, or employee. See, e.g. Resnick v. Hayes, 213 F.3d 443, 446– 21 47 (9th Cir. 2000). “On review, the court shall … dismiss the complaint, or any portion of 22 the complaint,” if it “(1) is frivolous, malicious, or fails to state a claim upon which relief 23 may be granted; or (2) seeks monetary relief from a defendant who is immune from such 24 relief.” Olivas v. Nevada ex rel. Dept. of Corr., 856 F.3d 1281, 1283 (9th Cir. 2017) 25 (quoting 28 U.S.C. § 1915A(b)). 26 “The standard for dismissal for prisoner claims at screening is the ‘same as the 27 Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) standard for failure to state a claim.’” Long v. 28 Sugai, 91 F.4th 1331, 1336 (9th Cir. 2024) (quoting Watison v. Carter, 668 F.3d 1108, 1 1112 (9th Cir. 2012) (citation omitted)); see also Wilhelm v. Rotman, 680 F.3d 1113, 1121 2 (9th Cir. 2012) (noting that screening pursuant to § 1915A “incorporates the familiar 3 standard applied in the context of failure to state a claim under Federal Rule of Civil 4 Procedure 12(b)(6)”). Rule 12(b)(6) requires a complaint to “contain sufficient factual 5 matter, accepted as true, to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.” Ashcroft v. 6 Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009) (internal quotation marks omitted); Wilhelm, 680 F.3d at 7 1121. A complaint fails to state a claim if it lacks a “cognizable legal theory” or “sufficient 8 facts … to support a cognizable legal theory.” Shroyer v. New Cingular Wireless Servs., 9 Inc., 622 F.3d 1035, 1041 (9th Cir. 2010) (quoting Navarro v. Block, 250 F.3d 729, 732 10 (9th Cir. 2001)). Detailed factual allegations are not required, but “[t]hreadbare recitals of 11 the elements of a cause of action, supported by mere conclusory statements, do not suffice.” 12 Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678. And while the court “ha[s] an obligation where the petitioner is pro 13 se, particularly in civil rights cases, to construe the pleadings liberally and to afford the 14 petitioner the benefit of any doubt,” Hebbe v. Pliler, 627 F.3d 338, 342 & n.7 (9th Cir. 15 2010) (citing Bretz v. Kelman, 773 F.2d 1026, 1027 n.1 (9th Cir. 1985)), it may not “supply 16 essential elements of claims that were not initially pled.” Ivey v. Bd. of Regents of the Univ. 17 of Alaska, 673 F.2d 266, 268 (9th Cir. 1982). 18 III. Factual Allegations 19 On January 20, 2023, Plaintiff contends Correctional Officer Ramirez conducted a 20 contraband search of his cell while he was using the toilet and partially naked. Plaintiff 21 contends Ramirez “look[ed] at his private parts,” ordered a privacy curtain removed, 22 refused to permit Plaintiff to flush or wash his hands, cuffed, and “wand[ed] [him] with 23 negative results. See Compl. at 3. On February 7, 2023, Plaintiff filed an inmate grievance 24 charging Ramirez with “staff sexual misconduct” related to the incident. Id. at 4, 14‒15. 25 On June 22, 2023, Plaintiff alleges Ramirez conducted yet another search of his cell 26 and body “intent on revenge” due to Plaintiff’s previous sexual misconduct complaint 27 against him. Id. at 4. Plaintiff also contends an unidentified “I.S.U.” [Investigative 28 Services Unit] Sergeant and Lieutenant (John Doe #2 and #3) “let [Ramirez] retaliate.” Id. 1 at 5. On July 3, 2023, Plaintiff filed yet another grievance contending Ramirez’s June 22, 2 2023 search was retaliatory. Id. at 5, 18‒19. His exhibits suggest the June 22, 2023 search 3 uncovered a cell phone, for which Plaintiff was charged and disciplined. Id. at 25‒29. 4 Nearly a year later, on April 12, 2024, Plaintiff contends Correctional Officer 5 Estrada “caressed [his] buttocks and squeezed his penis and testicles” during a pat down 6 body search on his way to the Facility A recreation yard. Id. at 5.

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