Wiley v. Goodman

CourtDistrict Court, E.D. California
DecidedOctober 23, 2019
Docket1:19-cv-01406
StatusUnknown

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

Bluebook
Wiley v. Goodman, (E.D. Cal. 2019).

Opinion

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10

11 ANTHONY WILEY, ) Case No.: 1:19-cv-1406 AWI JLT ) 12 Plaintiff, ) ORDER GRANTING PLAINTIFF’S MOTION TO ) PROCEED IN FORMA PAUPERIS AND 13 v. ) DISMISSING THE COMPLAINT WITH LEAVE ) TO AMEND 14 ROBERT GOODMAN, et al., ) ) 15 Defendants. ) ) 16 )

17 Anthony Wiley asserts Robert Goodman, the Bakersfield Police Department, and the Kern 18 County Superior Court are liable for violations of his civil rights to equal protection and due process, 19 “crimes against the disabled,” judicial corruption, and judicial misconduct. However, Plaintiff fails to 20 allege facts to support his claims for violations of his civil rights, and it appears the remainder are 21 barred under the doctrines of judicial immunity and Rooker-Feldman. Accordingly, Plaintiff’s 22 complaint is DISMISSED with leave to amend. 23 I. Motion to proceed in forma pauperis 24 The Court may authorize the commencement of an action without prepayment of fees when an 25 individual “submits an affidavit that includes a statement of all assets such person . . . possesses [and] 26 that the person is unable to pay such fees or give security therefor.” 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a). The Court 27 has reviewed Plaintiff’s application and finds he satisfies the requirements of 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a). 28 Therefore, Plaintiff’s motion to proceed in forma pauperis is GRANTED. 1 II. Screening Requirement 2 When an individual seeks to proceed in forma pauperis, the Court is required to review the 3 complaint and shall dismiss a complaint, or portion of the complaint, if it is “frivolous, malicious or 4 fails to state a claim upon which relief may be granted; or . . . seeks monetary relief from a defendant 5 who is immune from such relief.” 28 U.S.C. § 1915A(b); 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2). 6 A plaintiff’s claim is frivolous “when the facts alleged rise to the level of the irrational or the 7 wholly incredible, whether or not there are judicially noticeable facts available to contradict them.” 8 Denton v. Hernandez, 504 U.S. 25, 32-33 (1992). In other words, a complaint is frivolous where the 9 litigant sets “not only the inarguable legal conclusion, but also the fanciful factual allegation.” Neitzke 10 v. Williams, 490 U.S. 319, 325 (1989). 11 III. Pleading Standards 12 General rules for pleading complaints are governed by the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. A 13 pleading must include a statement affirming the court’s jurisdiction, “a short and plain statement of the 14 claim showing the pleader is entitled to relief; and . . . a demand for the relief sought, which may 15 include relief in the alternative or different types of relief.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a). 16 A complaint must give fair notice and state the elements of the plaintiff’s claim in a plain and 17 succinct manner. Jones v. Cmty. Redevelopment Agency, 733 F.2d 646, 649 (9th Cir. 1984). The 18 purpose of the complaint is to inform the defendant of the grounds upon which the complaint stands. 19 Swierkiewicz v. Sorema N.A., 534 U.S. 506, 512 (2002). The Supreme Court noted, 20 Rule 8 does not require detailed factual allegations, but it demands more than an unadorned, the-defendant-unlawfully-harmed-me accusation. A pleading that offers 21 labels and conclusions or a formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause of action will not do. Nor does a complaint suffice if it tenders naked assertions devoid of further 22 factual enhancement.

23 Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678-79 (2009) (internal quotation marks and citations omitted). Vague 24 and conclusory allegations do not support a cause of action. Ivey v. Board of Regents, 673 F.2d 266, 25 268 (9th Cir. 1982). The Court clarified further, 26 [A] complaint must contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to “state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.” [Citation]. A claim has facial plausibility when 27 the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged. [Citation]. The 28 plausibility standard is not akin to a “probability requirement,” but it asks for more than a sheer possibility that a defendant has acted unlawfully. [Citation]. Where a complaint 1 pleads facts that are “merely consistent with” a defendant’s liability, it “stops short of the line between possibility and plausibility of ‘entitlement to relief.’ 2

3 Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 679 (citations omitted). When factual allegations are well-pled, a court should 4 assume their truth and determine whether the facts would make the plaintiff entitled to relief; legal 5 conclusions are not entitled to the same assumption of truth. Id. The Court may grant leave to amend a 6 complaint to the extent deficiencies of the complaint can be cured by an amendment. Lopez v. Smith, 7 203 F.3d 1122, 1127-28 (9th Cir. 2000) (en banc). 8 IV. Allegations 9 Plaintiff alleges that in 2013, he “was arrested and held to answer [for] something already 10 litigated.” (Doc. 1 at 8) He asserts he is arrested “[e]very 4 years,” for a total of three times in twelve 11 years, and he was unlawfully detained “3 times for the same charge.” (Id. at 8, 9) According to 12 Plaintiff, the “courts failed due process” and a judge in the family law division “harmed Plaintiff” using 13 domestic violence orders. (Id. at 8) He contends the court is corrupt and made him homeless “as a 14 result of the court moving forward on documents in violation of [the] 1974 Privacy Act.” (Id.) 15 Plaintiff alleges a $100,000 lien was placed on his home, which result in a loss of business. (Id. at 9) 16 Finally, Plaintiff contends that at an unidentified time, he was the “victim of [a] violent hate crime,” 17 which resulted in bodily injury. 18 V. Discussion and Analysis 19 Based upon the foregoing facts, Plaintiff contends the defendants are liable for violations of 20 “equal protection under the law, crimes against the disabled, failure of due process, judicial corruption, 21 [and] judicial misconduct.” (Doc. 1 at 4) 22 A. Eleventh Amendment Immunity 23 The Eleventh Amendment provides: “The Judicial power the United States shall not be 24 construed to extend to any suit in law or equity, commenced or prosecuted against one of the United 25 States by Citizens of another State, or by Citizens or Subjects of any Foreign State.” U.S. Const. amend 26 XI. This amendment bars suits against state entities, regardless of the relief sought. Pennhurst State 27 School & Hosp. v. Halderman, 465 U.S. 89, 100-01 (1984); Hirsh v. Justices of Supreme Court of State 28 of Cal., 67 F.3d 708, 715 (9th Cir. 1995). A California Superior Court is a state agency and is immune 1 to suit under the Eleventh Amendment. Simmons v. Sacramento County Superior Court, 318 F.3d 2 1156, 1161 (9th Cir.

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Bluebook (online)
Wiley v. Goodman, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wiley-v-goodman-caed-2019.