(PC) Springfield v. Voong ( 2019 )

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 11 CIRON B. SPRINGFIELD, No. 2:18-cv-0016 DB P 12 Plaintiff, 13 v. ORDER AND 14 M. VOONG, et al., FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 15 Defendants. 16 17 Plaintiff is a state prisoner proceeding pro se in this civil rights action pursuant to 42 18 U.S.C. § 1983. Plaintiff’s first and second amended complaints were previously found to state no 19 cognizable claims. Plaintiff’s third amended complaint is now before the Court for screening. 20 I. Screening Requirement 21 The in forma pauperis statute provides, “Notwithstanding any filing fee, or any portion 22 thereof, that may have been paid, the court shall dismiss the case at any time if the court 23 determines that . . . the action or appeal . . . fails to state a claim upon which relief may be 24 granted.” 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2)(B)(ii). 25 II. Pleading Standard 26 Section 1983 “provides a cause of action for the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or 27 immunities secured by the Constitution and laws of the United States.” Wilder v. Virginia Hosp. 28 Ass'n, 496 U.S. 498, 508 (1990) (quoting 42 U.S.C. § 1983). Section 1983 is not itself a source of 1 substantive rights, but merely provides a method for vindicating federal rights conferred 2 elsewhere. Graham v. Connor, 490 U.S. 386, 393-94 (1989). 3 To state a claim under § 1983, a plaintiff must allege two essential elements: (1) that a 4 right secured by the Constitution or laws of the United States was violated and (2) that the alleged 5 violation was committed by a person acting under the color of state law. See West v. Atkins, 487 6 U.S. 42, 48 (1988); Ketchum v. Alameda Cnty., 811 F.2d 1243, 1245 (9th Cir. 1987). 7 A complaint must contain “a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the 8 pleader is entitled to relief . . . .” Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2). Detailed factual allegations are not 9 required, but “[t]hreadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported by mere 10 conclusory statements, do not suffice.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009) (citing Bell 11 Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555 (2007)). Plaintiff must set forth “sufficient factual 12 matter, accepted as true, to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.” Id. Facial 13 plausibility demands more than the mere possibility that a defendant committed misconduct and, 14 while factual allegations are accepted as true, legal conclusions are not. Id. at 677-78. 15 III. Plaintiff’s Allegations 16 At all relevant times, plaintiff was a state inmate housed at California Men’s Colony 17 (“CMC”) in San Luis Obispo, California. He names as defendants M. Voong, the Chief of 18 Appeals for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (“CDCR”), and J. 19 Knight, Appeals Examiner. 20 Plaintiff’s allegations and the documents attached to the pleading may be fairly 21 summarized as follows: 22 A. RVR Hearing 23 In October 2014, plaintiff allegedly refused a cellmate while housed at California State 24 Prison in Los Angeles County. See Third Am. Compl. (“TAC”) Ex. 3 (ECF No. 19 at 27). As a 25 result, he was charged with Willfully Delaying a Peace Officer in the Performance of Duty. Id. 26 Ex. 4 (ECF No. 19 at 30). Plaintiff was found guilty of the charge following an RVR hearing, but 27 it was later determined that his due process rights were violated in the context of that hearing. See 28 id. Ex. 2 (ECF No. 19 at 24). Therefore, a new RVR hearing was ordered. Id. At this second 1 hearing in April 2015, plaintiff was again found guilty of the charge. TAC Ex. 4 (ECF No. 19 at 2 30-33). Plaintiff was assessed, inter alia, loss of credits and privileges. 3 B. Inmate Grievance 4 On May 11, 2015, plaintiff submitted an inmate grievance alleging that his due process 5 rights were violated during the second RVR hearing. TAC Ex. 5. Plaintiff’s appeal, Log No. 6 LAC-D-15-001866 (the “1866 Appeal”), was bypassed at the first level of review, and it was 7 denied at the second level of review on July 22, 2015. See id. Exs. 5-6. 8 On November 13, 2015, defendant Voong canceled the 1866 Appeal at the Third Leve of 9 Review as untimely since the second level response was returned to plaintiff on July 22, 2015, 10 and the Office of Appeals did not receive an appeal until September 23, 2015. TAC at “3B” (ECF 11 No. 19 at 7), Ex. 5 (ECF No. 19 at 39). 12 On or around November 29, 2015, plaintiff filed an inmate grievance, Log No. OOA-15- 13 03596 (the “3596 Appeal”), concerning Voong’s cancelation of the 1866 Appeal. There, plaintiff 14 claimed that the 1866 Appeal was untimely because he had been placed in a mental health crisis 15 bed from July 19, 2015, to September 21, 2015, where he was without access to his legal 16 materials or a pen because he was on suicide watch. 17 On February 25, 2016, the 3596 Appeal was granted in part at the Director’s Level of 18 Review by defendants Voong and Knight after it was determined that plaintiff’s claim had merit. 19 Accordingly, plaintiff was provided 30 days to re-submit Appeal 1886 with appropriate 20 documents attached for processing. 21 In March 2016, plaintiff resubmit Appeal 1886 for processing, but twice the appeal was 22 rejected by Voong. The appeal was first rejected on July 5, 2016, because plaintiff attached 23 excessive documentation. On resubmission, the appeal was rejected on August 3, 2016, because 24 certain documents were now missing. 25 Ultimately, the 1866 Appeal was considered on the merits and denied on October 18, 26 2016, by non-party Appeals Examiner Foston and defendant Voong. 27 28 1 Plaintiff claims defendant’ rejection of the 1866 Appeal was “malicious, vindictive, 2 willful, deliberate, intentional, and blatant” with the intent to discourage and frustrate plaintiff’s 3 ability to access the courts. He also claims their conduct prevented him from “filing” a civil rights 4 claim. Attached to the pleading is a declaration of defendant Voong in another case, Springfield 5 v. Pixley, 18-cv-0130-DDP-AGR (C.D. Cal.). 6 IV. Discussion 7 A. Access to Courts 8 Generally, prisoners have a constitutional right of access to the courts. Lewis v. Casey, 9 518 U.S. 343, 346 (1996). The right is limited to the filing of direct criminal appeals, habeas 10 petitions, and civil rights actions. Id. at 354. Claims for denial of access to the courts may arise 11 from the frustration or hindrance of “a litigating opportunity yet to be gained” (forward-looking 12 access claim) or from the loss of a suit that cannot now be tried (backward-looking claim). 13 Christopher v. Harbury, 536 U.S. 403, 412-15 (2002); see also Silva v. Di Vittorio, 658 F.3d 14 1090, 1102 (9th Cir. 2011) (differentiating “between two types of access to court claims: those 15 involving prisoners' right to affirmative assistance and those involving prisoners' rights to litigate 16 without active interference.”). 17 In order to state a claim, an inmate must allege “actual injury,” which is the threshold 18 requirement to any access to courts claim. Lewis, 518 U.S. at 351-53; Silva, 658 F.3d at 1104. An 19 “actual injury” is “actual prejudice with respect to contemplated or existing litigation, such as the 20 inability to meet a filing deadline or to present a claim.” Lewis, 518 U.S. at 348; see also Jones v. 21 Blanas, 393 F.3d 918, 936 (9th Cir. 2004) (defining actual injury as the “inability to file a 22 complaint or defend against a charge”). The failure to allege an actual injury is “fatal.” Alvarez v. 23 Hill, 518 F.3d 1152, 1155 n.1 (9th Cir. 2008) (“Failure to show that a ‘non-frivolous legal claim 24 had been frustrated’ is fatal.”) (quoting Lewis, 518 U.S. at 353 & n.4). 25 In addition, plaintiff must allege the loss of a “non-frivolous” or “arguable” underlying 26 claim. Harbury, 536 U.S. at 413-14. The nature and description of the underlying claim must be 27 set forth in the pleading “as if it were being independently pursued.” Id. at 417. Finally, plaintiff 28 1 must specifically allege the “remedy that may be awarded as recompense but not otherwise 2 available in some suit that may yet be brought.” Id. at 415. 3 Plaintiff’s third amended complaint includes allegations that reveal the nature of his 4 underlying claim in the 1866 Appeal—namely, a due process violation in the context of the 5 second RVR hearing. However, he again fails to include any allegations as to whether he was in 6 fact prevented from exhausting his administrative remedies that, in turn, prevented him from 7 pursuing the underlying claim. While he claims that the defendants’ cancellations of his appeal 8 prevented him from “filing” a civil rights claim, he does not demonstrate how. In fact, the 9 attachments to the third amended complaint reveal that the 1866 Appeal was denied on the merits 10 on October 18, 2016, meaning that the administrative exhaustion requirement was satisfied for the 11 underlying claim. Furthermore, the civil rights case referenced in the attachments, Springfield v. 12 Pixley, 18-cv-0130-DDP-AGR (C.D. Cal.), concerns constitutional claims that are related to a 13 February 2015 Unit Classification Committee hearing; it has no bearing on the second RVR 14 hearing addressed in the 1866 Appeal.1 15 Accordingly, the Court again finds that plaintiff’s pleading fails to include any “factual 16 matter” to show how defendants caused him to suffer any “actual prejudice” “such as the inability 17 to meet a filing deadline or to present a claim,” with respect to any case. Lewis, 518 U.S. at 348; 18 Jones, 393 F.3d at 936; Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678. This claim must therefore be dismissed. 19 B. Leave to Amend 20 The Court must now determine whether to allow plaintiff leave to further amend. Federal 21 Rule of Civil Procedure 15(a)(2) provides that “a party may amend its pleading only with the 22 opposing party’s written consent or the court’s leave. The court should freely grant leave when 23 justice so requires.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 15(a)(2). When determining whether to grant leave to amend, 24 courts weigh certain factors: “undue delay, bad faith or dilatory motive on the part of [the party 25 1 Under Rule 201, the court can judicially notice “[o]fficial acts of the legislative, executive, and judicial departments of the United States,” and “[f]acts and propositions that are not reasonably subject to dispute and are capable of 26 immediate and accurate determination by resort to sources of reasonably indisputable accuracy.” Because court filings are “capable of accurate and ready determination by resort to sources whose accuracy cannot reasonably be 27 questioned,” pleadings filed and orders issued in related litigation are proper subjects of judicial notice under Rule 201. See Reyn's Pasta Bella, LLC v. Visa USA, Inc., 442 F.3d 741, 746 n.6 (9th Cir. 2006) (“We may take judicial 28 notice of court filings and other matters of public record”). 1 who wishes to amend a pleading], repeated failure to cure deficiencies by amendments previously 2 allowed, undue prejudice to the opposing party by virtue of allowance of the amendment, [and] 3 futility of amendment[.]” See Foman v. Davis, 371 U.S. 178, 182 (1962). Although prejudice to 4 the opposing party “carries the greatest weight[,]...a strong showing of any of the remaining 5 Foman factors” can justify the denial of leave to amend. See Eminence Capital, LLC v. Aspeon, 6 Inc., 316 F.3d 1048, 1052 (9th Cir. 2003) (per curiam). 7 Furthermore, analysis of these factors can overlap. For instance, a party’s “repeated failure 8 to cure deficiencies” constitutes “a strong indication that the [party] has no additional facts to 9 plead” and “that any attempt to amend would be futile[.]” See Zucco Partners, LLC v. Digimarc 10 Corp., 552 F.3d 981, 988, 1007 (9th Cir. 2009) (internal quotation marks omitted) (upholding 11 dismissal of complaint with prejudice when there were “three iterations of [the] allegations — 12 none of which, according to [the district] court, was sufficient to survive a motion to dismiss”); 13 see also Simon v. Value Behavioral Health, Inc., 208 F.3d 1073, 1084 (9th Cir. 2000) (affirming 14 dismissal without leave to amend where plaintiff failed to correct deficiencies in complaint, 15 where court had afforded plaintiff opportunities to do so, and had discussed with plaintiff the 16 substantive problems with his claims), amended by 234 F.3d 428, overruled on other grounds by 17 Odom v. Microsoft Corp., 486 F.3d 541, 551 (9th Cir. 2007); Plumeau v. Sch. Dist. # 40 Cnty. of 18 Yamhill, 130 F.3d 432, 439 (9th Cir. 1997) (denial of leave to amend appropriate where further 19 amendment would be futile). 20 Here, plaintiff has been provided multiple opportunities to state a viable claim against one 21 or more of the defendants. Each time, his allegations have failed to state a claim. It appears, then, 22 that plaintiff has no additional facts to plead, rendering the option of amendment futile. 23 V. Conclusion 24 Based on the foregoing, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that a district judge be assigned to this 25 case; and 26 IT IS HEREBY RECOMMENDED that the third amended complaint be dismissed without 27 leave to amend for failure to state a claim. 28 1 These Findings and Recommendations will be submitted to the United States District 2 | Judge assigned to the case, pursuant to the provisions of Title 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(). Within 3 | fourteen days after being served with these Findings and Recommendations, the parties may file 4 | written objections with the Court. The document should be captioned “Objections to Magistrate 5 | Judge’s Findings and Recommendations.” The parties are advised that failure to file objections 6 | within the specified time may result in the waiver of rights on appeal. Wilkerson v. Wheeler, 772 7 | F.3d 834, 839 (9th Cir. 2014) (citing Baxter v. Sullivan, 923 F.2d 1391, 1394 (9th Cir. 1991)). 8 | Dated: August 5, 2019 9 10 11 tntox Substanivelopi0016 sem 3AC ‘BORAH BARNES UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28