(PC) Cisneros v. Muniz ( 2024 )

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 11 DANIEL CISNEROS, Case No. 1:22-cv-01601-HBK (PC) 12 Plaintiff, ORDER DENYING PLAINTIFF’S RENEWED MOTION FOR APPOINTMENT 13 v. OF COUNSEL 14 JUAN MUNIZ, et al., (Doc. No. 26) 15 Defendants. 16 17 Pending before the Court is Plaintiff’s renewed motion to appoint counsel. (Doc. No. 26). 18 Plaintiff, a prisoner, is proceeding pro se and in forma pauperis on his Second Amended 19 Complaint filed September 11, 2023. (Doc. No. 26, “Renewed Motion”). This is Plaintiff’s third 20 motion seeking appointment of counsel and is duplicative of Plaintiff’s previous motion filed on 21 May 3, 2024. (Compare Docs. No. 24 and 26). 22 The Court denied Plaintiff’s two prior motions seeking appointment of counsel on January 23 26, 2023, and May 6, 2024. (Docs. Nos. 9, 25). The Court incorporates the law and its findings 24 as set forth in its previous Orders as though set forth at length herein and denies Plaintiff’s 25 Renewed Motion for the same reasons as stated therein. Additionally, the fact that Plaintiff is 26 utilizing the assistance of another inmate to litigate this case does not constitute exceptional 27 circumstances. See Montano v. Solomon, No. 2:07-CV-0800 KJN P, 2010 WL 4137476, at *7 (E.D. 28 Cal. Oct. 19, 2010) (denying appointment of counsel finding no exceptional circumstance where 1 | “plaintiff has adequately presented, albeit through another inmate, the salient factual allegations of 2 | this case ... as well as the matters now before the court”). Further and notable here is that while 3 || service was directed on April 30, 2024, no Defendant has yet been served or appeared in this case 4 | and no discovery has yet commenced. Consequently, this case procedurally is at the earliest 5 | stages of litigation, so it is difficult for the Court to determine Plaintiff's likelihood of success on 6 | the merits. Wilborn v. Escalderon, 789 F.2d 1328, 1331 (9th Cir. 1986); see also Reed v. 7 | Paramo, No. 18CV361-JLS (LL), 2020 WL 2767358, at *1 (S.D. Cal. May 28, 2020) (holding it 8 || was too early to determine plaintiff's likelihood of success on the merits before fact discovery had 9 | not been completed). Should this case progress and Plaintiff's circumstances change so that he is 10 | able to demonstrate exceptional circumstances, he may renew his motion for appointment at 11 || counsel at that time. 12 Accordingly, it is ORDERED: 13 Plaintiff's Renewed Motion for Appointment of Counsel (Doc. No. 26) is DENIED. 14 | Dated: _ May 13,2024 Mihaw. Wh. foareh Zaskth 16 HELENA M. BARCH-KUCHTA UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28