Wondiyrad Kabede v. CDC Secretary, et al.

Filing 14

ORDER signed by Magistrate Judge Deborah Barnes on 03/27/17 ordering CASE TRANSFERRED to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. (Plummer, M) [Transferred from California Eastern on 3/28/2017.]

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

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FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

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WONDIYRAD KABEDE,

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Plaintiff,

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v.

No. 2:15-cv-1203 DB P

ORDER

DIRECTOR’S LEVEL CHIEF OF
INMATE APPEALS, et al.,,
Defendants.

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Plaintiff is a state prisoner proceeding pro se and in forma pauperis pursuant to 42 U.S.C.
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§ 1983. Plaintiff has consented to the jurisdiction of a magistrate judge. (ECF No. 3.) His first
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amended complaint is before the court for screening.
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I.
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Screening Requirement
The in forma pauperis statute provides, “Notwithstanding any filing fee, or any portion

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thereof, that may have been paid, the court shall dismiss the case at any time if the court
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determines that . . . the action or appeal . . . fails to state a claim upon which relief may be
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granted.” 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2)(B)(ii).

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II.
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Pleading Standard
Section 1983 “provides a cause of action for the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or

immunities secured by the Constitution and laws of the United States.” Wilder v. Virginia Hosp.

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Ass'n, 496 U.S. 498, 508 (1990) (quoting 42 U.S.C. § 1983). Section 1983 is not itself a source of

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substantive rights, but merely provides a method for vindicating federal rights conferred

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elsewhere. Graham v. Connor, 490 U.S. 386, 393-94 (1989).

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To state a claim under § 1983, a plaintiff must allege two essential elements: (1) that a

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right secured by the Constitution or laws of the United States was violated and (2) that the alleged

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violation was committed by a person acting under the color of state law. See West v. Atkins, 487

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U.S. 42, 48 (1988); Ketchum v. Alameda Cnty., 811 F.2d 1243, 1245 (9th Cir. 1987).

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A complaint must contain “a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the

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pleader is entitled to relief . . . .” Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2). Detailed factual allegations are not

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required, but “[t]hreadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported by mere

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conclusory statements, do not suffice.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009) (citing Bell

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Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555 (2007)). Plaintiff must set forth “sufficient factual

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matter, accepted as true, to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.” Id. Facial

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plausibility demands more than the mere possibility that a defendant committed misconduct and,

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while factual allegations are accepted as true, legal conclusions are not. Id. at 677-78.

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III.

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Plaintiff’s Allegations
Plaintiff brings this suit against a number of defendants for conduct that occurred while he

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was housed at Ironwood State Prison in Blythe, California1: Correctional Counselor B. Friend,

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Sergeant W. Griffith, Appeals Coordinators K. Chambers and W. McCullough, Chief of the

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Director’s Level Appeals R.L. Briggs, and California Department of Corrections and

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Rehabilitation (“CDCR”) Secretary Jeffrey Beard.

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Plaintiff’s allegations may be fairly summarized as follows:

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Plaintiff alleges that during his first eight years of incarceration, he received no CDCR

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115 Disciplinary Rule Violation Reports (“RVR”). After those eight years, he was transferred to

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San Quentin State Prison in San Quentin, California, where he received his first RVR. He was

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then transferred to New Folsom State Prison in Folsom, California, where he received 11 RVRs,

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Plaintiff is presently housed at Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, California.
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and then transferred to Pelican Bay State Prison in Crescent City, California, where he received

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another 11 RVRs. Each of these RVRs was written within a 30-day period upon arrival at the new

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institution.
Plaintiff claims these RVRs were issued “to jack-up my classification score point to keep

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me at maximum security to get me killed.” He also claims he was housed with a mentally ill

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inmate at Pelican Bay State Prison “to get me raped and killed several times….” The amended

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complaint suggests that some of the RVRs that he received are related to his refusal to accept cell

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mates “to protect [his] life.” Finally, plaintiff accuses “someone from parole board” of ordering

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“underground to give me CDC 115 Rule Violation to deny me hearing and parole.”
Plaintiff’s amended complaint does not address the defendants’ involvement in the

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violation of his rights. Rather, this pleading references attachments to his original complaint,

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which provide context for the involvement of the named defendants. These attachments include

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an allegedly false RVR filed by defendant B. Friend at Ironwood State Prison accusing plaintiff

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of entering her office without permission. The attachments also include (a) a grievance filed by

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plaintiff concerning the RVR, (b) the responses to that grievance by Ironwood State Prison

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employees and defendants in this case, Chambers and McCullough, and (c) the notes of the

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Ironwood State Prison hearing on the RVR where defendant Griffith served as the hearing officer.

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Plaintiff states he is not seeking money damages, but it is unclear what relief he does seek.

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IV.

Discussion

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The federal venue statute provides that a civil action “may be brought in (1) a judicial

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district in which any defendant resides, if all defendants are residents of the State in which the

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district is located, (2) a judicial district in which a substantial part of the events or omissions

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giving rise to the claim occurred, or a substantial part of property that is the subject of the action

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is situated, or (3) if there is no district in which an action may otherwise be brought as provided in

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this action, any judicial district in which any defendant is subject to the court’s personal

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jurisdiction with respect to such action.” 28 U.S.C. § 1391(b).

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In this case, the specific claim underlying plaintiff’s complaint arose at Ironwood State

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Prison in Blythe, California. This institution is located in Riverside County, which is in the
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Central District of California. Therefore, plaintiff’s claim should have been filed in the United

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States District Court for the Central District of California. In the interest of justice, a federal court

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may transfer a complaint filed in the wrong district to the correct district. See 28 U.S.C. §

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1406(a); Starnes v. McGuire, 512 F.2d 918, 932 (D.C. Cir. 1974).

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V.

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Conclusion
Accordingly, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that this matter is transferred to the United

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States District Court for the Central District of California.

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Dated: March 27, 2017

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/DLB7;
Inbox/Substantive/kabe1203.transfer

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