Forte v. Merced County, et al.
Filing
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FINDINGS and RECOMMENDATIONS Dismissing Plaintiff's First Amended Complaint In Part with Prejudice and Granting Leave to Amend In Part. (Doc. 18) Referred to Judge Mueller; Objections to F&R due within fourteen (14) days after being served with these Findings and Recommendations, Plaintiff may file written objections with the Court. signed by Magistrate Judge Barbara A. McAuliffe on 1/13/2016. (Herman, H)
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
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FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
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EUGENE E. FORTE,
Plaintiff,
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CASE NO. 1:15-cv-0147 KJM-BAM
FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
DISMISSING PLAINTIFF’S FIRST
AMENDED COMPLAINT IN PART
WITH PREJUDICE AND GRANTING
LEAVE TO AMEND IN PART
v.
MERCED COUNTY, ERIC DUMARS, LARRY
MORSE, MARK PAZIN, JEFF BERGER,
ALAN TURNER, JAMES FINCHER, ROGER
MATZKIND, JAMES PADRON, CINDY
MORSE, THOMAS PFEIFF, DAVE CAPRON,
JERRY O’BANION, DR. RICHARD A. BLAK,
JAMES WEAKLEY, LARRY COMBS,
MERCED COUNTY DEPUTIES THOMAS
CAVALERRO, CHRIS JASKOWIAK, CHRIS
PICINICH, MIKE HILL, ADAM LEUCHNER,
HERMAN PROCK, GEOFFREY ROGERS,
DAVID SCOTT, MERCED COUNTY
SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT, CITY OF LOS
BANOS, STEVE RATH, LB CHIEF GARY
BRIZZEE, LB OFFICER ANTHONY PARKER,
MERCED COUNTY ADMINISTRATION
OFFICE, MERCED COUNTY DEFENSE
ASSOCATION, MERCED COUNTY DISTRICT
ATTORNEY’S OFFICE, MERCED COUNTY
COUNSEL’S OFFICE, MERCED COUNTY
PUBLIC DEFENDERS OFFICE, MERCED
COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS,
MCLATHCY NEWSPAPERS, COREY PRIDE,
and DOES 1-25, individually and in their official
capacity, et al.
(Doc. 18)
FOURTEEN-DAY OBJECTION DEADLINE
THIRTY-DAY AMENDED COMPLAINT
DEADLINE
Defendants.
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Plaintiff Eugene Forte (“Plaintiff”) is proceeding pro se and in forma pauperis in this civil
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rights action pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983, 1985, 1986 and 1988 and various state law related claims.
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On June 18, 2015, the Court screened Plaintiff’s initial complaint and granted Plaintiff leave to amend.
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On August 24, 2015, Plaintiff filed a First Amended Complaint. (Doc. 18). In his amended complaint,
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Plaintiff names 37 different public entities, public officials, and private actors for violations of
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Plaintiff’s civil rights.1 That pleading is now before the Court for screening.
SCREENING REQUIREMENT
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In cases in which the plaintiff is proceeding in forma pauperis, the Court must screen the
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complaint and dismiss it at any time that the Court concludes that the action is frivolous or malicious,
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fails to state a claim on which relief may be granted, or seeks monetary relief from a defendant who is
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immune from such relief. 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2). “Notwithstanding any filing fee, or portion thereof,
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that may have been paid, the Court shall dismiss the case at any time if the court determines that . . .
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the action or appeal . . . fails to state a claim upon which relief may be granted.” 28 U.S.C. §
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1915(e)(2)(B)(ii).
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A complaint must contain “a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is
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entitled to relief. . . .” Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2). Detailed factual allegations are not required, but
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“[t]hreadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported by mere conclusory statements,
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do not suffice.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 1949 (2009) (citing Bell Atlantic
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Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 1964-65 (2007)). While a plaintiff’s allegations
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are taken as true, courts “are not required to indulge unwarranted inferences.” Doe I v. Wal-Mart
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Stores, Inc., 572 F.3d 677, 681 (9th Cir. 2009) (internal quotation marks and citation omitted).
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While persons proceeding pro se actions are still entitled to have their pleadings liberally
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construed and to have any doubt resolved in their favor, the pleading standard is now higher, Hebbe v.
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Pliler, 627 F.3d 338, 342 (9th Cir. 2010) (citations omitted), and to survive screening, Plaintiff’s
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claims must be facially plausible, which requires sufficient factual detail to allow the Court to
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reasonably infer that each named defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged, Iqbal, 556 U.S. at
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678, 129 S.Ct. at 1949 (quotation marks omitted); Moss v. United States Secret Service, 572 F.3d 962,
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969 (9th Cir. 2009). The sheer possibility that a defendant acted unlawfully is not sufficient, and mere
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Following screening of the original complaint, Plaintiff’s amended complaint does not assert claims against
Defendants Connie McGhee, Central San Joaquin Valley Risk Management Authority, Rayma Church, Ryan Libke,
Brande Gustafson, Louis Leone, Claudia Leed, Gregary De La Pena, Steven Roycraft, Benjamin Ratcliff, William
Lapcevich, Hyatt Summerfield Suites, Ana Villa, Pleasanton Police Department, Jerry Niceley, Mardene Lashley, Officer
Martens, Tommy Jones, Gregory Chappel, Barbara O’Neill, Frank Dougherty, James Cadle, Merced Superior Court, Ken
Wilkerson, Joe Sousa, Manual Faria, and Michael Villalta.
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consistency with liability falls short of satisfying the plausibility standard. Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678, 129
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S.Ct. at 1949 (quotation marks omitted); Moss, 572 F.3d at 969.
FACTUAL BACKGROUND
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Plaintiff’s Allegations
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A.
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Plaintiff’s First Amended Complaint (“FAC”) alleges various causes of action pursuant to 42
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U.S.C. §1983, 1985, 1986 and 1988 against numerous governmental and non-governmental entities.2
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So far as the Court can discern, these allegations concern a myriad of factual assertions linked by an
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overarching conspiracy against Plaintiff to deprive him of his rights in the criminal prosecutions
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related to his prior arrests, among other things.3
The conspiracy and alleged violations of
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Constitutional rights center on complaints made by Plaintiff to various governmental officials about
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his arrests, which went unanswered, and then more specifically, to the prosecution of the criminal
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actions which resulted from his two arrests.4 Plaintiff asserts that the prosecutions unconstitutionally
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declared him mentally incompetent when he was not, and as a result, denied Plaintiff a fair criminal
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trial. FAC at ¶ 53. Further, throughout his state court criminal case and a related civil case in this
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court, Plaintiff alleges that various actors, both public and private, orchestrated a conspiracy against
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him, infringed his rights to engage in protected speech and to petition for redress of his grievances.
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Plaintiff is an online blogger who writes articles in the Badger Flats Gazette. In 2007, Plaintiff
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took a public stance against the County of Merced on behalf of a property owner who was remediating
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contamination. In 2008, Plaintiff wrote articles criticizing Merced County officials’ handling of
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contamination remediation. The remediation efforts resulted in a lawsuit, in which Plaintiff was
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named as a cross-defendant. Plaintiff objected to a Pro-temp judge James Padron presiding over a
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Defendants are Merced County, Eric Dumars, Larry Morse, Mark Pazin, Jeff Berger, Alan Turner, James Fincher,
Alan Turner, Roger Matzkind, James Padron, Cindy Morse, Thomas Pfeiff, Dave Capron, Jerry O’Banion, Dr. Richard
Blak, James Weakley, Larry Combs, Merced County Deputies, Thomas Cavalerro, Chris Jaskowiak, Chris Picinich, Mike
Hill, Adam Leuchner, Herman Prock, Geoffrey Rogers, David Scott, Merced County Sheriff’s Department, City of Los
Banos, Steve Rath, LB Chief Gary Brizzee, LB Officer Anthony Parker, Merced County Administration Office, Merced
County Defense Association, Merced County District Attorney’s Office, Merced County Counsel’s Office, Merced County
Public Defender’s Office, Merced County Board of Supervisors, and DOES 1-25, individually and in their official
capacity, et al.
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Plaintiff’s amended complaint is more conclusory than his original complaint, and in screening the amended
complaint, the Court relies by necessity on the original complaint and attached exhibits for context.
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The foregoing is a condensed version of the relevant allegations set forth in Plaintiff’s FAC. The factual detail that
is omitted has been reviewed by the Court.
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hearing and on February 24, 2009, as a hearing went forward, Plaintiff attempted a citizen’s arrest of
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Padron. As Plaintiff attempted a citizen’s arrest of defendant Padron, Defendant Picinich, a Deputy
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Sheriff employed by Merced County grabbed Forte and arrested him (“February 24, 2009 arrest”).
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(Doc. 1 at ¶55.) Plaintiff was charged with two felonies.
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On June 3, 2009, Plaintiff appeared at a Los Banos City Council meeting and spoke at the
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public forum. Defendant Pride, resident of Los Banos, poked Plaintiff in the chest for his statements
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and the police refused to arrest Pride. After the meeting, defendant Lieb, a newspaper editor, wrote a
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commentary about the incident, inaccurately reported the incident and caused humiliation to Forte.
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On July 21, 2009, Plaintiff went to court for a traffic ticket his son had received. He was
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refused permission to bring in a recorder. Defendant Picinich refused to allow the recorder to be taken
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in and Forte and Picinich exchanged words and then Picinich knocked Plaintiff to the ground, kneed
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him in the back and arrested Plaintiff (“July 21, 2009 arrest”). During the escort, Picinich yanked on
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handcuffs causing pain to Plaintiff and also slammed Plaintiff’s head against the door and kneed him
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in the stomach. (Doc. 1, ¶84, 85.) Plaintiff incurred over $10,000 in medical bills. Defendant District
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Attorney Larry Morse refused to investigate the incident. After the incident, Plaintiff wrote numerous
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articles in the Badger Flats Gazette about the incident and the inaccuracies of the police reports about
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the incident.
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In 2009, a misdemeanor criminal action was brought against Plaintiff for his arrests and the
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Merced County Superior Court appointed Merced County Defense Association as the conflict public
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defender in Plaintiff’s case. In an effort to challenge his 2009 arrests and related prosecution, Plaintiff
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filed a federal civil lawsuit in this court against numerous people for violation of his civil right arising
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out of his February 24, 2009 and July 21, 2009 arrests, among other claims. See Forte v. DA Larry
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Morse, 11-cv-0318 AWI BAM.
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In his FAC in the instant case, Plaintiff begins with the allegation that in September 2012,
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Merced County Board of Supervisors failed to perform an investigation of various public officials at
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Plaintiff’s request. FAC at ¶ 40. According to Plaintiff, in furtherance of a conspiracy to harm him,
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the Merced County Board of Supervisors, Merced County Supervisor Jerry O’Banion, and Merced
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County Chief Executive Officer Larry Coombs ignored Plaintiff’s request for an investigation into
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Plaintiff’s allegations of a conspiracy. FAC at ¶ 40.
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In explaining his conspiracy theory, Plaintiff alleges that in April 2009 (shortly after he was
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arrested) the Merced County Superior Court appointed Defendant Eric Dumars as the public defender
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in Plaintiff’s criminal case. Plaintiff alleges that his criminal attorney Dumars eventually requested
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the dismissal of the criminal charges against Plaintiff (over Plaintiff’s objections) but also requested
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that the state court fine Plaintiff $9,333.33 for the cost of his defense. FAC at ¶ 56. Judgment was
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entered against Plaintiff for $9,333.33. Id. Although Dumars secured a dismissal of Plaintiff’s
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criminal charges, Plaintiff claims that his inadequate criminal defense by Dumars and the monetary
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fine were carried out maliciously in furtherance of a conspiracy against him.
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Also related to the dismissal of his 2009 criminal case, Plaintiff alleges that his criminal case
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was terminated short of trial because he was found mentally incompetent to stand trial. FAC at ¶ 54.
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Plaintiff accuses Defendant Dr. Richard Blak of falsely diagnosing Plaintiff with “severe delusional
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disorder” in the criminal court competency proceeding. FAC at ¶ 51. Plaintiff further alleges that
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Merced County Counsel Roger Matzkind and James Fincher misused the criminal process by
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orchestrating his criminal trial against him and by having Plaintiff declared mentally incompetent
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when he was not. FAC at ¶ 62.
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While his criminal case was still pending, Plaintiff alleges on April 10, 2013, “Defendants
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Matzkind, Fincher, and Morse” in this Court’s federal civil rights case Forte v. Merced County, 1:11-
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cv-318 AWI-BAM notified this Court that Plaintiff was declared mentally incompetent to stand trial as
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a defendant in the misdemeanor criminal case. Defendants in case 11-cv-318 then requested that this
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Court order a mental evaluation of Plaintiff sua sponte pursuant to Rule 17(c) of the Federal Rules of
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Civil Procedure to determine whether Plaintiff was capable of representing himself in the federal civil
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rights action. FAC at ¶ 63. Although Plaintiff was later found competent in his civil case, Plaintiff
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alleges that the additional efforts to have him declared mentally incompetent in his federal civil rights
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case were added factors contributing to the conspiracy against him. FAC at ¶ 63.
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Plaintiff’s 2009 criminal case was ultimately dismissed on January 28, 2013, however, Plaintiff
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made repeated requests to numerous officials to investigate Defendant Dumars because Plaintiff
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believed that Dumars was intentionally providing inadequate legal representation in order to aid the
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criminal prosecution by various named Defendants in this action. FAC ¶ at 66. Defendants ignored
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Plaintiff’s requests to launch an investigation into Dumars’ conduct. FAC ¶ at 66. This, Plaintiff
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claims, is further evidence of the conspiracy. Plaintiff also alleges that the criminal prosecution against
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him in the Superior Court was carried out despite an alleged “conflict of interest” that existed between
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Plaintiff and the District Attorney of Merced County who had been sued by Plaintiff in a counter-
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claim in a Superior Court case titled “Tetra Tech, Inc. v. Marion Santos.” FAC ¶ at 69.
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In sum, Plaintiff alleges that all Defendants made an agreement to falsely arrest and prosecute
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Plaintiff and have him declared delusional so that his writings in the Badger Flats Gazette—exposing
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police misconduct, prosecutorial misconduct, and other freedom of speech violations—would be
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discredited. FAC at ¶ 70. Further related to the conspiracy, Plaintiff alleges that Defendants withheld
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exculpatory evidence—video surveillance recordings of courthouse cameras—that would have
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established that his February 24, 2009, arrest was unlawful. FAC at ¶ 77. Plaintiff also includes
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allegations against Defendants Corey Pride and McClatchy Newspapers for publishing unfavorable
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coverage of Plaintiff’s activities as part of the governmentally-directed conspiracy to silence Plaintiff.
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FAC at ¶ 81.
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Plaintiff’s amended complaint alleges six claims for relief pled against all defendants,
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including (1) unlawful arrest and related supervisory liability and municipal liability for those arrests;
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(2) civil conspiracy claims for his competency proceedings in his civil case; (3) fraudulent
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investigation and unlawful arrest; (4) failure to disclose exculpatory evidence; (5) civil conspiracy
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claims related to his arrest and subsequent prosecution; and (6) intentional infliction of emotional
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distress.
B.
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Plaintiff’s Prior Complaint, Ultimately Dismissed5
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In 2011, Plaintiff filed a similar complaint in this Court against many of the same parties on the
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same or similar claims presented in the instant case. See Forte v. Merced County, United States
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The Court may take notice of facts that are capable of accurate and ready determination by resort to sources
whose accuracy cannot reasonably be questioned. Fed. R. Evid. 201(b); United States v. Bernal-Obeso, 989 F.2d 331, 333
(9th Cir. 1993). The Court’s docket is a source whose accuracy cannot reasonably be questioned, and judicial notice may
be taken of court records. Mullis v. United States Bank. Ct., 828 F.2d 1385, 1388 n.9 (9th Cir. 1987); Valerio v. Boise
Cascade Corp., 80 F.R.D. 626, 635 n. 1 (N.D. Cal. 1978), aff’d, 645 F.2d 699 (9th Cir. 1981).
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District Court, Eastern District of California, Case No. 1:11-cv-318-AWI-BAM (“Forte I”). The
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Court, familiar with the action, takes judicial notice of the complaints and orders filed in Forte I.
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Forte I pled various 42 U.S.C. §1983 causes of action against numerous governmental and
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non-governmental entities based on Plaintiff’s February 24, 2009 and July 21, 2009 arrests.6 After
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defendants moved to dismiss the original complaint, the Court dismissed the vast majority of those
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claims and defendants with prejudice.
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Defendants’ Motions to Dismiss were two unlawful arrest/excessive force claims for the arrests
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occurring on February 24, 2009 and July 21, 2009. Forte I, Doc. 96.
Forte I, Doc. 96.
The only allegations which survived
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Plaintiff later attempted to file an amended complaint (Forte I, Docs. 196, 223, 282) and also a
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supplemental complaint (Doc. 280) in an attempt to re-allege previously dismissed claims and add
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new defendants with updates as to events occurring since the date the claims were dismissed.
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The Court denied Plaintiff’s efforts to supplement his complaint as follows:
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The purpose of the proposed “supplemental pleading” is to reinstate claims against
erstwhile defendants that were long ago dismissed with prejudice from this action.
Specifically, Plaintiff seeks to “supplement” the complaint to allege essentially the
same claims that were previously dismissed on prior Defendants Morse, Turner,
Fincher and others that Plaintiff alleges were behind the “fraud on the court” that
resulted in the dismissal of the criminal charges that had been pending against Plaintiff
in Merced County Superior Court. Despite repeated denials of similar motions in the
past—most recently in the Magistrate Judge’s order of September 23–and despite
repeated explanations of why the claims Plaintiff seeks to supplement are not
cognizable in this court; Plaintiff persists. The court’s prior rejection of Plaintiff’s
claims against those he feels were responsible for the dismissal of his criminal claims in
Superior Court is based on two legal principles that have not changed since the claims
were originally dismissed. First, federal district courts have no authority to supervise,
control, or correct the legal or factual errors of state superior courts. To the extent a
litigant may seek relief from what he or she perceives to be a faulty, fraudulent,
unlawful or otherwise wrongful superior court decision, relief is available only from the
state appellate court except for one very limited circumstance. Federal district courts
can provide relief from proceedings in state courts if, and only if, the state court
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Defendants from the original complaint in Forte I are: County of Merced, District Attorney Larry Morse, Deputy
District Attorney Alan Turner, County Counsel James Fincher, Merced County Sheriff Mark Pazin, Merced County Sheriff
Deputies Pacininch, Jaskowieac, Hill and Leuchner, James Pardon, Supervisor Jerry O’Banion, City of Los Banos, Los
Banos Police Officer Gary Brizee and Anthony parker, Catholic Diocese of Fresno, Connie McGhee, McClatchy
NewsPapers, Los Banos Enterprise, Gene Lieb, Corey Pride and Does 1-100. Most of these defendants are repeated again
in the instant case.
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proceedings resulted in violations of either the United States Constitution or a federal
statute. See 42 U.S. § 1983. This concept of “federalism” was adequately explained to
Plaintiff in the court’s order of March 25, 2013, Docket Number 118, and need not be
repeated here. Second, Plaintiff has never articulated the infringement of a
constitutional or statutory federal right arising from the dismissal of the criminal claims
against him in the Superior Court. Plaintiff’s current Motion to Stay “to supplement his
pleading” is no exception Plaintiff’s major contention with regard to the proceedings in
the Merced Superior Court is that the previously dismissed Defendants conspired to
commit fraud on the court by implementing a scheme to use incompetent or “juryrigged” testimony to persuade the Superior Court to dismiss the criminal charges
against Plaintiff based on a false finding that Plaintiff was not competent to defend
himself in a criminal proceeding pursuant to Cal. Pen. Code § 1370.2. The court has
previously explained that a defendant in a criminal case has no constitutional right to
the continuation of a prosecution against him. In the court’s order of January 31, 2014,
the court made clear that, for purposes of the Constitution or federal statute, there is no
requirement that a criminal prosecution, once instituted, be continued to and through
trial. See Doc. # 202 at 4-5. In the same order, the court also explained the limitations
and narrowness of the Superior Court’s ruling that Plaintiff was incompetent to stand
trial as a defendant in a criminal matter and further explained that this determination,
like the discontinuance of his criminal prosecution, does not raise any issue harm under
the Constitution or under federal statute.
The court has previously explained, and now reiterates, that of all the harms that
Plaintiff has alleged, the ones that are cognizable in this court are current claims under
the Fourth Amendment for arrest without probable cause and unreasonable seizure.
From the content of Plaintiff’s current Motion to Stay and from the content of prior
similar motions, it appears to the court that Plaintiff is of the opinion that it is not so
important what injury was suffered, but rather how the injury came to be inflicted.
Thus, in the present motion, it seems as though Plaintiff believes he can revive the
previously dismissed claims against the previously dismissed Defendants by alleging
facts to show that the proceedings in the Superior Court that resulted in the termination
of the criminal cases against him and the finding of Plaintiff’s incapacity to stand trial
were a result of “fraud on the court.” This is not the case. Plaintiff has previously
accused this court of being uncaring about the malfeasance of the actors involved with
his criminal cases and the fraud that was perpetrated by them in achieving the
declaration of his incompetence to stand trial. The court has previously informed
Plaintiff, and now does so again, that this court cannot address Plaintiff’s claims arising
from the dismissal of the criminal cases against him in Superior Court because this
court lacks the jurisdiction to do so. Whether this court is in agreement with, or utterly
outraged by, the decisions of the Superior Court makes no difference at all. This court
cannot go where its jurisdictional powers do not exist. Because further supplementation
or amendment of Plaintiff’s First Amended Complaint to add the claims and the
defendants that Plaintiff has specified in his Motion to Stay is futile for the reasons
discussed above, the court will deny the motion.
See Forte v. Merced County, Case No. 1:11-cv-318-AWI-BAM, Doc. 271.
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In sum, the Court previously reviewed Plaintiff’s supplemental complaint —largely identical to
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the instant complaint currently before this Court for screening—and determined that the claims
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challenging Plaintiff’s criminal court prosecution, the subsequent dismissal, and any fraud or
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conspiracy related to those claims was not cognizable.
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Subsequently, on June 8, 2015, the Court granted Defendants’ Motion for terminating
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sanctions pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 11(b), 41(b), the Eastern District of California
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Local Rules, as well as the Court’s inherent authority and dismissed Forte I with prejudice for
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Plaintiff’s repeated failure to follow the Court’s orders and continued bad faith and vexatious
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litigation. (Docs. 300, 343).
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In the instant FAC, Plaintiff again attempts to re-allege his previously dismissed claims and
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reassert claims that he attempted to supplement in Forte I against many of the same actors who were
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previously dismissed with prejudice.
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DEFICIENCIES IN THE COMPLAINT
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As with his original complaint, Plaintiff’s FAC suffers from several deficiencies. First,
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Plaintiff’s FAC fails to comply with Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 8, 18, and 20 and fails to state a
cognizable claim. Further, certain claims alleged in Plaintiff’s FAC are barred as duplicative of claims
brought in Forte I. Nonetheless, as Plaintiff is proceeding pro se, he will be given a final opportunity
to amend Claims 2-6. To assist him, Plaintiff is provided with the pleading and legal standards that
appear applicable to his claims. Plaintiff should amend only those claims that he believes, in good
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faith, are cognizable and only those claims which have not been asserted in another action filed in this
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court.
A.
Pleading Standards
1.
Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 8
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Pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 8, a complaint must contain “a short and plain
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statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a). As noted
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above, detailed factual allegations are not required, but “[t]hreadbare recitals of the elements of a
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cause of action, supported by mere conclusory statements, do not suffice.” Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678
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(citation omitted). Plaintiff must set forth “sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to ‘state a claim
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to relief that is plausible on its face.’” Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678 (quoting Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555).
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While factual allegations are accepted as true, legal conclusions are not. Id.; see also Twombly, 550
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U.S. at 556–557; Moss, 572 F.3d at 969.
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Plaintiff’s amended complaint consists of a long and difficult to follow narrative that describes
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a series of unrelated instances described in no logical order where Plaintiff alleges he was the victim
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of various harms. His complaint is neither short nor plain. As a general matter, Plaintiff’s complaint
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lacks relevant details regarding what happened, when it happened and who was involved. Absent this
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basic factual information, the Court cannot find that Plaintiff states a cognizable claim.
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2.
Legal Standards Governing Joinder of Parties and Claims
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Plaintiff may not proceed in this action on a myriad of unrelated claims against different
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defendants in a single action. Fed. R. Civ. P. 18(a), 20(a)(2). As an initial matter, Plaintiff may bring
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a claim against multiple defendants so long as (1) the claim arises out of the same transaction or
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occurrence, or series of transactions and occurrences, and (2) there are commons questions of law or
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fact. Fed. R. Civ. P. 20(a)(2); Coughlin v. Rogers, 130 F.3d 1348, 1351 (9th Cir. 1997); Desert
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Empire Bank v. Insurance Co. of North America, 623 F.3d 1371, 1375 (9th Cir. 1980). Only if the
defendants are properly joined under Rule 20(a) will the Court review the other claims to determine if
they may be joined under Rule 18(a), which permits the joinder of multiple claims against the same
party. Aul v. Allstate Life Ins. Co., 993 F.2d 881, 884 (9th Cir.1993); George v. Smith, 507 F.3d 605,
607 (7th Cir. 2007). When there is a misjoinder of parties or claims, the court may on its own motion
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drop any party or sever any claim. Fed.R.Civ.P. 21.
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Plaintiff may not bring claims against unrelated defendants in this action. As a basic matter,
Plaintiff may not pursue a claim for unlawful arrest by officers, while simultaneously pursuing claims
against reporters for violations of free speech. Additionally, Plaintiff may not pursue incidents arising
in Merced County with incidents arising in Los Banos. Unrelated claims against different defendants
do not belong in the same suit, to prevent the sort of morass of multiple claims, multiple defendant suit
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produces. In a scattershot approach, Plaintiff lists a series of events and facts that he appears to
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suggest demonstrates violations of rights. Plaintiff will not be permitted to proceed with disjointed
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and unrelated claims and defendants, and the Court is not required to sort through Plaintiff’s
allegations in search of a viable claim.
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If Plaintiff elects to amend his complaint, Plaintiff must choose which claims he wishes to
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pursue in this action. If Plaintiff does not do so and his second amended complaint sets forth unrelated
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claims which violate joinder rules, the Court will dismiss the claims.
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3.
Linkage Requirement
The Civil Rights Act, under which certain causes of action proceed, provides:
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Every person who, under color of [state law] ... subjects, or causes to be subjected, any
citizen of the United States ... to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities
secured by the Constitution ... shall be liable to the party injured in an action at law, suit
in equity, or other proper proceeding for redress.
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42 U.S.C. § 1983. The statute plainly requires that there be an actual connection or link between the
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actions of the defendants and the deprivation alleged to have been suffered by Plaintiff. See Monell v.
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Dep’t of Soc. Servs., 436 U.S. 658 (1978); Rizzo v. Goode, 423 U.S. 362, 96 (1976). The Ninth Circuit
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has held that “[a] person ‘subjects’ another to the deprivation of a constitutional right, within the
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meaning of section 1983, if he does an affirmative act, participates in another’s affirmative acts, or
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omits to perform an act which he is legally required to do that causes the deprivation of which
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complaint is made.” Johnson v. Duffy, 588 F.2d 740, 743 (9th Cir. 1978).
9
18
Plaintiff’s complaint suffers from numerous linkage problems. The entirety of Plaintiff’s
19
amended complaint is brought against all thirty-seven defendants. Plaintiff fails to specifically link
20
each individual defendants to conduct alleged in his claims for relief. Instead, Plaintiff merely lumps
21
all “defendants” together in his claims, but fails to specify any particular facts against them
22
individually. As Plaintiff has been informed before, if Plaintiff elects to amend his complaint, he must
23
allege what each individual defendant did or did not do that resulted in a violation of his constitutional
24
rights. Claims against named defendants cannot proceed without specific factual allegations against
25
each defendant and a failure to remedy this deficiency will result in dismissal of those defendants.
26
27
28
11
Plaintiff’s Claims Pending in Other Cases
1
4.
2
As discussed above, the Court notes that a number of Plaintiff’s claims in this case are
3
identical to those raised and screened, dismissed, adjudicated or pending in separate actions Plaintiff
4
has filed in this district. See Forte v. Merced, et al. 1:11-cv-318-AWI-BAM; Forte v. Jones, 1:11-cv-
5
718 AWI BAM, and Forte v. Hughes, 1:13-cv-1980 LJO SMS. “Plaintiffs generally have ‘no right to
6
maintain two separate actions involving the same subject matter at the same time in the same court and
7
against the same defendant.’” Adams v. Cal. Dep’t of Health Servs., 487 F.3d 684, 688 (9th Cir. 2007),
8
overruled on other grounds by Taylor v. Sturgell, 553 U.S. 880, 904 (2008). “[A] suit is duplicative if
9
the claims, parties, and available relief do not significantly differ between the two actions.” Id. at 689.
10
Plaintiff is advised that, he will be given a final opportunity to file an amended complaint
11
wherein he may clarify any claims which have not been raised and screened, dismissed, adjudicated or
12
pending in separate action. However, he is strongly cautioned that any claims in a second amended
13
complaint in this case, that are found to be identical to those raised in other cases, will be dismissed.
14
5.
Municipal Liability
15
A municipality may not be held responsible for the acts of its employees under a respondent
16
superior theory of liability. Monell, 436 U.S. 658, 690-91; Fuller v. City of Oakland, 47 F.3d 1522,
17
1534 (9th Cir. 1995). Rather, to state a claim for municipal liability, a plaintiff must allege that he
18
suffered a constitutional deprivation that was the product of a policy or custom of the local
19
government unit. See City of Canton, Ohio, v. Harris, 489 U.S. 378, 385, 109 S.Ct. 1197, 103 L.Ed.2d
20
412 (1989). A claim against a local governmental unit for municipal liability requires an allegation
21
that “a deliberate policy, custom or practice ... was the ‘moving force’ behind the constitutional
22
violation ... suffered.” Galen v. County of Los Angeles, 477 F.3d 652, 667 (9th Cir. 2007) (citing
23
Monell, 436 U.S. at 694–695.) To state a civil rights claim against a local government under Monell, a
24
plaintiff must set forth facts alleging the following: (1) the local government official(s) must have
25
intentionally violated the plaintiff’s constitutional rights, (2) the violation must be a part of policy or
26
custom and may not be an isolated incident, and (3) there must be a link between the specific policy or
27
custom to the plaintiff’s injury. See Monell, 436 U.S. at 690-92.
28
12
1
Here, Plaintiff has failed to identify any policy statements, regulations, officially adopted or
2
promulgated decisions, customs, or practices by which any defendant allegedly inflicted the injuries
3
about which Plaintiff is complaining. Plaintiff has alleged a series of actions over a number of years
4
but fails to clearly identify the policy he is challenging. Further, Plaintiff is reminded that in any
5
amended complaint he must select claims which do not violate Rules 8 and 18 and have not been
6
raised in other cases in this court.
7
6.
8
To the extent Plaintiff seeks to hold any defendant liable based upon their supervisory
9
positions, he may not do so. Liability may not be imposed on supervisory personnel for the actions or
10
omissions of their subordinates under the theory of respondeat superior. Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 676–77;
11
Simmons v. Navajo County, Ariz., 609 F.3d 1011, 1020-21 (9th Cir. 2010); Ewing v. City of Stockton,
12
588 F.3d 1218, 1235 (9th Cir. 2009); Jones v. Williams, 297 F.3d 930, 934 (9th Cir. 2002).
13
Supervisors may be held liable only if they “participated in or directed the violations, or knew of the
14
violations and failed to act to prevent them.” Taylor v. List, 880 F.2d 1040, 1045 (9th Cir. 1989);
15
16
17
18
Supervisory Liability
accord Starr v. Baca, 652 F.3d 1202, 1205-06 (9th Cir. 2011); Corales v. Bennett, 567 F.3d 554, 570
(9th Cir. 2009); Preschooler II v. Clark County School Board of Trustees, 479 F.3d 1175, 1182 (9th
Cir. 2007); Harris v. Roderick, 126 F.3d 1189, 1204 (9th Cir. 1997).
7.
Departments within a Governmental Entity
A claim for civil rights violations pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 requires a “person” who acted
19
under color of state law. 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Local governmental units, such as counties or
20
21
22
23
municipalities, are considered “persons” within the meaning of Section 1983. Will v. Michigan Dept.
of State Police, 491 U.S. 58, 70, 109 S.Ct. 2304, 105 L.Ed.2d 45 (1989). Municipal departments and
sub-units, including police departments, are generally not considered “persons” within the meaning of
Section 1983. United States v. Kama, 394 F.3d 1236, 1239 (9th Cir.2005) (Ferguson, J., concurring)
24
(findings municipal police departments and bureaus are generally not considered “persons” within the
25
meaning of 42 U.S.C. § 1983); see also Sanders v. Aranas, 2008 WL 268972, *3 (the Fresno Police
26
Department is not a proper defendant because it is a sub-department of the City of Fresno and is not a
27
person within the meaning of § 1983).
28
13
1
To the extent that Plaintiff names departments within the City of Los Banos, County of
2
Merced, Board of Supervisors or any other department within a municipality, he may not do so. Sub-
3
departments or bureaus of municipalities are not generally considered “persons” within the meaning of
4
section 1983. United States v. Kama, 394 F.3d 1236, 1240 (9th Cir. 2005) (Ferguson, J., concurring).
5
8.
6
Many of the named Defendants are private attorneys appointed or who had interaction with
7
Plaintiff in his criminal proceedings or in the various civil actions filed by Plaintiff. These are not
8
persons acting under color of state or federal law. See Polk County v. Dodson, 454 U.S. 312 (1981)
9
(public defenders do not act “under color of state law” when performing traditional lawyer duties).
10
“[P]rivate parties are not generally acting under color of state law,” and the mere allegation that a
11
private party was acting under color of state law does not make it so. Price v. State of Hawaii, 939
12
F.2d 702, 707–08 (9th Cir.1991); Gauvin v. Trombatore, 682 F.Supp. 1067, 1071 (N.D. Cal.1988)
13
(“The relationship between the state and the private actor which establishes state action must be pled
14
in some detail”). A contractual relationship with a state actor does not convert a private business into a
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
Private Actors
state actor itself, however. Gauvin, 682 F.Supp. at 1071 (private defendants who contracted with
CalTrans not state actors under § 1983).
9.
Immunity
Prosecutors are immune from liability under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. See Olsen v. Idaho State Bd. of
Medicine, 363 F.3d 916, 922 (9th Cir.2004) (“Absolute immunity is generally accorded to judges and
prosecutors functioning in their official capacities”); Ashelman v. Pope, 793 F.2d 1072, 1075 (9th
Cir.1986) (holding that prosecutors are immune from liability for damages under section 1983). To the
extent Plaintiff alleges violations based upon prosecutorial conduct, prosecutors are absolutely
immune.
In addition, government officials enjoy qualified immunity from civil damages unless their
24
conduct violates “clearly established statutory or constitutional rights of which a reasonable person
25
would have known.” Harlow v. Fitzgerald, 457 U.S. 800, 818, 102 S.Ct. 2727, 2738, 73 L.Ed.2d 396
26
(1982). “Qualified immunity balances two important interests-the need to hold public officials
27
accountable when they exercise power irresponsibly and the need to shield officials from harassment,
28
14
1
distraction, and liability when they perform their duties reasonably,” Pearson v. Callahan, 555 U.S.
2
223, 231 (2009), and protects “all but the plainly incompetent or those who knowingly violate the
3
law.” Malley v. Briggs, 475 U.S. 335, 341, 106 S.Ct. 1092, 1096, 89 L.Ed.2d 271 (1986).
4
Plaintiff’s Amended Complaint Fails to State a Claim
5
Although Plaintiff’s amended complaint is not in compliance with Rule 8 or Rule 18, a review
6
of Plaintiff’s individual claims further reveals that Plaintiff fails to state a cognizable claim as
7
explained in more detail below.
8
A.
Claim One – Violation of 42 U.S.C. 1983
9
Plaintiff’s first claim for relief alleges unlawful arrest against all Defendants. Specifically,
10
Plaintiff alleges that Defendants Picinich, Jaskowiac, Hill, and Leuchner falsely arrested Plaintiff and
11
provided false statements in their police reports.
12
Supervisor O’Banion “was at all times informed of [Plaintiff’s] grievances against Merced County
13
officials, but O’Banion refused to act, and thereby, aided and abetted the crimes in violation of rights
14
against [Plaintiff].” Lacking any other indication of a basis for Plaintiff’s claim against O’Banion, the
15
16
FAC at ¶ 86.
Plaintiff adds that Defendant
Court presumes the claim is based on supervisor liability. FAC at ¶ 87. Plaintiff also claims entity
liability against the County Defendants, its departments, and its officers in charge and claims that
19
Plaintiff further alleges that the acts complained of are indicative and representative of
its custom and policies and that said customs and policies are the direct and proximate
result of the County’s indifference to prosecution of individuals in retaliation for their
exercise of their constitutional rights to freedom of speech and of the press under the
First Amendment of the United States Constitution and their rights to petition for
redress of grievances.
20
Plaintiff makes the same allegations against the City of Los Banos and individual Defendants
21
Brizee and Parker. FAC at ¶ 88, 89. As against Defendants McClatchy Newspapers, the Los Banos
22
Enterprise and individual Defendant reporters Lieb and Pride, Plaintiff alleges that those Defendants
23
“intentionally defamed” Plaintiff and “ignor[ed] fair reporting laws” “in order to punish [Plaintiff] for”
24
exercising his First Amendment Rights. FAC at ¶ 90, 91. According to Plaintiff, the conduct by these
25
collective Defendants was in retaliation for Plaintiff’s publication of articles critical of the “District
26
Attorney’s Office, the Sheriff’s Department, the Los Banos Police Department, McClatchy, the Los
27
Banos Enterprise, and their respective defendant employees.” FAC at ¶ 91.
17
18
28
A review of this Court’s records reveals that this is not the first time Plaintiff has attempted to
15
1
litigate these identical claims against these defendants. This is Plaintiff’s second action challenging his
2
2009 arrest against these individual defendants, county defendants, and private individuals who
3
reported details regarding his arrest. For example, in Forte I, Plaintiff alleged unlawful arrest claims
4
against Defendants Picinich, Jaskowiac, Hill, Parker, Leuchner. Plaintiff also alleged that “Defendant
5
Supervisor O’Banion was at all times informed of [Plaintiff’s] grievances against Merced County
6
officials, but O’Banion refused to act, and thereby, aided and abetted the crimes in violation of rights
7
against [Plaintiff].” Forte I, Doc. 11 at ¶ 139. Further, the allegations against the county defendants,
8
its departments, the City of Los Banos, McClatchy Newspapers, the Los Banos Enterprise, Defendants
9
Lieb, Pride, Brizee and Parker were also adjudicated against these same Defendants in Forte I.
10
Accordingly, because the allegations in Plaintiff’s first claim for relief are substantively identical to
11
claims previously decided in Forte I, the Court will determine whether Plaintiff’s first claim for relief
12
satisfies the requirements of res judicata.
13
The res judicata effect of a prior judgment may be examined by the court sua sponte. McClain
14
v. Apodaca, 793 F.2d 1031, 1032-33 (9th Cir. 1986). An action may be summarily dismissed on the
15
ground of res judicata if the defense appears from the face of the complaint. Guam Inv. Co. v. Central
16
Bldg., Inc., 288 F.2d 19, 24 (9th Cir. 1961). See Cato v. United States, 70 F.3d 1103, 1105 n.2 (9th
17
Cir. 1995) (stating that there is no abuse of discretion where a district court dismisses a complaint
18
under § 1915 where the complaint merely repeats pending or previously litigated claims). In
19
determining whether res judicata applies involves consideration of three factors including: (1) an
20
identity of claims; (2) the existence of a final judgment on the merits; and (3) identity or privity of the
21
parties. See Turtle Island Restoration Network v. United States Dep’t of State, 673 F.3d 914, 917 (9th
22
Cir. 2012).
23
First, the Court finds that there is an identity of claims between Plaintiff’s claims presented in
24
his prior case, Forte I, and Plaintiff’s first claim for relief in this action. Like Forte I, Plaintiff’s first
25
claim for relief challenged Plaintiff’s prior arrests by Picinich, Jaskowiac, Hill, and Leuchner. Also
26
like claim one, Forte I challenged various governmental officials’ failure to investigate various
27
grievances alleged by Plaintiff, and the alleged erroneous reporting of events leading up to and after
28
Plaintiff’s 2009 arrests. While the factual allegations are not entirely identical, both claims arose out
16
1
of the same transactional nucleus of facts: Plaintiff’s 2009 arrests. See Int’l Union of Operating
2
Engineers-Employers Constr. Indus. Pension, Welfare & Training Trust Funds v. Karr, 994 F.2d
3
1426, 1429 (9th Cir. 1993) (“Whether two events arise from the same transaction or series depends on
4
whether they are related to the same set of facts and whether they could conveniently be tried
5
together.”); see also Tahoe-Sierra Pres. Council, Inc. v. Tahoe Reg’l Planning Agency, 322 F.3d 1064,
6
1078 (9th Cir. 2003) (“newly articulated claims based on the same nucleus of facts may still be subject
7
to a res judicata finding if the claims could have been brought in the earlier action.”). Accordingly, the
8
Court finds that there is an “identity of claims” between Plaintiff’s prior action and claim one.
9
Second, as discussed above, Forte I was dismissed with prejudice, constituting a final judgment on the
10
merits. See Hells Canyon Pres. Council v. U.S. Forest Serv., 403 F.3d 683, 686 (9th Cir. 2005)
11
(“‘[F]inal judgment on the merits’ is synonymous with ‘dismissal with prejudice.’”).
12
Finally, the Court also finds there is privity between the parties. To have res judicata effect
13
upon a subsequent action, the actions must be “between the same parties or those in privity with
14
them.” Sunshine Anthracite Coal Co. v. Adkins, 310 U.S. 381, 403 (1940). Here, eighteen of the
15
Defendants in the present action are identical to the Defendants named at some point in Forte I.
16
Accordingly, Plaintiff’s first claim for relief should be DISMISSED WITH PREJUDICE as to
17
Defendants Merced County, Larry Morse, Mark Pazin, Alan Turner, James Fincher, James Padron,
18
Jerry O’ Banion, Merced County Deputies Chris Jaskowiak, Chris Picinich, Mike Hill, Adam
19
Leuchner, Merced County Sherriff’s Department, Merced County Counsel’s Office, City of Los
20
Banos, LB Chief Gary Brizzee, LB Officer Anthony Parker, McLatchy Newspapers, and Corey Pride
21
as they were all defendants named in Forte I.
22
To the extent that Plaintiff attempts to bring his first claim of relief against Defendants not
23
named in Forte I, this claim is also dismissed as to those defendants because Plaintiff does not allege
24
the required connection or link between each specific defendant’s actions and the deprivation Plaintiff
25
allegedly suffered. Plaintiff will be granted leave to amend claim one as to Defendants Eric Dumars,
26
Jeff Berger, Roger Matzkind, Cindy Morse, Thomas Pfeiff, Dave Capron, Dr. Richard Blak, James
27
Weakley, Larry Coombs, Herman Prock, Geoffrey Rogers, David Scott, Steve Rath, Merced County
28
Administration Office, Merced County Defense Association, Merced County District Attorney’s
17
1
Office, Merced County Counsel’s Office, Merced County Public Defender’s Office, Merced County
2
Board of Supervisors. In amending his complaint Plaintiff is reminded he must comply with Rule 8
3
and 18 and state the requisite causal connection.
4
B.
Civil Conspiracy Claims Two and Five
5
Plaintiff asserts in his second claim for relief that Defendants engaged in a civil conspiracy
6
when Defendants attempted to have him declared mentally incompetent (when he was not) in his state
7
court criminal case and subsequent federal civil rights action Forte I, Forte v. County of Merced, et al.
8
1-11-cv-0318 AWI-BAM. Plaintiff complains that in the criminal action, competency proceedings
9
were initiated by all defendants involved. FAC ¶ 46-47, 51. Plaintiff alleges he was found mentally
10
incompetent in order to adversely affect his federal civil rights action and to deny him the right to a
11
fair trial in his criminal action. After Plaintiff was found mentally incompetent in the criminal
12
proceeding, Defendants initiated competency proceedings in Forte I. Plaintiff asserts efforts to have
13
him declared incompetent were a part of a grand conspiracy to deny his constitutional rights.
14
In Plaintiff’s fifth claim for relief, he alleges Defendants conspired to deprive him of his right
15
to be free from unreasonable arrest and seizure, wrongful prosecution, and due process of law. FAC at
16
¶ 118. Plaintiff alleges that the acts of the conspiracy were his unlawful arrest, his subsequent
17
prosecution and imprisonment. FAC at ¶ 119. Plaintiff also alleges that Defendants created false
18
evidence against him and intentionally failed to investigate evidence related to his previous arrests.
19
FAC at ¶ 119. Plaintiff concludes that the conspiracy was designed to further prove his prior arrests
20
despite his actual innocence. Id.
21
Plaintiff’s allegations are insufficient to state valid claim for conspiracy under 42 U.S.C. 1983,
22
1985 or 1988. A conspiracy claim brought under section 1983 requires proof of “an agreement or
23
meeting of the minds to violate constitutional rights,” Franklin v. Fox, 312 F.3d 423, 441 (9th Cir.
24
2001) (quoting United Steel Workers of Am. v. Phelps Dodge Corp., 865 F.2d 1539, 1540-41 (9th Cir.
25
1989) (citation omitted)), and an actual deprivation of a constitutional right, Hart v. Parks, 450 F .3d
26
1059, 1071 (9th Cir. 2006) (quoting Woodrum v. Woodward County, Oklahoma, 866 F.2d 1121, 1126
27
(9th Cir. 1989)). “To be liable, each participant in the conspiracy need not know the exact details of
28
the plan, but each participant must at least share the common objective of the conspiracy.” Franklin,
18
1
312 F.3d at 441 (quoting United Steel Workers, 865 F.2d at 1541).
Section 1985 prohibits
2
conspiracies to interfere with certain civil rights. A claim under Section 1985 must allege facts
3
supporting an allegation that the individual defendants conspired.
4
Plaintiff’s conspiracy claims are dismissed with leave to amend. Plaintiff has failed to allege
5
any plausible facts supporting the existence of a conspiracy among Defendants; his conclusory
6
allegations that they engaged in a grand conspiracy consisting of over 37 participants in retaliation
7
against him is not sufficient. Further there are no facts supporting how a conspiracy was formed or
8
explaining how his injury resulted from a conspiracy. Instead, Plaintiff provides little more than a
9
“mere allegation of conspiracy without factual specificity.” Karim-Panahi v. Los Angeles Police
10
Dep’t, 839 F.2d 621, 626 (9th Cir. 1988).
11
conspiracy in violation of federal law lacks sufficient factual support, and is DISMISSED with leave
12
to amend.
13
C.
Consequently, Plaintiff’s claims two and five for a
Claim Three – Fraudulent Investigation and Unlawful Seizure
14
Plaintiff’s third claim for relief challenges the “fraudulent investigation and wrongful arrest,
15
detention, prosecution, and incarceration by Defendants.” Plaintiff alleges that his arrest and detention
16
violated his right to be free from unreasonable seizure. FAC at ¶ 104. Plaintiff further alleges that the
17
“fraudulent investigation” caused Plaintiff to suffer damages in “the form of costs incurred to defend
18
against the prosecution.” FAC at ¶ 105. Although stated differently, Plaintiff’s third claim for relief
19
appears to allege a malicious prosecution claim in addition to raising previously dismissed unlawful
20
arrest claims.
21
Plaintiff’s third claim for relief makes several allegations relating to the treatment he received
22
relative to his underlying criminal prosecution. He brings his third claim against all defendants
23
including several different attorneys including his court appointed attorney, a public defender and the
24
other Merced county public defenders, the prosecuting District Attorneys, individual officers, police
25
departments, municipal entities and others. None of his claims against these individuals, however, can
26
survive screening.
27
As to Defendants Eric Dumars—Plaintiff’s court appointed defense attorney—and Jeff Berger,
28
Cindy Morse, Thomas Pfeiff, Dave Capron, the Merced County Defense Association and the Merced
19
1
County Public Defender’s Office—other court appointed public defenders and related entities—their
2
representation of plaintiff (if at all) in his criminal case does not subject them to liability under § 1983.
3
Public defenders act as an advocate for their client and are not acting under color of state law for §
4
1983 purposes, nor are attorneys appointed by the court to represent a defendant in place of the public
5
defender. See Georgia v. McCollum, 505 U.S. 42, 53 (1992); Dodson, 454 U.S. at 320-25 (public
6
defenders do not act “under color of state law” when performing traditional lawyer duties). Thus, all
7
claims against defendants Eric Dumars, Jeff Berger, Cindy Morse, Thomas Pfeiff, Dave Capron, and
8
the Merced County Defense Association, and the Merced County Public Defender’s Office must be
9
dismissed.
10
As to the district attorneys Larry Morse, Alan Turner, and the Merced County District
11
Attorney’s Office, prosecutorial immunity protects eligible government officials when they are acting
12
pursuant to their official role as advocate for the state. See Imbler v. Pachtman, 424 U.S. 409, 430
13
(1976). This immunity extends to actions during both the pre-trial and posttrial phases of a case. See
14
Demery v. Kupperman, 735 F.2d 1139, 1144 (9th Cir. 1984). State prosecutors are entitled to absolute
15
prosecutorial immunity for acts taken in their official capacity. See Kalina v. Fletcher, 522 U.S. 118,
16
123-25 (1997). Thus, to the extent Plaintiff is seeking relief against the district attorneys in their
17
official capacity, such a claim would be barred. Similarly, supervisory personnel are generally not
18
liable under § 1983 for the actions of their employees. See Taylor v. List, 880 F.2d 1040, 1045 (9th
19
Cir. 1989) (holding that there is no respondeat superior liability under § 1983). A supervisor is only
20
liable for the constitutional violations of subordinates if the supervisor participated in or directed the
21
violations. See id. The Supreme Court has rejected the notion that a supervisory defendant can be
22
liable based on knowledge and acquiescence in a subordinate’s unconstitutional conduct because
23
government officials, regardless of their title, can only be held liable under § 1983 for his or her own
24
conduct and not the conduct of others. See Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662 (2009). Thus, to the extent
25
Plaintiff’s claims are against district attorneys and district attorney supervisors, such allegations fail to
26
state a claim.
27
Finally, as to the remaining Defendants Merced County, Mark Pazin, James Fincher, James
28
Padron, Jerry O’ Banion, Merced County Deputies Chris Jaskowiak, Chris Picinich, Mike Hill, Adam
20
1
Leuchner, Merced County Sherriff’s Department, Merced County Counsel’s Office, City of Los
2
Banos, LB Chief Gary Brizzee, LB Officer Anthony Parker, McClatchy Newspapers, and Corey Pride
3
Roger Matzkind, Dr. Richard Blak, James Weakley, Larry Coombs, Herman Prock, Geoffrey Rogers,
4
David Scott, Steve Rath, Merced County Administration Office, Merced County Counsel’s Office and
5
the Merced County Board of Supervisors, plaintiff fails to make any specific allegations against these
6
Defendants. For example, its implausible to imagine that McClatchy Newspapers, reporters Gene
7
Lieb and Corey Pride, or various officials from the Merced County Administrators office had any
8
official role in the investigation, arrest, and/or prosecution resulting from Plaintiff’s state court
9
criminal case. As stated above, to state a claim under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, plaintiff must allege an actual
10
connection or link between the actions of the named defendants and the alleged deprivations. See
11
Monell, 436 U.S. 658. Here, Plaintiff makes no specific allegations against these remaining
12
Defendants, and therefore fails to meet this pleading standard. Thus, Plaintiff’s third claim for relief
13
must be dismissed against all Defendants with leave to amend.
14
D.
Claim Four – Withholding Exculpatory Evidence
15
Plaintiff’s fourth claim for relief alleges that all Defendants illegally withheld exculpatory
16
evidence—video surveillance recordings of courthouse cameras—that would have demonstrated
17
evidence undermining the reason for his arrest. FAC at ¶ 111.
18
Due process requires a prosecutor disclose any material favorable to an accused even if it could
19
not have been introduced as independent evidence of innocence. Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83
20
(1963); see also Monroe v. Angelone, 323 F.3d 286, 291 (4th Cir. 2003). Suppression of such evidence
21
violates due process where the evidence is material either to guilt or punishment. Brady, 373 U.S. at
22
87-88.
23
Plaintiff’s allegation that Defendants allegedly withheld exculpatory evidence is not alone a
24
basis for a federal civil rights claim. Plaintiff does not allege constitutional harm by any nondisclosure
25
and none is apparent as the state criminal charges were dismissed prior to trial. See e.g., Monroe v.
26
Angelone, 323 F.3d 286, 291 (4th Cir. 2003) (Brady violation requires the suppression of exculpatory
27
evidence affecting the outcome of trial); Jammal v. Van De Kamp, 926 F.2d 918, 919-920 (9th Cir.
28
1991) (failure to comply with state rules of evidence not necessarily a federal due process violation).
21
1
Plaintiff’s fourth claim for relief is DISMISSED with leave to amend.
2
E.
Claim Six - State Law Claim- Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress
3
Plaintiff’s last cause of action alleges a state law claim of intentional infliction of emotional
4
distress. As Plaintiff has failed to state any cognizable federal claims, the Court will not exercise
5
supplemental jurisdiction over his state law claims at this time. 28 U.S.C. § 1367(c).
6
However, to the extent that Plaintiff seeks to pursue tort claims under California law, the
7
Government Claims Act requires exhaustion of those claims with the California Victim Compensation
8
and Government Claims Board, and Plaintiff is required to specifically allege compliance in his
9
complaint. Shirk v. Vista Unified Sch. Dist., 42 Cal.4th 201, 208-09 (Cal. 2007); State v. Superior
10
Court of Kings Cnty. (Bodde), 32 Cal.4th 1234, 1239 (Cal. 2004); Mabe v. San Bernardino Cnty.
11
Dep’t of Pub. Soc. Servs., 237 F.3d 1101, 1111 (9th Cir. 2001); Mangold v. California Pub. Utils.
12
Comm’n, 67 F.3d 1470, 1477 (9th Cir. 1995). Plaintiff has failed to allege such compliance or any
13
facts excusing such compliance.
14
F.
Leave to Amend
15
“Rule 15(a) is very liberal and leave to amend ‘shall be freely given when justice so requires.’”
16
AmerisourceBergen Corp. v. Dialysis West, Inc., 465 F.3d 946, 951 (9th Cir. 2006) (quoting former
17
Fed. R. Civ. P. 15(a)). As Plaintiff is proceeding pro se, he will be given a final opportunity to amend
18
claims 2-6 to cure the identified deficiencies.
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
19
20
Plaintiff’s amended complaint violates Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 8 and 18 and fails to
21
state a cognizable claim. As noted above, the Court will provide Plaintiff with the final opportunity to
22
file a Second Amended Complaint on Claims 2-6 to cure the identified deficiencies. Lopez v. Smith,
23
203 F.3d 1122, 1130 (9th Cir. 2000). Plaintiff may not change the nature of this suit by adding new,
24
unrelated claims in his amended complaint. George v. Smith, 507 F.3d 605, 607 (7th Cir. 2007) (no
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“buckshot” complaints). In his amended complaint, Plaintiff shall choose which claims he wishes to
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pursue in this action.
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In the amended complaint, Plaintiff shall state as briefly as possible the facts of the case,
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describing how each defendant is involved, and Plaintiff shall not give any legal arguments or cite to
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any cases or statutes. Plaintiff shall separate his claims, so that it is clear what the claims are and who
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the defendants involved are. Further, for each claim, Plaintiff shall clearly and succinctly set forth the
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facts to state the acts or failure to act by each Defendant that led to a knowing violation of Plaintiff’s
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federal rights. A chronological listing of events, with conclusory recitation of elements fail to satisfy
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Plaintiff’s pleading burden.
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Plaintiff’s amended complaint is limited to 25 pages, exclusive of exhibits.
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Finally, Plaintiff is advised that an amended complaint supersedes the original complaint.
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Lacey v. Maricopa Cnty., 693 F.3d 896, 927 (9th Cir. 2012) (en banc). Therefore, Plaintiff’s second
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amended complaint must be “complete in itself without reference to the prior or superseded pleading.”
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Local Rule 220.
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Based on the foregoing, the Court RECOMMENDS as follows:
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1.
For the reasons set forth herein, IT IS HEREBY RECOMMENDED that Plaintiff’s
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Claim 1 be DISMISSED with prejudice, based on the doctrine of res judicata as to Defendants Merced
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County, Larry Morse, Mark Pazin, Alan Turner, James Fincher, James Padron, Jerry O’ Banion,
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Merced County Deputies Chris Jaskowiak, Chris Picinich, Mike Hill, Adam Leuchner, Merced County
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Sherriff’s Department, Merced County Counsel’s Office, City of Los Banos, LB Chief Gary Brizzee,
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LB Officer Anthony Parker, McLatchy Newspapers, and Corey Pride as they were all defendants in
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named in Forte I.
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2.
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The remainder of Plaintiff’s complaint is dismissed for failure to comply with Federal
Rules of Civil Procedure 8, 18 and for failure to state a cognizable claim;
3.
Within thirty (30) days from the District Court’s Order adopting these Findings and
Recommendations, Plaintiff shall file a second amended complaint;
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Plaintiff’s second amended complaint is limited to 25 pages, exclusive of exhibits, and
it will be stricken from the record if it violates this page limitation; and
5.
If Plaintiff fails to file a second amended complaint in compliance with these
findings and recommendations, this action will be dismissed for failure to obey a court order.
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These Findings and Recommendations will be submitted to the United States District Judge
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assigned to the case, pursuant to the provisions of Title 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(l). Within fourteen (14)
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days after being served with these Findings and Recommendations, Plaintiff may file written
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objections with the Court. The document should be captioned “Objections to Magistrate Judge’s
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Findings and Recommendations.”
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specified time may result in the waiver of the “right to challenge the magistrate’s factual findings” on
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appeal. Wilkerson v. Wheeler, 772 F.3d 834, 839 (9th Cir. 2014) (citing Baxter v. Sullivan, 923 F.2d
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1391, 1394 (9th Cir. 1991)).
Plaintiff is advised that failure to file objections within the
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IT IS SO ORDERED.
Dated:
/s/ Barbara
January 13, 2016
A. McAuliffe
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UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE
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