Hicks v. Mantevousian et al

Filing 7

ORDER denying 6 Motion for Legal Representation signed by Magistrate Judge Jennifer L. Thurston on 10/26/2016. (Lundstrom, T)

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

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EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

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MARQUIS HICKS,

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Plaintiff,
v.
ANDRE MANTEVOUSIAN, et al.,

1:16-cv-01440-JLT (PC)
ORDER DENYING MOTION FOR
LEGAL REPRESENTATION
(Doc. 6)

Defendants.

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On October 11, 2016, plaintiff filed a motion seeking the appointment of counsel.

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Plaintiff does not have a constitutional right to appointed counsel in this action, Rand v. Rowland,

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113 F.3d 1520, 1525 (9th Cir. 1997), and the court cannot require an attorney to represent

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plaintiff pursuant to 28 U.S.C. ' 1915(e)(1). Mallard v. United States District Court for the

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Southern District of Iowa, 490 U.S. 296, 298 (1989). However, in certain exceptional

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circumstances the court may request the voluntary assistance of counsel pursuant to section

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1915(e)(1). Rand, 113 F.3d at 1525.

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Without a reasonable method of securing and compensating counsel, the court will seek

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volunteer counsel only in the most serious and exceptional cases. In determining whether

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Aexceptional circumstances exist, the district court must evaluate both the likelihood of success of

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the merits [and] the ability of the [plaintiff] to articulate his claims pro se in light of the

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complexity of the legal issues involved.@ Id. (internal quotation marks and citations omitted).
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In the present case, the court does not find the required exceptional circumstances. Even

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if it is assumed that plaintiff is not well versed in the law and that he has made serious allegations

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which, if proved, would entitle him to relief, his case is not exceptional. This court is faced with

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similar cases almost daily. Further, at this early stage in the proceedings, the court cannot make a

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determination that plaintiff is likely to succeed on the merits, and based on a review of the record

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in this case, the court does not find that plaintiff cannot adequately articulate his claims. Id.

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For the foregoing reasons, plaintiff=s motion for the appointment of counsel is DENIED,
without prejudice.

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IT IS SO ORDERED.
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Dated:

October 26, 2016

/s/ Jennifer L. Thurston
UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE

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