Hardy v. Department of Veteran Affairs
Filing
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ORDER signed by Magistrate Judge Carolyn K. Delaney on 1/8/2015 GRANTING 3 Motion to Proceed IFP; DISMISSING the 1 Complaint; GRANTING the plaintiff thirty days to file an amended complaint; WARNING the plaintiff that the failure to file an amended complaint in accordance with this order will result in a recommendation that this action be dismissed. (Michel, G)
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
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FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
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JAMES HARDY,
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Plaintiff,
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No. 2:14-cv-2936 MCE CKD PS
v.
ORDER
DEPARTMENT OF VETERAN
AFFAIRS,
Defendant.
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Plaintiff is proceeding in this action pro se. Plaintiff has requested authority pursuant to
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28 U.S.C. § 1915 to proceed in forma pauperis. This proceeding was referred to this court by
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Local Rule 302(c)(21).
Plaintiff has submitted the affidavit required by § 1915(a) showing that plaintiff is unable
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to prepay fees and costs or give security for them. Accordingly, the request to proceed in forma
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pauperis will be granted. 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a).
The federal in forma pauperis statute authorizes federal courts to dismiss a case if the
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action is legally “frivolous or malicious,” fails to state a claim upon which relief may be granted,
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or seeks monetary relief from a defendant who is immune from such relief. 28 U.S.C.
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§ 1915(e)(2).
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A claim is legally frivolous when it lacks an arguable basis either in law or in fact.
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Neitzke v. Williams, 490 U.S. 319, 325 (1989); Franklin v. Murphy, 745 F.2d 1221, 1227-28 (9th
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Cir. 1984). The court may, therefore, dismiss a claim as frivolous where it is based on an
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indisputably meritless legal theory or where the factual contentions are clearly baseless. Neitzke,
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490 U.S. at 327.
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In order to avoid dismissal for failure to state a claim a complaint must contain more than
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“naked assertions,” “labels and conclusions” or “a formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause
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of action.” Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555-557 (2007). In other words,
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“[t]hreadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported by mere conclusory
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statements do not suffice.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 129 S. Ct. 1937, 1949 (2009). Furthermore, a claim
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upon which the court can grant relief has facial plausibility. Twombly, 550 U.S. at 570. “A
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claim has facial plausibility when the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw
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the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.” Iqbal, 129 S. Ct.
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at 1949. When considering whether a complaint states a claim upon which relief can be granted,
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the court must accept the allegations as true, Erickson v. Pardus, 127 S. Ct. 2197, 2200 (2007),
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and construe the complaint in the light most favorable to the plaintiff, see Scheuer v. Rhodes, 416
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U.S. 232, 236 (1974).
The court finds the allegations in plaintiff’s complaint so vague and conclusory that it is
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unable to determine whether the current action is frivolous or fails to state a claim for relief. The
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court has determined that the complaint does not contain a short and plain statement as required
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by Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2). Although the Federal Rules adopt a flexible pleading policy, a
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complaint must give fair notice and state the elements of the claim plainly and succinctly. Jones
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v. Community Redev. Agency, 733 F.2d 646, 649 (9th Cir. 1984). Plaintiff must allege with at
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least some degree of particularity overt acts which defendants engaged in that support plaintiff’s
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claim. Id. Because plaintiff has failed to comply with the requirements of Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2),
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the complaint must be dismissed. The court will, however, grant leave to file an amended
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complaint.
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If plaintiff chooses to amend the complaint, plaintiff must set forth the jurisdictional
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grounds upon which the court’s jurisdiction depends. Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 8(a).
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Further, plaintiff must demonstrate how the conduct complained of has resulted in a deprivation
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of plaintiff’s federal rights. See Ellis v. Cassidy, 625 F.2d 227 (9th Cir. 1980).
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Plaintiff complains that he has been denied federal benefits due to him because of
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exposure to Agent Orange during his military service in Vietnam. It is not clear from the
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complaint whether plaintiff has exhausted any administrative procedures for making his claim or
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whether plaintiff has even presented his claim in the first instance to the Department of Veteran
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Affairs. In any amended complaint, plaintiff should set forth specifically what steps he has taken
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to make a claim for Agent Orange benefits.
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In addition, plaintiff is informed that the court cannot refer to a prior pleading in order to
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make plaintiff’s amended complaint complete. Local Rule 15-220 requires that an amended
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complaint be complete in itself without reference to any prior pleading. This is because, as a
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general rule, an amended complaint supersedes the original complaint. See Loux v. Rhay, 375
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F.2d 55, 57 (9th Cir. 1967). Once plaintiff files an amended complaint, the original pleading no
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longer serves any function in the case. Therefore, in an amended complaint, as in an
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original complaint, each claim and the involvement of each defendant must be sufficiently
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alleged.
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In accordance with the above, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that:
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1. Plaintiff’s request to proceed in forma pauperis (ECF No. 3) is granted;
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2. Plaintiff’s complaint is dismissed; and
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3. Plaintiff is granted thirty days from the date of service of this order to file an amended
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complaint that complies with the requirements of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and the
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Local Rules of Practice; the amended complaint must bear the docket number assigned this case
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and must be labeled “Amended Complaint”; plaintiff must file an original and two copies of the
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amended complaint; failure to file an amended complaint in accordance with this order will result
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in a recommendation that this action be dismissed.
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Dated: January 8, 2015
_____________________________________
CAROLYN K. DELANEY
UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE
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