(PS) Binns v. American General Life and Accident Ins. Co.

Filing 19

ORDER signed by Magistrate Judge Kendall J. Newman on 9/10/2020 DENYING 16 Motion to Appoint Counsel. (Tupolo, A)

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

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FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

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KEYRON LAMONTE BINNS,

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Plaintiff,

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No. 2:20–cv–1120–TLN–KJN PS
ORDER
(ECF No. 16.)

v.
AMERICAN GENERAL LIFE AND
ACCIDENT INSURANCE CO., et al.,
Defendants.

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Plaintiff moves for the court to appoint counsel in his civil action against his insurer.

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(ECF No. 16.) It is “well-established that there is generally no constitutional right to counsel in

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civil cases.” United States v. Sardone, 94 F.3d 1233, 1236 (9th Cir. 1996). There are no

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exceptional circumstances warranting the appointment of counsel in this case. Although the court

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is sympathetic to the difficulties faced by pro se litigants in litigating their own cases in federal

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court, the court has extremely limited resources to appoint attorneys in civil cases. Here,

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plaintiff’s claims against his insurer are not unusually complex and can be reasonably prosecuted

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by a pro se plaintiff. As such, plaintiff’s motion for appointment of counsel is DENIED.

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Dated: September 10, 2020

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binn.1120

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