Harrell v. State of California et al
Filing
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ORDER of Dismissal With Leave to Amend by Judge Ronald M. Whyte Denying 4 Motion to Recuse. (jg, COURT STAFF) (Filed on 7/26/2013) Modified on 7/26/2013 (jg, COURT STAFF).
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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
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FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
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HULEN T. HARRELL,
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Plaintiff,
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v.
STATE OF CALIFORNIA, et al.,
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Defendants.
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No. C 13-1351 RMW (PR)
ORDER OF DISMISSAL
WITH LEAVE TO AMEND;
ORDER DENYING MOTION
TO RECUSE
(Docket No. 4)
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Plaintiff, a state prisoner proceeding pro se, filed the instant civil rights complaint
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pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Plaintiff has been granted leave to proceed in forma pauperis in a
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separate order. For the reasons stated below, the court DISMISSES the complaint with leave to
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amend.
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DISCUSSION
A.
Standard of Review
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Federal courts must engage in a preliminary screening of cases in which prisoners seek
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redress from a governmental entity or officer or employee of a governmental entity. 28 U.S.C.
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§ 1915A(a). In its review the court must identify any cognizable claims, and dismiss any claims
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that are frivolous, malicious, fail to state a claim upon which relief may be granted, or seek
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monetary relief from a defendant who is immune from such relief. 28 U.S.C § 1915A(b)(1), (2).
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Pro se pleadings must be liberally construed. Balistreri v. Pacifica Police Dep’t, 901 F.2d 696,
Order of Dismissal With Leave to Amend
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699 (9th Cir. 1990).
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To state a claim under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, a plaintiff must allege that a person acting under
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the color of state law committed a violation of a right secured by the Constitution or laws of the
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United States. West v. Atkins, 487 U.S. 42, 48 (1988).
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B.
Plaintiff’s Claims
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Plaintiff’s complaint is difficult to understand. According to plaintiff’s declaration and
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affidavit, plaintiff was convicted in 1975, 1983, and 1993 of felony crimes in Alameda County
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Superior Court, and, as a result, plaintiff claims that he was subject to false imprisonment or
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simple kidnapping. Plaintiff also appears to be raising a deliberate indifference claim and
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possibly a retaliation claim, but the court cannot determine the exact contours of plaintiff’s
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action.
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Plaintiff’s complaint must be dismissed for several reasons. First, plaintiff’s claims
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implicating his previous convictions are barred by Heck v. Humphrey, 512 U.S. 477, 486-487
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(1994). The United States Supreme Court has held that to recover damages in a suit under
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Section 1983 for an allegedly unconstitutional conviction or imprisonment, or for other harm
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caused by actions whose unlawfulness would render a conviction or sentence invalid, a plaintiff
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must prove that the conviction or sentence has been reversed on direct appeal, expunged by
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executive order, declared invalid by a state tribunal authorized to make such determination, or
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called into question by a federal court’s issuance of a writ of habeas corpus. Id. A claim for
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damages arising from a conviction or sentence that has not been so invalidated is not cognizable
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under Section 1983. Id. Thus, Plaintiff cannot proceed with this claim pursuant to Section 1983.
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Instead, Plaintiff’s exclusive remedy, one to which he has unsuccessfully resorted in the past, see
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Harrell v. Butler, No. 00-2516 PJH (N.D. Cal. Sept. 22, 2008) (judgment), is habeas corpus. See
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Ybarra v. Reno Thunderbird Mobile Home Village, 723 F.2d 675, 682 (9th Cir. 1984)
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(concluding that § 1983 action seeking declaratory judgment based on the prosecutor’s alleged
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failure to preserve exculpatory evidence required dismissal because “in order to prevail on this
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claim, [plaintiff] must collaterally void his state court conviction”) (citing Preiser v. Rodriguez,
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411 U.S. 475, 500 (1973).) In addition, to the extent plaintiff is seeking reversals of his previous
Order of Dismissal With Leave to Amend
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convictions as his requests for relief, habeas corpus is the “exclusive remedy” for the prisoner
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who seeks “‘immediate or speedier release’” from confinement. Skinner v. Switzer, 131 S. Ct.
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1289, 1293 (2011) (quoting Wilkinson v. Dotson, 544 U.S. 74, 82 (2005)).
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Second, the complaint does not comply with the requirement that the averments be
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“simple, concise, and direct.” For example, one of plaintiff’s claims appears to state a deliberate
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indifference to medical needs claim if plaintiff can sufficiently plead his allegations. Federal
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Rule of Civil Procedure 8(a) requires that the complaint set forth “a short and plain statement of
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the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief.” Here, plaintiff has not provided the court
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with the sufficient information necessary to determine whether an Eighth Amendment claim for
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relief has been stated against any defendant. “While a complaint . . . does not need detailed
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factual allegations, . . . a plaintiff’s obligation to provide the ‘grounds of his ‘entitle[ment] to
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relief’ requires more than labels and conclusions, and a formulaic recitation of the elements of a
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cause of action will not do. . . . Factual allegations must be enough to raise a right to relief
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above the speculative level.” Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 553-56, (2007)
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(citations omitted). A complaint should be dismissed if it does not proffer “enough facts to state
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a claim for relief that is plausible on its face.” Id at 570.
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In this case, plaintiff must specifically identify what each named defendant did or did not
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do in order to state a claim with regard to each separate claim. Plaintiff will be granted leave to
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amend to allege specifics. In his amended complaint, he must establish legal liability of each
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person for the claimed violation of his rights. Liability may be imposed on an individual
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defendant under section 1983 if the plaintiff can show that the defendant proximately caused the
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deprivation of a federally protected right. See Leer v. Murphy, 844 F.2d 628, 634 (9th Cir.
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1988); Harris v. City of Roseburg, 664 F.2d 1121, 1125 (9th Cir. 1981). A person deprives
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another of a constitutional right within the meaning of section 1983 if he does an affirmative act,
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participates in another’s affirmative act or omits to perform an act which he is legally required to
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do, that causes the deprivation of which the plaintiff complains. See Leer, 844 F.2d at 633; see,
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e.g., Robins v. Meecham, 60 F.3d 1436, 1442 (9th Cir. 1995) (prison official’s failure to
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intervene to prevent Eighth Amendment violation may be basis for liability). Sweeping
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conclusory allegations will not suffice; plaintiff must instead “set forth specific facts as to each
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individual defendant’s” deprivation of protected rights. Leer, 844 F.2d at 634.
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In sum, plaintiff’s allegations fail to specifically state what happened, when it happened,
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what each defendant did, and how those actions or inactions rise to the level of a federal
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constitutional violation. Without this basic information, the plaintiff’s case must be dismissed.
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The complaint need not be long. In fact, a brief and clear statement with regard to each claim
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listing each defendant’s actions regarding that claim is preferable. Accordingly, the complaint is
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DISMISSED WITH LEAVE TO AMEND. Plaintiff will be provided with thirty days in which
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to amend to correct the deficiencies in his complaint if he can do so in good faith.
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C.
Motion to Recuse
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Plaintiff has filed a motion requesting his case to be assigned to Oakland or San
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Francisco, and in the alternative, to disqualify Judge Hamilton and the undersigned judge from
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presiding over this action. (Docket No. 4.) Plaintiff requests a different judge because both the
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undersigned and Judge Hamilton had denied Plaintiff’s two previous federal habeas actions. (Id.
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at 2.) Absent a legitimate reason to recuse himself or herself, a judge has a duty to sit in
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judgment in all cases assigned to that judge. United States v. Holland, 519 F.3d 909, 912 (9th
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Cir. 2008). The substantive standard for recusal under 28 U.S.C. § 144 and 28 U.S.C. § 455 is
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the same: Whether a reasonable person with knowledge of all the facts would conclude that the
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judge’s impartiality might reasonably be questioned. United States v. McTiernan, 695 F.3d 882,
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891 (9th Cir. 2012). Plaintiff has not presented sufficient evidence to warrant recusal. The
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motion is DENIED.
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CONCLUSION
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For the foregoing reasons, the court hereby orders as follows:
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1.
Plaintiff’s complaint is DISMISSED with leave to amend.
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2.
If plaintiff can cure the pleading deficiencies described above, he shall file an
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AMENDED COMPLAINT within thirty days from the date this order is filed. The amended
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complaint must include the caption and civil case number used in this order (C 13-1351 RMW
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(PR)) and the words AMENDED COMPLAINT on the first page. The amended complaint must
Order of Dismissal With Leave to Amend
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indicate which specific, named defendant(s) was involved in each cause of action, what each
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defendant did, what effect this had on plaintiff and what right plaintiff alleges was violated.
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Plaintiff may not incorporate material from the prior complaint by reference. If plaintiff files an
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amended complaint, he must allege, in good faith, facts - not merely conclusions of law - that
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demonstrate that he is entitled to relief under the applicable federal statutes. Failure to file an
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amended complaint within thirty days and in accordance with this order will result in a
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finding that further leave to amend would be futile and this action will be dismissed.
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3.
Plaintiff is advised that an amended complaint supersedes the original complaint.
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“[A] plaintiff waives all causes of action alleged in the original complaint which are not alleged
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in the amended complaint.” London v. Coopers & Lybrand, 644 F.2d 811, 814 (9th Cir. 1981).
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Defendants not named in an amended complaint are no longer defendants. See Ferdik v.
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Bonzelet, 963 F.2d 1258, 1262 (9th Cir. 1992).
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4.
It is the plaintiff’s responsibility to prosecute this case. Plaintiff must keep the
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court informed of any change of address by filing a separate paper with the clerk headed “Notice
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of Change of Address,” and must comply with the court’s orders in a timely fashion. Failure to
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do so may result in the dismissal of this action for failure to prosecute pursuant to Federal Rule
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of Civil Procedure 41(b).
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IT IS SO ORDERED.
DATED:
RONALD M. WHYTE
United States District Judge
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Order of Dismissal With Leave to Amend
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE
NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
HULEN TIMMOTHY HARRELL,
Case Number: CV13-01351 RMW
Plaintiff,
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
v.
STATE OF CALIFORNIA et al,
Defendant.
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I, the undersigned, hereby certify that I am an employee in the Office of the Clerk, U.S. District
Court, Northern District of California.
That on July 26, 2013, I SERVED a true and correct copy(ies) of the attached, by placing said
copy(ies) in a postage paid envelope addressed to the person(s) hereinafter listed, by depositing
said envelope in the U.S. Mail, or by placing said copy(ies) into an inter-office delivery
receptacle located in the Clerk's office.
Hulen T. Harrell PFN #AAN366
GDDF
Floor 1, Pod A, Cell 5
550 6th Street
Oakland, CA 94607
Dated: July 26, 2013
Richard W. Wieking, Clerk
By: Jackie Lynn Garcia, Deputy Clerk
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