Arellano v. Blahnik

Filing 168

ORDER Regarding Motion to be Sent Copies of Certain Documents [Doc. No. 167 ]. Signed by Judge Cathy Ann Bencivengo on 10/28/2020. (All non-registered users served via U.S. Mail Service)(anh)

Case 3:16-cv-02412-CAB-MSB Document 168 Filed 10/28/20 PageID.2204 Page 1 of 3

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

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SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

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RAUL ARELLANO,

Case No.: 16cv2412-CAB-MSB
Plaintiff,

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ORDER REGARDING MOTION TO
BE SENT COPIES OF CERTAIN
DOCUMENTS [Doc. No. 167]

v.
BLAHNIK,
Defendant.

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On October 27, 2020, Plaintiff filed a motion to be sent print out of certain

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documents. [Doc. No. 167.] Specifically, Plaintiff requests a copy of Docket Nos. 8, 13

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and 15. [Doc. No. 167 at 2.]

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While “prisoners have a constitutional right of access to the courts,” Bounds v.

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Smith, 430 U.S. 817, 821 (1977), there is no constitutional right to receive photocopies

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free of charge. Sands v. Lewis, 886 F.2d 1166, 1169 (9th Cir. 1990), overruled on other

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grounds by Lewis v. Casey, 518 U.S. 343, 351 (1996); see also Jones v. Franzen, 697

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F.2d 801, 803 (7th Cir. 1983) (“[B]road as the constitutional concept of liberty is, it does

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not include the right to xerox.”); Wanninger v. Davenport, 697 F.2d 992, 994 (11th Cir.

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1983) (finding no violation of “appellant's constitutional rights when [prison officials]

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refused to provide him with free photocopies....”); Reynolds v. Wagner, 128 F.3d 166,

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183 (3d Cir. 1997) ( [T]here is no First Amendment right to subsidized [legal] mail or
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photocopying.”).

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The rule prohibiting free photocopies is the same for plaintiffs proceeding in forma

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pauperis. See In re Richard, 914 F.2d 1526, 1527 (6th Cir. 1990) (Title 28 U.S.C. section

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1915 “waives only ‘prepayment of fees and costs and security ...’ [but] does not give the

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litigant a right to have documents copied and returned to him at government expense.”);

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Hadsell v. Comm'r Internal Revenue Service, 107 F.3d 750, 752 (9th Cir. 1997); Dixon v.

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Ylst, 990 F.2d 478, 480 (9th Cir. 1993) (explaining that title 28 U.S.C. section 1915—

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governing proceedings in forma pauperis—does not waive the payment of fees or

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expenses required for an indigent's witnesses); Tedder v. Odel, 890 F.2d 210, 211–12 (9th

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Cir. 1989) (per curiam) (quoting United States v. MacCollom, 426 U.S. 317, 321 (1976)

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(holding that “the expenditure of public funds [on behalf of an indigent litigant] is proper

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only when authorized by Congress,” and that 28 U.S.C. section 1915 does not provide

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such authorization); Tabron v. Grace, 6 F.3d 147, 159 (3d Cir. 1993) (courts are not

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authorized “to commit federal monies for payment of necessary expenses in a civil suit

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brought by an indigent litigant.”); St. Hilaire v. Winhelm, 1996 WL 119505 (9th Cir. Mar.

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18, 1996) (“There is no statutory requirement for the government to provide a litigant

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proceeding in forma pauperis with copies of deposition transcripts.”). Nevertheless,

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“although a prisoner does not have an unlimited right to free copying, some reasonable

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means of access to a photocopy machine will be necessary to protect an inmate's right of

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access to the courts.” Armstrong v. Scribner, 2008 WL 268974, at *20 (S.D. Cal. Jan. 30,

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2008) (quoting Giles v. Tate, 907 F. Supp. 1135, 1138 (S.D. Ohio 1995)).

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Plaintiff claims he needs Docket Nos. 8, 13 and 15 to prepare for issues related to

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punitive damages, which may be the subject of a future motion for summary judgment.

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[See Doc. No. 165 at 2.] While Plaintiff is not necessarily entitled to copies of those

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documents, in the interests of moving this case forward and assisting Plaintiff in

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preparing for the upcoming motion, the Court GRANTS Plaintiff’s request.

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Therefore, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED: The Clerk of the Court shall send to
Plaintiff, along with a copy of this order, a copy of Docket Nos. 8, 13, and 15.
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Going forward, Plaintiff should retain a copy of any documents he thinks he may

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need to reference later. If Plaintiff should need further copies of any court documents

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from the Clerk of the Court, they may be purchased at $0.50 per page.

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Dated: October 28, 2020

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16cv2412-CAB-MSB