Marshall v. Suey et al
Filing
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ORDER Denying 19 Plaintiff's Motion to Extend Copywork Limit. Signed by Magistrate Judge Peggy A. Leen on 3/14/2014. (Copies have been distributed pursuant to the NEF - EDS)
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
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DISTRICT OF NEVADA
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GEORGE MARSHALL,
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Plaintiff,
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vs.
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CAPTAIN R. SUEY, et al.,
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Defendants. )
__________________________________________)
Case No. 2:12-cv-01710-LDG-PAL
ORDER
(Mtn to Extend Copywork - Dkt. #19)
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This matter is before the court on Plaintiff George Marshall’s Motion to Extend Prison
Copywork Limit (Dkt. #19). The court has considered the Motion.
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BACKGROUND
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Plaintiff is proceeding in this action pro se. On April 5, 2013, the court approved Plaintiff’s
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Application to Proceed In Forma Pauperis (Dkt. #1), and after Plaintiff made an initial partial filing fee,
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the court screened Plaintiff’s Amended Complaint (Dkt. #4), found he stated a claim for violation of his
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Fourteenth Amendment rights under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 against the Defendants in their official
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capacities, and directed service by the U.S. Marshal’s Service (“USMS”) on Defendants. The Clerk of
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Court issued Summons (Dkt. #8) on October 22, 2013. The USMS effected service on Defendants
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Suey, Siciliane, Flippe, Davis, Loumakis, Murphy, and Varner. See Summons Returned Executed (Dkt.
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##9-15). These Defendants filed an Answer (Dkt. #16) on December 11, 2013. Most recently, the
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court entered an Order allowing Plaintiff to file a Second Amended Complaint. The court screened the
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Second Amended Complaint and found Plaintiff stated a Fourteenth Amendment claim for lack of
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outdoor exercise, a procedural due process claim under the Fourteenth Amendment, and a First
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Amendment retaliation claim.
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DISCUSSION
Plaintiff represents that he is limited to a one hundred dollar debt against his account toward
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legal copywork, and once that limit is reached, he may not incur any further indebtedness. Exceptions
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to this rule require a court order. Plaintiff contends he needs additional copies to serve Defendants and
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for his own records.
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Plaintiffs do not have a right to unlimited photocopying. Johnson v. Moore, 948 F.2d 517, 521
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(9th Cir. 1991); Sands v. Lewis, 886 F.2d 1166, 1169 (9th Cir. 1989) (recognizing that “numerous
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courts have rejected any constitutional right to free and unlimited photocopying”). Courts can,
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however, order a prison to provide limited photocopying when it is necessary for an inmate to provide
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copies to the court and other parties. See, e.g., Allen v. Clark County Det’n Ctr., 2011 WL 886343 at
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*2 (D. Nev. Mar 11, 2011). In Allen, however, the plaintiff demonstrated a need to increase the copy
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work limit by providing a copy of his inmate account statement showing a negative balance, and the
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case was pending appeal before the Ninth Circuit. Id.
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Here, Plaintiff has not shown a need for additional photocopying. He has not provided an
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inmate account statement or any other documentation showing he is unable to pay for additional copies.
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He has also not set forth any particular reason he needs additional copies except for his blanket
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statement that he needs to serve the court and opposing counsel with some unspecified papers.
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Accordingly,
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IT IS ORDERED that Plaintiff’s Motion to Extend Prison Copywork Limit (Dkt. #19) is
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DENIED.
Dated this 14th day of March, 2014.
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_________________________________________
PEGGY A. LEEN
UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE
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