Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-azd-2_06-cv-00039/USCOURTS-azd-2_06-cv-00039-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 555
Nature of Suit: Prisoner - Prison Condition
Cause of Action: 42:1983 Prisoner Civil Rights

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 Many inmates apparently believe that they will receive an immediate payout from a fund

established in Hart v. Hill, No. CV 77-0479-PHX-EHC (MS) (D. Ariz.). No such fund exists. The

inmates in Hart asked for injunctive relief and not monetary damages. The Court at t his t ime

expresses no opinion on whether Plaintiff’s lawsuit may result in an award of damages. 

TERMPSREF

BL

WO

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA

Joel Ramos, 

Plaintiff, 

vs.

Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, et al., 

Defendants. 

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No. CV 06-0039-PHX-DGC (MEA)

ORDER

Plaintiff Joel Ramos, currently confined in the Cook Unit - Eyman in the Arizona

State Prison Complex in Florence, Arizona, has filed a pro se Complaint pursuant to 42

U.S.C. § 1983.1

 This action is one of more than one thousand lawsuits filed in this district

since September 2004 alleging that the overcrowded conditions in the M aricopa County

jail system have resulted in a variety of constitutional violations. The Court will order that

the action be served upon Defendant Arpaio. 

A. Application to Proceed In Forma Pauperis & Filing Fee.

Plaintiff’s request to proceed in forma pauperis will be grant ed. 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a).

Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(1), Plaintiff is required t o pay the statutory filing fee of

$250.00 for this action. An initial p art ial filing fee of $27.54 will be assessed by this Order.

28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(1). By separate order, the Court will direct the appropriate agency to

Case 2:06-cv-00039-DGC Document 4 Filed 01/31/06 Page 1 of 6
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collect the initial partial filing fee from Plaintiff’s trust account and forward it to t he Clerk

of Court. Thereafter, Plaintiff will be obligated for monthly payments of 20 percent of the

preceding month’s income credited to Plaintiff’s trust account . T hese payments will be

forwarded by t he ap p rop riate agency to the Clerk of Court each time the amount in

Plaintiff’s account exceeds $10.00, until the filing fee is paid in full. 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(2).

Plaintiff should take notice that if he is released before the filing fee is paid in full,

he must pay the remaining unpaid amount of the filing fee within 120 day s of the date of

his release. If Plaintiff fails to pay the remainder of t he filing fee within 120 days of the date

of his release, the action will be dismissed, unless Plaintiff shows good cause, in writing,

why he is unable to pay the remainder of the filing fee.

B. Statutory Screening of Prisoner Complaints.

The Court is required to screen complaints brought by prisoners seeking relief

against a governmental entity or officer or employee of a governmental entity. 28 U.S.C.

§ 1915A(a). The Court must dismiss a complaint or portion thereof if the Plaintiff has raised

claims that are legally “frivolous or malicious,” t hat fail to state a claim upon which relief

may be granted, or that seek monetary relief from a defendant who is immune from such

relief. 28 U.S.C. § 1915A(b)(1),(2). 

C. Complaint.

Plaintiff names as Defendants (1) Maricopa Count y Sheriff’s Office and (2) Joseph

M. Arpaio, alleging that he creates and authorizes training procedures and guidelines for

running the jail facilities. Plaintiff argues that his constitutional rights were violated by

(1) unsanitary conditions due to insufficient facilities, overflowing sewage, blood spillage,

failure to provide clean razors, dust and mold in the ventilation, and airborne asbestos,

resulting in staph infections and exposure to communicable diseases, (2) overcrowding

resulting in insufficient facilities, denial of outside recreation and unsanitary conditions,

and (3) an inadequate and tainted diet due to failure to screen and cert ify food handlers

who are not provided clean clothes, and the presence of a bleach solution near the food,

resulting in infections. Plaintiff seeks monetary and other relief.

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D. Failure to State a Claim.

1. Hart v. Hill

Throughout his Complaint, Plaintiff refers to Hart v. Hill, No. CIV 77-0479-PHX-EHC

(D. Ariz.), claiming that the conditions of his confinement violated an Amended Judgment

in that action. Jurisdiction to enforce t he judgment is retained by the court which entered

it. Jeff D. v. Kempthorne, 365 F.3d 844, 853 (9th Cir. 2004). A civil rights action is not the

p rop er means by which to enforce the decree. Cagle v. Sutherland, 334 F.3d 980, 986 (11t h

Cir. 2003); Klein v. Zavaras, 80 F.3d 432, 435 (10th Cir. 1996); DeGidio v. Pung, 920 F.2d 525,

534 (8th Cir.1990); Green v. McKaskle, 788 F.2d 1116, 1122-23 (5th Cir. 1986). Standing

alone, remedial orders cannot serve as a substantive basis for a § 1983 claim for damages

because such orders do not create “rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the

Constitution and laws.” Green, 788 F.3d at 1123-24. Remedial decrees are the means by

which unconstit ut ional conditions are corrected but they do not create or enlarge

constitutional rights. Id. at 1123. To the extent Plaintiff seeks to enforce Hart v. Hill, his

claim is not properly brought in this action.

2. Defendant Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office

The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office is not a proper Defendant. In Arizona, the

responsibility of operating jails and caring for prisoners is p laced by law upon the sheriff.

See A.R.S. § 11-441(A)(5); A.R.S. § 31-101. A sheriff’s office is simply an administrative

creation of the county sheriff to allow him to carry out his statutory duties, and not a

“person” amenable to suit pursuant to § 1983. Accordingly, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s

Office will be dismissed from this action as an improper Defendant. 

E. Claims For Which An Answer Will be Required.

At this early stage, Plaintiff sufficiently alleges that his constit ut ional rights were

violated by (1) unsanitary conditions, (2) overcrowding, and (3) an inadequate and tainted

diet. Defendant Arpaio will be ordered to answer the Complaint.

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F. Warning of Possible Dismissal Pursuant to Rule 41.

Plaintiff should take notice that if he fails to timely comply with every provision of

this Order, or any order entered in this matter, this act ion will be dismissed pursuant to

Rule 41(b) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. See Ferdik v. Bonzelet, 963 F.2d 1258,

1260-61 (9th Cir. 1992) (district court may dismiss action for failure to comply with any order

of the Court).

IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED that: 

(1) Plaintiff’s Application to Proceed In Forma Pauperis (Doc. #1) is granted

pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(1).

(2) Plaintiff is obligated to pay the statutory filing fee of $250.00 for this action.

Plaintiff is assessed an init ial p art ial filing fee of $27.54. All fees shall be collected and paid

in accordance with this Court=s Order to the appropriate government agency filed

concurrently herewith.

(3) Defendant Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office is dismissed without prejudice.

(4) Defendant Arpaio is ordered to answer the Complaint.

(5) The Clerk of Court shall send Plaintiff a service packet including the Complaint

(Doc. #1), this Order, and both summons and request for waiver forms for Defendant

Arpaio.

(6) Plaintiff shall complete and return the service packet to the Clerk of Court within

20 days of the date of filing of this Order. The United States Marshal will not provide

service of process if Plaintiff fails to comply with this Order.

(7) If Plaintiff does not either obtain a waiver of service of the summons or comp let e

service of the Summons and Comp laint on the Defendant within 120 days of the filing of

the complaint or within 60 days of the filing of this Order, whichever is lat er, the action may

be dismissed as to each Defendant not served pursuant to Rule 4(m) of t he Federal Rules

of Civil Procedure and Local Rule of Civil Procedure 16.2(b)(2)(B)(i).

(8) The United States Marshal shall retain the Summons, a copy of the Complaint,

and a copy of this Order for future use.

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(9) The United States Marshal shall notify Defendant of the commencement of this

action and request waiver of service of t he summons pursuant to Rule 4(d) of the Federal

Rules of Civil Procedure. The notice to Defendant shall include a copy of this Order. The

Marshal shall file waivers of service of the summons or requests for waivers that were

returned as undeliverable as soon as they are received. If a waiver of service of summons

is not returned by a Defendant within t hirty days from the date the request for waiver was

sent by the Marshal, the Marshal shall:

(a) Personally serve copies of the Summons, Complaint, and t his Order upon

the Defendant pursuant to Rule 4(e)(2) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure;

(b) Within 10 days after personal service is effected, file the return of service

for the Defendant, along with evidence of the att emp t t o secure a waiver of service

of the summons and of t he costs subsequently incurred in effecting service upon

the Defendant. The costs of service shall be enumerated on the return of service

form (USM-285) and shall include the costs incurred by the Marshal for

photocop y ing additional copies of the Summons, Complaint, or this Order and for

preparing new process receipt and return forms (USM-285), if required. Costs of

service will be taxed against the personally served defendant p ursuant to Rule

4(d)(2) and (5) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, unless otherwise ordered by

the Court.

(10) A Defendant who agrees to waive service of the Summons and Complaint shall

return the signed waiver forms to the United States Marshal, not the Plaintiff.

(11) Defendant shall answer the Complaint or otherwise respond by ap p rop riate

mot ion wit hin the time provided by the applicable provisions of Rule 12(a) of the Federal

Rules of Civil Procedure.

(12) Any answer or responsive pleading shall state the Defendant by name on

whose behalf it is filed. The Court may strike any answer, responsive pleading, or ot her

motion or p ap er that does not identify the Defendant by name on whose behalf it is filed.

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(13) Plaintiff shall serve upon Defendant, or if appearance has been entered by

counsel, upon counsel, a copy of every further pleading or other document submitted for

consideration by the Court. Plaintiff shall include wit h the original document and copy, to

be filed with the Clerk of the Court, a certificate stating the date a t rue and correct copy of

the pleading or document was mailed to Defendant or counsel. Any paper received by a

District Court Judge or Magistrate Judge which has not been filed with the Clerk of Court

may be disregarded by the Court.

(14) At all times during the p endency of this action, Plaintiff shall immediately

advise the Court and the Unit ed States Marshal of any change of address and its effective

date. Such not ice shall be captioned “NOTICE OF CHANGE OF ADDRESS.” The notice

shall contain only information pertaining to the change of address and it s effective date.

Plaintiff shall serve a copy of the notice on all opposing parties. The notice shall not

include any motions for any other relief. Failure to file a Notice of Change of Address may

result in the dismissal of the action for failure t o prosecute pursuant to Rule 41(b) of the

Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. 

(15) A clear, legible cop y of every pleading or other document filed shall

accompany each original pleading or other document filed wit h t he Clerk for use by the

District Judge or Magistrate Judge to whom the case is assigned. Failure t o comply with

this requirement may result in the pleading or document being stricken without further

notice to Plaintiff. 

(16) This matter is referred to Magistrate Judge Mark E. Aspey pursuant to Local

Rules of Civil Procedure 72.1 and 72.2 for further proceedings.

DATED this 26th day of January, 2006.

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