Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-1_23-cv-00935/USCOURTS-caed-1_23-cv-00935-12/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 550
Nature of Suit: Prisoner - Civil Rights (U.S. defendant)
Cause of Action: 42:1983 Prisoner Civil Rights

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

ROBERT MEDINA, JR.,

Plaintiff,

 v.

GUSTAVO MARTINEZ, et al.,

Defendants.

Case No. 1:23-cv-00935-KES-EPG (PC)

ORDER DECLINING TO ORDER 

SERVICE OF THE SUBPOENAS 

COMPLETED BY PLAINTIFF

Plaintiff Robert Medina, Jr. was confined in Fresno County Jail (FCJ) at the time the 

events giving rise to this civil rights action filed pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Plaintiff 

proceeds pro se and in forma pauperis on his Eighth Amendment claim against Defendants 

J. Alvarez, Gustavo Martinez, and First-Name-Unknown (FNU) Martinez. 

Before the Court are subpoenas and USM forms (ECF No. 40) submitted by Plaintiff in 

response to Court’s Order Permitting Limited Discovery (ECF No. 34) and Order Permitting 

Plaintiff to Re-Submit forms (ECF No. 36). For the reasons stated below, the Court declines to 

order service of these documents. 

On September 13, 2024, waivers of service mailed to both Gustavo Martinez and FNU 

Martinez at FCJ by U.S. Marshals were returned unexecuted. (ECF No. 32). Notes indicate that 

G. Martinez is no longer at FCJ and that FNU Martinez could not be identified, and that more 

information is needed. (Id. at 1, 3). To obtain information to identify and serve these 

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Defendants, on September 25, 2024, the Court issued Order Permitting Limited Discovery 

(ECF No. 34), allowing Plaintiff to seek discovery through a subpoena duces tecum to request 

documents related to the identity and current addresses of Defendants G. Martinez and FNU 

Martinez. The Court provided instructions for filling out subpoena forms and advised Plaintiff

that, if Plaintiff wished to use such a subpoena, “within thirty days of this order, he should fill 

out forms AO 88B and USM-285 for each defendant . . . and return them to the Court.” (ECF 

No. 34 at 2). The Court then served the Order and the forms on Plaintiff.

On October 18, 2024, the Court received completed forms AO 88B and USM-285 from 

Plaintiff. Plaintiff addressed subpoenas to “All photos of all officers that night” and listed date 

and time of production as December 15, 2022 (ECF No. 35 at 2, 4). Plaintiff also completed 

“proof of service” sections of the subpoena forms (id. at 3, 5) and checked boxes on the USM285 forms in the sections marked “SPACE BELOW FOR USE OF U.S. MARSHAL ONLY –

DO NOT WRITE BELOW THIS LINE” (id. at 7, 8). Finally, the USM-285 forms list G. 

Martinez and J. Alvarez as names of the individuals to be served. (Id.)

The Court was unable to direct service of those documents as they have been 

completed. (ECF No. 36). The Court found that subpoenas were not addressed to any proper 

entity. (ECF No. 36 at 2). They did not identify documents that Plaintiff sought. Plaintiff had 

listed a time of production as years in the past and improperly filled out the proof of service, 

which he was supposed to leave blank. (Id.)

The Court gave Plaintiff “one final opportunity” to complete the subpoenas properly. 

(ECF No. 36). The Court re-sent the AO 88B and USM-285 forms to Plaintiff on October 22, 

2024, along with even more detailed instructions on completing the subpoena forms:

Since Plaintiff is seeking information about employees at Fresno County Jail, 

Plaintiff may choose to address the subpoena to Fresno County Jail. In the 

space between the lines starting with “production” and “place,” Plaintiff should 

identify the documents he is seeking that would assist him in identifying and 

serving Defendants G. Martinez and FNU Martinez, such as any documents 

listing their addresses and phone numbers, or photos of the officers on duty the 

day of the alleged incident. The place and date and time of the production refer 

to the date on which the documents should be produced to the Plaintiff.

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. . . 

Proof of service sections of the subpoena forms should be left blank, as well as 

the lower portions of USM-285 “Process receipt and return” forms. These 

sections will be filled out by U.S. Marshals once they serve the subpoenas.

(ECF No. 36 at 2–3). 

On November 13, 2024, the Court received a second set of subpoena forms completed 

by Plaintiff. Plaintiff addressed one subpoena to “Gustavo Martinez” and the other to 

“unknown,” left the space describing the documents he seeks to obtain blank, and once again, 

signed Proof of Service portions of the subpoena forms. Plaintiff left the “serve at” portions of 

USM-285 form blank, failing to identify the person or entity to be served and the address at 

which they are supposed to be served.

The Court is unable to direct the service of these documents. Despite detailed 

instructions provided to Plaintiff, these subpoenas are not addressed to a proper entity. They do 

not identify documents that Plaintiff seeks. Plaintiff left the portions of the forms he was 

supposed to fill out—“serve at”, “production” fields—blank, and improperly filled out the 

proof of service portions, which he was instructed to leave blank. 

It remains Plaintiff’s obligation to identify and serve Defendants G. Martinez and FNU 

Martinez by the deadline set in the Court’s order (ECF No. 34): January 23, 2025. 

Failure to identify and serve Defendants G. Martinez and FNU Martinez by this 

deadline may result in the dismissal of these Defendants.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: December 2, 2024 /s/

UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE

Case 1:23-cv-00935-KES-EPG Document 46 Filed 12/03/24 Page 3 of 3