Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_90-cv-00520/USCOURTS-caed-2_90-cv-00520-577/pdf.json

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

---

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

RALPH COLEMAN, et al.,

Plaintiffs, No. 2:90-cv-0520 LKK JFM P

vs.

EDMUND G. BROWN, JR., et al.,

Defendants. ORDER

 /

By order filed March 15, 2013, this court, inter alia, deferred ruling on

defendants’ motion to strike or modify that portion of the Report by Dr. Raymond Patterson, the

Special Master’s expert, on Suicides Completed in the California Department of Corrections and

Rehabilitation (CDCR) in Calendar Year 2011 (Report or 2011 Suicide Report) concerning the

total number of CDCR inmate suicides in 2011 and directed defendants to file under seal a copy

of the final coroner’s report of the death of Inmate HH. Defendants contend that this inmate’s

death should not have been included in the total of 34 suicides reported by Dr. Patterson, and

that certain statistical findings based on that total should therefore be modified. 

As the court noted in the March 15, 2013 order, the case review for this inmate’s

death, set forth in Appendix F of the Report, shows that there is sufficient evidence to support

Dr. Patterson’s finding that the death of this inmate “was more likely than not to have been a

1

Case 2:90-cv-00520-KJM-SCR Document 4435 Filed 03/22/13 Page 1 of 2
1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

suicide.” Order filed March 15, 2013 (ECF No. 4394) at 3 (citing Report at 282-290). Included

in Dr. Patterson’s findings is a statement that “the coroner’s report did not state a manner of

death.” Report at 284. In a response filed by defendants with their objections and motion to

strike or modify the Report, defendants’ expert, Dr. Joel Dvoskin stated that this death had been

“declared a homicide by the coroner.” Dvoskin Response to 2011 Suicide Report, attached as

Ex. 1 to Declaration of Debbie Vorous (hereafter Dvoskin Resp.), filed February 11, 2013 (ECF

No. 4326-6), at 26. The court determined that this discrepancy had to be resolved prior to ruling

on defendants’ motion to modify the findings concerning the rate of CDCR inmate suicides in

2011 and therefore directed defendants to file within five days copy of the final coroner’s report

for this inmate’s death under seal and to provide a hard copy to the Special Master. Order filed

March 15, 2013, at 15. Defendants have now complied with that order.

The document filed by defendants in response to this court’s March 15, 2013

order to file “the final coroner’s report for this inmate’s death” is the autopsy report described by

Dr. Patterson at page 284 of the 2011 Suicide Report, accompanied by a cover letter transmitting

the autopsy report to the CDCR. The relevant contents of that autopsy report are accurately

described in the 2011 Suicide Report. The autopsy report does not declare the death a homicide. 

For the reasons set forth in this court’s March 15, 2013 order, Dr. Patterson’s

determination that the death of Inmate HH was “more likely than not a suicide” is sufficiently

supported by the evidence. Defendants’ assertion that the coroner declared the death a homicide

is not so supported. Accordingly, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that defendants’ motion to modify

the total number of inmate suicides in the 2011 Report and the statistical analysis flowing

therefrom is denied. 

DATED: March 21, 2013.

2

Case 2:90-cv-00520-KJM-SCR Document 4435 Filed 03/22/13 Page 2 of 2