Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_19-cv-01680/USCOURTS-caed-2_19-cv-01680-3/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 

27 

28 

1 

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

NATHAN HILL, 

Plaintiff, 

v. 

GAVIN NEWSOM, et al., 

Defendants. 

No. 2:19-cv-1680 JAM AC P 

ORDER 

 Plaintiff, a state prisoner proceeding pro se, has filed this civil rights action seeking relief 

under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. The matter was referred to a United States Magistrate Judge pursuant to 

28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1)(B) and Local Rule 302. 

 Before this court are plaintiff’s motion to amend the complaint and his motion for a 

settlement conference. ECF Nos. 19, 23. For the reasons stated below, the motion to amend the 

complaint will be granted, and the motion to calendar a settlement conference will be denied. 

I. MOTION TO AMEND THE COMPLAINT 

 Plaintiff’s initial complaint, ECF No. 1, has not yet been screened pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 

1915A. The motion to amend, ECF No. 19, presents an additional claim that plaintiff would like 

to add to the complaint. However, plaintiff has not submitted a proposed amended complaint that 

is complete within itself and contains all claims that plaintiff wishes to pursue. 

//// 

Case 2:19-cv-01680-DJC-AC Document 26 Filed 11/05/20 Page 1 of 3
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 

27 

28 

2 

 A litigant may amend a pleading upon leave granted by the court. Fed. R. Civ. P. 

15(a)(2). Because it appears that plaintiff’s newly-presented claim involves at least one of the 

defendants named in the original complaint, and that claim may be related to those in the original 

complaint (compare ECF No. 1, with ECF No. 19), the court will grant leave to amend. 

However, the granting of plaintiff’s motion does not mean that he has amended his complaint. 

 Plaintiff must file a First Amended Complaint which includes all the claims in his original 

complaint and the new claim that he wishes to add. The Clerk of Court will be directed to send 

plaintiff a new copy of the court’s civil rights complaint form. The new complaint must adhere to 

the guidelines below, and will be screened under 28 U.S.C. § 1915A. 

 Plaintiff’s amended complaint will take the place of his original complaint. See Lacey v. 

Maricopa Cty., 693 F.3d 896, 925 (9th Cir. 2012) (stating amended complaint supersedes original 

complaint). For this reason, an amended complaint must be written or typed so that it is complete 

in itself without reference to any earlier filed complaint. See Local Rule 220. Any amended 

complaint filed also should observe the following. 

 An amended complaint must allege facts establishing the existence of federal jurisdiction. 

In addition, it must contain a short and plain statement of plaintiff's claims. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 8. 

It must not require the court to spend its time “preparing the ‘short and plain statement’ which 

Rule 8 obligated plaintiffs to submit.” McHenry v. Renne, 84 F.3d 1172, 1180 (9th Cir. 1996). 

Moreover, plaintiff may not change the nature of this suit by alleging new, unrelated claims. See 

George v. Smith, 507 F.3d 605, 607 (7th Cir. 2007). 

 In an amended complaint, plaintiff must avoid excessive repetition of the same allegations 

and must avoid narrative and storytelling. That is, the complaint should not include every detail 

of what happened, nor recount the details of conversations (unless necessary to establish the 

claim), nor give a running account of plaintiff's hopes and thoughts. 

 Finally, an amended complaint must also identify as a defendant only persons who 

personally participated in a substantial way in depriving plaintiff of a federal constitutional right. 

Johnson v. Duffy, 588 F.2d 740, 743 (9th Cir. 1978) (stating person subjects another to 

deprivation of constitutional right if he does an act, participates in another's act or omits to 

Case 2:19-cv-01680-DJC-AC Document 26 Filed 11/05/20 Page 2 of 3
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 

27 

28 

3 

perform act he is legally required to do that causes alleged deprivation). It should contain only 

those facts needed to show how the defendant legally wronged the plaintiff. It must not force the 

court and the defendants to guess at what is being alleged against whom. See McHenry, 84 F.3d 

at 1177 (affirming dismissal of complaint where district court was “literally guessing as to what 

facts support the legal claims being asserted against certain defendants”). 

II. MOTION FOR SETTLEMENT CONFERENCE 

 By motion filed on September 30, 2020, plaintiff asks that the court schedule a settlement 

conference. ECF No. 23. Because plaintiff’s complaint has yet to be screened, and no defendants 

have been served, the request is premature. It has not yet been determined whether plaintiff has 

stated any cognizable claim for relief that could proceed to a settlement conference. And because 

no defendant has been served, the court does not have jurisdiction over any defendant to require 

attendance at a settlement conference. 

Plaintiff is informed that if his First Amended Complaint is found on screening to contain 

cognizable claims, the first step will be service on defendants. If and when defendants are served, 

the undersigned will consider referring the case for an early settlement conference; a request from 

plaintiff is unnecessary. 

 Accordingly, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that: 

 1. Plaintiff’s motion to amend the complaint (ECF No. 19) is GRANTED; 

 2. The Clerk of Court shall send plaintiff a copy of the court’s Civil Rights Complaint 

By A Prisoner form; 

 3. Within thirty days of the date of this order, plaintiff must file a First Amended 

Complaint that adheres to the guidelines set forth herein. Failure to file an amended complaint 

within the time allotted may result in a recommendation that this action be dismissed, and 

 4. Plaintiff’s motion for a settlement conference (ECF No. 23) is DENIED as premature. 

DATED: November 5, 2020 

Case 2:19-cv-01680-DJC-AC Document 26 Filed 11/05/20 Page 3 of 3