Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_16-cv-01249/USCOURTS-cand-3_16-cv-01249-1/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

Northern District of California

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

KEVIN LEE McCULLOM,

Plaintiff,

v.

SEAN WHENT, et. al.,

Defendants.

Case No. 16-cv-1249-TEH 

ORDER OF DISMISSAL WITH LEAVE 

TO AMEND

Dkt. No. 7

Plaintiff, a detainee, filed this pro se civil rights action 

under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. The original complaint was dismissed 

with leave to amend and Plaintiff has filed an amended complaint. 

I

Federal courts must engage in a preliminary screening of 

cases in which prisoners seek redress from a governmental entity 

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

1915A(a). The Court must identify cognizable claims or dismiss 

the complaint, or any portion of the complaint, if the complaint 

“is frivolous, malicious, or fails to state a claim upon which 

relief may be granted,” or “seeks monetary relief from a 

defendant who is immune from such relief.” Id. § 1915A(b). 

Pleadings filed by pro se litigants, however, must be liberally 

construed. Hebbe v. Pliler, 627 F.3d 338, 342 (9th Cir. 2010); 

Balistreri v. Pacifica Police Dep’t., 901 F.2d 696, 699 (9th Cir. 

1990).

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United States District Court

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To state a claim under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, a plaintiff must 

allege two essential elements: (1) that a right secured by the 

Constitution or laws of the United States was violated, and (2) 

that the alleged violation was committed by a person acting under 

the color of state law. West v. Atkins, 487 U.S. 42, 48 (1988). 

II

Plaintiff alleges that police officers conducted an illegal 

search and other illegal acts that led to his arrest.

In order to recover damages for an allegedly 

unconstitutional conviction or imprisonment, or for other harm 

caused by actions whose unlawfulness would render a conviction or 

sentence invalid, a 42 U.S.C. § 1983 plaintiff must prove that 

the conviction or sentence has been reversed on direct appeal, 

expunged by executive order, declared invalid by a state tribunal 

authorized to make such determination, or called into question by 

a federal court’s issuance of a writ of habeas corpus. Heck v. 

Humphrey, 512 U.S. 477, 486-487 (1994). A claim for damages 

bearing that relationship to a conviction or sentence that has 

not been so invalidated is not cognizable under § 1983. Id. at 

487.

Under principles of comity and federalism, a federal court 

should not interfere with ongoing state criminal proceedings by 

granting injunctive or declaratory relief absent extraordinary 

circumstances. See Younger v. Harris, 401 U.S. 37, 43-54 (1971). 

Federal courts should not enjoin pending state criminal 

prosecutions absent a showing of the state's bad faith or 

harassment, or a showing that the statute challenged is 

"flagrantly and patently violative of express constitutional 

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United States District Court

Northern District of California

prohibitions." Younger, 401 U.S. at 46, 53-54 (cost, anxiety and 

inconvenience of criminal defense not kind of special 

circumstances or irreparable harm that would justify federal 

court intervention; statute must be unconstitutional in every 

"clause, sentence and paragraph, and in whatever manner" it is 

applied). 

Abstention may be inappropriate in the "extraordinary 

circumstance" that (1) the party seeking relief in federal court 

does not have an adequate remedy at law and will suffer 

irreparable injury if denied equitable relief, see Mockaitis v. 

Harcleroad, 104 F.3d 1522, 1528 (9th Cir. 1997) (citing Younger, 

401 U.S. at 43-44), or (2) the state tribunal is incompetent by 

reason of bias, see Gibson v. Berryhill, 411 U.S. 564, 577-79 

(1973). A party who alleges bias must overcome a presumption of 

honesty and integrity in those serving as adjudicators. See

Hirsh v. Justices of the Supreme Court of Cal., 67 F.3d 708, 713 

(9th Cir. 1995) (citation omitted). 

Plaintiff argues that several police officers falsified 

police reports, committed perjury, and lied to a magistrate judge 

in order to get a search warrant which led to his arrest. For 

relief in this action, Plaintiff seeks the police officers to be 

found guilty and fired and he seeks four million dollars in 

damages. Plaintiff is currently being held in Santa Rita County 

Jail. It is not clear if the criminal prosecution is ongoing or 

if he has already been convicted.

The amended complaint is dismissed with leave to amend to

provide more information. If Plaintiff has been convicted he 

must show why this case should not be dismissed pursuant to Heck. 

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If the prosecution is ongoing Plaintiff must discuss why Younger

abstention is not appropriate to the extent he seeks this Court 

to intervene. 

III

For the foregoing reasons, the Court hereby orders as 

follows:

1. Plaintiff’s motion for an extension (Docket No. 7) is 

GRANTED and Plaintiff may file a second amended complaint as 

discussed below

2. Plaintiff’s first amended complaint is DISMISSED WITH 

LEAVE TO FILE A SECOND AMENDED COMPLAINT, within twenty-eight 

days containing all related claims against all Defendants that 

Plaintiff wishes to proceed against in this action. The pleading 

must state clearly how each and every Defendant is alleged to 

have violated Plaintiff’s federally-protected rights. See Leer, 

844 F.2d at 634. The pleading must include the caption and civil 

case number used in this order and the words COURT ORDERED SECOND

AMENDED COMPLAINT on the first page. Plaintiff is advised that 

he must file all of his claims in one complaint and not present 

them piecemeal to the Court in various letters and other 

documents. Failure to file a proper Second Amended Complaint 

within twenty-eight days of this order will result in the 

dismissal of this action. 

3. Plaintiff is advised that the Second Amended Complaint 

will supersede the original First Amended Complaint and all other 

pleadings. Claims and defendants not included in the Second

Amended Complaint will not be considered by the Court. See Lacey 

v. Maricopa County, 693 F.3d 896 (9th Cir. 2012) (en banc) ("For 

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claims dismissed with prejudice and without leave to amend, we 

will not require that they be repled in a subsequent amended 

complaint to preserve them for appeal. But for any claims 

voluntarily dismissed, we will consider those claims to be waived 

if not repled.").

4. It is Plaintiff’s responsibility to prosecute this 

action. Plaintiff must keep the Court informed of any change of 

address by filing a separate paper with the Clerk headed “Notice 

of Change of Address,” and must comply with the Court’s orders in 

a timely fashion. Failure to do so may result in the dismissal 

of this action for failure to prosecute pursuant to Federal Rule 

of Civil Procedure 41(b).

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: 6/1/2016

________________________

THELTON E. HENDERSON

United States District Judge

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