Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_21-cv-01558/USCOURTS-caed-2_21-cv-01558-9/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

FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

FORREST KENDRID,

Plaintiff,

v.

E. OGUNTUASE,

Defendant.

No. 2:21-cv-01558-WBS-JDP (PC)

ORDER

Plaintiff is a civil detainee proceeding pro se in an action brought under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. 

Plaintiff has filed two motions for the appointment of counsel and one motion seeking leave to 

file an amended complaint. ECF Nos. 40 & 43. 

On July 24, 2023, plaintiff filed an unsigned complaint without first seeking leave to 

amend. ECF No. 41. The court ordered that the complaint be disregarded pursuant to Federal 

Rules of Civil Procedure 11(a) and 15 but granted plaintiff thirty days to seek leave to amend his 

complaint and refile a signed complaint. ECF No. 42. Plaintiff has sought leave to amend, which 

is granted. Plaintiff shall file a signed complaint within thirty days of this order’s entry. 

The court does not find that appointment of counsel is warranted. Plaintiff does not have 

a constitutional right to appointed counsel in this action, see Rand v. Rowland, 113 F.3d 1520, 

1525 (9th Cir. 1997), and the court lacks the authority to require an attorney to represent plaintiff. 

See Mallard v. U.S. Dist. Ct. for the S. Dist. of Iowa, 490 U.S. 296, 298 (1989). The court can 

Case 2:21-cv-01558-WBS-JDP Document 44 Filed 08/22/23 Page 1 of 3
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request the voluntary assistance of counsel. See 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(1) (“The court may request 

an attorney to represent any person unable to afford counsel”); Rand, 113 F.3d at 1525. But 

without a means to compensate counsel, the court will seek volunteer counsel only in exceptional 

circumstances. In determining whether such circumstances exist, “the district court must evaluate 

both the likelihood of success on the merits [and] the ability of the [plaintiff] to articulate his 

claims pro se in light of the complexity of the legal issues involved.” Rand, 113 F.3d at 1525 

(internal quotation marks and citations omitted).

Plaintiff argues in his first motion for counsel that certain medications alter his judgment, 

he is confined to his bed or wheelchair, and he cannot read, write, or access the law library 

because of his disabilities. ECF No. 40. In the second motion, plaintiff similarly argues that his 

disabilities prohibit him from accessing the law library and that he is unable to response to court 

orders or oppose defendants’ motions without assistance. ECF No. 43. While the court accepts 

plaintiff’s statements about his disabilities and understands that it is difficult to litigate in prison, 

after considering factors for the appointment of counsel, the court finds no exceptional 

circumstances present. Plaintiff has proficiently litigated this action for approximately two years

and, because he is in the process of amending his complaint, the court cannot conclude that he has 

demonstrated that that issues are complex or that he is likely to succeed on the merits. 

Accordingly, it is hereby ORDERED that:

1. Plaintiff’s motion for the appointment of counsel, ECF No. 40, is denied. 

2. Plaintiff’s motion for the appointment of counsel and for leave to file an amended 

complaint, ECF No. 43, is denied in part and granted in part. 

a. Plaintiff’s request for counsel is denied. 

b. Plaintiff’s request for leave to amend is granted. Plaintiff shall file a signed 

complaint within thirty days of issuance of this order. 

Case 2:21-cv-01558-WBS-JDP Document 44 Filed 08/22/23 Page 2 of 3
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IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: August 21, 2023 

JEREMY D. PETERSON

UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE

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