Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-1_09-cv-00006/USCOURTS-caed-1_09-cv-00006-30/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 440
Nature of Suit: Other Civil Rights
Cause of Action: 42:1983 Civil Rights Act

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

The instant motion arises from a 42 U.S.C. § 1983 case in which prisoner Herman D. 

Shead (“Plaintiff”), proceeding pro se, alleges that Defendant Vang (“Defendant”) employed 

excessive force while subduing him. On October 1, 2013, the Court granted Defendant’s motion 

to dismiss pursuant to Rule 16(f) and 41(b). See Court’s Docket Doc. No. 98. On May 8, 2015, 

Plaintiff filed this Rule 60(b) motion, alleging that his counsel both abandoned him and misled 

him to believe that he was still being represented. See Doc. 105 p. 3. Pursuant to Rule 60(b)(6), 

Plaintiff requests that the Court vacate its October 1, 2013 dismissal order and allow him to 

prosecute his case.1 For reasons discussed below, Plaintiff’s motion will be granted. 

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

The Court refers the parties to previous orders for a complete chronology of the 

proceedings. Plaintiff filed the current motion on May 8, 2015. See Doc. 105. On July 20, 2015, 

the Court ordered Plaintiff to submit additional briefing to demonstrate that the 19-month gap 

 

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Plaintiff additionally requested relief under Rule 60(b)(1). See Doc. 105. However, this Court denied that motion as 

untimely. See Doc. 106 p. 4.

HERMAN D. SHEAD,

Plaintiff

v.

C/O VANG et al.,

Defendant

CASE NO. 1:09-cv-00006-AWI-SKO 

ORDER ON DEFENDANT’S RULE 60(b) 

MOTION

(Doc. No. 109)

Case 1:09-cv-00006-AWI-SKO Document 110 Filed 08/13/15 Page 1 of 6
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between the dismissal of his claim and the filing of this motion is “reasonable” for purposes of 

Rule 60(c). Plaintiff was ordered to provide the Court with relevant communications with his 

counsel (“Counsel”), any inquiries that he made to Counsel on the status of his case, and an 

explanation for why he filed this motion in May 2015, after learning that his case was closed late 

in January 2015. See Docs. 106, 108. 

On August 5, 2015, Plaintiff submitted additional briefing on the matters described above. 

See Doc. 109. Plaintiff alleges that Counsel failed to communicate with him after a May 2, 2013 

correspondence, in which Counsel requested the advance of $3,000 to cover the cost of upcoming 

depositions and transcript fees. Id. at 1-2, 5-6. Plaintiff replied that he believed that the 

Contingent Fee Agreement did not require him to advance such funds, and Counsel did not reply 

to the letter. Id. at 2. Believing any dispute over costs to be resolved, Plaintiff states that he had 

no reason to believe that Counsel was not representing him from May 2013 forward. Id. In 

reality, Plaintiff’s case was dismissed on October 1, 2013. See Doc. 99. 

Plaintiff alleges that he unsuccessfully attempted to reach Counsel by telephone from 

January 2014 to March 2014. See Doc. 109 p. 2. Plaintiff was unable to make calls during the 

day time due to his incarceration. Id. In March 2014, Plaintiff was placed in Administrative 

Segregation for approximately four months, where he was denied the opportunity to make phone 

calls. Id. Upon his release from Administrative Segregation, Plaintiff suffered from medical 

complications until May 2015. Id. at 3. Plaintiff alleges that he attempted to reestablish contact 

with Counsel from July to December 2014, but was unsuccessful in doing so. Id.

At this point, Plaintiff learned that Counsel had relocated. Id. Plaintiff stated that he had 

“not heard from [Counsel] for months” in a January 2015 letter to the Clerk. See Doc. 96-98. The 

Deputy Clerk responded that his case had been closed since October, 2013. Id. at 43. 

Plaintiff alleges that Counsel did not notify him of their relocation or that his case had been 

dismissed. See Doc. 109 p. 3. Plaintiff further claims that he never had access to the Scheduling 

Order that set a series of deadlines for the parties. Id. at 2. 

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PLAINTIFF’S MOTION

Plaintiff’s Argument

Plaintiff argues that “somewhere between August 22, 2012 and October 1, 2013, [his] 

attorney[s] Rios and Associates quit or abandon [sic] plaintiff without notice.” See Doc. 105. p. 2. 

This occurred, he claims, after Counsel requested advances to cover discovery costs, despite 

knowing of his indigent status. Id. Plaintiff further argues that Counsel’s failure to provide him 

with notice, and failure to formally withdraw, misled him into believing that Counsel was 

representing him in court. Id. at 3. Because Plaintiff at that time had no reason to believe that 

Counsel had abandoned him, he argues that he cannot be blamed for failing to act on his own 

behalf until May 8, 2015. Id. at 4. Plaintiff argues that relief under Rule 60(b)(6) is proper, and 

requests that this case be reopened. Id. at 2. 

Legal Standard

Rule 60(b)(6) is an equitable remedy that applies when there is a reason not within the 

scope of Rule 60(b)(1)-(5) that justifies granting relief. Community Dental Servs. v. Tani, 282 

F.3d 1164, 1168 (9th Cir. 2002). A party invoking Rule 60(b)(6) must demonstrate “extraordinary 

circumstances which prevented or rendered him unable to prosecute his case.” Id. Petitioners 

normally bear the risk of negligent conduct on the part of their attorneys, which act as their agents. 

Coleman v. Thompson, 501 U.S. 722, 753 (1991) (citing Link v. Wabash R. Co., 370 U.S. 626, 

634 (1962)). However, when an attorney abandons a client without notice, he or she severs this 

principal-agent relationship, and “no longer acts, or fails to act, as the client’s representative.” 

Maples v. Thomas, 132 S.Ct. 912, 922-23 (2012). Thus, a client “is excused from the 

consequences of his attorney’s conduct where that conduct effectively severs the principal-agent 

relationship.” Foley v. Biter, ---F.3d--- 2015 WL 4231283, at *3 (9th Cir. July 14, 2015). 

Accordingly, attorney abandonment may supply claimants with the “extraordinary circumstance” 

necessary to justify relief under Rule 60(b)(6). Mackey v. Hoffman, 682 F.3d 1247, 1252-53 (9th 

Cir. 2012). 

Movants must make Rule 60(b)(6) motions within a reasonable time. Fed. R. Civ. P. 

60(c). This determination “depends on the facts of each case.” United States v. Holtzman, 762 

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F.2d 720, 725 (9th Cir. 1985) (citing Washington v. Penwell, 700 F.2d 570, 572-573 (9th Cir. 

1981)). Courts consider “(1) the interest in finality, (2) the reason for the delay in filing, (3) the 

practical ability of the litigant to learn earlier of the grounds relied upon, and (4) prejudice to other 

parties.” Ashford v. Steuart, 657 F.2d 1053, 1055 (9th Cir. 1981).

Discussion

In Foley v. Biter, the Ninth Circuit held that an incarcerated petitioner was entitled to relief 

under Rule 60(b)(6) on the basis that his attorney had abandoned him, despite the fact that he filed 

the Rule 60(b)(6) motion 14 months after learning that his habeas petition had been denied. Foley, 

---F.3d---, 2015 WL 4231283, at *5. There, the plaintiff filed a petition in April of 2001. Id. at 

*1. His attorney forgot that he was representing the plaintiff, and failed to notify him when his 

petition was denied in 2004. Id. Six years later, the plaintiff discovered that his petition had been 

denied when he inquired about the status of his case with a district court clerk. Id. The plaintiff 

inquired as to why he was not notified of his petition’s denial. Id. Nearly six months later, he 

requested that the court issue an order to his counsel to “show proof” that he notified plaintiff of 

his petition’s denial, and to show cause as to why he never notified plaintiff of the denial. Id. 

Fourteen months after learning that his petition had been denied, the plaintiff filed a Rule 60(b)(6) 

motion. Id.

The Ninth Circuit reasoned that the attorney’s failure to notify the plaintiff that his petition 

had been denied and his failure to withdraw as counsel deprived the plaintiff of his opportunity to 

appeal the denial of his petition. Id. at *4. The plaintiff believed that he was being represented by 

the attorney despite the fact that the attorney had not been responding to his mail. Id. This 

conduct severed the principal-agent relationship between the plaintiff and his attorney, and the 

failure to preserve the plaintiff’s ability to appeal constituted abandonment. Id. 

The Ninth Circuit additionally held that the motion was timely. Id. at *5. It reasoned that 

the plaintiff took reasonable efforts to determine whether relief was available to him during the 

14-month period that elapsed between the point at which he became aware that his petition was 

denied and the point at which he filed his motion. Id. The Ninth Circuit considered the plaintiff’s 

lack of resources and legal training when ruling that he was entitled to relief. Id.

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In the instant case, Plaintiff alleges facts that entitle him to relief on the basis of Rule 

60(b)(6) and the Foley decision. Plaintiff believed that he was being represented because Counsel 

did not supply him with information indicating that they were withdrawing as his attorneys. See

Docs. 105 p. 4; 109 p. 2-3. Counsel failed to formally withdraw, and Plaintiff was consequently 

not served with court documents informing him of the status of his case. Despite Counsel’s 

assurance that Plaintiff’s case was being litigated normally, Counsel failed to submit a confidential 

settlement conference statement, failed to show cause as to why sanctions should not be imposed 

for non-compliance with court directions, and ultimately failed to file a notice of opposition or 

non-opposition to the Defendants’ motion to dismiss. See Doc. 106 p. 2-3. The Court dismissed 

Plaintiff’s case accordingly. See Doc. 98. 

Furthermore, Plaintiff’s motion is timely. The 19 month period that elapsed between the 

dismissal of Plaintiff’s case and the filing of the motion at hand, is far exceeded by the 7-year gap 

in Foley. Doc. 106 p. 5. Between the October 2013 dismissal of the case and the May 2015 

Motion for Reconsideration, Plaintiff alleges that he unsuccessfully attempted to call Counsel for 

two months. See Doc. 109 p. 2. His confinement rendered him unable to make phone calls in the 

mornings and evenings. Id. Plaintiff additionally alleges that he was placed in Administrative 

Segregation for 3 to 4 months, where he was denied access to a telephone. Id. Upon his release 

from Administrative Segregation, Plaintiff allegedly suffered from medical complications for over 

10 months. Id. at 3. After six months of fruitless attempts at contacting Counsel, Plaintiff 

inquired about the status of his case with the Court in January 2015, at which point he discovered

that his case had been dismissed in October 2013. See Doc. 105 p. 2. These extenuating 

circumstances and Plaintiff’s attempts to reach Counsel render the 19-month delay in the filing of 

this Motion for Reconsideration reasonable. See Foley, ---F.3d---, 2015 WL 4231283, at *5

Before his case was dismissed, Plaintiff was proceeding with an 8th Amendment claim of 

excessive force against Defendant Vang. Plaintiff’s Rule 60(b)(6) will be granted, and he will be 

permitted to proceed on this cognizable claim only. The Court will refer this matter to the 

Magistrate Judge for further proceedings and scheduling. 

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ORDER

Accordingly, it is HEREBY ORDERED that: 

(1) Plaintiff’s motion under Rule 60(b)(6) is GRANTED; 

(2) The matter is REFERRED to the Magistrate Judge for further proceedings and 

scheduling. 

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: August 12, 2015 

 SENIOR DISTRICT JUDGE

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