Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-azd-2_07-cv-00374/USCOURTS-azd-2_07-cv-00374-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 555
Nature of Suit: Prisoner - Prison Condition
Cause of Action: 42:1983 Prisoner Civil Rights

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TERMPSREF

WO KM

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA

Shaun M. Harris, 

Plaintiff, 

vs.

Sgt. Meneses, et al., 

Defendants. 

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No. CV 07-374-PHX-SMM (DKD)

ORDER

Plaintiff Shaun M. Harris, who is confined in the Maricopa County Fourth Avenue

Jail, has filed a pro se civil rights Complaint pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and an Application

to Proceed In Forma Pauperis. The Court will order Defendants Meneses, Carfagna, and

Vance to answer Count I of the Complaint and will dismiss the remaining claims and

Defendant without prejudice. 

I. Application to Proceed In Forma Pauperis and Filing Fee

Plaintiff’s Application to Proceed In Forma Pauperis will be granted. 28 U.S.C.

§ 1915(a). Plaintiff must pay the statutory filing fee of $350.00. 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(1).

The Court will assess an initial partial filing fee of $9.00. The remainder of the fee will be

collected monthly in payments of 20% of the previous month’s income each time the amount

in the account exceeds $10.00. 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(2). The Court will enter a separate

Order requiring the appropriate government agency to collect and forward the fees according

to the statutory formula. 

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II. Statutory Screening of Prisoner Complaints

The Court is required to screen complaints brought by prisoners seeking relief against

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

§ 1915A(a). The Court must dismiss a complaint or portion thereof if a plaintiff has raised

claims that are legally frivolous or malicious, that fail to state a claim upon which relief may

be granted, or that seek monetary relief from a defendant who is immune from such relief.

28 U.S.C. § 1915A(b)(1), (2). 

III. Complaint

Plaintiff names the following Defendants in the Complaint: (1) Sgt. Meneses,

Maricopa County Towers Jail; (2) Officer Carfagna, Maricopa County Towers Jail; (3)

Officer Frasier; and (4) Sgt. Vance, Maricopa County Towers Jail.

Plaintiff alleges twelve grounds for relief in the Complaint: (1) Defendants Meneses,

Carfagna, and Vance subjected Plaintiff to the excessive use of force in violation of the

Eighth Amendment; (2) Plaintiff’s First Amendment rights are violated because he is not

provided with Satanic materials with which to practice his faith; (3) Plaintiff receives spoiled

and inadequate food in violation of the Eighth Amendment; (4) Plaintiff has received

inadequate dental care in violation of the Eighth Amendment; (5) Plaintiff is denied access

to a law library in violation of the Eighth Amendment; (6) Plaintiff is charged for the cost

of psychiatric medications in violation of the Eighth Amendment; (7) Plaintiff is given post

cards for personal correspondence, rather than paper and stamps; (8) Plaintiff’s mail is read;

(9) Plaintiff was charged for a canteen item he never received; (10) Plaintiff is housed in a

cell with two other inmates; (11) Plaintiff is being overcharged for stamped envelopes; and

(12) Plaintiff was housed for four days without blankets or sheets. Plaintiff seeks money

damages.

IV. Failure to Link Claims with Named Defendants

To state a valid claim under § 1983, plaintiffs must allege that they suffered a specific

injury as a result of specific conduct of a defendant and show an affirmative link between the

injury and the conduct of that defendant. Rizzo v. Goode, 423 U.S. 362, 371-72, 377 (1976).

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In Counts II through XII, Plaintiff fails to name the person responsible for the injuries

he describes or to link any of the named Defendants to the alleged harms. Accordingly,

Counts II through XII will be dismissed for failure to state a claim. Similarly, the Court will

dismiss Defendant Frasier because Plaintiff has made no claims against Defendant Frasier.

V. Claims for Which an Answer Will be Required

When an inmate claims that prison officials violated his Eighth Amendment rights by

using excessive physical force, the relevant inquiry is “whether force was applied in a goodfaith effort to maintain or restore discipline, or maliciously and sadistically to cause harm.”

 Hudson v. McMillian, 503 U.S. 1, 6-7 (1992). The injury suffered by the inmate need not

rise to the level of objective seriousness required by other Eighth Amendment claims, but it

must be something more than de minimis. Id. at 9-10.

In the Defendants list on page two of the Complaint, and in Count I, Plaintiff claims

that his Eighth Amendment rights were violated when Defendant Meneses broke his nose and

tasered him while he was cuffed, Defendant Carfagna kicked and hit him while he was

cuffed, and Defendant Vance broke his fingers. These allegations adequately state a claim

and the Court will require Defendants Meneses, Carfagna, and Vance to answer Count I.

VI. Warnings

A. Release

Plaintiff must pay the unpaid balance of the filing fee within 120 days of his release.

Also, within 30 days of his release, he must either (1) notify the Court that he intends to pay

the balance or (2) show good cause, in writing, why he cannot. Failure to comply may result

in dismissal of this action.

B. Address Changes

Plaintiff must file and serve a notice of a change of address in accordance with Rule

83.3(d) of the Local Rules of Civil Procedure. Plaintiff must not include a motion for other

relief with a notice of change of address. Failure to comply may result in dismissal of this

action.

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C. Copies

Plaintiff must serve Defendants, or counsel if an appearance has been entered, a copy

of every document that he files. Fed. R. Civ. P. 5(a). Each filing must include a certificate

stating that a copy of the filing was served. Fed. R. Civ. P. 5(d). Also, Plaintiff must submit

an additional copy of every filing for use by the Court. See LRCiv 5.4. Failure to comply

may result in the filing being stricken without further notice to Plaintiff.

D. Possible Dismissal

If Plaintiff fails to timely comply with every provision of this Order, including these

warnings, the Court may dismiss this action without further notice. See Ferdik v. Bonzelet,

963 F.2d 1258, 1260-61 (9th Cir. 1992) (a district court may dismiss an action for failure to

comply with any order of the Court).

IT IS ORDERED: 

(1) Plaintiff’s Application to Proceed In Forma Pauperis,filed with the Complaint,

is granted. 

(2) As required by the accompanying Order to the appropriate government agency,

Plaintiff must pay the $350.00 filing fee and is assessed an initial partial filing fee of $9.00.

(3) Counts II through XII and Defendant Frasier are dismissed without prejudice.

(4) Defendants Meneses, Carfagna, and Vance must answer Count I. 

(5) The Clerk of Court must send Plaintiff a service packet including the

Complaint (Doc. #1), this Order, and both summons and request for waiver forms for

Defendants Meneses, Carfagna, and Vance.

(6) Plaintiff must complete and return the service packet to the Clerk of Court

within 20 days of the date of filing of this Order. The United States Marshal will not provide

service of process if Plaintiff fails to comply with this Order.

(7) If Plaintiff does not either obtain a waiver of service of the summons or

complete service of the Summons and Complaint on a Defendant within 120 days of the

filing of the Complaint or within 60 days of the filing of this Order, whichever is later, the

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action may be dismissed as to each Defendant not served. Fed. R. Civ. P. 4(m); LRCiv 16.2(b)(2)(B)(i).

(8) The United States Marshal must retain the Summons, a copy of the Complaint,

and a copy of this Order for future use.

(9) The United States Marshal must notify Defendants of the commencement of

this action and request waiver of service of the summons pursuant to Rule 4(d) of the Federal

Rules of Civil Procedure. The notice to Defendants must include a copy of this Order. The

Marshal must immediately file requests for waivers that were returned as undeliverable and

waivers of service of the summons. If a waiver of service of summons is not returned by a

Defendant within 30 days from the date the request for waiver was sent by the Marshal, the

Marshal must:

(a) personally serve copies of the Summons, Complaint, and this Order upon

Defendant pursuant to Rule 4(e)(2) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure; and

(b) within 10 days after personal service is effected, file the return of service

for Defendant, along with evidence of the attempt to secure a waiver of service of the

summons and of the costs subsequently incurred in effecting service upon Defendant.

The costs of service must be enumerated on the return of service form (USM-285) and

must include the costs incurred by the Marshal for photocopying additional copies of

the Summons, Complaint, or this Order and for preparing new process receipt and

return forms (USM-285), if required. Costs of service will be taxed against the

personally served Defendant pursuant to Rule 4(d)(2) and (5) of the Federal Rules of

Civil Procedure, unless otherwise ordered by the Court.

(10) A Defendant who agrees to waive service of the Summons and Complaint

must return the signed waiver forms to the United States Marshal, not the Plaintiff.

(11) Defendants Meneses, Carfagna, and Vance must answer Count I of the

Complaint or otherwise respond by appropriate motion within the time provided by the

applicable provisions of Rule 12(a) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.

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(12) Any answer or response must state the specific Defendant by name on whose

behalf it is filed. The Court may strike any answer, response, or other motion or paper that

does not identify the specific Defendant by name on whose behalf it is filed.

(13) This matter is referred to Magistrate Judge David K. Duncan pursuant to Rules

72.1 and 72.2 of the Local Rules of Civil Procedure for further proceedings.

DATED this 15th day of March, 2007.

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