Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_07-cv-02060/USCOURTS-caed-2_07-cv-02060-26/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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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

AZHAR LAL, 

Plaintiff, No. 2:07-cv-2060 KJM EFB P

vs.

FELKER, et al.,

ORDER AND

Defendants. FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

 /

Plaintiff is a state prisoner proceeding without counsel in an action brought under 42

U.S.C. § 1983. This order addresses the following: (1) defendants’ response to the December

19, 2011 Order to Show Cause; (2) plaintiff’s February 27, 2012 motion for a preliminary

injunction; and (3) plaintiff’s April 24, 2012 request for appointment of counsel. For the

reasons stated below, the order to show cause is discharged and plaintiff’s request for

appointment of counsel is denied. The court also recommends that plaintiff’s motion for a

preliminary injunction be denied. 

I. The Order to Show Cause Is Discharged

On December 19, 2011, the court ordered defense counsel to show cause why he should

not be sanctioned for submitting an untrue declaration regarding the existence of certain

documents concerning prison policies about the distribution of evening “nourishment bags” to

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diabetic inmates. Dckt. No. 143. It is apparent from defense counsel’s response that the

declaration at issue was not untrue. Dckt. No. 148. Rather, it appears that plaintiff’s requests for

those documents were ambiguous, and that after plaintiff clarified the nature of those requests,

defendants provided plaintiff with the requested documents. The order to show cause is

discharged.

II. Plaintiff’s Motion for A Preliminary Injunction Should Be Denied 

On February 27, 2012, plaintiff moved for a preliminary injunction. Dckt. No. 146. 

In the motion, plaintiff purports to bring claims against individuals named Kemp and Hamad,

neither of whom is a defendant in this action. Plaintiff claims that Kemp, the law librarian at

California State Prison, Sacramento, is not providing inmates with adequate library time or

copies, is verbally abusive, and is interfering with plaintiff’s ability to litigate an appeal on a writ

of habeas corpus. Plaintiff also claims that Hamad is Kemp’s supervisor. As injunctive relief,

plaintiff requests “that the law library be employed by an employee who has full trianing [sic]

and authorization to run it.” Dckt. No. 146 at 9. 

A preliminary injunction will not issue unless necessary to prevent threatened injury that

would impair the court’s ability to grant effective relief in a pending action. Sierra On-Line, Inc.

v. Phoenix Software, Inc., 739 F.2d 1415, 1422 (9th Cir. 1984); Gon v. First State Ins. Co., 871

F.2d 863 (9th Cir. 1989). A preliminary injunction represents the exercise of a far reaching

power not to be indulged except in a case clearly warranting it. Dymo Indus. v. Tapeprinter,

Inc., 326 F.2d 141, 143 (9th Cir. 1964). In order to be entitled to preliminary injunctive relief, a

party must demonstrate “that he is likely to succeed on the merits, that he is likely to suffer

irreparable harm in the absence of preliminary relief, that the balance of equities tips in his favor,

and that an injunction is in the public interest.” Stormans, Inc. v. Selecky, 586 F.3d 1109, 1127

(9th Cir. 2009) (citing Winter v. Natural Res. Def. Council, Inc., 555 U.S. 7 (2008)). The Ninth

Circuit has also held that the “sliding scale” approach it applies to preliminary injunctions--that

is, balancing the elements of the preliminary injunction test, so that a stronger showing of one

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element may offset a weaker showing of another--survives Winter and continues to be valid. 

Alliance for Wild Rockies v. Cottrell, 622 F.3d 1045, 1050 (9th Cir. 2010). “In other words,

‘serious questions going to the merits,’ and a hardship balance that tips sharply toward the

plaintiff can support issuance of an injunction, assuming the other two elements of the Winter

test are also met.” Id. In cases brought by prisoners involving conditions of confinement, any

preliminary injunction “must be narrowly drawn, extend no further than necessary to correct the

harm the court finds requires preliminary relief, and be the least intrusive means necessary to

correct the harm.” 18 U.S.C. § 3626(a)(2).

Plaintiff has not shown a likelihood of success on the merits, nor has he shown any

relationship between the preliminary relief sought and the subject matter of this lawsuit. This

action proceeds on plaintiff’s claims that defendants at High Desert State Prison retaliated

against plaintiff and interfered with plaintiff’s medical treatment. In contrast, plaintiff’s motion

for a preliminary injunction involves a completely different issue, that is, plaintiff’s

dissatisfaction with the law librarian at California State Prison, Sacramento. Apart from

plaintiff’s unsupported allegations, there is no evidence establishing that plaintiff is likely to

prevail on his medical treatment claims, or that the injunction sought is necessary to preserve the

court’s ability to grant effective relief on those claims and that it is the least intrusive means for

doing so.

Moreover, the allegations on which plaintiff bases his motion for preliminary injunctive

relief are properly the subject of another lawsuit and cannot be cannot be adjudicated in this

action, where they cannot be properly exhausted through the administrative appeals process. See

McKinney v. Carey, 311 F.3d 1198, 1199-1201 (9th Cir. 2002) (per curiam) and Rhodes v.

Robinson, 621 F.3d 1002, 1004-07 (9th Cir. 2010) (together holding that claims must be

exhausted prior to the filing of the original or supplemental complaint); Jones v. Felker, No. CIV

S-08-0096 KJM EFB P, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13730, at *11-15 (E.D. Cal. Feb. 11, 2011); Fed.

R. Civ. P. 20(a)(2) (multiple defendants may be joined in an action only where the suit regards

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“the same transaction, occurrence, or series of transactions or occurrences” or “any question of

law or fact common to all defendants”).

Additionally, prison officials at California State Prison, Sacramento, against whom

plaintiff seeks injunctive relief, are not a parties to this lawsuit. The court cannot issue an order

against individuals who are not parties to a suit pending before it. See Zenith Radio Corp. v.

Hazeltine Research, Inc., 395 U.S. 100, 112 (1969). See also Zepeda v. United States

Immigration Service, 753 F.2d 719, 727 (9th Cir. 1985) (“A federal court may issue an

injunction if it has personal jurisdiction over the parties and subject matter jurisdiction over the

claim; it may not attempt to determine the rights of persons not before the court.”). 

Accordingly, plaintiff’s motion for preliminary injunctive relief, must be denied. 

III. Plaintiff’s Request for Appointment of Counsel is Denied

Plaintiff requests that the court appoint counsel.1 Dckt. No. 150. District courts lack

authority to require counsel to represent indigent prisoners in section 1983 cases. Mallard v.

United States Dist. Court, 490 U.S. 296, 298 (1989). In exceptional circumstances, the court

may request an attorney to voluntarily to represent such a plaintiff. See 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(1);

Terrell v. Brewer, 935 F.2d 1015, 1017 (9th Cir. 1991); Wood v. Housewright, 900 F.2d 1332,

1335-36 (9th Cir. 1990). When determining whether “exceptional circumstances” exist, the

court must consider the likelihood of success on the merits as well as the ability of the plaintiff to

articulate his claims pro se in light of the complexity of the legal issues involved. Palmer v.

Valdez, 560 F.3d 965, 970 (9th Cir. 2009). Having considered those factors, the court finds there

are no exceptional circumstances in this case. 

Accordingly, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that:

1. The December 19, 2011 order to show cause (Dckt. No. 143) is discharged.

////

1

 Although the request was metered for mailing on July 9, 2010, it was not received by the

court until April 24, 2012. 

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2. Plaintiff’s April 24, 2012 request for appointment of counsel (Dckt. No. 150) is

denied. 

Further, IT IS HEREBY RECOMMENDED that plaintiff’s February 27, 2012 motion for

a preliminary injunction (Dckt. No. 146) be denied.

These findings and recommendations are submitted to the United States District Judge

assigned to the case, pursuant to the provisions of 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(l). Within fourteen days

after being served with these findings and recommendations, any party may file written

objections with the court and serve a copy on all parties. Such a document should be captioned

“Objections to Magistrate Judge’s Findings and Recommendations.” Failure to file objections

within the specified time may waive the right to appeal the District Court’s order. Turner v.

Duncan, 158 F.3d 449, 455 (9th Cir. 1998); Martinez v. Ylst, 951 F.2d 1153 (9th Cir. 1991).

DATED: June 21, 2012.

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