Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-1_18-cv-00307/USCOURTS-caed-1_18-cv-00307-16/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 

FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

JAMES RAYMOND, 

Plaintiff, 

v. 

WARREN MARTIN, 

Defendant. 

INGRID CRAWFORD SMITH, et al., 

Plaintiffs, 

v. 

CITY OF BAKERSFIELD, et al., 

Defendants. 

A.J.C., 

Plaintiff, 

v. 

CITY OF BAKERSFIELD, et al., 

Defendants. 

Lead No. 1:18-cv-00307-DAD-JLT 

ORDER DENYING MOTION TO JOIN 

HEIRS 

No.: 1:18-cv-1526-DAD-JLT (Doc. No. 17) 

No.: 1:19-cv-01302-DAD-JLT (Doc. No 10.) 

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 The three above-listed actions are brought by the purported heirs of decedent August 

Joshua Crawford, an individual that plaintiffs claim was fatally shot by Bakersfield officers on 

November 4, 2017. (Crawford Smith v. City of Bakersfield, No. 1:18-cv-01526-DAD-JLT (E.D. 

Cal. Mar. 14, 2019) (“Crawford Smith”), Doc. No. 1 at ¶¶ 14–18; A.J.C. v. City of Bakersfield, 

No. 1:19-cv-01302-DAD-JLT (E.D. Cal. Jan. 22, 2020) (“A.J.C.”), Doc. No. 1 at ¶¶ 13–17.) On 

March 14, 2019 and January 22, 2020, the actions were consolidated for all purposes, including 

trial, by order of the assigned magistrate judge. (Crawford Smith, Doc. No. 26; A.J.C., Doc. No. 

20.) 

Pending before the court are two motions to join all heirs of decedent Augustus Joshua 

Crawford brought by defendants City of Bakersfield, Bakersfield Police Department, Chief Lyle 

Martin, and Warren Martin filed on March 5, 2019 and November 26, 2019.1 (Crawford Smith, 

Doc. No. 17; A.J.C., Doc. No. 10.) On April 2, 2019, plaintiffs Ingrid Crawford Smith and A.C. 

filed a statement of non-opposition to the motion. (Crawford Smith, Doc. No. 28.) Plaintiff 

A.J.C failed to respond, and the time to do so has long since passed. (A.J.C., Doc. No. 16.) 

Defendant maintains that all heirs of decedent Augustus Joshua Crawford must be joined 

to this suit because California law permits only one wrongful death action to be pursued. 

(Crawford Smith, Doc. No. 17-1 at 5–8; A.J.C., Doc. No. 10-1 at 5–8.) The court previously 

denied without prejudice a nearly identical motion for joinder brought by defendant Warren 

Martin in the lead case finding that neither mandatory nor permissive joinder was warranted at 

that time because, inter alia, only one of the known heirs had filed a claim, and that action did not 

contain a state law wrongful death claim. See Raymond v. Martin, No. 1:18-cv-00307-DAD-JLT, 

2018 WL 4560686, at *3 (E.D. Cal. Sept. 20, 2018). Subsequently, two additional actions were 

filed by alleged heirs of decedent Augustus Joshua Crawford, which brought claims for wrongful 

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 Defendants Chief Lyle Martin and Warren Martin are parties only to the motion filed in 

Crawford Smith v. City of Bakersfield, No. 1:18-cv-01526-DAD-JLT. 

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death under California state law. While these motions have been pending,2 all three actions 

brought by purported heirs of decedent Augustus Joshua Crawford were consolidated. (Crawford 

Smith, Doc. No. 26; A.J.C., Doc. No. 20.) Given the current consolidated posture of the actions, 

the court finds no further action is necessary and the two pending motions for joinder are denied 

as having been rendered moot. 

CONCLUSION 

For the reasons stated above, 

1. The motion to join heirs (Doc. No. 17) filed in Crawford Smith v. City of Bakersfield, 

No. 1:18-cv-01526-DAD-JLT, and the motion to join heirs (Doc. No. 10) filed in

A.J.C. v. City of Bakersfield, No. 1:19-cv-01302-DAD-JLT, are denied as moot; and 

2. The member cases, Crawford Smith v. City of Bakersfield, No. 1:18-cv-01526-DADJLT, and A.J.C. v. City of Bakersfield, No. 1:19-cv-01302-DAD-JLT, are to remain 

administratively closed while the consolidated action proceeds as Raymond v. Martin, 

No. 1:18-cv-00307-DAD-JLT. 

IT IS SO ORDERED. 

Dated: February 26, 2021 

 UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE 

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 The court apologizes to the parties and to counsel for the court’s lengthy delay in issuing this 

order. This court’s overwhelming caseload has been well publicized and the long-standing lack 

of judicial resources in this district has reached crisis proportion. Unfortunately, that situation 

sometimes results in a submitted matter being overlooked for a period of time and that occurred 

with respect to this motion. 

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