Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-1_23-cv-01784/USCOURTS-caed-1_23-cv-01784-0/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

FRED DORTON,

Plaintiff,

v.

STEVE TOSTONIE, et al.,

Defendants.

No. 1:23-cv-01784 GSA (PC)

ORDER DENYING PLAINTIFF’S MOTION 

1-FOR A TEMPORARY RESTRAINING 

ORDER, AND 2- FOR AN ORDER

DIRECTING UNSERVED DEFENDANTS TO 

APPEAR AT A SHOW CAUSE HEARING

REGARDING PLAINTIFF’S REQUEST FOR

A PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION AS 

DUPLICATIVE AND AS PREMATURELY 

FILED

(ECF No. 18)

Plaintiff, a state prisoner proceeding pro se and in forma pauperis, has filed this civil 

rights action seeking relief under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. The matter was referred to a United States 

Magistrate Judge pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1)(B) and Local Rule 302.

Plaintiff has filed a motion requesting that the Court issue a temporary restraining order 

and in addition order Defendants to appear at a hearing to show cause why a preliminary 

injunction should not issue. ECF No. 18. For the reasons stated below, the motion will be 

denied.

I. MOTION FOR TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER AND REQUEST FOR 

THE COURT TO SET A SHOW CAUSE HEARING

In the motion for a TRO, Plaintiff requests the Court to stop the Defendants who are 

Case 1:23-cv-01784-GSA Document 19 Filed 06/18/24 Page 1 of 3
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named in this matter: (1) from preventing him from being a firefighter; (2) from not transferring 

him to Francisquito Fire Camp forthwith; (3) from enforcing the March 7, 2024, change from 

Workgroup F for Firefighting to Workgroup M effective 1/3/2024; (4) from enforcing his 

removal from the Fire Camp Program on 4/25/2024, and (5) from enforcing the change in his 

release date from December 19, 2026, to February 1, 2028. ECF No. 18 at 1-2. The motion, with 

attachments, is one hundred and twelve pages in length. See generally ECF No. 18.

Plaintiff’s second request in his motion is a request for the Court to set a show cause 

hearing requiring Defendants to appear and show cause why his demands, essentially as set forth 

above, should not result in the issuance of a preliminary injunction.

II. DISCUSSION

The motion will be denied. A review of the filing indicates that at its core it is duplicative 

of the motion Plaintiff filed which was docketed in January of this year. Compare ECF No. 8 

(January 2024 motion requesting the Court to stop Defendants from transferring Plaintiff to 

anywhere but Francisquito Fire Camp), with ECF No. 18 (instant motion related to Plaintiff’s 

transfer to Francisquito Fire Camp). In February 2024, the January 2024 motion was denied as 

having been filed prematurely. See ECF No. 12 at 7-8. In that order Plaintiff was instructed that 

a temporary restraining order could not issue as no Defendants had been served because the 

Complaint he filed failed to raise viable claims against any of them. ECF No. 12 at 7. 

Nothing has changed since the Court issued February 2024 order. Although Plaintiff has 

since filed a first amended complaint (see ECF No. 17), this complaint has not yet been screened 

to determine if viable claims exist against any of the named Defendants. As a result, Plaintiff’s 

instant motion for injunctive relief and request for a show cause hearing is duplicative and 

premature. Therefore, it will be denied as such.

Accordingly, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that Plaintiff’s motion for that a temporary 

restraining order and/or preliminary injunction issue (ECF No. 18) is DENIED as 

DUPLICATIVE and as PREMATURELY FILED.

Plaintiff is informed that any future requests for temporary restraining orders or 

preliminary injunctions that are filed prior to the Court screening the First Amended 

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Complaint (ECF No 17) and finding that it contains viable claims, such will be summarily

denied as premature.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: June 17, 2024 /s/ Gary S. Austin 

 UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE

Case 1:23-cv-01784-GSA Document 19 Filed 06/18/24 Page 3 of 3