Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-casd-3_10-cv-02245/USCOURTS-casd-3_10-cv-02245-0/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

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

RICARDO RIVERA,

CDCR #K-40871,

Civil No. 10-2245 LAB (BGS)

Plaintiff, ORDER:

(1) GRANTING PLAINTIFF’S

MOTION TO PROCEED IN 

FORMA PAUPERIS, IMPOSING

INITIAL PARTIAL FILING FEE

AND GARNISHING BALANCE

FROM PRISONER’S TRUST

ACCOUNT PURSUANT 

TO 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a) 

[Doc. No. 2]; 

AND

(2) DIRECTING U.S. MARSHAL TO

EFFECT SERVICE OF COMPLAINT

PURSUANT TO FED.R.CIV.P. 4(c)(3) 

& 28 U.S.C. § 1915(d)

vs.

D. URIBE, Warden;

JAMES NAPOLITANO, Lieutenant;

ABLE ZAMORA, Sergeant,

Defendants.

Ricardo Rivera (“Plaintiff”), a state prisoner currently incarcerated at Pelican Bay State

Prison located in Crescent City, California, and proceeding in pro se, has filed a civil rights

Complaint pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Plaintiff alleges that his constitutional rights were

violated when he was housed at Centinela State Prison in 2009.

Plaintiff has not prepaid the $350 filing fee mandated by 28 U.S.C. § 1914(a); instead he

has filed a Motion to Proceed In Forma Pauperis (“IFP”) pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a) [Doc.

No. 2].

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I.

MOTION TO PROCEED IFP

All parties instituting any civil action, suit or proceeding in a district court of the United

States, except an application for writ of habeas corpus, must pay a filing fee of $350. See 28

U.S.C. § 1914(a). An action may proceed despite a plaintiff’s failure to prepay the entire fee

only if he is granted leave to proceed IFP pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a). See Rodriguez v.

Cook, 169 F.3d 1176, 1177 (9th Cir. 1999). However, a prisoner granted leave to proceed IFP

remains obligated to pay the entire fee in installments, regardless of whether his action is

ultimately dismissed. See 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(1) & (2); Taylor v. Delatoore, 281 F.3d 844, 847

(9th Cir. 2002).

Under 28 U.S.C. § 1915, as amended by the Prison Litigation Reform Act (“PLRA”), a

prisoner seeking leave to proceed IFP must submit a “certified copy of the trust fund account

statement (or institutional equivalent) for the prisoner for the six-month period immediately

preceding the filing of the complaint.” 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(2); Andrews v. King, 398 F.3d 1113,

1119 (9th Cir. 2005). From the certified trust account statement, the Court must assess an initial

payment of 20% of (a) the average monthly deposits in the account for the past six months, or

(b) the average monthly balance in the account for the past six months, whichever is greater,

unless the prisoner has no assets. See 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(1); 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(4). The

institution having custody of the prisoner must collect subsequent payments, assessed at 20% of

the preceding month’s income, in any month in which the prisoner’s account exceeds $10, and

forward those payments to the Court until the entire filing fee is paid. See 28 U.S.C.

§ 1915(b)(2).

The Court finds that Plaintiff has submitted a certified copy of his trust account statement

pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a)(2) and S.D. CAL. CIVLR 3.2. Andrews, 398 F.3d at 1119.

Plaintiff’s statement shows a current available balance of $697.18, an average monthly balance

of $635.34, and average monthly deposits totaling $203.34. Based on this financial information,

the Court GRANTS Plaintiff’s Motion to Proceed IFP [Doc. No. 2] and assesses an initial partial

filing fee of $127.07 pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(1). 

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However, the Secretary of the CDCR, or his designee, shall collect this initial fee only if

sufficient funds in Plaintiff’s account are available at the time this Order is executed pursuant

to the directions set forth below. See 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(4) (providing that “[i]n no event shall

a prisoner be prohibited from bringing a civil action or appealing a civil action or criminal

judgment for the reason that the prisoner has no assets and no means by which to pay the initial

partial filing fee.”); Taylor v. Delatoore, 281 F.3d 844, 850 (9th Cir. 2002) (finding that 28

U.S.C. § 1915(b)(4) acts as a “safety-valve” preventing dismissal of a prisoner’s IFP case based

solely on a “failure to pay ... due to the lack of funds available to him when payment is

ordered.”). The remaining balance shall be collected and forwarded to the Clerk of the Court

pursuant to the installment payment provisions set forth in 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(1).

II.

SCREENING PURSUANT TO 28 U.S.C. §§ 1915(e)(2) & 1915A(b)

The PLRA also obligates the Court to review complaints filed by all persons proceeding

IFP and by those, like Plaintiff, who are “incarcerated or detained in any facility [and] accused

of, sentenced for, or adjudicated delinquent for, violations of criminal law or the terms or

conditions of parole, probation, pretrial release, or diversionary program,” “as soon as

practicable after docketing.” See 28 U.S.C. §§ 1915(e)(2) and 1915A(b). Under these

provisions of the PLRA, the Court must sua sponte dismiss complaints, or any portions thereof,

which are frivolous, malicious, fail to state a claim, or which seek damages from defendants who

are immune. See 28 U.S.C. §§ 1915(e)(2)(B) and 1915A; Lopez v. Smith, 203 F.3d 1122, 1126-

27 (9th Cir. 2000) (en banc) (§ 1915(e)(2)); Resnick v. Hayes, 213 F.3d 443, 446 (9th Cir. 2000)

(§ 1915A); see also Barren v. Harrington, 152 F.3d 1193, 1194 (9th Cir. 1998) (discussing

§ 1915A). 

“[W]hen determining whether a complaint states a claim, a court must accept as true all

allegations of material fact and must construe those facts in the light most favorable to the

plaintiff.” Resnick, 213 F.3d at 447; Barren, 152 F.3d at 1194 (noting that § 1915(e)(2)

“parallels the language of Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6)”). In addition, the Court’s

duty to liberally construe a pro se’s pleadings, see Karim-Panahi v. Los Angeles Police Dept.,

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839 F.2d 621, 623 (9th Cir. 1988), is “particularly important in civil rights cases.” Ferdik v.

Bonzelet, 963 F.2d 1258, 1261 (9th Cir. 1992). However, in giving liberal interpretation to a

pro se civil rights complaint, the court may not “supply essential elements of claims that were

not initially pled.” Ivey v. Board of Regents of the University of Alaska, 673 F.2d 266, 268 (9th

Cir. 1982). “Vague and conclusory allegations of official participation in civil rights violations

are not sufficient to withstand a motion to dismiss.” Id.

 As currently pleaded, the Court finds Plaintiff’s allegations sufficient to survive the sua

sponte screening required by 28 U.S.C. §§ 1915(e)(2) and 1915A(b). See Lopez, 203 F.3d at

1126-27; Farmer v. Brennan, 511 U.S. 825 833-34 (1994) (“Prison officials have a duty ... to

protect prisoners from violence.”). Accordingly, the Court finds Plaintiff is entitled to U.S.

Marshal service on his behalf. See 28 U.S.C. § 1915(d) (“The officers of the court shall issue

and serve all process, and perform all duties in [IFP] cases.”); FED.R.CIV.P. 4(c)(3) (“[T]he court

may order that service be made by a United States marshal or deputy marshal ... if the plaintiff

is authorized to proceed in forma pauperis under 28 U.S.C. § 1915.”). Plaintiff is cautioned that

“the sua sponte screening and dismissal procedure is cumulative of, and not a substitute for, any

subsequent Rule 12[] motion that [a defendant] may choose to bring.” Teahan v. Wilhelm, 481

F. Supp. 2d 1115, 1119 (S.D. Cal. 2007). 

III.

CONCLUSION AND ORDER

Good cause appearing therefor, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that:

1. Plaintiff’s Motion to Proceed IFP pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a) [Doc. No. 4]

is GRANTED.

2. The Secretary of the CDCR, or his designee, is ordered to collect the $127.07

initial partial filing fee assessed by this Order and forward that amount to the Clerk of Court,

if those funds are available at the time this Order is executed. THE INITIAL PARTIAL

FILING FEE SHALL BE CLEARLY IDENTIFIED BY THE NAME AND NUMBER

ASSIGNED TO THIS ACTION.

/ / /

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3. The Secretary of the CDCR, or his designee, is ordered to collect from Plaintiff’s

prison trust account the balance of the $350 filing fee owed in this case by collecting monthly

payments from Plaintiff’s prison trust account in an amount equal to twenty percent (20%) of

the preceding month’s income credited to the account and forward payments to the Clerk of the

Court each time the amount in the account exceeds $10 in accordance with 28 U.S.C.

§ 1915(b)(2). ALL MONTHLY PAYMENTS SHALL BE CLEARLY IDENTIFIED BY THAT

NAME AND NUMBER ASSIGNED TO THIS ACTION.

4. The Clerk of the Court is directed to serve a copy of this order on Matthew Cate,

Secretary, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, P.O. Box 942883, Sacramento,

California 94283-0001.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that:

5. The Clerk shall issue a summons as to Plaintiff’s Complaint [Doc. No. 1] upon

Defendants and shall and forward it to Plaintiff along with a blank U.S. Marshal Form 285 for each

Defendant. In addition, the Clerk shall provide Plaintiff with a certified copy of this Order and a

certified copy of his Complaint and the summonsso that he may serve Defendants. Upon receipt of this

“IFP Package,” Plaintiff is directed to complete the Form 285s as completely and accurately as possible,

and to return them to the United States Marshal according to the instructions provided by the Clerk in

the letter accompanying his IFP package. Upon receipt, the U.S. Marshal shall serve a copy of the

Complaint and summons upon Defendants as directed by Plaintiff on the USM Form 285s. All costs

of service shall be advanced by the United States. See 28 U.S.C. § 1915(d); FED.R.CIV.P. 4(c)(3).

6. Defendants are thereafter ORDERED to reply to Plaintiff’s Complaint within the time

provided by the applicable provisions of Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(a). See 42 U.S.C. §

1997e(g)(2) (while a defendant may occasionally be permitted to “waive the right to reply to any action

brought by a prisoner confined in any jail, prison, or other correctional facility under section 1983,” once

the Court has conducted its sua sponte screening pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2) and § 1915A(b),

and thus, has made a preliminary determination based on 

the face on the pleading alone that Plaintiff has a “reasonable opportunity to prevail on the merits,” the

defendant is required to respond). 

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7. Plaintiff shall serve upon the Defendants or, if appearance has been entered by counsel,

upon Defendants’ counsel, a copy of every further pleading or other document submitted for

consideration of the Court. Plaintiff shall include with the original paper to be filed with the Clerk of

the Court a certificate stating the manner in which a true and correct copy of any document was served

on Defendants, or counsel for Defendants, and the date of service. Any paper received by the Court

which has not been filed with the Clerk or which fails to include a Certificate of Service will be

disregarded.

DATED: December 6, 2010

HONORABLE LARRY ALAN BURNS

United States District Judge

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