Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-4_18-cv-00517/USCOURTS-cand-4_18-cv-00517-3/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

Northern District of California

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

PHILLIP PULLUM,

Plaintiff,

v.

RYAN TAJAGUE,

1

Defendant.

Case No. 18-cv-00517-YGR (PR)

ORDER OF DISMISSAL

Plaintiff Phillip Pullum was a state prisoner proceeding pro se and in forma pauperis in 

this civil rights action pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. This action was filed on January 24, 2018. 

Dkt. 1. On April 11, 2019, Defendants gave notice of Plaintiff’s death by filing a document 

entitled, “Defendants City of Pleasanton and Officer Ryan Tajague’s Suggestion of Death Upon 

the Record Under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 25(a)(1).” Dkt. 19. In an Order 

dated May 15, 2019, the Court elaborated on Defendants’ filing, stating as follows:

. . . the record shows that the attorney for Defendant Tajague and the 

City of Pleasanton, Sheila D. Crawford, Esq., has filed with the Court 

a suggestion of death of the litigant, stating that the Alameda County 

Sherriff’s Office has informed her that Plaintiff died on November 27,

2018. Dkt. 19 at 1; Crawford Decl. ¶¶ 2-3; Dkt. 19-1 at 4. Attorney 

Crawford has also submitted a declaration indicating that on March 

27, 2019, she served Plaintiff’s mother, Linda Teasley-Pearson,2 with 

a copy of the Suggestion of Death upon the Record. Crawford Decl. 

¶ 7; Dkt. 19-1 at 6.

Dkt. 20 at 1-2 (footnote renumbered). 

Rule 25(a)(1) provides:

If a party dies and the claim is not thereby extinguished, the court may 

order substitution of the proper parties. The motion for substitution 

may be made by any party or by the successors or representatives of 

 

1 The Court has corrected the spelling of Defendant Tajague’s last name, which was 

originally misspelled as “Tujague” in prior orders. Compare Dkt. 19 at 1 with Dkt. 16 at 1-2.

2 Ms. Teasley-Pearson has been identified by Attorney Crawford as Plaintiff’s mother after 

that attorney “conducted a reasonable investigation as to a legal representative of [Plaintiff’s] 

estate or an appropriate successor upon which to serve notice of . . . Suggestion of Death Upon the 

Record Under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 25(a)(1) . . . .” Crawford Decl. ¶¶ 4-7.

Case 4:18-cv-00517-YGR Document 21 Filed 07/17/19 Page 1 of 2
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United States District Court

Northern District of California

the deceased party and, together with the notice of hearing, shall be 

served on the parties as provided in Rule 5 and upon persons not 

parties in the manner provided in Rule 4 for the service of a summons, 

and may be served in any judicial district. Unless the motion for 

substitution is made not later than 90 days after the death is suggested 

upon the record by service of statement of the fact of the death as 

provided for herein for the service of the motion, the action shall be 

dismissed as to the deceased party.

Fed. R. Civ. P. 25(a)(1). In order for the ninety-day period for substitution to be triggered, a party 

must formally suggest the death of the party upon the record and must serve other parties and 

nonparty successors or representatives of the deceased with a suggestion of death in the same 

manner as required for service of the motion to substitute. Fed. R. Civ. P. 25(a)(1); Barlow v. 

Ground, 39 F.3d 231, 233 (9th Cir. 1994). Non-party successors or representatives of the 

deceased party must be served the suggestion of death in the manner provided by Rule 4 for the 

service of a summons. Barlow, 39 F.3d at 232-34. 

As explained above, Defendants identified and personally served one potential successor 

on March 27, 2019. See Crawford Decl. ¶ 6; Ex. B. Thus, Defendants’ April 11, 2019 filing 

entitled, “Defendants City of Pleasanton and Officer Ryan Tajague’s Suggestion of Death Upon 

the Record Under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 25(a)(1),” triggered the ninety-day 

period set forth in Rule 25 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. See Barlow, 39 F.3d at 233; 

Fed. R. Civ. P. 25(a)(1). Because no motion for substitution was filed on or before July 10, 2019 

(which is 90 days after the April 11, 2019 filing), the Court DISMISSES this action pursuant to 

Rule 25(a). 

The Clerk of the Court is directed to correct the spelling of Defendant’s name on the Court 

docket by substituting “Tajague” for “Tujague.”

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated:

______________________________________

YVONNE GONZALEZ ROGERS

United States District Judge

July 17, 2019

Case 4:18-cv-00517-YGR Document 21 Filed 07/17/19 Page 2 of 2