Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_13-cv-02390/USCOURTS-caed-2_13-cv-02390-4/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 

EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

LONZELL GREEN, 

Plaintiff, 

v. 

ANDREW NANGALAMA, et al., 

Defendant. 

No. 2:13-cv-2390-KJM-CMK 

ORDER 

 Plaintiff, a prisoner proceeding pro se, brings this civil rights action under 42 

U.S.C. § 1983. The matter was referred to a United States Magistrate Judge as provided by 

Eastern District of California local rules. 

 On October 30, 2014, the magistrate judge filed findings and recommendations, 

which were served on the parties and which contained notice that the parties may file objections 

within a specified time. No objections to the findings and recommendations have been filed. 

 The court presumes that any findings of fact are correct. See Orand v. United 

States, 602 F.2d 207, 208 (9th Cir. 1979). The magistrate judge’s conclusions of law are 

reviewed de novo. See Britt v. Simi Valley Unified School Dist., 708 F.2d 452, 454 (9th Cir. 

1983). Having reviewed the file, for the reasons set forth below the court concurs in the 

recommended dismissal of defendants Deems and Zamora. 

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Case 2:13-cv-02390-KJM-DMC Document 21 Filed 03/24/15 Page 1 of 3
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 Plaintiff claims that his right to constitutionally adequate medical care has been 

violated by failure to provide adequate treatment for his facial nerve damage and associated pain. 

Complaint at 3, 6, ECF No. 1. Defendants Deems and Zamora reviewed plaintiff’s inmate health 

care administrative appeal seeking pain medication and other treatment, including a neurology 

consult at, respectively, the second and third levels of administrative review. Id. at 7-8, 11-12. 

The magistrate judge recommends their dismissal on the grounds that (1) there are no allegations 

that either defendant was involved in the actual treatment of plaintiff; and (2) that plaintiff has no 

due process protection in the administrative grievance procedure, there are no allegations that 

procedure was interfered with, and the only role defendants Deems and Zamora had in plaintiff’s 

medical care was reviewing the grievance at higher levels of review. Findings and 

Recommendations at 3-4, ECF No. 12. 

 Plaintiff alleges that in reviewing his grievance defendants Deems and Zamora 

“sustained the misconduct of the defendant Nangalama” who “failed to assist plaintiff in adequate 

effective fixing of the facial nerve damage he suffers from.” ECF No. 1 at 3. This claim arises, if 

at all, under the Eighth Amendment’s ban on deliberate indifference to serious medical needs. 

 Where, as here, an inmate’s administrative grievance concerns an ongoing alleged 

unconstitutional denial of adequate medical care and the reviewer “had the authority and 

opportunity to prevent the ongoing violation, a plaintiff may be able to establish liability by 

alleging that the appeals coordinator knew about an impending violation and failed to prevent it.” 

Herrera v. Hall, 2010 WL 2791586, slip op. at 4 (E.D.Cal. 2010) (citing Taylor v. List, 880 F.2d 

1040, 1045 (9th Cir. 1989)). A cognizable Eighth Amendment claim against defendants Deems 

and Zamora would require factual allegations suggesting each defendant acted with deliberate 

indifference to plaintiff’s serious medical needs. See Starr v. Baca, 652 F.3d 1202, 1206-07 (9th 

Cir. 2011) (“A showing that a supervisor acted, or failed to act, in a manner that was deliberately 

indifferent to an inmate’s Eighth Amendment rights is sufficient to demonstrate the involvement 

– and the liability – of that supervisor.”). There are no allegations to suggest either defendant 

Deems or defendant Zamora was deliberately indifferent to plaintiff’s medical needs in 

responding to plaintiff’s grievance. Accordingly, these two defendants will be dismissed. 

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 In accordance with the above, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that: 

1. The recommendations filed October 30, 2014, are adopted, for the reasons set 

forth above; 

2. Defendants Deems and Zamora are dismissed from this action; and 

3. This action shall continue against defendant Nangalama only. 

DATED: March 23, 2015. 

Case 2:13-cv-02390-KJM-DMC Document 21 Filed 03/24/15 Page 3 of 3