Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_15-cv-01558/USCOURTS-caed-2_15-cv-01558-5/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

KASEY F. HOFFMAN,

Plaintiff,

v.

LASSEN ADULT DETENTION 

FACILITY, et al.,

Defendants.

No. 2: 15-cv-1558 JAM KJN P

FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Introduction

Plaintiff is proceeding, without counsel, with this action brought pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 

1983 and the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (“RLUIPA”). This action 

proceeds on the second amended complaint as to defendants Lassen County Sheriff Growden and 

Lassen County Jail Commander Jones. Plaintiff alleges that while housed at the Lassen County 

Jail, he was denied his First Amendment right to a religious diet, i.e. a Jewish kosher diet. 

Plaintiff also alleges that his failure to receive a kosher diet violated RLUIPA.

Pending before the court is defendants’ motion to dismiss brought pursuant to Federal 

Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(1) and (b)(6). Defendants move to dismiss on grounds that the 

court lacks subject matter jurisdiction and for failing to state a claim upon which relief may be 

granted. For the reasons discussed herein, the undersigned recommends that defendants’ motion 

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be granted in part and denied in part.

Legal Standard for Motion to Dismiss Brought Pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil 

Procedure 12(b)(6)

Rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedures provides for motions to dismiss for 

“failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6). In 

considering a motion to dismiss pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6), the court 

must accept as true the allegations of the complaint in question, Erickson v. Pardus, 551 U.S. 89 

(2007), and construe the pleading in the light most favorable to the plaintiff. Jenkins v. 

McKeithen, 395 U.S. 411, 421 (1969); Meek v. County of Riverside, 183 F.3d 962, 965 (9th Cir. 

1999). Still, to survive dismissal for failure to state a claim, a pro se complaint must contain more 

than “naked assertions,” “labels and conclusions” or “a formulaic recitation of the elements of a 

cause of action.” Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555-57 (2007). In other words, 

“[t]hreadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported by mere conclusory 

statements do not suffice.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009). Furthermore, a claim 

upon which the court can grant relief must have facial plausibility. Twombly, 550 U.S. at 570. 

“A claim has facial plausibility when the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to 

draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.” Iqbal, 556 

U.S. at 678. Attachments to a complaint are considered to be part of the complaint for purposes 

of a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim. Hal Roach Studios v. Richard Reiner & Co., 

896 F.2d 1542, 1555 n.19 (9th Cir. 1990).

A motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim should not be granted unless it appears 

beyond doubt that the plaintiff can prove no set of facts in support of his claims which would 

entitle him to relief. Hishon v. King & Spaulding, 467 U.S. 69, 73 (1984). In general, pro se 

pleadings are held to a less stringent standard than those drafted by lawyers. Haines v. Kerner, 

404 U.S. 519, 520 (1972). The court has an obligation to construe such pleadings liberally. Bretz 

v. Kelman, 773 F.2d 1026, 1027 n.1 (9th Cir. 1985) (en banc). However, the court’s liberal 

interpretation of a pro se complaint may not supply essential elements of the claim that were not 

pled. Ivey v. Bd. of Regents of Univ. of Alaska, 673 F.2d 266, 268 (9th Cir. 1982).

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Plaintiff’s Claims

This action is proceeding on the second amended complaint filed September 10, 2015. 

(ECF No. 9.)

Plaintiff alleges that when he was booked into the Lassen County Jail, he was asked by the 

booking officer, as part of the booking process, whether he required a special diet. Plaintiff told 

the booking officer that he required a Jewish kosher diet. The booking officer told plaintiff that 

he would have to talk to medical about his request for a kosher diet and marked “no,” apparently 

on the section of the booking form asking whether plaintiff required a special diet. 

Plaintiff then put in a request to see the medical department in order to request his kosher 

diet. The medical department informed plaintiff that “we do not do religious diets.” Plaintiff was 

then told to submit his request for a kosher diet to the kitchen. Plaintiff’s request to the kitchen 

was sent to defendant Jones for approval. While waiting for approval from defendant Jones, the 

kitchen manager helped plaintiff have a kosher-like meal. Plaintiff alleges that this alternative 

diet did not provide him with adequate nutrition. 

After waiting for two weeks for approval, plaintiff was taken to defendant Jones’ office. 

Defendant Jones then asked plaintiff about plaintiff’s religious requirements. Plaintiff told 

defendant Jones that he had a religious meal card from California State Prison-Corcoran, that was 

transferable from institution to institution without prior approval. Defendant Jones told plaintiff 

that he would have to talk to his superiors and do some research. Plaintiff alleges that during this 

meeting, defendant Jones told plaintiff that he had “no idea” how to approve a kosher meal. Four 

days later, plaintiff was called back to see defendant Jones and Sergeant Withrow. Defendant 

Jones told plaintiff that he was going to ask plaintiff five questions. Following this meeting, 

plaintiff’s request for a kosher diet was denied. 

Plaintiff alleges that he grieved the denial of his request for a kosher diet to defendant 

Growden, who assigned the grievance to Undersheriff Minnow. Plaintiff met with Undersheriff 

Minnow, and told him that he could call the California Department of Corrections and 

Rehabilitation (“CDCR”) and they would confirm that plaintiff had an active religious meal card. 

Three days later, plaintiff alleges that he was called back to speak with Undersheriff Minnow, 

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who told plaintiff that he had called CDCR and verified plaintiff’s religious diet requirement. 

Plaintiff’s request for a kosher diet was then granted. It took plaintiff approximately 1 1/2 months 

following his booking to have his request for a kosher diet granted.

Plaintiff alleges that defendant Growden failed to train his subordinates regarding how to 

process requests for religious meals. 

As relief, plaintiff seeks money damages.

Discussion

A. Mootness

Defendants first argue that plaintiff’s claims for equitable relief are moot because he 

began receiving a kosher diet before he filed the original complaint and was released from jail 

custody on November 10, 2015. 

In the second amended complaint, it appears that plaintiff seeks money damages only. 

Plaintiff is not seeking equitable relief. Accordingly, defendants’ motion to dismiss plaintiff’s 

claims for equitable relief is disregarded.

B. Standing

Relying on Resnick v. Adams, 348 F.3d 763 (9th Cir. 2003), defendants argue that 

plaintiff lacks standing to bring his claim. Defendants argue that in Resnick, the Ninth Circuit 

held that requiring an application process before a prisoner receives a religious diet does not 

violate the prisoner’s civil rights. The undersigned begins the analysis of defendants’ standing 

argument by first discussing Resnick.

Resnick v. Adams

In Resnick, the plaintiff, a federal inmate, required a kosher diet. 348 F.3d at 765. United 

States Penitentiary at Lompoc (“Lompoc”), where the plaintiff was housed, accommodated the 

religious dietary needs of inmates through the Common Fare Program (“CFP”). Id. The 

regulations setting forth the procedures for federal inmates requesting special diets are set forth in 

28 C.F.R. § 528.20(a), which states that the inmates must “provide a written statement 

articulating the religious motivation for participation in the common fare program.” Id. 

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“More specific guidance about the CFP at Lompoc – and the procedures for applying to 

the program – are supplied to each inmate by the Religious Services Department upon admission 

and orientation to the prison, when each inmate is provided with a handout that discusses 

religious diets.” Id. “The handout reiterates the need to submit an application for the CFP to the 

chaplain and includes an application form that lays out the requirements of the program.” Id. 

“Once an inmate has applied to the CFP at Lompoc, and the chaplain has approved the 

application, the chaplain is responsible for entering the necessary information into the 

computerized database known as Sentry.” Id. “According to P.S. 4700.04, “[t]he inmate shall 

ordinarily begin eating from the Common Fare menu within two days after Food Service receives 

electronic notification.” Id.

In Resnick, the plaintiff did not follow the procedures set forth above for requesting his 

kosher diet. Id. Instead, approximately 16 months after arriving at Lompoc, the plaintiff wrote 

letters to prison officials and the chaplain requesting kosher food. Id. at 766. 

In Resnick, the Ninth Circuit considered whether the requirement that the plaintiff submit 

an application in order to receive a kosher meal was by itself an unconstitutional infringement on 

his right to free exercise. Id. at 767. The Ninth Circuit applied the four part test set forth in 

Turner v. Safley, 482 U.S. 78 (1987), in order to determine whether the at-issue regulations 

unconstitutionally infringed on plaintiff’s constitutional rights. Id. 

The first Turner factor requires a “valid connection between the prison regulation and the 

legitimate governmental interest put forward to justify it.” Turner, 482 U.S. at 89. In Resnick, 

the Ninth Circuit found that the legitimate government interest at stake was the orderly 

administration of a program that allowed federal prisons to accommodate the religious dietary 

needs of thousands of prisoners. Resnick, 348 F.3d at 769. The Ninth Circuit went on to find 

that the “application for the CFP supplied to each incoming inmate at Lompoc has a ‘valid, 

rational connection’ to this legitimate interest.” Id. “It sets forth the ground rules of the CFP, 

provides an opportunity for the chaplain to assess the sincerity of the applicant’s belief, and, most 

important, provides a standardized form for each inmate seeking accommodation, thereby aiding 

in the administration of the program – no small matter in a prison such as Lompoc with over 

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1,800 inmates.” Id.

The second Turner factor is “whether there are alternative means of exercising the right 

that remain open to prison inmates.” Turner, 482 U.S. at 90. The Ninth Circuit found that this 

factor “also cuts in favor of prison officials since Resnick has not shown, and indeed cannot 

show, that he would not have been provided with a kosher diet had he filed the proper 

application.” Id. “For, prison officials not only were willing to work with Resnick once he 

submitted his application to ensure his needs were met, there also was at least one other inmate at 

Lompoc receiving a completely kosher diet.” Id. at 669-70.

The third Turner factor requires the court to consider “the impact accommodation of the 

asserted constitutional right will have” on other inmates, the guards and prison regulations. 

Turner, 482 U.S. at 90. The Ninth Circuit found that accommodating Resnick’s request that he 

not be required to file the standard application for a religious diet would frustrate the orderly 

administration of CFP and of Lompoc generally. Resnick, 348 F.3d at 770.

The fourth Turner factor requires consideration of the availability of “obvious, easy 

alternatives.” Turner, 482 U.S. at 90. The Ninth Circuit found that it was “difficult to think of 

any alternatives more ‘obvious’ and ‘easy’ than simply requiring each inmate seeking a religious 

diet to fill out the standard CFP application form.” Resnick, 348 F.3d at 770.

The Ninth Circuit concluded that, under Turner’s four part test, the requirement that 

plaintiff submit an application to the CFP before prison officials attempted to provide him with a 

kosher diet was reasonably related to legitimate penological interest and, thus, did not violate the 

plaintiff’s First Amendment rights. Id. at 770-71.

Standing

Defendants argue that, pursuant to Resnick v. Adams, plaintiff lacks standing to bring a 

claim challenging his failure to receive a kosher meal because he did not follow the application 

process to receive a religious diet.

Dismissal of a claim is appropriate under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure Rule 12(b)(1) 

when the court lacks subject-matter jurisdiction over the claim. Standing is jurisdictional, cannot 

be waived, and is properly addressed under Rule 12(b)(1). See United States v. Hays, 515 U.S. 

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737, 742 (1995); Chandler v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., 598 F.3d 1115, 1122 (9th Cir. 

2010). The party asserting the claim has the burden of establishing standing. See Colwell v. 

Dept. of Health and Human Servs., 558 F.3d 1112, 1121 (9th Cir. 2009). When ruling on a 

motion to dismiss for lack of standing, the court “must accept as true all material allegations of 

the complaint, and must construe the complaint in favor of the complaining party.” Graham v. 

FEMA, 149 F.3d 997, 1001 (9th Cir. 1998) (quoting Warth v. Seldin, 422 U.S. 490, 501 (1975)).

The doctrine of standing encompasses constitutional requirements and prudential 

considerations. See Valley Forge Christian College v. Americans United for Separation of 

Church & State, Inc., 454 U.S. 464, 471 (1982); Sahni v. American Diversified Partners, 83 F.3d 

1054, 1057 (9th Cir. 1996). From a constitutional perspective, Article III's case-or-controversy 

requirement requires the following for each claim: (1) the party invoking federal jurisdiction 

must have suffered some actual or threatened injury; (2) the injury must be fairly traceable to the 

challenged conduct; and (3) a favorable decision would likely redress or prevent the injury. See 

Friends of the Earth, Inc. v. Laidlaw Envtl. Servs. (TOC), 528 U.S. 167, 180–81, 185 (2000); 

Lujan v. Defenders of Wildlife, 504 U.S. 555, 560–61 (1992).

Defendants’ argument that plaintiff lacks standing to bring his claims is without merit. 

First, defendants have misconstrued plaintiff’s claims. Plaintiff is not alleging that he should not 

have been required to follow a process to determine whether he was eligible to receive kosher 

meals, like the plaintiff in Resnick. Instead, plaintiff alleges that defendant Jones denied his 

request for a kosher meal in violation of the First Amendment. Plaintiff also alleges that to the 

extent there were procedures for requesting special diets, he followed them. Plaintiff alleges that 

the procedures for making and reviewing religious diet requests were inadequate and that 

defendant Growden did not adequately train his employees to process these requests. Plaintiff 

clearly has standing to raise these claims.

In any event, were plaintiff raising a claim challenging the requirement that he make a 

formal application for a religious diet, like the plaintiff in Resnick, a motion to dismiss this claim 

based on Resnick should be brought pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) rather 

than (b)(1). In Resnick, the Ninth Circuit did not find that the plaintiff lacked standing to raise 

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his First Amendment claim. Instead, the Ninth Circuit found that the plaintiff had not 

demonstrated a violation of the First Amendment. Accordingly, defendants’ motion to dismiss on 

grounds that plaintiff lacks standing should be denied.

Application of Resnick

Defendants argue that plaintiff’s First Amendment claim should be dismissed because just 

as in Resnick, plaintiff was required to follow a process to determine whether he was eligible to 

receive kosher meals. Defendants argue that plaintiff did eventually receive his kosher meal, and 

that plaintiff himself caused the delay in his receipt of a kosher meal by failing to submit a written 

request for a religious diet until March 18, 2015. Pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 

12(b)(6), the undersigned herein considers whether plaintiff has stated a potentially colorable 

First Amendment claim for relief.

As discussed above, plaintiff’s claims can be distinguished from the claim addressed in 

Resnick. In Resnick, the Ninth Circuit considered only whether the requirement that the inmate 

submit an application to receive a kosher meal was a constitutional infringement. 348 F.3d at 

768. In Resnick, the Ninth Circuit noted that prison officials had not categorically refused to 

provide the plaintiff with kosher meals. Id. at 767. 

In the instant case, unlike the inmate in Resnick, plaintiff raises a claim challenging 

defendants’ alleged denial of his request for a kosher meal. In addition, plaintiff is not arguing 

that he should not have been required to submit an application to receive a kosher meal, like the 

plaintiff in Resnick. Instead, plaintiff is alleging that to the extent there were procedures for 

submitting requests for religious diets, he followed them. Plaintiff alleges that these procedures 

were inadequate and that the officers in charge of implementing them were not adequately 

trained. For example, plaintiff alleges that the booking officer wrote down on the booking form 

that plaintiff did not request a special diet, even after plaintiff told him that he wanted a kosher 

diet. Plaintiff alleges that the booking officer wrongly advised him to submit a request for a 

kosher diet to the medical department. Plaintiff alleges that when defendant Jones first 

interviewed him, defendant Jones indicated that he did not know how to evaluate plaintiff’s 

request. Plaintiff argues that the inadequate training and inadequate policies for submitting and 

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reviewing religious diet requests caused the delay in his receipt of a religious diet. 

Defendants’ argument that plaintiff himself caused the delay in the processing of his 

request for a religions diet by not making a written request until March 18, 2015, is more 

appropriately raised in a summary judgment motion. For that reason, the undersigned will not 

address this argument in these findings and recommendations. However, the undersigned 

observes that defendants’ argument is not supported by the record before the court at this time. 

Defendants apparently rely on the Inmate Request Form signed by plaintiff on March 18, 2015, in 

which he requested a kosher diet. (ECF No. 9 at 27.) The jail officer responding to this request 

wrote, 

I am in receipt of your request form and have also reviewed your 

grievance (#209) as it related to a Kosher Diet. Since it appears 

you are grieving a decision from the jail commander I will refer this 

matter to the Undersheriff for follow up review. 

(Id.) 

The response to plaintiff’s request, quoted above, suggests that plaintiff’s March 18, 2015 

grievance was in response to defendant Jones’ denial of plaintiff’s request for a kosher diet. In 

other words, plaintiff’s March 18, 2015 grievance was not the first time plaintiff requested a 

kosher diet, as suggested by defendants. 

To clarify, plaintiff’s complaint challenges defendant Jones’ alleged denial of his request 

for a kosher diet. Plaintiff also alleges that the policies for making and reviewing kosher diet 

requests were inadequate. Plaintiff also argues that defendant Growden failed to adequately train 

his subordinates regarding the procedures for processing inmate requests for kosher diets. 

Plaintiff alleges that the inadequate policies and inadequate training delayed his receipt of his 

kosher diet. Accordingly, defendants’ motion to dismiss on grounds that plaintiff has failed to 

state a potentially colorable claim for relief should be denied.

C. Qualified Immunity

Legal Standard

“The doctrine of qualified immunity protects government officials ‘from liability for civil 

damages insofar as their conduct does not violate clearly established statutory or constitutional 

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rights of which a reasonable person would have known.’” Pearson v. Callahan, 555 U.S. 223, 

231 (2009) (quoting Harlow v. Fitzgerald, 457 U.S. 800, 818 (1982)). “Qualified immunity 

balances two important interests –– the need to hold public officials accountable when they 

exercise power irresponsibly and the need to shield officials from harassment, distraction, and 

liability when they perform their duties reasonably.” Id. “The protection of qualified immunity 

applies regardless of whether the government official’s error is ‘a mistake of law, a mistake of 

fact, or a mistake based on mixed questions of law and fact.’” Id. (quoting Groh v. Ramirez, 540 

U.S. 551, 567, (2004) (Kennedy, J., dissenting)).

In determining whether an officer is entitled to qualified immunity, the court must decide 

(1) whether facts alleged or shown by plaintiff make out a violation of constitutional right; and 

(2) whether that right was clearly established at the time of the officer's alleged misconduct. 

Pearson, 555 U.S. at 232 (citing Saucier v. Katz, 533 U.S. 194, 201 (2001)). Courts are 

“permitted to exercise their sound discretion in deciding which of the two prongs of the qualified 

immunity analysis should be addressed first in light of the circumstances in the particular case at 

hand.” Id. at 236. In resolving these issues, the court must view the evidence in the light most 

favorable to plaintiff and resolve all material factual disputes in favor of plaintiff. Martinez v. 

Stanford, 323 F.3d 1178, 1184 (9th Cir. 2003).

The measuring rod for determining whether an official’s conduct violates a plaintiff’s 

constitutional right was set forth by the Supreme Court in Ashcroft v. al-Kidd, 131 S. Ct. 3034, 

(2011): “A Government official’s conduct violates clearly established law when, at the time of 

the challenged conduct, ‘[t]he contours of [a] right [are] sufficiently clear’ that every ‘reasonable 

official would have understood that what he is doing violates that right.’” Lal v. California, 746 

F.3d 1112, 1116 (9th Cir. 2014) (citation omitted).

Discussion

Defendants argue that because plaintiff was ultimately provided a kosher diet, the only 

potential constitutional violation at issue relates to the period of time between his participation in 

the administrative process and when he began to receive the kosher meals, i.e., from March 18, 

2015, to April 17, 2015. Defendants go on to argue that any delay in plaintiff’s receipt of kosher 

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meals was due to his own failure to participate in the administrative process or due to the 

justified administrative process conducted by Lassen County Jail officials. On these grounds, 

defendants apparently argue that plaintiff has not demonstrated a violation of his constitutional 

rights. 

As discussed above, plaintiff is raising a claim challenging defendant Jones’ alleged 

denial of his request for a kosher diet. Plaintiff also alleges that the procedures for making and 

reviewing requests for religious diets were inadequate and that defendant Growden did not 

properly train his subordinates to handle these requests. Defendants’ argument for qualified 

immunity is not based on these claims. 

In any event, because plaintiff alleges that he told defendant Jones that he had a religious 

meal card from Corcoran, and that Undersheriff Minnow later granted his request for a kosher 

meal after consulting with CDCR, the undersigned finds that a reasonable jail official would have 

known that denying plaintiff’s request for a kosher meal violated his First Amendment rights.

In addition, the undersigned finds that defendants are not entitled to qualified immunity 

based on their claim that the delay in plaintiff’s receipt of a kosher diet was justified by the 

administrative process conducted by the Lassen County Jail to assess the sincerity of plaintiff’s 

religious beliefs. In essence, defendants are arguing that reasonable jail officials would not think 

that taking time to investigate the sincerity of plaintiff’s religious beliefs violated his First 

Amendment rights. The problem with this argument is that plaintiff alleges that defendant Jones 

denied his request for a kosher diet despite his sincere religious beliefs. In addition, plaintiff has 

pled sufficient facts in support of his claim that the delay in his receipt of a religious diet was 

caused by a lack of training and adequate procedures for making and evaluating requests for 

religious diets. Based on these alleged facts, the undersigned finds that plaintiff has demonstrated 

a violation of his constitutional rights. 

For the reasons discussed above, the undersigned recommends that defendants’ motion to 

dismiss on grounds that they are entitled to qualified immunity be denied. 

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D. Claim for Damages Under RLUIPA

Defendants move to dismiss plaintiff’s damages claims against them. Monetary damages 

are not available against defendants in their individual capacities. See Jones v. Williams, 791 

F.3d 1023, 1031 (9th Cir. 2015) (citing Sossamon v. Texas, 563 U.S. 277 (2011).) Accordingly, 

defendants’ motion to dismiss plaintiff’s claim for damages under RLUIPA should be granted. 

Accordingly, IT IS HEREBY RECOMMENDED that defendants’ motion to dismiss 

(ECF No. 17) be granted as to plaintiff’s claims for damages under RLUIPA; defendants’ motion 

to dismiss should be denied in all other respects. 

These findings and recommendations are submitted to the United States District Judge 

assigned to the case, pursuant to the provisions of 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(l). Within fourteen days 

after being served with these findings and recommendations, any party may file written 

objections with the court and serve a copy on all parties. Such a document should be captioned 

“Objections to Magistrate Judge’s Findings and Recommendations.” Any response to the 

objections shall be filed and served within fourteen days after service of the objections. The 

parties are advised that failure to file objections within the specified time may waive the right to 

appeal the District Court’s order. Martinez v. Ylst, 951 F.2d 1153 (9th Cir. 1991). 

Dated: May 26, 2016

Hoff1558.mtd

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