Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-4_06-cv-02150/USCOURTS-cand-4_06-cv-02150-0/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 Northern District of California

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United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

THOMAS EUGENE MOORE,

Plaintiff,

 v.

BROWN & WILLIAMSON TOBACCO,

CORPORATION, et al.,

Defendants. /

No. C 06-02150 SBA (PR)

ORDER GRANTING PLAINTIFF'S

MOTION FOR LEAVE TO FILE AN

AMENDED COMPLAINT AND 

MOTION TO SCREEN AMENDED

COMPLAINT PURSUANT TO 28 U.S.C.

§ 1915A

(Docket nos. 35, 40)

Plaintiff Thomas Eugene Moore is a prisoner of the State of California who is currently

incarcerated at High Desert State Prison. He filed this personal injury action in the Superior Court

of the State of California in and for the County of Monterey alleging that he was injured by tobacco

products while incarcerated at Salinas Valley State Prison from June 19, 2001 to July 1, 2005. 

Plaintiff named as Defendants: Access SecurePak (the alleged retailer of the tobacco products

Plaintiff used), Lane Limited, Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation (Brown & Williamson),

as well as various SVSP prison officials who purportedly participated in the supply of tobacco and

the denial of Plaintiff's administrative claims. Defendant Warden Mike Evans removed the action to

federal court on the ground that Plaintiff alleged a violation of his civil rights under federal law. 

Only Defendant Evans has filed an answer.

On June 21, 2006, Defendants Lane Limited and Brown & Williamson moved for dismissal

of this action due to insufficiency of process and service of process pursuant to Federal Rules of

Case 4:06-cv-02150-SBA Document 42 Filed 03/26/08 Page 1 of 3
United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

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P:\PRO-SE\SBA\CR.06\Moore2150.GrantScreen-Plaintiff.wpd 2

Civil Procedure 12(b)(4) and 12(b)(5). On September 15, 2006, Defendant Access SecurePak

moved for dismissal on the same grounds. Plaintiff opposed Defendants' motions to dismiss.

In an Order dated March 30, 2007, the Court denied the motions to dismiss filed by

Defendants Lane Limited, Brown & Williamson, and Access SecurePak.

Before the Court are Plaintiff's requests for leave to file an amended complaint and for the

Court to screen the amended complaint under 28 U.S.C. § 1915A. 

The answer filed by Defendant Evans cut off Plaintiff's right to amend as a matter of right. 

See Fed. R.Civ.P. 15(a). Therefore, Plaintiff can now amend only with leave of court or with the

consent of the opposing party. See id. Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 15(a) is to be applied

liberally in favor of amendments, however, and leave is to be freely given when justice so requires. 

See Janicki Logging Co. v. Mateer, 42 F.3d 561, 566 (9th Cir. 1994). In his motion for leave to

amend, Plaintiff states that he has "typed the civil complaint in a legible manner, made corrections,

and has corrected Federal causes of actions to be more explicitly alleged within the pleadings since

the case has been removed to the Federal Court." (Mot. for Leave to Amend at 2.) In the interests

of justice, Plaintiff's motion for leave to amend (docket no. 35) is GRANTED. The Clerk of the

Court is directed to file the document attached to Plaintiff's motion, which is labeled "First Amended

Civil Lawsuit Complaint," and docket the aforementioned document as Plaintiff's "First Amended

Complaint." The Clerk is further directed to mark the First Amended Complaint as filed on May 14,

2007, the date it was received by the Court. 

Plaintiff's motion for the Court to screen the amended complaint under 28 U.S.C. § 1915A

(docket no. 40) is also GRANTED. The Court will review Plaintiff's First Amended Complaint in a

separate written Order.

This Order terminates Docket nos. 35 and 40.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

DATED: 3/26/08 

SAUNDRA BROWN ARMSTRONG

United States District Judge

Case 4:06-cv-02150-SBA Document 42 Filed 03/26/08 Page 2 of 3
United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

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P:\PRO-SE\SBA\CR.06\Moore2150.GrantScreen-Plaintiff.wpd 3

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE 

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

MOORE et al,

Plaintiff,

 v.

BROWN & WILLIAMSON TOBACCO,

CORPORATION et al,

Defendant. /

Case Number: CV06-02150 SBA 

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

I, the undersigned, hereby certify that I am an employee in the Office of the Clerk, U.S. District

Court, Northern District of California.

That on March 26, 2008, I SERVED a true and correct copy(ies) of the attached, by placing said

copy(ies) in a postage paid envelope addressed to the person(s) hereinafter listed, by depositing said

envelope in the U.S. Mail, or by placing said copy(ies) into an inter-office delivery receptacle

located in the Clerk's office.

Thomas Eugene Moore D-62389

Pelican Bay State Prison

P.O. Box 7500

Crescent City, CA 95532

Dated: March 26, 2008

Richard W. Wieking, Clerk

By: LISA R CLARK, Deputy Clerk

Case 4:06-cv-02150-SBA Document 42 Filed 03/26/08 Page 3 of 3