Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-azd-3_11-cv-08152/USCOURTS-azd-3_11-cv-08152-4/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 555
Nature of Suit: Prisoner - Prison Condition
Cause of Action: 42:1983 Prisoner Civil Rights

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WO JWB

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA

Demetrius M. White,

Plaintiff, 

vs.

Mike Lindermen, et al.,

Defendants. 

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No. CV 11-8152-PCT-RCB (ECV)

O R D E R

Plaintiff Demetrius M. White filed this civil rights action under 42 U.S.C. § 1983

against two Arizona Department of Corrections (ADC) officials for alleged violations of the

First Amendment, the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) and

Arizona Revised Statutes § 41-1493.01 (Doc. 12). Before the Court is Plaintiff’s Motion for

Injunction or Temporary Restraining Order (Doc. 30).

The Court will deny Plaintiff’s motion.

I. Background

Plaintiff, a practitioner of Messianic Judaism, asserted that he requested a kosher diet

because his religion follows the same dietary guidelines used in Orthodox Judaism (Doc. 12).

Plaintiff claimed that Defendants denied his kosher diet request on the basis that Messianic

Jews do not have the same dietary restrictions as Orthodox Jews (id. at 3, 4). Because he was

unable to obtain a kosher diet, Plaintiff alleged that he was unable to eat some of the food

provided to him and he lost weight and became sick and constituted a burden on the free

exercise of his religion (id.). 

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Plaintiff now moves for preliminary-injunctive relief, requesting an injunction or a

temporary restraining order to allow his family members to order various religious items to

enable him to practice his religion (Doc. 30 at 3). Plaintiff also requests an injunction

allowing him to obtain and keep “as many law books” as he believes necessary to prosecute

this action (id. at 4). 

II. Governing Standard

Requests for preliminary injunctions and temporary restraining orders are governed

by the same general standards. See New Motor Vehicle Bd. v. Orrin W. Fox Co., 434 U.S.

1345, 1347 n. 2 (1977); L.A. Unified Sch. Dist. v. U.S. Dist. Court, 650 F.2d 1004, 1008 (9th

Cir. 1982). Either type of injunctive relief is an “extraordinary remedy” that may be granted

only where the movant shows that “he is likely to succeed on the merits, that he is likely to

suffer irreparable harm in the absence of preliminary relief, that the balance of equities tips

in his favor, and that an injunction is in the public interest.” Winter v. Natural Res. Def.

Council, Inc., 555 U.S. 7, 20 (2008); Am. Trucking Ass’n, Inc. v. City of L.A., 559 F.3d

1046, 1052 (9th Cir. 2009). The movant has the burden of proof on each element of the test.

Envtl. Council of Sacramento v. Slater, 184 F. Supp. 2d 1016, 1027 (E.D. Cal. 2000).

Under the “serious questions” version of the sliding-scale test, a preliminary

injunction is appropriate when a plaintiff demonstrates that “serious questions going to the

merits were raised and the balance of hardships tips sharply in [plaintiff’s] favor.” Alliance

for the Wild Rockies v. Cottrell, 632 F.3d 1127, 1134-35 (9th Cir. 2011) (citing Lands

Council v. McNair, 537 F.3d 981, 987 (9th Cir. 2008) (en banc)). This approach requires

that the elements of the preliminary injunction test be balanced, so that a stronger showing

of one element may offset a weaker showing of another. See Alliance, 632 at 1135.

Regardless of which test is applied, there is a heightened burden where a plaintiff

seeks a mandatory preliminary injunction (one that would alter the status quo), which should

not be granted “unless the facts and law clearly favor the plaintiff.” Comm. of Cent. Am.

Refugees v. I.N.S., 795 F.2d 1434, 1441 (9th Cir. 1986) (citation omitted).

The Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA) imposes additional requirements on

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prisoner litigants who seek preliminary injunctive relief against prison officials and requires

that any injunctive relief be narrowly drawn and the least intrusive means necessary to

correct the harm. 18 U.S.C. § 3626(a)(2).

When granting injunctive relief, the Court’s jurisdiction is limited to the parties in the

action and to the viable legal claims upon which the action is proceeding. See Summers v.

Earth Island Institute, 555 U.S. 488, 491-93 (2009). Thus, a court should not grant an

injunction “when the injunction in question is not of the same character, and deals with a

matter lying wholly outside the issues in the suit.” Kaimowitz v. Orlando, 122 F.3d 41, 43

(11th Cir. 1997); see Devose v. Herrington, 42 F.3d 470, 471 (8th Cir. 1994) (a plaintiff

seeking injunctive relief must show “a relationship between the injury claimed in the party’s

motion and the conduct asserted in the complaint”).

III. Plaintiff’s Motion

Plaintiff first requests an injunction allowing his family members to purchase certain

religious items—incense, scented oils, candles, a kippah, a talit, and herbs—for Plaintiff from

a vendor (Doc. 30 at 3-4). Plaintiff further seeks an injunction permitting him to obtain and

keep “as many law books” as necessary for him to understand the legal issues involved in

this action (id. at 4). 

 In response, Defendants assert that Plaintiff is not entitled to injunctive relief because

his requests are unrelated to the underlying merits of his claim and, additionally, Defendants

do not have the authority to provide the relief he seeks (Doc. 31). 

Plaintiff did not file a reply in support of his motion.

IV. Analysis

Plaintiff’s motion must be denied for several reasons. First, Defendants are correct

that Plaintiff’s requests to obtain various religious items through a family member and for

unspecified law books are beyond the scope of this lawsuit, which is limited to Plaintiff’s

discrete claim that he was improperly denied a kosher diet. See Kaimowitz, 122 F.3d at 43.

Further, Plaintiff’s law book request is too general and broad to allow for an order the

complies with the PLRA requirements governing injunctions. See 18 U.S.C. § 3626(a)(2).

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Nor do Plaintiff’s claims properly address the prerequisites for injunctive relief—whether

there is a likelihood of irreparable injury and success on the merits, whether the balance of

equities tips in his favor, or whether an injunction is in the public interest. See Winter, 555

U.S. at 20. 

Plaintiff similarly fails to present any evidence showing that conduct by Defendant

or any ADC official has resulted in a denial of access to the court and caused him to suffer

an “actual injury.” See Lewis v. Casey, 518 U.S. 343, 348-49 (1996). Although Plaintiff

implies that he lacks an understand of the law, he does not allege that he was denied the

ability to file documents. 

And finally, in failing to file a reply, Plaintiff does not rebut Defendants’ evidence that

they do not have the authority to provide Plaintiff the relief he seeks (Doc. 31, Ex. A,

Linderman Decl. ¶ 9). For the above reasons, Plaintiff’s motion for preliminary injunctive

relief will be denied.

IT IS ORDERED that the reference is withdrawn as to Plaintiff’s Motion for

Injunction or Temporary Restraining Order (Doc. 30), and the motion is denied.

DATED this 18th day of October, 2012.

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