Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-4_07-cv-02394/USCOURTS-cand-4_07-cv-02394-0/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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United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

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United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

ISAAC JEROME CHOYCE,

Plaintiff,

 vs.

CMO KAREN SAYLOR, M.D.; DR.

WILLIAMS; DR. F. ALVAREZ; DR.

BANKS; RN WANDA; RN BRIAN; LVN

PRICE; RN JACKSON; .RN B.

THOMPSON; RN ALEX; MTA D.

STUBS; LVN TH0MPSON; Correctional

Officer BERK; RN JACOBS;

Correctional Officer GUTHRIE;

Correctional Officer KNOX; and DOES

1-16,

Defendants. /

No. C 07-2394 PJH (PR)

ORDER OF DISMISSAL WITH

LEAVE TO AMEND

Plaintiff, a prisoner at San Quentin State Prison, has filed a pro se civil rights

complaint under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. He has been granted leave to proceed in forma

pauperis. 

Venue is proper in this district because a substantial part of the events giving rise to

the action occurred in this district. See 28 U.S.C. § 1391(b).

DISCUSSION

A. Standard of Review

Federal courts must engage in a preliminary screening of cases in which prisoners

seek redress from a governmental entity or officer or employee of a governmental entity. 

28 U.S.C. § 1915A(a). In its review the court must identify any cognizable claims, and

dismiss any claims which are frivolous, malicious, fail to state a claim upon which relief may

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1 Bell Atlantic Corp. disapproved the "no set of facts" language in Conley v. Gibson, 355 U.S. 41 (1957). Conley had stated "the accepted rule that a complaint should not be

dismissed for failure to state a claim unless it appears beyond doubt that the plaintiff can prove

no set of facts in support of his claim which would entitle him to relief." Id. at 45-46. Bell

Atlantic Corp. decided that "this famous observation has earned its retirement. The phrase is

best forgotten as an incomplete, negative gloss on an accepted pleading standard." Bell

Atlantic Corp, 127 S. Ct. at 1969. 

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be granted, or seek monetary relief from a defendant who is immune from such relief. Id. at

1915A(b)(1),(2). Pro se pleadings must be liberally construed. Balistreri v. Pacifica Police

Dep't, 901 F.2d 696, 699 (9th Cir. 1990).

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 8(a)(2) requires only "a short and plain statement of

the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief." "Specific facts are not necessary;

the statement need only '"give the defendant fair notice of what the . . . . claim is and the

grounds upon which it rests."'" Erickson v. Pardus, 127 S. Ct. 2197, 2200 (2007) (citations

omitted). Although in order to state a claim a complaint “does not need detailed factual

allegations, . . . a plaintiff's obligation to provide the 'grounds of his 'entitle[ment] to relief'

requires more than labels and conclusions, and a formulaic recitation of the elements of a

cause of action will not do. . . . Factual allegations must be enough to raise a right to relief

above the speculative level." Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 127 S. Ct. 1955, 1964-65

(2007) (citations omitted). A complaint must proffer "enough facts to state a claim for relief

that is plausible on its face." Id. at 1986-87.1

 

To state a claim under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, a plaintiff must allege two essential

elements: (1) that a right secured by the Constitution or laws of the United States was

violated, and (2) that the alleged deprivation was committed by a person acting under the

color of state law. West v. Atkins, 487 U.S. 42, 48 (1988). 

B. Legal Claims 

1. Injunctive relief claims

Individual suits for injunctive and equitable relief from alleged unconstitutional prison

conditions cannot be brought where there is a pending class action suit involving the same

subject matter. McNeil v. Guthrie, 945 F.2d 1163, 1165 (10th Cir. 1991); Gillespie v.

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Crawford, 858 F.2d 1101, 1103 (5th Cir. 1988) (en banc). "Individual members of the class

and other prisoners may assert any equitable or declaratory claims they have, but they

must do so by urging further actions through the class representative and attorney,

including contempt proceedings, or by intervention in the class action." Id. 

A class action pending in this court, Plata v. Schwarzenegger, No. No. C 01-1351

TEH, involves the same subject matter, adequacy of medical care, as plaintiff’s claim here. 

The exhibits attached to the complaint show that plaintiff has fairly recently raised his

claims using the Plata mechanism, so they are known to class counsel. 

The injunctive relief request will be dismissed because such relief can be granted

only in the class action case. Plaintiff’s request for a temporary restraining order or a

preliminary injunction will be denied for the same reason. 

2. Damage claims

As a result of surgery after he was shot, plaintiff had a colostomy bag when he

entered San Quentin. He asserts that supplies such as replacment bags, rubber gloves,

tape, and saline solution were often not issued to him when needed, to the point where he

had to wear a paper bag at times. He asserts that defendant nurses Thompson, Brian and

Wanda knew of the lack of supplies and even saw him wearing the paper bags. This is

sufficient to state a claim against them for damages.

Plaintiff asserts that he suffered chronic pain from his wound, that it is infected and

the stoma is swollen, and that correctional officers Berk, Guthre and Knox refuse to take

him to the medical department. This is sufficient to state a claim for damages against

them.

He contends that the stoma has recently changed color from pink to blackish and

purple, and that there is bleeding and bulging around the opening. He contends that

nevertheless defendant nurse Jacobs walked away when he asked for medical care. This

is sufficient to state a claim for damages against Jacobs. 

Plaintiff asserts that Dr. Alvarez prescribed an anti-depressant which caused him

pain in his intestines, and that he does not have a mental illness. This is sufficient to state

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a claim for damages against Alvarez.

The remaining defendants are not named. Plaintiff thus has failed to allege facts

regarding them which would state a plausible claim for relief. The claims against them will

be dismissed with leave to amend. Plaintiff should note that in order to state a plausible

claim against any particular defendant he must allege the facts of the defendant’s

involvement in the allegedly unconstitutional actions. 

CONCLUSION

1. For the foregoing reasons, the complaint is DISMISSED with leave to amend, as

indicated above, within thirty days from the date of this order. The amended complaint

must include the caption and civil case number used in this order and the words

AMENDED COMPLAINT on the first page. Because an amended complaint completely

replaces the original complaint, plaintiff must include in it all the claims he wishes to

present, including those which the court has found to be cognizable above. See Ferdik v.

Bonzelet, 963 F.2d 1258, 1262 (9th Cir. 1992). He may not incorporate material from the

original complaint by reference. Failure to amend within the designated time will result in

the dismissal of these claims.

2. To the extent plaintiff’s requests injunctive relief, those claims are DENIED for the

reasons set out above. He must seek relief through the Plata class action. 

3. It is the plaintiff's responsibility to prosecute this case. Plaintiff must keep the

court informed of any change of address by filing a separate paper with the clerk headed

“Notice of Change of Address,” and must comply with the court's orders in a timely fashion. 

Failure to do so may result in the dismissal of this action for failure to prosecute pursuant to

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 41(b).

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: October 15, 2007. 

 PHYLLIS J. HAMILTON

United States District Judge

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