Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-1_08-cv-00757/USCOURTS-caed-1_08-cv-00757-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 550
Nature of Suit: Prisoner - Civil Rights (U.S. defendant)
Cause of Action: 42:1983 Prisoner Civil Rights

---

United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

FRESNO DIVISION

FIDEL ESTRADA,

Plaintiff,

 v.

M. RODRIGUEZ,

Defendant. /

No. 1:08-CV-0757 PJH

ORDER GRANTING

DEFENDANT’S MOTION TO

DISMISS

This is a civil rights case filed pro se by a state prisoner. Plaintiff contends that

defendant cited him for a rules violation for failure to report to a class, when he had serious

medical problems that made attendance impossible. Defendant has filed an unenumerated

motion to dismiss in which he contends that plaintiff failed to exhaust administrative

remedies. Plaintiff has not opposed the motion. For the reasons set out below, the motion

will be granted. 

DISCUSSION

 The Prison Litigation Reform Act of 1995 amended 42 U.S.C. § 1997e to provide

that "[n]o action shall be brought with respect to prison conditions under [42 U.S.C. § 1983],

or any other Federal law, by a prisoner confined in any jail, prison, or other correctional

facility until such administrative remedies as are available are exhausted." 42 U.S.C. §

1997e(a). Although once within the discretion of the district court, exhaustion in prisoner

cases covered by § 1997e(a) is now mandatory. Porter v Nussle, 122 S. Ct. 983, 988

(2002). All available remedies must now be exhausted; those remedies "need not meet

federal standards, nor must they be 'plain, speedy, and effective.'" Id. (citation omitted). 

Case 1:08-cv-00757-PJH Document 11 Filed 01/19/10 Page 1 of 3
United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

2

Even when the prisoner seeks relief not available in grievance proceedings, notably money

damages, exhaustion is a prerequisite to suit. Id.; Booth v Churner, 532 U.S. 731, 741

(2001). Similarly, exhaustion is a prerequisite to all inmate suits about prison life, whether

they involve general circumstances or particular episodes, and whether they allege

excessive force or some other wrong. Porter, 122 S. Ct. at 992. 

The State of California provides its inmates and parolees the right to appeal

administratively "any departmental decision, action, condition or policy perceived by those

individuals as adversely affecting their welfare." Cal. Code Regs. tit. 15, § 3084.1(a). It

also provides its inmates the right to file administrative appeals alleging misconduct by

correctional officers. See id. § 3084.1(e). In order to exhaust available administrative

remedies within this system, a prisoner must proceed through several levels of appeal: (1)

informal resolution, (2) formal written appeal on a CDC 602 inmate appeal form, (3) second

level appeal to the institution head or designee, and (4) third level appeal to the Director of

the California Department of Corrections. See id. § 3084.5; Barry v. Ratelle, 985 F. Supp.

1235, 1237 (S.D. Cal. 1997). A final decision at the director’s level satisfied the exhaustion

requirement under § 1997e(a). Id. at 1237-38. 

Nonexhaustion under § 1997e(a) is an affirmative defense. Wyatt v Terhune, 315

F.3d 1108, 1119 (9th Cir 2003). It should be treated as a matter of abatement and brought

in an “unenumerated Rule 12(b) motion rather than [in] a motion for summary judgment.” 

Id. (citations omitted). In deciding a motion to dismiss for failure to exhaust administrative

remedies under § 1997e(a), the court may look beyond the pleadings and decide disputed

issues of fact. Id. at 1119-20. If the court concludes that the prisoner has not exhausted

California’s prison administrative process, the proper remedy is dismissal without prejudice. 

Id. at 1120.

In the complaint plaintiff alleges that he exhausted his administrative remedies. He

has attached to the complaint a copy of the grievance that he filed with regard to the

incident giving rise to this case and a second level response. No appeal to the third level,

or response from that level, is attached. 

Case 1:08-cv-00757-PJH Document 11 Filed 01/19/10 Page 2 of 3
United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

3

Defendant has provided a declaration from N. Grannis, Chief of the Inmate Appeals

Branch of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, saying that plaintiff

had no appeals to the third level “accepted for review” in 2008. Because the second level

response is dated May 5, 2008, and the regulations allow only fifteen days to appeal to the

next level, see Cal. Regs. tit. 15, § 3084.6(c), any attempt to appeal after 2008 would not

have been in compliance with the department’s rules, and thus would not suffice to

exhaust, see Woodford v. Ngo, 548 U.S. 81, 84 (2006) (PLRA's exhaustion requirement

cannot be satisfied "by filing an untimely or otherwise procedurally defective administrative

grievance or appeal."). Furthermore, because plaintiff has not opposed the motion, there is

no contention before the court that he tried to file a timely appeal that was improperly not

accepted for review. Defendant’s motion thus is sufficient to establish that plaintiff did not

completely exhaust his available state remedies, and will be granted. 

CONCLUSION

The defendant’s motion to dismiss (document number 9 on the docket) is

GRANTED. The complaint is DISMISSED without prejudice. The clerk shall close the file. 

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: January 19, 2010 

 PHYLLIS J. HAMILTON

United States District Judge

P:\PRO-SE\PJH\CR.08\estrada757.dsm-exh.wpd

Case 1:08-cv-00757-PJH Document 11 Filed 01/19/10 Page 3 of 3