Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_14-cv-02366/USCOURTS-cand-3_14-cv-02366-3/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 555
Nature of Suit: Prisoner - Prison Condition
Cause of Action: 28:1441 Petition for Removal- Civil Rights Act

---

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

Northern District of California

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

GUSTAVO ADRIAN PRIEGO,

Plaintiff,

v.

SULLIVAN, et al.,

Defendants.

Case No. 14-cv-02366-JD 

ORDER ADDRESSING MOTIONS

Re: Dkt. Nos. 29, 46, 48, 50, 53, 56, 57, 63

Plaintiff, a state prisoner, has filed a pro se civil rights complaint under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. 

He alleges that defendants were deliberately indifferent to his serious medical needs. Defendants 

filed a motion for summary judgment on June 8, 2015, that argued there was no deliberate 

indifference to serious medical needs and defendants were entitled to qualified immunity. Before 

he filed an opposition, plaintiff sought a stay while he completed discovery. Plaintiff did not 

describe what discovery he sought and the Court denied the stay but provided plaintiff an 

opportunity to file a motion to compel with specific requests. Plaintiff filed a motion to compel

and defendants have filed a motion seeking to stay discovery until the qualified immunity issue is 

settled.

A district court should stay discovery until the threshold question of qualified immunity is 

settled. See Crawford-El v. Britton, 523 U.S. 574, 598 (1998); Anderson v. Creighton, 483 U.S. 

635, 646 n.6 (1987); Harlow v. Fitzgerald, 457 U.S. 800, 818 (1982); Dimartini v. Ferrin, 889 

F.2d 922, 926 (9th Cir. 1989), amended, 906 F.2d 465 (9th Cir. 1990), cert. denied, 501 U.S. 1204 

(1991). 

In light of these cases, the motion to stay is granted and plaintiff may pursue additional 

discovery if the summary judgment motion is denied. Moreover, the Court has reviewed the 

Case 3:14-cv-02366-JD Document 66 Filed 10/13/15 Page 1 of 4
2

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

Northern District of California

motion to compel and plaintiff’s requests have either been provided or are not relevant to the 

summary judgment motion. Much of the motion seeks discovery to ascertain if defendants have 

been sued in other instances, but this does not relate to the subject matter of the summary 

judgment motion. Plaintiff also seeks documents from his medical record, but defendants note 

that plaintiff already has access to his medical record and many documents were included in the 

summary judgment motion. There are nearly 95 pages of medical records in the motion for 

summary judgment and plaintiff included nearly 50 pages of medical records in his opposition. 

Defendants also noted in a June 30, 2015 letter to plaintiff that they would be able to provide his 

sick call requests since January 1, 2007, and if he was unable to access specific medical 

documents, defendants would provide further assistance. Motion to Compel, Ex. B. It is not clear 

is plaintiff sought further assistance for specific documents.

However, within ten (10) days of service of this order, plaintiff may identify to the Court 

specific documents with dates from his medical file that he requires to oppose summary judgment 

and briefly describe why they are relevant. Plaintiff must review the 150 pages of medical records 

in the summary judgment motion and opposition to ensure he does not already have the documents

and he must confirm that they were not provided by defendants after this motion to compel was 

filed. If additional discovery is ordered to be provided by defendants, plaintiff will be provided an 

opportunity to file an addendum to his opposition to summary judgment. The Court will not 

entertain broad requests or requests for documents outside of his medical file. The requests must 

relate to this case.

CONCLUSION

1. The motion to compel and for sanctions (Docket No. 53) is DENIED without 

prejudice as discussed above.1 The motion to stay discovery (Docket Nos. 56, 63) is GRANTED.

2. Within ten (10) days of service of this order, plaintiff may identify to the Court 

specific documents from his medical file that he requires to oppose summary judgment and briefly 

describe why they are relevant. If additional discovery is provided by defendants, plaintiff will be 

 

1

The request for sanctions is denied as meritless.

Case 3:14-cv-02366-JD Document 66 Filed 10/13/15 Page 2 of 4
3

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

Northern District of California

provided an opportunity to file an addendum to his opposition to summary judgment. 

3. Plaintiff’s motion to amend his opposition to summary judgment (Docket No. 57) 

is GRANTED.

4. The motions for extensions (Docket Nos. 29, 46, 48, 50) are GRANTED and all 

filings are deemed timely filed.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: October 13, 2015

________________________

JAMES DONATO

United States District Judge

Case 3:14-cv-02366-JD Document 66 Filed 10/13/15 Page 3 of 4
4

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

Northern District of California

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

GUSTAVO ADRIAN PRIEGO,

Plaintiff,

v.

SULLIVAN, et al.,

Defendants.

Case No. 14-cv-02366-JD 

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 October 13, 2015, 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.

Gustavo Adrian Priego ID: P-87815

PBSP-SHU (C/3 #205)

P.O. Box 7500

Crescent City, CA 95532 

Dated: October 13, 2015

Susan Y. Soong

Clerk, United States District Court

By:________________________

LISA R. CLARK, Deputy Clerk to the 

Honorable JAMES DONATO

Case 3:14-cv-02366-JD Document 66 Filed 10/13/15 Page 4 of 4