Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-4_18-cv-07566/USCOURTS-cand-4_18-cv-07566-1/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 

Northern District of Californi

a

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

LAWRENCE EUGENE PATTERSON, 

Plaintiff, 

v. 

ELAINE TOOTELL, et al., 

Defendants. 

Case No. 18-cv-07566-PJH 

ORDER GRANTING EXTENSION 

Re: Dkt. No. 9 

Plaintiff has requested that the court appoint counsel. There is no constitutional 

right to counsel in a civil case, Lassiter v. Dep't of Social Services, 452 U.S. 18, 25 

(1981), and although district courts may "request" that counsel represent a litigant who is 

proceeding in forma pauperis, as plaintiff is here, see 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(1), that does 

not give the courts the power to make "coercive appointments of counsel." Mallard v. 

United States Dist. Court, 490 U.S. 296, 310 (1989). 

The Ninth Circuit has held that a district court may ask counsel to represent an 

indigent litigant only in "exceptional circumstances," the determination of which requires 

an evaluation of both (1) the likelihood of success on the merits and (2) the ability of the 

plaintiff to articulate his claims pro se in light of the complexity of the legal issues 

involved. Terrell v. Brewer, 935 F.2d 1015, 1017 (9th Cir. 1991). Plaintiff has presented

his claims adequately, and the issues are not complex. The request to appoint counsel 

DENIED. 

GOOD CAUSE APPEARING, it is hereby ordered that plaintiff’s request for an 

extension (Docket No. 9) is GRANTED. 

Case 4:18-cv-07566-PJH Document 10 Filed 04/04/19 Page 1 of 3
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United States District Court 

Northern District of Californi

a

Plaintiff may have until May 4, 2019, to file an amended complaint. 

IT IS SO ORDERED. 

Dated: April 4, 2019 

 

PHYLLIS J. HAMILTON 

United States District Judge 

 

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United States District Court 

Northern District of Californi

a

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

LAWRENCE EUGENE PATTERSON,

Plaintiff, 

v. 

ELAINE TOOTELL, et al., 

Defendants. 

Case No. 18-cv-07566-PJH 

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 April 4, 2019, 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. 

Lawrence Eugene Patterson ID: D-82670

San Quentin State Prison 1 North Block 3 low

San Quentin, CA 94974 

Dated: April 4, 2019 

Susan Y. Soong 

Clerk, United States District Court 

By:________________________ 

Kelly Collins, Deputy Clerk to the 

Honorable PHYLLIS J. HAMILTON 

Case 4:18-cv-07566-PJH Document 10 Filed 04/04/19 Page 3 of 3