Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-1_10-cv-01976/USCOURTS-caed-1_10-cv-01976-0/pdf.json

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

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

Plaintiff Vanalbert Siegrist is appearing pro se and in forma pauperis in this civil rights action 

pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. 

On April 18, 2014, Plaintiff filed a motion for appointment of counsel and a request for an 

extension of time to submit the service documents. 

I. Motion for Appointment of Counsel

Plaintiff does not have a constitutional right to appointed counsel in this action, Rand v. 

Rowland, 113 F.3d 1520, 1525 (9th Cir. 1997), and the court cannot require any attorney to represent 

plaintiff pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(1). Mallard v. United States District Court for the Southern 

District of Iowa, 490 U.S. 296, 298 (1989). However, in certain exceptional circumstances the court 

may request the voluntary assistance of counsel pursuant to section 1915(e)(1). Rand, 113 F.3d at 

1525.

VANALBERT SIEGRIST,

 Plaintiff,

v.

J.J. JOHNSON, et al.,

Defendants.

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Case No.: 1:10-cv-01976-SAB (PC)

ORDER GRANTING PLAINTIFF’S SECOND 

REQUEST FOR EXTENSION OF TIME AND 

DENYING MOTION FOR APPOINTMENT OF 

COUNSEL

[ECF No. 17]

Case 1:10-cv-01976-LJO-SAB Document 19 Filed 04/23/14 Page 1 of 3
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Without a reasonable method of securing and compensating counsel, the court will seek 

volunteer counsel only in the most serious and exceptional cases. In determining whether 

“exceptional circumstances exist, the district court must evaluate both the likelihood of success on the 

merits [and] the ability of the [plaintiff] to articulate his claims pro se in light of the complexity of the 

legal issues involved.” Id. (internal quotation marks and citations omitted). 

In the present case, the court does not find the required exceptional circumstances. Even if it 

assumed that plaintiff is not well versed in the law and that he has made serious allegations which, if 

proved, would entitle him to relief, his case is not exceptional. Plaintiff alleges an Eighth Amendment 

claim against several defendants for denying him appropriate medical attention. The legal issues 

present in this action are not complex, and Plaintiff has thoroughly set forth his allegations in the 

complaint. However, at this early stage in the proceedings, the court cannot make a determination that 

Plaintiff is likely to succeed on the merits, and based on a review of the record in this case, the court 

does not find that plaintiff cannot adequately articulate his claims. Id.

For the foregoing reasons, Plaintiff’s motion for the appointment of counsel must be denied, 

without prejudice. 

II. Request for Extension of Time

Plaintiff also requests a second extension of time to complete and submit the necessary service 

documents. Plaintiff indicates that he has been transferred to a new facility and is presently without 

his legal property. 

Good cause having been presented to the Court, Plaintiff is granted thirty days from the date 

of service of this order to submit the necessary service documents. 

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Case 1:10-cv-01976-LJO-SAB Document 19 Filed 04/23/14 Page 2 of 3
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Based on the foregoing, 

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that:

1. Plaintiff’s motion for appointment of counsel is DENIED without prejudice; and

2. Plaintiff is granted thirty (30) days from the date of service of this order to submit the 

service documents.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: April 22, 2014 

UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE

Case 1:10-cv-01976-LJO-SAB Document 19 Filed 04/23/14 Page 3 of 3