Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_14-cv-01590/USCOURTS-caed-2_14-cv-01590-4/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 

FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

HOANG TROUNG, 

Plaintiff, 

v. 

JEFF MACOMBER, 

Defendant. 

No. 2:14-cv-1590-EFB P 

SCREENING ORDER DISMISSING FIRST 

AMENDED COMPLAINT WITHOUT 

FURTHER LEAVE TO AMEND 

Plaintiff is a state prisoner proceeding without counsel in an action brought under 42 

U.S.C. § 1983.1 After a dismissal pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915A, he has filed an amended 

complaint. 

As plaintiff is aware, 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). The court must identify cognizable claims or 

dismiss the complaint, or any portion of the complaint, if the complaint “is frivolous, malicious, 

or fails to state a claim upon which relief may be granted,” or “seeks monetary relief from a 

defendant who is immune from such relief.” Id. § 1915A(b). 

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 This proceeding was referred to this court by Local Rule 302 pursuant to 28 U.S.C. 

§ 636(b)(1) and is before the undersigned pursuant to plaintiff’s consent. See E.D. Cal. Local 

Rules, Appx. A, at (k)(4). 

Case 2:14-cv-01590-EFB Document 18 Filed 01/14/16 Page 1 of 2
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In dismissing the original complaint with leave to amend, the court informed plaintiff that 

his use of Doe defendants was problematic and required that the complaint be dismissed with 

leave to amend. ECF No. 7. The court explained that unknown persons cannot be served with 

process until they are identified by their real names and that the court would not investigate the 

names and identities of unnamed defendants. Id. The court also noted that there were no named 

defendants upon whom plaintiff could serve discovery requests in order to identify the unknown 

defendants. Id. 

Plaintiff has now filed an amended complaint. ECF No. 17. Once again, he lists two 

unnamed defendants. He also includes a request for production of documents directed to various 

non-parties who may or may not be able to help him ascertain the identities of the two Doe 

defendants. Id. at 44-50. Plaintiff’s discovery requests and repeated inclusion of “Doe” 

defendants, however, do not address the deficiencies identified by the court in its original 

screening order. The burden remains on plaintiff to identify each defendant, as unknown persons 

cannot be served with process. Because there is no defendant upon whom the complaint (or any 

discovery request) may be served, this action cannot provide the avenue through which plaintiff 

ascertains the identities of the Doe defendants. Accordingly, this action must be dismissed 

without prejudice to re-filing against the Doe defendants if plaintiff ever learns their true names. 

See Gardner v. Martino, 563 F.3d 981, 990 (9th Cir. 2009); Silva v. Di Vittorio, 658 F.3d 1090, 

1105 (9th Cir. 2011) (“Dismissal of a pro se complaint without leave to amend is proper only if it 

is absolutely clear that the deficiencies of the complaint could not be cured by amendment.” 

(internal quotation marks omitted)); Doe v. United States, 58 F.3d 494, 497 (9th Cir. 1995) (“[A] 

district court should grant leave to amend even if no request to amend the pleading was made, 

unless it determines that the pleading could not be cured by the allegation of other facts.”). 

 Accordingly, IT IS ORDERED that this action is dismissed without prejudice and the 

Clerk is directed to close the case. 

DATED: January 14, 2016. 

Case 2:14-cv-01590-EFB Document 18 Filed 01/14/16 Page 2 of 2