Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-azd-2_12-cv-02323/USCOURTS-azd-2_12-cv-02323-2/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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1

 Plaintiff has filed several other cases since he commenced this one: Cleveland v.

Arpaio, No. CV12-2605-PHX-DGC (SPL) (§ 1983); Cleveland v. Babeu, No. CV12-2685-

PHX-DGC (SPL) (§ 2254 habeas); Cleveland v. Babeu, No. CV13-0045-PHX-DGC (SPL)

(§ 2241 habeas); Cleveland v. Voyles, No. CV13-0265-PHX-DGC (§ 1983 civil rights); and

Cleveland v. Babeu, No. CV13-0328-PHX-DGC (SPL) (§ 2254 habeas).

SC

WO

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA

Christopher Lamar Cleveland, 

Plaintiff, 

vs.

Arizona Department of Safety, et al., 

Defendants. 

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No. CV 12-2323-PHX-DGC (SPL)

ORDER

Plaintiff Christopher Lamar Cleveland, who is confined in the Pinal County Jail in

Florence, Arizona, filed a pro se civil rights Complaint pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983.1

 In an

order filed on February 7, 2012, the Court dismissed Plaintiff’s Complaint for failure to state

a claim with leave to amend. (Doc. 17.) Plaintiff filed a First Amended Complaint, which

the Court also dismissed for failure to state a claim with leave to amend. (Doc. 19, 22.)

Plaintiff has filed a Second Amended Complaint, a letter, several motions, notices, and

declarations. (Doc. 23-32.) The Court will dismiss the Second Amended Complaint for

failure to state a claim, dismiss this action, and deny the motions. 

I. Statutory Screening of Prisoner Complaints

The Court is required to screen complaints brought by prisoners seeking relief against

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a governmental entity or an officer or an employee of a governmental entity. 28 U.S.C.

§ 1915A(a). The Court must dismiss a complaint or portion thereof if a plaintiff has raised

claims that are legally frivolous or malicious, that fail to state a claim upon which relief may

be granted, or that seek monetary relief from a defendant who is immune from such relief.

28 U.S.C. § 1915A(b)(1), (2). 

A pleading must contain a “short and plain statement of the claim showing that the

pleader is entitled to relief.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2) (emphasis added). While Rule 8 does not

demand detailed factual allegations, “it demands more than an unadorned, the-defendantunlawfully-harmed-me accusation.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 129 S. Ct. 1937, 1949 (2009).

“Threadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported by mere conclusory

statements, do not suffice.” Id. 

“[A] complaint must contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to ‘state a

claim to relief that is plausible on its face.’” Id. (quoting Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550

U.S. 544, 570 (2007)). A claim is plausible “when the plaintiff pleads factual content that

allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the

misconduct alleged.” Id. “Determining whether a complaint states a plausible claim for

relief [is] . . . a context-specific task that requires the reviewing court to draw on its judicial

experience and common sense.” Id. at 1950. Thus, although a plaintiff’s specific factual

allegations may be consistent with a constitutional claim, a court must assess whether there

are other “more likely explanations” for a defendant’s conduct. Id. at 1951.

But as the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has instructed, courts

must “continue to construe pro se filings liberally.” Hebbe v. Pliler, 627 F.3d 338, 342 (9th

Cir. 2010). A “complaint [filed by a pro se prisoner] ‘must be held to less stringent standards

than formal pleadings drafted by lawyers.’” Id. (quoting Erickson v. Pardus, 551 U.S. 89,

94 (2007) (per curiam)).

II. Second Amended Complaint

Plaintiff alleges two counts for deliberate indifference and violation of equal

protection. Plaintiff sues California Deputy Public Defender Lynn Meltzer, who represented

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28 2

 See https://web2.westlaw.com, criminal arrest & infractions records-California

(CRIM-CA), record date May 13, 1993, case# SA013565 (last visited Dec. 18, 2013). 

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Plaintiff in California state court in 1993, and Maricopa County Sheriff Joseph Arpaio.

Plaintiff seeks injunctive, compensatory, and punitive relief.

Background

In this and other cases, Plaintiff disputes whether he was convicted in 1993 of a

sexually-based offense in California and whether he is subject to Arizona’s sex offender

registration statute, Arizona Revised Statute (ARS) § 13-3281. Unofficial information from

the Administrative Office of the Courts for Los Angeles County, which is available on

Westlaw, reflects that a person named “Christopher Lamar Cleveland” was convicted of

violating “P 288.A” and “P 288.B” in Los Angeles County Court, case # SA013565, on

May 13, 1993.2

 Although Plaintiff has previously challenged whether he was convicted in

California, and his sentence, he recently submitted a copy of a document from his 1993 case

that he received on August 28, 2013 from Judge Antonio Barreto, Jr., of the California

Superior Court. (Doc. 32.) That document reflects that on August 26, 1993, Plaintiff

withdrew his plea of not guilty to count one and pleaded nolo contendere to that count, a

violation of “§ 288.A”, in SA013565. The document further reflects that Plaintiff was

remanded to custody with sentencing to be held on November 29, 1993. In another notice,

Plaintiff attaches his replica of a letter he received from Judge Barreto, dated September 27,

2013, in which Judge Barreto stated that Plaintiff had been convicted of violating § 288a and

was sentenced on November 30, 1993. (Doc. 31.) Barreto stated that the California

judgment did not indicate whether Plaintiff was required to register as a sex offender in

California when he was sentenced. (Id.) 

Between October 31, 1994 and April 23, 2001, Plaintiff was incarcerated in Arizona

for an armed robbery conviction. Shortly before his release from the armed robbery

conviction, an ADC corrections officer informed Plaintiff that as part of his release

conditions, he had to register as a sex offender based upon his California conviction in case

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3

 According to the NCIC website, data contained in NCIC is provided by the FBI,

federal, state, local and foreign criminal justice agencies, and authorized courts. The FBI is

authorized to acquire, collect, classify and preserve identification, criminal identification,

crime, and other records and to exchange such information with authorized entities. The

purpose for maintaining the NCIC system of record is to provide a computerized data base

for ready access by a criminal justice agency making an inquiry and for prompt disclosure

of information in the system from other criminal justice agencies about crimes and criminals.

This information assists authorized agencies in criminal justice objectives, such as

apprehending fugitives, locating missing persons, locating and returning stolen property, as

well as in the protection of the law enforcement officers encountering the individuals

described in the system. An individual with a criminal record supported by fingerprints

entered in the NCIC III file, criminal history record information, is available to that

individual for review upon presentation of appropriate identification and in accordance with

applicable State and Federal administrative and statutory regulations. Appropriate

identification includes being fingerprinted for the purpose of insuring that the individual is

who the individual purports to be. The record on file will then be verified through

comparison of fingerprints. See http://www.fas.org/irp/agency/doj/fbi/is/ncic.htm (last

visited May 9, 2013). 

4

 See http://www.courtminutes.maricopa.gov/docs/Criminal/102003/m1159258.pdf

(last visited Dec. 18, 2013).

5

 See http://www.courtminutes.maricopa.gov/docs/Criminal/122007/m2979475.pdf

(last visited Dec. 18, 2013). In the minute entry, Plaintiff’s last name is spelled

“Cleaveland,” but the referenced prior felony was CR2003-037149. Id.

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SA013565, which was reflected on the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database.3

Plaintiff apparently registered and did not challenge the requirement that he do so. Plaintiff

was released from ADC custody.

On September 30, 2003, Plaintiff was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison after he pleaded

guilty in Maricopa County Superior Court, case#CR2003-037149, to failing to register as a

sex offender based upon California case SA013565.4

 On December 18, 2007, Plaintiff was

sentenced to three years in prison after he again pleaded guilty in Maricopa County Superior

Court, case# CR2007-030890, to failing to register as a sex offender with one prior felony

based on California case SA013565.5

Plaintiff is currently charged in two cases in Pinal County Superior Court. In case#

CR201200144, he is charged with one count of failure as a sex offender to file a notice of

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6

 See http://apps.supremecourt.az.gov/publicaccess/minutes.aspx (last visited Dec.

18, 2013).

7

 See http://apps.supremecourt.az.gov/publicaccess/minutes.aspx, minute entry dated

Dec. 20, 2012 (last visited Dec. 18, 2013).

8

 See http://apps.supremecourt.az.gov/publicaccess/minutes.aspx, minute entry dated

Dec. 20, 2012 (last visited Dec. 18, 2013).

9

 See http://apps.supremecourt.az.gov/publicaccess/caselookup.aspx, case## CR2012

00144 and CR201202592 (last visited Dec. 18, 2013).

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address or name charge, and in case# CR201202592, he is charged with one count each of

failure as a sex offender to file a notice of moving out of the county and failure to register

with the sheriff’s department.6

 In a minute entry issued December 20, 2012 in

CR201200144, the court set a hearing on a state motion to dismiss, which was scheduled to

be held on January 8, 2013.7

 Based on the scheduled hearing in that case, the court reset the

pretrial conference in CR201202592.8

 Both hearings have since been continued for reasons,

and to a date, not reflected in records currently available on-line.9

 

III. Failure to State a Claim

To state a claim under § 1983, a plaintiff must allege facts to support that (1) the

conduct about which he complains was committed by a person acting under the color of state

law and (2) the conduct deprived him of a federal constitutional or statutory right. Wood v.

Ostrander, 879 F.2d 583, 587 (9th Cir. 1989). In addition, to state a valid constitutional

claim, a plaintiff must allege that he suffered a specific injury as a result of the conduct of

a particular defendant, and he must allege an affirmative link between the injury and the

conduct of that defendant. Rizzo v. Goode, 423 U.S. 362, 371-72, 377 (1976).

A. Younger Abstention

In his Second Amended Complaint, Plaintiff seeks an injunction releasing him from

custody, dismissing the pending cases, and absolving him from any further compliance with

ARS § 13-3821. He also seeks other relief, such as a re-trial for his parental rights,

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10 In his most recent notices filed in this case, Plaintiff argues that he cannot lawfully

be required to register under Arizona’s sex offender registration statute where he pleaded

nolo contendere to a California sex offense rather than pleading guilty. However, in his

Second Amended Complaint, Plaintiff asserts that he cannot be prosecuted for failing to

register as a sex offender where a copy of the California judgment, and associated

documents, have not been produced and/or when there is no evidence that he executed a plea

agreement in the California case agreeing to register as a sex offender. Neither is required

under § 13-3821.

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apparently stemming from having been required to register as a sex offender.10 

The abstention doctrine in Younger v. Harris, 401 U.S. 37 (1971), prevents a federal

court in most circumstances from directly interceding in ongoing state criminal proceedings.

The Younger abstention doctrine also applies while a case works its way through the state

appellate process, if a prisoner is convicted. New Orleans Pub. Serv., Inc. v. Council of City

of New Orleans, 491 U.S. 350, 369 (1989). Only in limited, extraordinary circumstances will

the Younger doctrine not bar federal interference with ongoing (non-final) state criminal

proceedings. Such circumstances include when a prisoner alleges that he is being subjected

to double jeopardy. See Mannes v. Gillespie, 967 F.2d 1310, 1312 (9th Cir. 1992). Speedy

trial claims may also be reviewed if a detainee is seeking to compel the state to bring him to

trial, rather than seeking dismissal of the charges, and the detainee has exhausted all of his

state court remedies. Braden, 410 U.S. at 489-90; see In re Justices of Superior Court Dep’t

of Mass. Trial Court, 218 F.3d 11, 18 & n.5 (1st Cir. 2000).

Plaintiff has not alleged any ground that falls within the very limited circumstances

in which a federal court may intercede in ongoing state criminal proceedings under the

Younger doctrine. He does not assert a violation of the Fifth Amendment’s Double Jeopardy

Clause, or facts to support such violation, nor does he allege that his speedy trial rights have

been violated for which he seeks to compel the state to bring him to trial. Thus, Plaintiff has

not asserted a basis for a federal court to interfere in his pending state criminal proceedings.

Even if he had, if Plaintiff wishes to challenge his pretrial detention by Pinal County based

on double jeopardy or speedy trial grounds, he must file a petition for writ of habeas corpus

under 28 U.S.C. § 2241; he may not obtain such relief in this action. Accordingly, Plaintiff’s

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Second Amended Complaint will be dismissed to the extent that he seeks relief as to his

current detention. 

B. Defendant Lynn Meltzer

Plaintiff also sues the criminal defense attorney who represented him in his California

case concerning her description of the California proceedings to a NAACP investigator, who

Plaintiff contacted for assistance. Plaintiff alleges the following: Meltzer represented him

in his 1993 California case, SA01356501. The NAACP undertook an investigation to

ascertain whether Plaintiff was convicted in SA01356501. In the course of its investigation,

it interviewed Meltzer who provided information about the case, which Plaintiff contends

was false. Specifically, Meltzer informed the NAACP investigator that Plaintiff pleaded

guilty in the case, although she no longer had records regarding the charge Plaintiff pleaded

guilty to. Plaintiff asserts that if he had pleaded guilty in California, Arizona courts would

have a copy of the plea agreement and, because Arizona courts do not, there is no proof that

he pleaded guilty. As he has previously, Plaintiff also contends that he cannot be required

to register as a sex offender if such condition was not included in the California plea

agreement and he was not required to register as a sex offender in California following his

release in 1993. 

Plaintiff’s dissatisfaction with responses given by Meltzer to the NAACP investigator

does not afford a basis for relief under § 1983. Plaintiff has alleged no facts to support that

Meltzer acted under color of state law when interviewed, even if her responses were

inaccurate. The “under color of state law” component is the equivalent of the “state action”

requirement under the Constitution. Luger v. Edmundston Oil Co, Inc., 457 U.S. 922, 928

(1982); Jensen v. Lane County, 222 F.3d 570, 574 (9th Cir. 2000) (citing Rendell-Baker v.

John, 457 U.S. 830, 838 (1982); West v. Atkins, 487 U.S. 42, 49 (1988)). “Acting under

color of state law is ‘a jurisdictional requisite for a § 1983 action.’” Gritchen v. Collier, 254

F.3d 807, 812 (9th Cir. 2001) (quoting West, 487 U.S. at 46). Whether an attorney

representing a criminal defendant is privately retained, a public defender, or court-appointed,

he does not act under color of state law. See Polk County v. Dodson, 454 U.S. 312, 317-18

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11 “The [Supreme] Court has described the ‘fundamental’ rights protected by

substantive due process as ‘those personal activities and decisions that this Court has

identified as so deeply rooted in our history and traditions, or so fundamental to our concept

of constitutionally ordered liberty, that they are protected by the Fourteenth Amendment.’”

Doe v. Tandeske, 361 F.3d 594, 596 (9th Cir. 2004) (quoting Washington v. Glucksberg, 521

U.S. 702, 727 (1997)). The Ninth Circuit concluded that, under Glucksberg, “persons who

have been convicted of serious sex offenses do not have a fundamental right to be free from

the registration and notification requirements” of Alaska’s sex offender registration statute.

Id. at 597. It explained that while fundamental liberty interests required that any state

infringement of such rights be narrowly tailored to serve a compelling state interest, only a

reasonable relation to a legitimate state interest was necessary to justify state actions

implicating something less than a fundamental liberty interest. Id. It further noted that the

Supreme Court had already concluded that the statute’s provisions served a “‘legitimate

nonpunitive purpose of public safety, which is advanced by alerting the public to the risk of

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(1981); Miranda v. Clark County, Nevada, 319 F.3d 465, 468 (9th Cir. 2003) (en banc). For

that reason, Plaintiff may not seek relief under § 1983 against Meltzer, either as his former

defense attorney or based in her responses to the NAACP investigator. Accordingly,

Plaintiff fails to state a claim against Meltzer and she will be dismissed.

C. Arpaio

Plaintiff also sues Maricopa County Sheriff Arpaio asserting in Count II, that Arpaio

violated his Fourteenth Amendment equal protection rights, and various federal criminal

statutes, and acted in excess of his jurisdiction. Plaintiff appears to contend that Arpaio

violated his constitutional rights by “denying Plaintiff [a] certified record of [the] signed plea

agreement [and] indictment, grand jury transcripts, probation reports, transcripts to plea

proceedings, any victim statements at sentencing etc.” (Doc. 23 at 14.) Plaintiff otherwise

asserts that he was not convicted of a sex offense requiring him to register and that he was

wrongfully required to register as a sex offender in Maricopa County. Plaintiff asserts that

he never admitted guilt in his California case, although he has more recently acknowledged

that he entered a nolo contendere plea. 

Plaintiff fails to allege facts to support that Arpaio violated Plaintiff’s constitutional

rights or facts to support that Arpaio was constitutionally required to provide copies of

documents from Plaintiff’s California criminal case.11 Rather, Plaintiff makes only vague

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28 sex offenders in their community.’” Id. (quoting Smith v. Doe, 538 U.S. 84, 102-103 (2003)

(internal quotation marks omitted)).

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and conclusory assertions. Although pro se pleadings are liberally construed, Haines v.

Kerner, 404 U.S. 519, 520-21 (1972), conclusory and vague allegations will not support a

cause of action. Ivey v. Bd. of Regents of the Univ. of Alaska, 673 F.2d 266, 268 (9th Cir.

1982). Further, a liberal interpretation of a civil rights complaint may not supply essential

elements of the claim that were not initially pled. Id. Accordingly, Plaintiff fails to state a

claim against Arpaio and he will be dismissed. 

IV. Dismissal without Leave to Amend

Because Plaintiff has failed to state a claim in his Second Amended Complaint, the

Court will dismiss his Second Amended Complaint. “Leave to amend need not be given if

a complaint, as amended, is subject to dismissal.” Moore v. Kayport Package Express, Inc.,

885 F.2d 531, 538 (9th Cir. 1989). The Court’s discretion to deny leave to amend is

particularly broad where Plaintiff has previously been permitted to amend his complaint.

Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribe v. United States, 90 F.3d 351, 355 (9th Cir. 1996). Repeated

failure to cure deficiencies is one of the factors to be considered in deciding whether justice

requires granting leave to amend. Moore, 885 F.2d at 538. 

Plaintiff has made three efforts at crafting a viable complaint and appears unable to

do so despite specific instructions from the Court. The Court finds that further opportunities

to amend would be futile. Therefore, the Court, in its discretion, will dismiss Plaintiff’s

Second Amended Complaint without leave to amend and will deny his pending motions.

IT IS ORDERED: 

(1) Plaintiff’s Second Amended Complaint (Doc. 23) and this action are dismissed

for failure to state a claim, and the Clerk of Court must enter judgment accordingly.

(2) Plaintiff’s pending motions, notices, letter, and declarations are denied to the

extent that any relief is sought therein. (Doc. 24-32.) 

(3) The Clerk of Court must make an entry on the docket stating that the dismissal

for failure to state a claim may count as a “strike” under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(g).

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(4) The docket shall reflect that the Court certifies, pursuant to 28 U.S.C.

§ 1915(a)(3) and Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure 24(a)(3)(A), that any appeal of this

decision would not be taken in good faith.

DATED this 30th day of December, 2013.

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