Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_10-cv-02971/USCOURTS-caed-2_10-cv-02971-9/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

KEITH BRIDGEWATER,

Plaintiff,

v.

MATTHEW CATE, et al.,

Defendants.

No. 2:10-cv-2971 TLN DAD P

ORDER

Plaintiff, a state prisoner proceeding pro se, has filed this civil rights action seeking relief 

under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. The matter was referred to a United States Magistrate Judge pursuant to 

28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1)(B) and Local Rule 302.

On August 9, 2013, the assigned magistrate judge filed findings and recommendations 

which were served on all parties and which contained notice to all parties that any objections to 

the findings and recommendations were to be filed within fourteen days. Plaintiff has filed 

objections to those findings and recommendations.

In accordance with the provisions of 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1)(C) and Local Rule 304, this 

court has conducted a de novo review of this case. At the time the magistrate judge issued the 

findings and recommendations, plaintiff had not filed an opposition to defendants’ motion to 

dismiss. In his objections to the findings and recommendations, plaintiff avers that he timely 

submitted a written opposition to the court and has attached a copy of his opposition to his 

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objections. (See Pl.’s Objs. Ex. A.) Although the court has not received plaintiff’s opposition 

until now, it would be an abuse of discretion not to consider plaintiff’s submission that is now 

offered with his objections. See Jones v. Blanas, 393 F.3d 918, 935 (9th Cir. 2004). 

Accordingly, having carefully reviewed the entire file, the court makes the following findings and 

orders.

First, the court finds that the magistrate judge’s findings and recommendations with 

respect to plaintiff’s Eighth Amendment claims against the defendants Warden Virga and formerSecretary Hickman are supported by the record and by proper analysis. Accordingly, defendants’ 

motion to dismiss plaintiff’s claims against defendants Warden Virga and former-Secretary 

Hickman for failing to equip bunk beds with ladders or other safety apparatuses will be granted.1

However, as to the magistrate judge’s findings and recommendations addressing 

plaintiff’s alleged failure to exhaust his claims against defendant Turner, the court finds that 

plaintiff should be excused from the exhaustion requirement. In his objections to the findings and 

recommendations pending before the court, plaintiff declares that he signed, dated, and submitted 

an inmate appeal against defendant Turner for ignoring his medical needs after his fall, but he 

never received a log number or response from prison officials related to the appeal. Plaintiff also 

declares that he wrote to prison officials several times inquiring about the status of that inmate 

appeal, but never received a response from them. (See Pl.’s Objs. Ex. A.) 

It is well established that a prisoner may be excused from complying with the exhaustion 

requirement when prison officials make administrative remedies effectively unavailable. See

Albino v. Baca, 697 F.3d 1023, 1034 (9th Cir. 2012). The Ninth Circuit has cited with approval 

the Seventh Circuit’s holding that exhaustion is excused when prison officials fail to respond to a 

 

1 Although plaintiff’s amended complaint does not state a cognizable claim against the named 

defendants for their alleged failure to equip bunk beds with ladders or other safety apparatuses, 

liberally construed, his complaint appears to state a cognizable claim against defendants Warden 

Virga and former-Secretary Hickman (as well as defendant Officer Turner) for their failure to 

provide him with adequate medical care. Specifically, plaintiff alleges in his complaint that he 

had a medical chrono for a lower bunk bed, but defendants knowingly assigned him to an upper 

bunk bed. Defendants did not move to dismiss this latter claim. Accordingly, this action will 

proceed on plaintiff’s medical care claim as well as the other surviving claims described herein.

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properly-filed grievance. See id. at 1034 n.7. Here, plaintiff has presented evidence that he 

submitted an inmate appeal complaining about defendant Officer Turner’s failure to provide him 

with adequate medical care after his fall. Moreover, plaintiff has presented evidence that when he 

did not receive a response from prison officials, he filed subsequent inquiries to no avail. Under 

these circumstances, the court finds that plaintiff took all “reasonable and appropriate steps” and 

engaged “a good faith effort” to exhaust administrative remedies, but administrative remedies 

were effectively unavailable to him. See id. at 1035. 

In light of plaintiff’s evidence, the court finds that defendants have not carried their 

burden of raising and proving the affirmative defense of failure to exhaust administrative 

remedies. See Wyatt v. Terhune, 315 F.3d 1108, 1117-19 (9th Cir. 2003). Defendants had an 

opportunity to file a reply to plaintiff’s objections to refute his contentions and evidence, but they 

have not done so. Accordingly, defendants’ motion to dismiss plaintiff’s claim against defendant 

Officer Turner for failing to provide him with adequate medical care after his fall will be denied. 

Finally, as to the magistrate judge’s findings and recommendations with respect to 

plaintiff’s state law negligence claims, the magistrate judge determined that those claims had to 

be dismissed because plaintiff had failed to allege compliance with the Government Claims Act. 

In his objections, plaintiff has included evidence that appears to show that he did comply with the 

Government Claims Act. (Pl.’s Objs. Ex. J.) That is, he presented a claim to the Board, and the 

Board acted on it. See Cal. Gov’t Code §§ 905, 905.2, 945.4 & 950.2. Again, the defendants had 

an opportunity to file a reply to plaintiff’s objections to refute plaintiff’s contentions and 

evidence, but they have not done so. Accordingly, defendants’ motion to dismiss plaintiff’s state 

law negligence claim due to plaintiff’s alleged failure to comply with the Government Claims Act

will also be denied. 

Accordingly, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that:

1. The findings and recommendations filed August 9, 2013, are adopted in part and 

rejected in part; 

2. Defendants’ motion to dismiss (Doc. No. 25) is granted in part and denied in part as 

follows:

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a. Defendants’ motion to dismiss plaintiff’s Eighth Amendment claim against 

defendants Warden Virga and former-Secretary Hickman based on their alleged 

failure to equip bunk beds with ladders or other safety apparatuses is granted;

b. Defendants’ motion to dismiss plaintiff’s claim against defendant Officer 

Turner for failing to provide him with adequate medical care after his fall is 

denied;

c. Defendants’ motion to dismiss plaintiff’s state law claims for negligence based 

on plaintiff’s alleged failure to comply with the Government Claims Act is denied; 

and

3. Within thirty days of the date of this order, defendants Officer Turner, Warden Virga, 

and former-Secretary Hickman shall file an answer to plaintiff’s Eighth Amendment inadequate 

medical care claims and state law claims for negligence. 

Dated: December 11, 2013

/brid2971.805

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