Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-1_24-cv-00493/USCOURTS-caed-1_24-cv-00493-3/pdf.json

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

---

1

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

MICHAEL REYES-VILLANUEVA,

Plaintiff,

 v.

TYSON POUG, et al.,

Defendants.

Case No. 1:24-cv-00493-JLT-EPG (PC)

ORDER REQUIRING RESPONSE FROM 

PLAINTIFF AS TO INCARCERATED 

STATUS

Plaintiff Michael Reyes-Villanueva proceeds pro se and in forma pauperis in this civil 

rights action filed under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. (ECF Nos. 1, 4). Plaintiff alleges that Defendants 

were deliberately indifferent to his serious medical needs after he fell from his top bunk bed. 

Further, he alleges that Defendant Tyson Poug was deliberately indifferent to his safety needs 

because Poug failed to provide a means—e.g., a ladder—for Plaintiff to climb to his top bunk 

bed.

Plaintiff’s complaint is ready for screening to determine if Plaintiff states a claim upon 

which relief may be granted. However, before screening the case, the Court will require a 

response from Plaintiff regarding his incarceration status at the time of the events alleged in the 

complaint. Specifically, it is not clear whether Plaintiff was a pretrial detainee, i.e., not yet 

convicted of a crime, or if he was a convicted prisoner. This distinction can be important as to 

the legal standards that may apply in this case. See Gordon v. Cnty. of Orange, 888 F.3d 1118, 

1124 (9th Cir. 2018) (noting standards for claims of inadequate medical care by pretrial 

detainees). 

Case 1:24-cv-00493-JLT-EPG Document 12 Filed 11/04/24 Page 1 of 2
2

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

Accordingly, IT IS ORDERED that, by no later than November 18, 2024, Plaintiff shall 

file a statement with the Court, advising whether he was (1) a pretrial detainee or (2) convicted 

prisoner at the time of the events alleged in the complaint.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: November 4, 2024 /s/

UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE

Case 1:24-cv-00493-JLT-EPG Document 12 Filed 11/04/24 Page 2 of 2