Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-1_08-cv-00636/USCOURTS-caed-1_08-cv-00636-1/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 550
Nature of Suit: Prisoner - Civil Rights (U.S. defendant)
Cause of Action: 28:1331 Federal Question: Bivens Act

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JDDL 28

KM

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

Jose Luis Buenrostro, 

Plaintiff, 

vs.

M. Sahota, et al., 

Defendants. 

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No. CV 1-08-636-ROS

ORDER

Plaintiff Jose Luis Buenrostro, who is confined in the Federal Correctional InstitutionVictorville, filed a pro se civil rights Complaint pursuant to Bivens v. Six Unknown

Narcotics Agents, 403 U.S. 388 (1971) (Doc. #1). On June 9, 2008, Plaintiff filed “Amended

and Supplemental Pleadings to this Bivens Civil Action Pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. Procedures,

Rule 15(a), (d)” (Doc. #6). By Order filed October 6, 2009, the Court construed this

document as an Amended Complaint and dismissed the Amended Complaint with leave to

amend.

On October 26, 2009, Plaintiff filed a Second Amended Complaint (Doc. #14). The

Court will dismiss the Second Amended Complaint with leave amend. This will be

Plaintiff’s final opportunity to file an amended complaint that complies with the Court’s

filing requirements.

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.

If the Court determines that a pleading could be cured by the allegation of other facts,

a pro se litigant is entitled to an opportunity to amend a complaint before dismissal of the

action. See Lopez v. Smith, 203 F.3d 1122, 1127-29 (9th Cir. 2000) (en banc). The Court

should not, however, advise the litigant how to cure the defects. This type of advice “would

undermine district judges’ role as impartial decisionmakers.” Pliler v. Ford, 542 U.S. 225,

231 (2004); see also Lopez, 203 F.3d at 1131 n.13 (declining to decide whether the court was

required to inform a litigant of deficiencies). Plaintiff’s Second Amended Complaint will

be dismissed for failure to state a claim, with leave to amend because the Second Amended

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Complaint may possibly be saved by further amendment.

Rule 8(a) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure requires a “short and plain statement

of the claim.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2). Rule 8(d)(1) states that “[e]ach allegation must be

simple, concise, and direct.” A complaint having the factual elements of a cause of action

scattered throughout the complaint and not organized into a “short and plain statement of the

claim” may be dismissed for failure to satisfy Rule 8(a). See Sparling v. Hoffman Constr.

Co., 864 F.2d 635, 640 (9th Cir. 1988); see also McHenry v. Renne, 84 F.3d 1172 (9th Cir.

1996). Rule 10(b) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure also requires a plaintiff to state

claims in “numbered paragraphs, each limited as far as practicable to a single set of

circumstances.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 10(b). Moreover, “[i]f doing so would promote clarity, each

claim founded on a separate transaction or occurrence . . . must be stated in a separate count.”

Fed. R. Civ. P. 10(b). It is not the responsibility of the Court to review a rambling narrative

in an attempt to determine the number and nature of a plaintiff’s claims.

The Court has reviewed Plaintiff’s Second Amended Complaint and concludes that

it fails to comply with Rules 8 and 10 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Like the

Amended Complaint, Plaintiff’s Second Amended Complaint is a lengthy narrative that does

not separate Plaintiff’s allegations into separate claims for relief. Plaintiff has simply

provided a long recitation of facts followed by a conclusory claim for relief. The Court

cannot meaningfully review the Second Amended Complaint, as required by 28 U.S.C.

§ 1915A(a). Accordingly, the Court will dismiss the Second Amended Complaint with leave

to amend.

II. Leave to Amend

For the foregoing reasons, Plaintiff’s Second Amended Complaint will be dismissed

for failure to comply with Rules 8 and 10 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Within

30 days, Plaintiff may submit a third amended complaint on the form provided with this

Order. If Plaintiff fails to use the form provided with this Order, the Court may strike the

third amended complaint and dismiss this action without further notice to Plaintiff.

Plaintiff must clearly designate on the face of the document that it is the “Third

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Amended Complaint.” The third amended complaint must be retyped or rewritten in its

entirety on the form provided with this Order and may not incorporate any part of the original

Complaint, First Amended Complaint, or Second Amended Complaint by reference.

Plaintiff must comply with the instructions provided with the form. Plaintiff should

pay close attention to the instructions provided with the form. If Plaintiff fails to comply

with the instructions provided with the form, the Court may strike the third amended

complaint and dismiss this action without further notice to Plaintiff. 

Among other requirements contained in the instructions, Plaintiff must provide

information in a third amended complaint regarding the Court’s jurisdiction and the

defendants, and he must divide his lawsuit into separate counts. In the separate counts,

Plaintiff must write short, plain statements telling the Court: (1) the constitutional right

Plaintiff believes was violated; (2) name of the Defendant who violated the right; (3) exactly

what that Defendant did or failed to do; (4) how the action or inaction of that Defendant is

connected to the violation of Plaintiff’s constitutional right; and (5) what specific injury

Plaintiff suffered because of that Defendant’s conduct. Rizzo v. Goode, 423 U.S. 362, 371-

72, 377 (1976).

A third amended complaint supersedes the original complaint, first amended

complaint, and second amended complaint. Ferdik v. Bonzelet, 963 F.2d 1258, 1262 (9th

Cir. 1992); Hal Roach Studios v. Richard Feiner & Co., 896 F.2d 1542, 1546 (9th Cir. 1990).

After amendment, the Court will treat an original complaint, first amended complaint, and

second amended complaint as nonexistent. Ferdik, 963 F.2d at 1262. Any cause of action

that was raised in the original complaint, first amended complaint, or second amended

complaint is waived if it is not raised in a third amended complaint. King v. Atiyeh, 814

F.2d 565, 567 (9th Cir. 1987).

III. Warnings

A. Address Changes

Plaintiff must file and serve a notice of a change of address in accordance with Rule

83-182(f) and 83-183(b) of the Local Rules of Civil Procedure. Plaintiff must not include

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a motion for other relief with a notice of change of address. Failure to comply may result in

dismissal of this action.

B. Copies

Plaintiff must submit an additional copy of every filing for use by the Court. See

LRCiv 5-133(d)(2). Failure to comply may result in the filing being stricken without further

notice to Plaintiff.

C. Possible Dismissal

If Plaintiff fails to timely comply with every provision of this Order, including these

warnings, the Court may dismiss this action without further notice. See Ferdik, 963 F.2d at

1260-61 (a district court may dismiss an action for failure to comply with any order of the

Court).

IT IS ORDERED: 

(1) Plaintiff’s Second Amended Complaint (Doc. #14) is dismissed for failure to

comply with Rules 8 and 10 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Plaintiff has 30 days

from the date this Order is filed to file a third amended complaint in compliance with this

Order.

(2) If Plaintiff fails to file a third amended complaint within 30 days, the Clerk of

Court must, without further notice, enter a judgment of dismissal of this action with

prejudice.

(3) The Clerk of Court must include with this Order a copy of this judge’s required

form for filing a civil rights complaint by a prisoner.

DATED this 3rd day of February, 2010.

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