Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-4_08-cv-00471/USCOURTS-cand-4_08-cv-00471-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 535
Nature of Suit: Habeas Corpus - Death Penalty
Cause of Action: 28:2254 Ptn for Writ of H/C - Stay of Execution

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United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

STEVEN BONILLA,

Petitioner,

 v.

VINCENT CULLEN, Acting Warden of

California State Prison at San Quentin,

Respondent.

 /

No. C-08-0471 CW

ORDER DENYING MOTION FOR

VAUGHN INDEXING

Petitioner is an inmate under sentence of death at San Quentin State Prison. He was

convicted of first degree murder in Alameda County Superior Court on January 20, 1995. Although

his state habeas case is currently being litigated, he has filed the above-captioned case as a

"protective petition" in this court pursuant to Pace v. DiGuglielmo, 544 U.S. 408 (2005). 

Petitioner also filed a pro se action (C-02-636 MHP) in federal court on February 6, 2002. 

After his complaint was dismissed with leave to amend, he filed an amended complaint in 2002 and

a second amended complaint in 2005. Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, Bonilla sought

to compel the government to disclose a number of documents. Pursuant to court orders in 2007,

defendant United States produced a number of documents. At that time, Bonilla was represented by

counsel David Nickerson. In November 2007, the parties stipulated that the case should be

dismissed, agreeing that the United States had fully complied with the court's orders. In an order

Case 4:08-cv-00471-YGR Document 7 Filed 04/30/10 Page 1 of 3
United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

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dated November 26, 2007, Judge Patel dismissed Bonilla's action pursuant to Rule 41(a)(1) of the

Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. The court stated in its order that "[a]bsent showing of good cause,

no further requests for relief will be entertained in this matter." 

In case C-02-636 MHP, Bonilla subsequently filed a pro se motion for a Vaughn indexing of

the documents produced by the government. See Vaughn v. Rosen, 484 F.2d 820 (D.C. Cir. 1973). 

According to Bonilla, attorney Nickerson refused to represent him in this request. Judge Patel denied

Bonilla's motion for a Vaughn indexing, pursuant to an order filed January 13, 2010. 

Petitioner has now filed a request for a Vaughn indexing in this case. The request concerns

the documents at issue in C-02-636 MHP. Petitioner's request, having already been considered and

denied by the district judge assigned to the case involving the documents, is hereby DENIED. 

IT IS SO ORDERED.

DATED: 4/30/2010

_______________________________

Claudia Wilken

United States District Judge

Case 4:08-cv-00471-YGR Document 7 Filed 04/30/10 Page 2 of 3
United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE 

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

STEVEN W. BONILLA,

Plaintiff,

 v.

VINCENT CULLEN, et al.,

Defendants. /

Case Number: C-08-0471 CW 

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

I, the undersigned, hereby certify that I am an employee in the Office of the Clerk, U.S. District

Court, Northern District of California.

That on April 30, 2010, I SERVED a true and correct copy(ies) of the attached, by placing said

copy(ies) in a postage paid envelope addressed to the person(s) hereinafter listed, by depositing said

envelope in the U.S. Mail, or by placing said copy(ies) into an inter-office delivery receptacle

located in the Clerk's office.

California Appellate Project

Federal Court Docketing

101 Second Street

Suite 600

San Francisco, CA 94105

Habeas Corpus Resource Center

303 Second Street, Suite 400 South

San Francisco, CA 94107

Steven W. Bonilla J-48500

CSP-San Quentin

CA State Prison at San Quentin

San Quentin, CA 94974

Dated: April 30, 2010

Richard W. Wieking, Clerk

By: Nikki Riley, Deputy Clerk

Case 4:08-cv-00471-YGR Document 7 Filed 04/30/10 Page 3 of 3