Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-casd-3_16-cv-00951/USCOURTS-casd-3_16-cv-00951-2/pdf.json

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

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16cv951-MMA (BGS)

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

LEROY THOMPSON,

Plaintiff,

v.

DANIEL PARAMO, Warden; J. 

WALKER, Chief Medical Officer; K. 

SEELEY, Doctor; L. SAIDRO, Doctor,

Defendants.

Case No.: 16cv951-MMA (BGS)

ORDER DENYING MOTION TO 

APPOINT COUNSEL 

[ECF NO. 55]

Leroy Thompson (“Plaintiff”), a state prisoner proceeding pro se and in forma 

pauperis, has filed this civil rights action seeking relief pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. (ECF 

No. 1.) Plaintiff renews his request for appointment of counsel. (ECF No. 55; see ECF 

No. 5 at 4-5 [order denying Plaintiff’s initial request for appointment of counsel]; ECF No.

45 [denying Plaintiff’s second and third requests for appointment of counsel.) For the 

following reasons, Plaintiff’s newest Motion for Appointment of Counsel (ECF No. 55) is

DENIED without prejudice. 

As the Court has previously explained, there is no constitutional right to counsel in 

a civil case. Lassiter v. Dep’t of Social Servs., 452 U.S. 18, 25 (1981); Palmer v. Valdez, 

560 F.3d 965, 970 (9th Cir. 2009). Further, there is no constitutional right to a courtCase 3:16-cv-00951-MMA-BGS Document 56 Filed 12/18/18 PageID.<pageID> Page 1 of 3
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appointed attorney in section 1983 claims. Rand v. Rowland, 113 F.3d 1520, 1525 (9th 

Cir. 1997) (citing Storseth v. Spellman, 654 F.2d 1349, 1353 (9th Cir. 1981)).

While a district court has limited discretion under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(l) to “request” 

that an attorney represent an indigent civil litigant, Agyeman v. Corr. Corp. of America, 

390 F. 3d 1101, 1103 (9th Cir. 2004), it may exercise that discretion only under 

“exceptional circumstances.” Id.; see also Terrell v. Brewer, 935 F.2d 1015, 1017 (9th Cir. 

1991). Determining whether such “exceptional circumstances” exist requires 

consideration of both (1) a plaintiff’s “likelihood of success on the merits” and (2) whether 

he “is unable to articulate his claims in light of the complexity of the issues involved.” 

Harrington v. Scribner, 785 F.3d 1299, 1309 (9th Cir. 2015); see Wilborn v. Escalderon, 

789 F.2d 1328, 1331 (9th Cir. 1986). “Neither of these considerations is dispositive and 

instead must be viewed together.” Palmer, 560 F.3d at 970.

In his most recent request for appointment of counsel, Plaintiff claims that due to his

November 11, 2018 spinal surgery, he is in constant pain, unable to stand, mentally 

unstable, and has “problems remembering.” (ECF No. 55 at 1-2.) He includes a copy of 

his Patient Discharge Instructions dated November 20, 2018, confirming he did have a 

lumbar laminectomy, was prescribed morphine for five days (beginning on November 20, 

2018) and received a morphine injection on November 20, 2018. 

Plaintiff’s current circumstances are insufficient to demonstrate the “exceptional

circumstances” required to justify appointment of counsel. See Jones v. Kuppinger, 2:13-

CV-0451 WBS AC, 2015 WL 5522290, at *3-4 (E.D. Cal. Sept. 17, 2015) (“Circumstances 

common to most prisoners, such as . . . mental illness and disability, do not in themselves 

establish exceptional circumstances warranting appointment of voluntary civil counsel.”); 

Fletcher v. Quin, No. 3:15-CV-2156-GPC-NLS, 2018 WL 840174, at *2 (S.D. Cal. Feb. 

13, 2018) (requiring a “nexus between the mental disorder and the plaintiff’s ability to 

articulate his claims” to justify appointment of counsel); Kilgore v. Mandeville, No. 2:07-

CV-2485 GEB KJN, 2010 WL 2557702, at *15 (E.D. Cal. June 21, 2010) (denying 

appointment of counsel due to plaintiff’s change in circumstances based on upcoming

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surgery); see also Kilgore v. Mandeville, No. 2:07-CV-2485 GEB KJN, 2011 WL 4048406, 

at *2 (E.D. Cal. Sept. 9, 2011) (noting that plaintiff stated he would be temporarily unable 

to pursue litigation due to surgery). Here, Plaintiff’s purported impairments have not 

prevented him from articulating his request for counsel. Additionally, based on the medical 

documents he submitted, he is no longer taking morphine. (See ECF No. 55 at 3.) Thus, 

any purported mental side effects from pain medication would no longer be an issue. See

Angelone v. Furst, No. C07-5538RJB, 2008 WL 5114271, at *1 (W.D. Wash. Dec. 2, 2008)

(denying appointment of counsel despite plaintiff’s claim that morphine was interfering 

with his ability to prosecute the case in part because he was “able to articulate his positions 

adequately and raise issues to the Court”).

Further, it is still too early to determine whether Plaintiff’s claims will survive a 

motion for summary judgment. Plaintiff offers no evidence other than his own assertions 

to support the claims in his Complaint. See Garcia v. Smith, No. 10-cv1187-AJB (RBB), 

2012 WL 2499003, at *3 (S.D. Cal. June 27, 2012) (denying motion for appointment of 

counsel when it was too early to determine whether any of plaintiff’s claims would survive 

a motion for summary judgment). Thus, the likelihood of success on the merits of his 

claims has not been established. 

The Court is mindful of Plaintiff’s claimed medical issues. However, Plaintiff’s 

situation does not rise to the “exceptional circumstances” warranting appointment of 

counsel. Accordingly, Plaintiff’s request for appointment of counsel (ECF No. 55) is 

DENIED without prejudice. 

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: December 18, 2018

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