Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-5_10-cv-01220/USCOURTS-cand-5_10-cv-01220-0/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 Northern District of California

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Order of Dismissal

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United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

RONNIE HODGE,

Plaintiff,

 vs.

RUSSELL ROBERTS, et al.,

Defendants.

 

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No. C 10-01220 JW (PR)

ORDER OF DISMISSAL

Plaintiff, an inmate at San Quentin State Prison (“SQSP”), filed a pro se civil

rights complaint under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Plaintiff’s motion for leave to proceed in

forma pauperis will be addressed in a separate order. Plaintiff seeks monetary

damages for alleged constitutional violations by parole agents. Plaintiff’s claims are

barred under Heck v. Humphrey, 512 U.S. 477 (1994). 

DISCUSSION

A. Standard of Review

Federal courts must engage in a preliminary screening of cases in which

prisoners seek redress from a governmental entity or officer or employee of a

governmental entity. 28 U.S.C. § 1915A(a). In its review the court must identify

Case 5:10-cv-01220-JW Document 10 Filed 06/17/10 Page 1 of 5
United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

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any cognizable claims, and dismiss any claims that are frivolous, malicious, fail to

state a claim upon which relief may be granted, or seek monetary relief from a

defendant who is immune from such relief. Id. at 1915A(b)(1),(2). 

To state a claim under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, a plaintiff must allege that a person

acting under the color of state law committed a violation of a right secured by the

Constitution or laws of the United States. West v. Atkins, 487 U.S. 42, 48 (1988).

Pro se pleadings must be liberally construed. Balistreri v. Pacifica Police Dep’t, 901

F.2d 696, 699 (9th Cir. 1990).

B. Plaintiff’s Claims

Plaintiff claims that he is presenting a federal question before this Court,

stating the following: “Plaintiff was face[d] with prison condition by BPT-(CDCR)

as a multi-fugitive extraditioner serving parole in two states California and Texas -

state paroles his condition of a long term deprivation usage of forging this prison Cfile falsely fabricating a document intrusion extending that core of 8th Amendment

knowing the substantial risk of 4 yrs [sic] deliberate indifference to constitutional

protections maintain is unlawness [sic] arising to civil right violation, does not

qualified immunity as a affirmative defense [sic].” (Compl. 3.) Based on the rather

garbled statement of facts, plaintiff appears to be claiming that defendant parole

agent Russell Roberts, who works for the Division of Adult Parole Operations of the

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, fabricated documents in

plaintiff’s C-file over the course of several years that implicated him in crimes and

resulted in the finding that plaintiff had violated the terms of his parole in the state

of Texas. (Id. at 4-5.) Plaintiff alleges that defendant Roberts’ actions violated the

Eight Amendment based on his “total indifference” and for the “substantial risk of

serious harm” that plaintiff suffered. (Id. at 6.) 

Plaintiff’s claims, liberally construed, fail to state a claim under the Eighth

Amendment. The treatment a prisoner receives in prison and the conditions under

which he is confined are subject to scrutiny under the Eighth Amendment. See

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Order of Dismissal

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Helling v. McKinney, 509 U.S. 25, 31 (1993). In its prohibition of “cruel and

unusual punishment,” the Eighth Amendment places restraints on prison officials,

who may not, for example, use excessive force against prisoners. See Hudson v.

McMillian, 503 U.S. 1, 6-7 (1992). However, plaintiff’s complaint attacks the basis

for his confinement rather than the conditions themselves. Plaintiff’s allegations

attack the lawfulness of the actions of parole agents Russell Roberts and Andrew

Helm which resulted in the revocation of parole, for which he seeks damages and

injunctive relief. 

In order to recover damages for allegedly unconstitutional conviction or

imprisonment, or for other harm caused by actions whose unlawfulness would

render a conviction or sentence invalid, a 42 U.S.C. § 1983 plaintiff must prove that

the conviction or sentence has been reversed on direct appeal, expunged by

executive order, declared invalid by a state tribunal authorized to make such

determination, or called into question by a federal court’s issuance of a writ of

habeas corpus. See Heck v. Humphrey, 512 U.S. 477, 486-487 (1994). A claim for

damages bearing that relationship to a conviction or sentence that has not been so

invalidated is not cognizable under § 1983. Id. at 487. 

When a state prisoner seeks damages in a § 1983 suit, the district court must

therefore consider whether a judgment in favor of the plaintiff would necessarily

imply the invalidity of his conviction or sentence; if it would, the complaint must be

dismissed unless the plaintiff can demonstrate that the conviction or sentence has

already been invalidated. Id. at 487. Heck makes it clear that a § 1983 “cause of

action for damages attributable to an unconstitutional conviction or sentence does

not accrue until the conviction or sentence has been invalidated.” Id. at 489-90

(footnote omitted). 

Here, plaintiff’s claims allege that he is being unlawfully incarcerated based

on false information and would, if successful, necessarily imply the invalidity of his

continued incarceration. Accordingly, plaintiff’s claims are barred by Heck. 

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United States District Court

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Plaintiff’s complaint is DISMISSED without prejudice to plaintiff’s filing a new

complaint if the challenged conviction and sentence are later invalidated. See

Trimble v. City of Santa Rosa, 49 F.3d 583, 585 (9th Cir. 1995) (claim barred by

Heck may be dismissed sua sponte without prejudice under 28 U.S.C. § 1915).

CONCLUSION

Plaintiff’s complaint is hereby DISMISSED without prejudice for failure to

state a cognizable claim for relief under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. 

DATED: 

JAMES WARE

United States District Judge 

June 15, 2010 

Case 5:10-cv-01220-JW Document 10 Filed 06/17/10 Page 4 of 5
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE 

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

RONNIE HODGE,

Plaintiff,

 v.

RUSSELL ROBERTS, et al.,

Defendants. /

Case Number: CV10-01220 JW 

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 , 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.

Ronnie Hodge V93913

San Quentin State Prison

San Quentin, CA 94974

Dated: 

Richard W. Wieking, Clerk

By: Elizabeth Garcia, Deputy Clerk

6/17/2010 6/17/2010 /s/

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