Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_13-cv-00505/USCOURTS-caed-2_13-cv-00505-0/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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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

JOSEPH WHITAKER,

Plaintiff, No. 2:13-cv-00505 DAD P

vs.

CRANE, et al.,

Defendants. ORDER

 /

Plaintiff is a state prisoner proceeding pro se. Plaintiff seeks relief pursuant to 42

U.S.C. § 1983 and has filed an application to proceed in forma pauperis under 28 U.S.C. § 1915. 

This proceeding was referred to the undersigned magistrate judge in accordance with Local Rule

302 and 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1).

The court is required to screen complaints brought by prisoners seeking relief

against a governmental entity or an officer or employee of a governmental entity. See 28 U.S.C.

§ 1915A(a). The court must dismiss a complaint or portion thereof if the prisoner 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. See 28

U.S.C. § 1915A(b)(1) & (2).

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A claim is legally frivolous when it lacks an arguable basis either in law or in fact. 

Neitzke v. Williams, 490 U.S. 319, 325 (1989); Franklin v. Murphy, 745 F.2d 1221, 1227-28

(9th Cir. 1984). The court may, therefore, dismiss a claim as frivolous where it is based on an

indisputably meritless legal theory or where the factual contentions are clearly baseless. Neitzke,

490 U.S. at 327. The critical inquiry is whether a constitutional claim, however inartfully

pleaded, has an arguable legal and factual basis. See Jackson v. Arizona, 885 F.2d 639, 640 (9th

Cir. 1989); Franklin, 745 F.2d at 1227.

Rule 8(a)(2) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure “requires only ‘a short and

plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief,’ in order to ‘give the

defendant fair notice of what the . . . claim is and the grounds upon which it rests.’” Bell Atlantic

Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555 (2007) (quoting Conley v. Gibson, 355 U.S. 41, 47

(1957)). However, in order to survive dismissal for failure to state a claim a complaint must

contain more than “a formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause of action;” it must contain

factual allegations sufficient “to raise a right to relief above the speculative level.” Bell Atlantic,

550 U.S. at 555. In reviewing a complaint under this standard, the court must accept as true the

allegations of the complaint. See Hospital Bldg. Co. v. Rex Hosp. Trustees, 425 U.S. 738, 740

(1976). The court must also construe the pleading in the light most favorable to the plaintiff and

resolve all doubts in the plaintiff’s favor. See Jenkins v. McKeithen, 395 U.S. 411, 421 (1969).

Here, the allegations in plaintiff’s complaint are so vague and conclusory that the

court is unable to determine whether the current action is frivolous or fails to state a claim for

relief. The allegations of plaintiff’s hand-written complaint are difficult to decipher. It appears

that in part plaintiff is attempting to allege that a correctional officer threatened him with

physical harm. Beyond that, the court cannot determine the nature of plaintiff’s complaint. It is

clear that plaintiff’s complaint does not contain a short and plain statement as required by Fed. R.

Civ. P. 8(a)(2). Although the Federal Rules adopt a flexible pleading policy, a complaint must

give fair notice to the defendants and must allege facts that support the elements of the claim

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plainly and succinctly. Jones v. Community Redev. Agency, 733 F.2d 646, 649 (9th Cir. 1984). 

Plaintiff must allege with at least some degree of particularity overt acts which the defendants

engaged in that support his claims. Id. Because plaintiff has failed to comply with the

requirements of Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2), the complaint must be dismissed. The court will,

however, grant leave to file an amended complaint.

If plaintiff chooses to file an amended complaint, plaintiff must demonstrate how

the conditions complained of resulted in a deprivation of plaintiff’s federal constitutional or

statutory rights. See Ellis v. Cassidy, 625 F.2d 227 (9th Cir. 1980). The amended complaint

must allege in specific terms how each named defendant was involved in the deprivation of

plaintiff’s rights. There can be no liability under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 unless there is some

affirmative link or connection between a defendant’s actions and the claimed deprivation. Rizzo

v. Goode, 423 U.S. 362 (1976); May v. Enomoto, 633 F.2d 164, 167 (9th Cir. 1980); Johnson v.

Duffy, 588 F.2d 740, 743 (9th Cir. 1978). Vague and conclusory allegations of official

participation in civil rights violations are not sufficient. Ivey v. Board of Regents, 673 F.2d 266,

268 (9th Cir. 1982). 

In any amended complaint he elects to file, plaintiff must complete all portions of

the form complaint, including identifying each named defendant and the correctional facility

where each defendant is employed. Plaintiff is also advised that an allegation of mere threats

alone fails to state a claim of cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment. Gaut

v. Sunn, 810 F.2d 923, 925 (9th Cir. 1987) (Upholding the district court’s dismissal of plaintiff’s

claim that defendants threatened him with bodily harm to deter plaintiff from pursuing legal

redress for grievances and observing that “it trivializes the eighth amendment to believe a threat

constitutes a constitutional wrong.”) Additionally, neither verbal abuse nor the use of profanity

violate the Eighth Amendment proscription against cruel and unusual punishment. Oltarzewski

v. Ruggiero, 830 F.2d 136, 139 (9th Cir. 1987) (holding that allegations of the use of vulgar

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language; profanity, verbal abuse and verbal harassment do not state a constitutional claim under

42 U.S.C. § 1983).

Lastly, plaintiff is informed that the court cannot refer to a prior pleading in order

to make plaintiff’s amended complaint complete. Local Rule 220 requires that an amended

complaint be complete in itself without reference to any prior pleading. This is because, as a

general rule, an amended complaint supersedes the original complaint. See Loux v. Rhay, 375

F.2d 55, 57 (9th Cir. 1967). Once plaintiff files an amended complaint, the original pleading no

longer serves any function in the case. Therefore, in an amended complaint, as in an original

complaint, each claim and the involvement of each defendant must be sufficiently alleged. 

Accordingly, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that:

1. Plaintiff’s complaint is dismissed.

2. Plaintiff is granted thirty days from the date of service of this order to file an

amended complaint that complies with the requirements of the Civil Rights Act, the Federal

Rules of Civil Procedure, and the Local Rules of Practice; the amended complaint must bear the

docket number assigned to this case and must be labeled “Amended Complaint”; plaintiff must

use the form complaint provided by the court and answer each question in the form complaint;

failure to file an amended complaint in accordance with this order will result in the dismissal of

this action without prejudice.

3. The Clerk of the Court is directed to provide plaintiff with the court’s form

complaint for a § 1983 action.

DATED: March 25, 2013.

DAD:4

whit505.14

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