Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_15-cv-00734/USCOURTS-caed-2_15-cv-00734-3/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 EASTERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

ARTHUR GLENN JONES, SR., 

Plaintiff, 

v. 

SAM WONG, et al., 

Defendants. 

No. 2:15-cv-0734 AC P 

ORDER 

 By order filed April 28, 2016, the court screened the complaint and plaintiff was given the 

option to proceed on the original complaint as screened or to amend the complaint. ECF No. 6. 

Plaintiff was ordered to notify the court as to how he wished to proceed. Id. at 10. Plaintiff has 

now submitted a notice advising the court that he would like to amend the complaint. ECF No. 

12. The Clerk of the Court will be directed to send plaintiff a copy of the prisoner complaint 

form used in this district and plaintiff shall have thirty days to file an amended complaint. 

 Plaintiff is reminded that the amended complaint must include all of the claims he wants 

to make, including the ones that have already been found to state a claim, because the court will 

not look at the claims or information in the original complaint. In other words, any claims not in 

the first amended complaint will not be considered. Plaintiff should also refer to the instructions 

in the April 28, 2016 screening order when drafting his amended complaint and is reminded that 

if he wants to make a state tort claim against defendants, he will need to allege facts that show 

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that he timely submitted a notice of claim to the California Victim Compensation and 

Government Claims Board or that he was excused from the requirement. 

Plaintiff has also requested appointment of counsel. ECF No. 11. The United States 

Supreme Court has ruled that district courts lack authority to require counsel to represent indigent 

prisoners in § 1983 cases. Mallard v. United States Dist. Court, 490 U.S. 296, 298 (1989). In 

certain exceptional circumstances, the district court may request the voluntary assistance of 

counsel pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(1). Terrell v. Brewer, 935 F.2d 1015, 1017 (9th Cir. 

1991); Wood v. Housewright, 900 F.2d 1332, 1335-36 (9th Cir. 1990). 

“When determining whether ‘exceptional circumstances’ exist, a court must consider ‘the 

likelihood of success on the merits as well as the ability of the [plaintiff] to articulate his claims 

pro se in light of the complexity of the legal issues involved.’” Palmer v. Valdez, 560 F.3d 965, 

970 (9th Cir. 2009) (quoting Weygandt v. Look, 718 F.2d 952, 954 (9th Cir. 1983)). The burden 

of demonstrating exceptional circumstances is on the plaintiff. Id. Circumstances common to 

most prisoners, such as lack of legal education and limited law library access, do not establish 

exceptional circumstances that would warrant a request for voluntary assistance of counsel. 

Plaintiff has elected to amend the complaint and the amended complaint will require 

screening once it is filed. Until the amended complaint is filed and screened, the court is unable 

to determine whether plaintiff will state any cognizable claims. However, the screening of the 

original complaint demonstrated that plaintiff has thus far been able to successfully articulate his 

claims. For these reasons, the court finds that the necessary exceptional circumstances do not 

exist at this time and appointment of counsel at this early stage would be premature. 

Summary 

 Plaintiff has thirty days to file an amended complaint and his motion for appointment of 

counsel is denied because it is too early in the case for the court to find that exceptional 

circumstances exist. 

Accordingly, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that: 

 1. Within thirty days from the date of service of this order, plaintiff may file an amended 

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

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Procedure, and the Local Rules of Practice. The amended complaint must bear the docket 

number assigned this case and must be labeled “First Amended Complaint.” Plaintiff must file an 

original and two copies of the amended complaint. Failure to file an amended complaint in 

accordance with this order will result in dismissal of this action. 

2. The Clerk of the Court is directed to send plaintiff a copy of the prisoner complaint 

form used in this district. 

3. Plaintiff’s motion for appointment of counsel (ECF No. 11) is denied without 

prejudice. 

DATED: May 24, 2016 

Case 2:15-cv-00734-TLN-AC Document 13 Filed 05/25/16 Page 3 of 3