Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-azd-2_08-cv-01655/USCOURTS-azd-2_08-cv-01655-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 555
Nature of Suit: Prisoner - Prison Condition
Cause of Action: 42:1983 Prisoner Civil Rights

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JDDL-K

WO KM

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA

Walter V. Rodenhurst, III, 

Plaintiff, 

vs.

Corrections Corporation of America, et

al., 

Defendants. 

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No. CV 08-1655-PHX-GMS (MHB)

ORDER

Plaintiff Walter V. Rodenhhurst, III, who is confined in the Corrections

Corporation of America–Saguaro Correctional Center, has filed a pro se civil rights

Complaint pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and an Application to Proceed In Forma

Pauperis. The Court will dismiss the Complaint with leave to amend.

I. Application to Proceed In Forma Pauperis and Filing Fee

Plaintiff’s Application to Proceed In Forma Pauperis will be granted. 28 U.S.C.

§ 1915(a). Plaintiff must pay the statutory filing fee of $350.00. 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(1). 

The Court will assess an initial partial filing fee of $20.00. The remainder of the fee will

be collected monthly in payments of 20% of the previous month’s income each time the

amount in the account exceeds $10.00. 28 U.S.C. § 1915(b)(2). The Court will enter a

separate Order requiring the appropriate government agency to collect and forward the

fees according to the statutory formula. 

II. Statutory Screening of Prisoner Complaints

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

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against a governmental entity or an officer or an employee of a governmental entity. 28

U.S.C. § 1915A(a). The Court must dismiss a complaint or portion thereof if a plaintiff

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. 28 U.S.C. § 1915A(b)(1), (2). If the Court determines that a

pleading could be cured by the allegation of other facts, a pro se litigant is entitled to an

opportunity to amend a complaint before dismissal of the action. See Lopez v. Smith,

203 F.3d 1122, 1127-29 (9th Cir. 2000) (en banc). 

The Court should not, however, advise the litigant how to cure the defects. This

type of advice “would undermine district judges’ role as impartial decisionmakers.” 

Pliler v. Ford, 542 U.S. 225, 231 (2004); see also Lopez, 203 F.3d at 1131 n.13 (declining

to decide whether the court was required to inform a litigant of deficiencies). Plaintiff’s

Complaint will be dismissed for failure to state a claim, with leave to amend because the

Complaint may possibly be saved by amendment.

III. Complaint

Plaintiff names 33 individuals as Defendants to the Complaint as well as “John

and/or Jane Does 1-10.” Plaintiff appears to raise seven grounds for relief which stem

from his inability to consistently obtain his prescribed medical diet and medications. 

Plaintiff seeks money damages and injunctive relief.

IV. Failure to Use Court-Approved Form

Local Rule of Civil Procedure 3.4(a) requires that “complaints . . . by incarcerated

persons shall be signed and legibly written or typewritten on forms approved by the

Court." Plaintiff has not filed his Complaint on a court-approved form but has instead

submitted a lengthy factual narrative followed by seven conclusory “causes of action.” 

The Court will dismiss the Complaint with leave to file an amended Complaint on the

court-approved form.

V. Failure to State a Claim

A. Statute of Limitations and Venue

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In § 1983 actions, the applicable statute of limitations is the forum state’s statute of

limitations for personal injury actions. Wilson v. Garcia, 471 U.S. 261, 266, 274-76

(1985); Vaughan v. Grijalva, 927 F.2d 476, 478 (9th Cir. 1991). The Arizona statute of

limitations for personal injury actions is two years. See Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 12-542(1);

Madden-Tyler v. Maricopa County, 943 P.2d 822, 824 (Ariz. Ct. App. 1997); Vaughan,

927 F.2d at 478. 

Plaintiff filed the present action on September 8, 2008. That means that to comply

with the two-year statute of limitations, Plaintiff’s claims must have accrued on or after

September 8, 2006. A large portion of Plaintiff’s factual allegations concern medical

treatment he received while incarcerated in the Halawa Correctional Facility in Hawaii

from 2003 to 2006. These allegations appear to be barred by the statute of limitations. 

B. Medical Claims

 To maintain a claim under the Eighth Amendment based on prison medical

treatment, a prisoner must show deliberate indifference to serious medical needs. Estelle

v. Gamble, 429 U.S. 97, 104 (1976). To act with deliberate indifference, a prison official

must both know of and disregard an excessive risk to inmate health. Farmer v. Brennan,

511 U.S. 825, 837 (1994). The official must both be aware of facts from which the

inference could be drawn that a substantial risk of serious harm exists and he must also

draw the inference. Id. This subjective approach focuses upon the mental attitude of the

defendant. Id. at 839. 

“Deliberate indifference is a high legal standard.” Toguchi v. Chung, 391 F.3d

1051, 1060 (9th Cir. 2004). In the medical context, deliberate indifference may be shown

by (1) a purposeful act or failure to respond to a prisoner’s pain or possible medical need

and (2) harm caused by the indifference. Jett v. Penner, 439 F.3d 1091, 1096 (9th Cir.

2006) (citing Estelle, 429 U.S. at 104). The harm need not be substantial. Id. (citing

Estelle, 429 U.S. at 104). 

Medical malpractice or negligence is insufficient to establish a violation. Toguchi,

391 F.3d at 1060. Thus, mere negligence in diagnosing or treating a condition does not

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violate the Eighth Amendment. Toguchi, 391 F.3d at 1057. Also, an inadvertent failure

to provide adequate medical care alone does not rise to the Eighth Amendment level. Jett,

429 F.3d at 1096. A difference in medical opinion also does not amount to deliberate

indifference. Toguchi, 391 F.3d at 1058. To prevail on a claim involving choices

between alternative courses of treatment, a prisoner must show that the chosen course was

medically unacceptable under the circumstances and was chosen in conscious disregard

of an excessive risk to the prisoner’s health. Id.

In this case, Plaintiff’s lengthy factual description of his medical treatment from

2003 to the present suggests that Plaintiff received substantial medical treatment, but that

that treatment did not consistently conform to what he believed he should receive and that

he was frequently unable to see his preferred physician. This is not sufficient to establish

a claim of medical deliberate indifference. Moreover, to the extent that Plaintiff’s

allegations arise from negligent acts of the Defendants, negligence is insufficient to

establish an Eighth Amendment violation.

VI. Leave to Amend

For the foregoing reasons, Plaintiff’s Complaint will be dismissed for failure to

state a claim upon which relief may be granted. Within 30 days, Plaintiff may submit a

first amended complaint to cure the deficiencies outlined above. The Clerk of Court will

mail Plaintiff a court-approved form to use for filing a first amended complaint. If

Plaintiff fails to use the court-approved form, the Court may strike the amended

complaint and dismiss this action without further notice to Plaintiff.

In any amended complaint, Plaintiff must write short, plain statements telling the

Court: (1) the constitutional right Plaintiff believes was violated; (2) name of the

Defendant who violated the right; (3) exactly what that Defendant did or failed to do; (4)

how the action or inaction of that Defendant is connected to the violation of Plaintiff’s

constitutional right; and (5) what specific injury Plaintiff suffered because of that

Defendant’s conduct. Rizzo v. Goode, 423 U.S. 362, 371-72, 377 (1976).

Plaintiff must repeat this process for each person he names as a Defendant. If

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Plaintiff fails to affirmatively link the conduct of each named Defendant with the specific

injury suffered by Plaintiff, the allegation against that Defendant will be dismissed for

failure to state a claim. Further, Plaintiff must comply with any specific directions set out

by the Court in its discussion of individual claims. Conclusory allegations that a

Defendant or group of Defendants have violated a constitutional right are not

acceptable, and will be dismissed.

Plaintiff must clearly designate on the face of the document that it is the “First

Amended Complaint.” The first amended complaint must be retyped or rewritten in its

entirety on the court-approved form and may not incorporate any part of the original

Complaint by reference. Plaintiff may include only one claim per count.

A first amended complaint supersedes the original complaint. Ferdik v. Bonzelet,

963 F.2d 1258, 1262 (9th Cir. 1992); Hal Roach Studios v. Richard Feiner & Co., 896

F.2d 1542, 1546 (9th Cir. 1990). After amendment, the Court will treat an original

complaint as nonexistent. Ferdik, 963 F.2d at 1262. Any cause of action that was raised

in the original complaint is waived if it is not raised in a first amended complaint. King v.

Atiyeh, 814 F.2d 565, 567 (9th Cir. 1987).

VII. Warnings

A. Release

Plaintiff must pay the unpaid balance of the filing fee within 120 days of his

release. Also, within 30 days of his release, he must either (1) notify the Court that he

intends to pay the balance or (2) show good cause, in writing, why he cannot. Failure to

comply may result in dismissal of this action.

B. Address Changes

Plaintiff must file and serve a notice of a change of address in accordance with

Rule 83.3(d) of the Local Rules of Civil Procedure. Plaintiff must not include a motion

for other relief with a notice of change of address. Failure to comply may result in

dismissal of this action.

C. Copies

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Plaintiff must submit an additional copy of every filing for use by the Court. See

LRCiv 5.4. Failure to comply may result in the filing being stricken without further

notice to Plaintiff.

D. Possible “Strike”

Because the Complaint has been dismissed for failure to state a claim, if Plaintiff

fails to file an amended complaint correcting the deficiencies identified in this Order, the

dismissal will count as a “strike” under the “3-strikes” provision of 28 U.S.C. § 1915(g). 

Under the 3-strikes provision, a prisoner may not bring a civil action or appeal a civil

judgment in forma pauperis under 28 U.S.C. § 1915 “if the prisoner has, on 3 or more

prior occasions, while incarcerated or detained in any facility, brought an action or appeal

in a court of the United States that was dismissed on the grounds that it is frivolous,

malicious, or fails to state a claim upon which relief may be granted, unless the prisoner is

under imminent danger of serious physical injury.” 28 U.S.C. § 1915(g). 

E. Possible Dismissal

If Plaintiff fails to timely comply with every provision of this Order, including

these warnings, the Court may dismiss this action without further notice. See Ferdik, 963

F.2d at 1260-61 (a district court may dismiss an action for failure to comply with any

order of the Court).

IT IS ORDERED: 

(1) Plaintiff’s Application to Proceed In Forma Pauperis (Doc. #3) is granted.

(2) As required by the accompanying Order to the appropriate government

agency, Plaintiff must pay the $350.00 filing fee and is assessed an initial partial filing fee

of $20.00.

(3) The Complaint (Doc. #1) is dismissed for failure to state a claim. Plaintiff

has 30 days from the date this Order is signed to file a first amended complaint in

compliance with this Order.

(4) If Plaintiff fails to file an amended complaint within 30 days, the Clerk of

Court must, without further notice, enter a judgment of dismissal of this action with

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prejudice that states that the dismissal counts as a “strike” under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(g).

(5) The Clerk of Court must mail Plaintiff a court-approved form for filing a

civil rights complaint by a prisoner.

DATED this 10th day of October, 2008.

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