Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-5_06-cv-01968/USCOURTS-cand-5_06-cv-01968-0/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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 The United States Supreme Court, noting that Arteaga had filed twenty petitions with

the Supreme Court, sixteen within two terms, has barred in forma pauperis filings by him in civil

rights cases. Arteaga v. United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, 522 U.S. 446

(1998). Arteaga is subject to a pre-filing review order in the United State Court of Appeals for

the Ninth Circuit, which has declined to allow him to appeal in nine cases from this Court, and

Order to Show Cause Re: Dismissal Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(g)

P:pro-se\sj.jf\cr.06\Arteaga968oscifp

NOT FOR CITATION

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

LORENZO ARTEAGA, 

Plaintiff,

 vs.

FRANK HALL, et al., 

Defendants. 

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No. C 06-1968 JF (PR)

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE

RE: DISMISSAL PURSUANT

TO 28 U.S.C. § 1915(g)

(Docket Nos. 2, 4)

BACKGROUND

Plaintiff is a state prisoner and frequent litigant in this court. He filed a pro se civil

rights action against the Director of the Santa Clara County Department of Corrections

and others to return his property and release him into the general population at the county

jail. Plaintiff has filed two applications to proceed in forma pauperis under 28 U.S.C. §

1915.1

**Original filed 10/6/06**

Case 5:06-cv-01968-JF Document 6 Filed 10/06/06 Page 1 of 4
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28 which instructed its clerk to return his papers unfiled in those cases. In re Lorenzo Arteaga, No.

95-80113 (9th Cir. July 9, 1998).

Order to Show Cause Re: Dismissal Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(g)

P:pro-se\sj.jf\cr.06\Arteaga968oscifp

DISCUSSION

The Prison Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (“PLRA”), which was enacted on April

26, 1996, provides that a prisoner may not bring a civil action or appeal a civil judgment

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). Because § 1915(g) is a

procedural rule that does not raise retroactivity concerns, cases which were dismissed

before the effective date of § 1915(g), i.e., April 26, 1996, may be counted as qualifying

dismissals or “strikes.” See Tierney v. Kupers, 128 F.3d 1310, 1311-12 (9th Cir. 1997).

For purposes of a dismissal that may be counted under § 1915(g), the phrase “fails

to state a claim on which relief may be granted” parallels the language of Federal Rule of

Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) and apparently means the same thing. Andrews v. King, 398

F.3d 1113, 1121 (9th Cir. 2005). A case “is frivolous if it is ‘of little weight or

importance: having no basis in law or fact.’” Id. (citation omitted). “A case is malicious

if it was filed with the ‘intention or desire to harm another.’” Id. (citation omitted). “Not

all unsuccessful cases qualify as a strike under § 1915(g). Rather, § 1915(g) should be

used to deny a prisoner’s IFP status only when, after careful evaluation of the order

dismissing an action, and other relevant information, the district court determines that the

action was dismissed because it was frivolous, malicious or failed to state a claim.” Id.

The prisoner must be given notice of the potential disqualification under § 1915(g) -- by

either the district court or the defendants – but the prisoner bears the ultimate burden of

persuasion that § 1915(g) does not bar pauper status for him. Id. Andrews thus

implicitly allows the court to sua sponte raise the § 1915(g) problem, but requires the

court to notify the plaintiff of the earlier dismissals it considers to support a § 1915(g)

Case 5:06-cv-01968-JF Document 6 Filed 10/06/06 Page 2 of 4
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 The Court notes that such a dismissal would be without prejudice to bringing it in a paid

complaint. See Adepegba v. Hammons, 103 F.3d 383, 388 (5th Cir. 1996). 

Order to Show Cause Re: Dismissal Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(g)

P:pro-se\sj.jf\cr.06\Arteaga968oscifp

dismissal and allow the plaintiff an opportunity to be heard on the matter before

dismissing the action. See id. at 1120.

 A review of the dismissal orders in Plaintiff’s prior prisoner actions in this Court

reveal that he has had at least three such cases dismissed on the grounds that they were

frivolous, malicious, or failed to state a claim upon which relief may be granted. See

Arteaga v. United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, 522 U.S. 446 (1998); 

C 94-1575-FMS, Arteaga v. CDC; C 94-3046-FMS, Arteaga v. Wilson; C 94-4466-FMS,

Arteaga v. Wilson. In light of these dismissals, and because Plaintiff is not under

imminent danger of serious physical injury, he is ordered TO SHOW CAUSE within

thirty days of the date this order is filed, why this action should not be dismissed

pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(g).2

IT IS SO ORDERED.

DATED: _______________ 

JEREMY FOGEL

United States District Judge

10/4/06

Case 5:06-cv-01968-JF Document 6 Filed 10/06/06 Page 3 of 4
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Order to Show Cause Re: Dismissal Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(g)

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A copy of this ruling was mailed to the following:

Lorenzo Arteaga

E-66703

Santa Clara County Dept. Of Corrections

170 West Hedding Street

San Jose, CA 95110

Case 5:06-cv-01968-JF Document 6 Filed 10/06/06 Page 4 of 4