Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-caed-2_18-cv-02942/USCOURTS-caed-2_18-cv-02942-11/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 

MICHAEL LENIOR SMITH, 

Plaintiff, 

v. 

CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF 

CORRECTIONS AND 

REHABILITATION, et al., 

Defendants. 

No. 2:18-cv-2942 KJM AC P 

ORDER 

 Plaintiff, a state prisoner proceeding pro se with a civil rights action pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 

§ 1983, has filed a motion for defendants to reconsider participating in the Post-Screening ADR 

Project and a motion to compel. ECF Nos. 57, 58. 

 To the extent plaintiff is requesting that defendants reconsider their position on 

participating in settlement negotiations, the request is not properly before the court. Any further 

such requests should be directed to defendants’ counsel and not filed with the court. Plaintiff is 

informed that defendants are free to engage in settlement discussions or not. To the extent 

plaintiff is requesting the court provide defendants another opportunity to participate in the PostScreening ADR Project, the request will be denied. The Post-Screening ADR Project is designed 

to facilitate early settlement, before the parties engage in discovery. Discovery in this case has 

closed, the deadline for filing dispositive motions has passed, and plaintiff’s motion for partial 

summary judgment is currently pending before the court. If the court finds it appropriate, this 

Case 2:18-cv-02942-KJM-AC Document 59 Filed 08/16/22 Page 1 of 2
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case will be referred for a settlement conference after the resolution of plaintiff’s summaryjudgment motion. Plaintiff is free to communicate with defendants’ counsel regarding settlement 

prior to the resolution of his motion for summary judgment—but, again, such communications 

should not be filed with the court and defendants are not obligated to engage in settlement 

negotiations. 

 Plaintiff has also filed a motion to compel an audiovisual recording and photographs, 

which he asserts that defendants previously agreed to provide. ECF No. 58. The deadline for 

filing motions to compel expired on October 25, 2021 (ECF No. 47), and plaintiff has failed to 

explain the lengthy delay in his filing of this motion. Furthermore, based upon discovery 

responses plaintiff previously filed, defendants denied the existence of any audio and video 

recordings made by an Officer Mey on August 14, 2016 (ECF No. 49 at 7, 46), and plaintiff has 

failed to come forth with any evidence that the requested recordings in fact exist. With respect to 

the request for photographs, the response to plaintiff’s request indicates that defendants responded 

that plaintiff would be permitted to review the photographs without keeping them. ECF No. 49 at 

79-80. Plaintiff’s assertion that he should be permitted to retain copies of the photographs comes 

too late and without any explanation for the delay. To the extent he indicates he has not yet been 

permitted the photographs, counsel for defendants shall ensure that plaintiff has such an 

opportunity if he has not already. 

 Accordingly, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that: 

1. Plaintiff’s motion for reconsideration (ECF No. 57) is DENIED. 

2. Plaintiff’s motion to compel (ECF No. 58) is GRANTED in part and DENIED in part. 

Within thirty days of the service of this order, defendants shall ensure that plaintiff has had an 

opportunity to review the photographs referenced in Response to Request No. 8 of plaintiff’s 

Third Set of Requests for Production (ECF No. 49 79-80) if he has not already done so. The 

motion is otherwise DENIED. 

DATED: August 16, 2022 

Case 2:18-cv-02942-KJM-AC Document 59 Filed 08/16/22 Page 2 of 2