Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-4_15-cv-04353/USCOURTS-cand-4_15-cv-04353-2/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Leonard Popky
Defendant
Melina Razavi
Plaintiff
Nicholas Schluchter
Defendant
Washington Hospital
Defendant

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United States District Court

Northern District of California

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

MELINA RAZAVI,

Plaintiff,

v.

NICHOLAS SCHLUCHTER,

Defendant.

Case No. 15-cv-04353-KAW 

ORDER REQUIRING PLAINTIFF TO 

FILE A FIRST AMENDED

COMPLAINT

Re: Dkt. No. 1

On September 21, 2015, Plaintiff Melina Razavi filed a letter, which the presiding judge 

construed as a complaint, accusing Nicholas Schluchter, a nurse at Washington Hospital, of sexual 

assault. (Dkt No. 1.) The court granted Plaintiff’s application to proceed in forma pauperis. 

On February 29, 2016, Plaintiff filed another letter, in which she stated that she is also 

suing Washington Hospital, and named Leonard Popky, MD, but neither of those entities were 

named in the first letter, and, therefore, are not properly named defendants. (Dkt. No. 12.) On 

March 1, 2016, the case was reassigned to the undersigned.

Upon review of the docket, it is impossible to discern from Plaintiff’s multiple filings (1) 

which causes of action she is pursuing, (2) the parties she is suing, and (3) the essential details of 

the events that pertain to which legal theories under which she seeks relief. For example, 

assuming that Plaintiff intends to name Washington Hospital and Dr. Popky as defendants, along 

with Schluchter, she must identify them in the “Parties” section of her complaint. Further, in 

amending, Plaintiff must set forth “a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the 

pleader is entitled to relief” as required by Rule 8 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. This 

includes clearly identifying the facts that pertain to each cause of action. Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 

U.S. 662, 678 (2009). The recitation of the legal elements of a cause of action, alone, is 

insufficient. Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555 (2007).

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United States District Court

Northern District of California

Lastly, the amended complaint must also comport with Rule 10(b) of the Federal Rules of 

Civil Procedure, such that each paragraph must be separately numbered. Plaintiff’s letters run

afoul of this requirement, as they contain full pages of text. The first amended complaint should 

also be properly captioned and be printed on numbered pleading paper. The Court understands 

that Plaintiff has had difficulty finding a current address for Defendant Schluchter, but once 

amended, Washington Hospital would be able to be served as a properly named defendant.

In amending her complaint, Plaintiff may wish to contact the Federal Pro Bono Project’s 

Help Desk for assistance—a free service for pro se litigants—by calling (415) 782-8982. Plaintiff 

may also wish to consult a manual the court has adopted to assist pro se litigants in presenting 

their case. This manual, and other free information for pro se litigants, is available online at: 

http://cand.uscourts.gov/proselitigants. 

Plaintiff should be aware that an amended complaint will supersede or replace the original 

complaint, and the original complaint will thereafter be treated as nonexistent. Armstrong v. Davis, 

275 F.3d 849, 878 n. 40 (9th Cir. 2001), abrogated on other grounds by Johnson v. Cal., 543 U.S. 

499 (2005). The first amended complaint must, therefore, be complete, in itself, without reference 

to the prior or superseded pleading, as “[a]ll causes of action alleged in an original complaint 

which are not alleged in an amended complaint are waived.” King v. Atiyeh, 814 F.2d 565, 567 

(9th Cir. 1987) (citations omitted).

Accordingly, pursuant to its authority under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2), the Court dismisses 

Plaintiff’s complaint with leave to amend. Plaintiff shall file the first amended complaint no later 

than October 17, 2016 or the case may be dismissed.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: July 19, 2016

__________________________________

KANDIS A. WESTMORE

United States Magistrate Judge

Case 4:15-cv-04353-KAW Document 19 Filed 07/19/16 Page 2 of 2