Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-4_07-cv-00616/USCOURTS-cand-4_07-cv-00616-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Jose M Buroara
Plaintiff
San Quentin State Prison
Defendant

Document Text:

United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

JOSE M. BUROARA,

Plaintiff,

 v.

SAN QUENTIN STATE PRISON,

Defendant. /

No. C 07-00616 CW (PR)

ORDER OF DISMISSAL

Plaintiff, a state prisoner, has filed a pro se complaint

under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. He also seeks leave to proceed in forma

pauperis under 28 U.S.C. § 1915. Plaintiff has not exhausted

California's prison administrative process, however. 

 The Prison Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (PLRA) amended 42

U.S.C. § 1997e to provide that "[n]o action shall be brought with

respect to prison conditions under [42 U.S.C. § 1983], or any other

Federal law, by a prisoner confined in any jail, prison, or other

correctional facility until such administrative remedies as are

available are exhausted." 42 U.S.C. § 1997e(a). Although once

within the discretion of the district court, exhaustion in prisoner

cases covered by § 1997e(a) is now mandatory. Porter v. Nussle,

534 U.S. 516, 524 (2002). All available remedies must now be

exhausted; those remedies "need not meet federal standards, nor

must they be 'plain, speedy, and effective.'" Id. (citation

omitted). Even when the prisoner seeks relief not available in

grievance proceedings, notably money damages, exhaustion is a

Case 4:07-cv-00616-CW Document 5 Filed 06/12/07 Page 1 of 4
United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

2

prerequisite to suit. Id.; Booth v. Churner, 532 U.S. 731, 741

(2001). Similarly, exhaustion is a prerequisite to all prisoner

suits about prison life, whether they involve general circumstances

or particular episodes, and whether they allege excessive force or

some other wrong. Porter, 534 U.S. at 532. PLRA's exhaustion

requirement requires "proper exhaustion" of available

administrative remedies. Woodford v. Ngo, 126 S. Ct. 2378, 2387

(2006).

The State of California provides its prisoners the right to

appeal administratively "any departmental decision, action,

condition or policy perceived by those individuals as adversely

affecting their welfare." Cal. Code Regs. tit. 15, § 3084.1(a). 

It also provides them the right to file appeals alleging misconduct

by correctional officers/officials. Id. § 3084.1(e). In order to

exhaust available administrative remedies within this system, a

prisoner must proceed through several levels of appeal:

(1) informal resolution; (2) formal written appeal on a CDC 602

inmate appeal form; (3) second level appeal to the institution head

or designee; and (4) third level appeal to the Director of the

California Department of Corrections. Barry v. Ratelle, 985 F.

Supp. 1235, 1237 (S.D. Cal. 1997) (citing Cal. Code Regs. tit. 15,

§ 3084.5). A final decision from the Director's level of review

satisfies the exhaustion requirement under § 1997e(a). Id. at

1237-38. 

 Non-exhaustion under § 1997e(a) is an affirmative defense

which should be brought by defendant(s) in an unenumerated motion

to dismiss under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12 (b). Wyatt v.

Terhune, 315 F.3d 1108, 1119 (9th Cir. 2003). However, a

Case 4:07-cv-00616-CW Document 5 Filed 06/12/07 Page 2 of 4
United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

3

complaint may be dismissed by the court for failure to exhaust if a

prisoner "conce[des] to nonexhaustion" and "no exception to

exhaustion applies." Id. at 1120. Here, Plaintiff concedes he has

not exhausted his administrative remedies. Plaintiff has not

presented any extraordinary circumstances which might compel that

he be excused from complying with PLRA's exhaustion requirement. 

Cf. Booth, 532 U.S. at 741 n.6 (courts should not read "futility or

other exceptions" into § 1997e(a)). 

Accordingly, Plaintiff's request to proceed in forma pauperis

is DENIED, and the complaint is DISMISSED without prejudice to

refiling after exhausting California's prison administrative

process. See McKinney v. Carey, 311 F.3d 1198, 1199-1201 (9th Cir.

2002) (action must be dismissed without prejudice unless prisoner

exhausted available administrative remedies before he filed suit,

even if prisoner fully exhausts while the suit is pending).

The Clerk of the Court shall enter judgment in accordance with

this Order and close the file. No filing fee is due.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: 6/12/07 

CLAUDIA WILKEN

UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

Case 4:07-cv-00616-CW Document 5 Filed 06/12/07 Page 3 of 4
United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

4

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE 

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

JOSE M. BUROARA,

Plaintiff,

 v.

SAN QUENTIN STATE PRISON et al,

Defendant. /

Case Number: CV07-00616 CW 

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

I, the undersigned, hereby certify that I am an employee in the Office of the Clerk, U.S. District

Court, Northern District of California.

That on June 12, 2007, I SERVED a true and correct copy(ies) of the attached, by placing said

copy(ies) in a postage paid envelope addressed to the person(s) hereinafter listed, by depositing said

envelope in the U.S. Mail, or by placing said copy(ies) into an inter-office delivery receptacle located

in the Clerk's office.

Jose M Buroara V45958

San Quentin State Prison

San Quentin, CA 94974

Dated: June 12, 2007

Richard W. Wieking, Clerk

By: Sheilah Cahill, Deputy Clerk

Case 4:07-cv-00616-CW Document 5 Filed 06/12/07 Page 4 of 4