Case Name: Vancois L. D'AMOUN, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. Gerald VILLAREAL; Robert Maddock, Defendants-Appellees
Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Jurisdiction: United States
Decision Date: 2016-11-02
Citations: 659 F. App'x 456
Docket Number: No. 15-16631
Parties: Vancois L. D’AMOUN, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. Gerald VILLAREAL; Robert Maddock, Defendants-Appellees.
Judges: Before: LEAVY, GRABER, and CHRISTEN, Circuit Judges.
Reporter: West's Federal Appendix
Volume: 659
Pages: 456–456

Head Matter:
Vancois L. D’AMOUN, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. Gerald VILLAREAL; Robert Maddock, Defendants-Appellees.
No. 15-16631
United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit.
Submitted October 25, 2016
Filed November 02, 2016
Vancois L. D’Amoun, Pro Se
Gordon B. Scott, Counsel, Law Office of Gordon B. Scott, Santa Rosa, CA, for De-fendan1>-Appellee Gerald Villareal
. Joshua A. Myers, Counsel, Sonoma County Counsel’s Office, Santa Rosa, CA, for Defendant-Appellee Robert Maddock
Before: LEAVY, GRABER, and CHRISTEN, Circuit Judges.
The panel unanimously concludes this case is suitable for decision without oral argument. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a)(2).

Opinion:
MEMORANDUM
Vancois L. D'Amoun appeals pro se from the district court's judgment dismissing his 42 U.S.C. § 1983 action alleging constitutional violations in connection with his state court criminal trial. We have jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291. We review de novo a dismissal for failure to state a claim under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6), Naffe v. Frey, 789 F.3d 1030, 1035 (9th Cir. 2015), and we affirm.
The district court properly dismissed D'Amoun's claims against defendant Mad-dock because D'Amoun failed to allege facts sufficient to show that Maddock deprived him of a federal right. See id. at 1035-36 ("To state a claim under § 1983, a plaintiff [1] must allege the violation of a right secured by the Constitution and laws of the United States, and [2] must show that the alleged deprivation was committed by a person acting under color of state law." (citation and internal quotation marks omitted)).
The district court properly dismissed D'Amoun's claims against defendant Villa-real, who represented D'Amoun at his criminal trial, because D'Amoun failed to allege facts sufficient to show that Villareal was acting under color of state law. See id.; Szijarto v. Legeman, 466 F.2d 864, 864 (9th Cir. 1972) ("[A]n attorney, whether retained or appointed, does not act 'under color of state law.").
D'Amoun's contentions that the district court was biased against him, and improperly granted Villareal's motion to dismiss because D'Amoun was neither sent nor served with the motion, are unpersuasive.
Villareal's motion for sanctions under Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 38, filed on December 11,2015, is denied.
AFFIRMED.
This disposition is not appropriate for publication and is not precedent except as provided by Ninth Circuit Rule 36-3.