Opinion ID: 614205
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Silva's RICO and state law conversion claims

Text: Having concluded that the district court erred in dismissing Silva's right of access to the courts and retaliation claims, the only remaining issue is whether the district court erred in dismissing Silva's RICO and state law conversion claims without leave to amend. As to his RICO claim, Silva argues that, had he been given leave to file a second amended complaint, he could have corrected his claim to conform with the district court's order. We review a district court's denial of leave to amend for an abuse of discretion. See Knappenberger v. City of Phoenix, 566 F.3d 936, 942 (9th Cir.2009); Lopez v. Smith, 203 F.3d 1122, 1130 (9th Cir.2000) (en banc). Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 15(a)(2) provides that the district court should freely give leave to amend when justice so requires. Fed.R.Civ.P. 15(a)(2). The PLRA does not bar district courts from granting leave to amend. See Lopez, 203 F.3d at 1130. Indeed, a district court should grant leave to amend even if no request to amend the pleading was made, unless it determines that the pleading could not possibly be cured by the allegation of other facts. Id. (quoting Doe v. United States, 58 F.3d 494, 497 (9th Cir.1995)). Dismissal of a pro se complaint without leave to amend is proper only if it is absolutely clear that the deficiencies of the complaint could not be cured by amendment. Schucker v. Rock-wood, 846 F.2d 1202, 1203-04 (9th Cir. 1988) (internal quotation marks omitted). Here, we agree with the district court that Silva failed to state a claim under RICO and that any attempt to replead this claim would be futile. Silva's RICO allegations center on the WDOC's alleged transportation of him against his will from his prison in Washington to the FCC in Arizona. The predicate acts Silva alleges include kidnapping, witness tampering, mail fraud, and wire fraud all of which relate to the allegedly illegal transport. Even if the Defendants' transfer of Silva from Washington to the FCC violated his constitutional rights to access the courts and to be free from retaliation, these acts do not qualify as predicate acts under § 1961(1), primarily because the Defendants broke no criminal laws when transporting Silva to the FCC. Not only does Silva's RICO claim fail to state a claim upon which relief may be granted, it is frivolous. The district court properly concluded that the deficiencies in Silva's complaint could not be cured by an amendment. We therefore affirm the district court's decision to dismiss Silva's RICO claim with prejudice and without leave to amend. Silva's state law conversion claim was predicated on the dismissal of all of Silva's federal claims. Because we have restored two of Silva's federal claims, and because the district court dismissed the state claim after declining to exercise supplemental jurisdiction, we remand for consideration by the district court whether it wishes to exercise its discretion to hear Silva's state claim with his reinstated federal claims. See Comm. Concerning Cmty. Improvement v. City of Modesto, 583 F.3d 690, 715 (9th Cir.2009) (vacating dismissal of state law claims after reinstating federal claims so that the district court could decide whether to exercise its supplemental jurisdiction over the state law claims).