Court Opinion

ID: 4524539
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2020-04-10 20:01:07.756262+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:11:12.827543
License: Public Domain

NOT FOR PUBLICATION                           FILED
                    UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS                        APR 10 2020
                                                                      MOLLY C. DWYER, CLERK
                                                                       U.S. COURT OF APPEALS
                           FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT

BRENDA M. JOHNSON,                              No.    19-35609

                Plaintiff-Appellant,            D.C. No. 3:19-cv-05174-BHS

 v.
                                                MEMORANDUM*
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL AND
HEALTH SERVICES; et al.,

                Defendants-Appellees.

                   Appeal from the United States District Court
                     for the Western District of Washington
                   Benjamin H. Settle, District Judge, Presiding

                             Submitted April 7, 2020**

Before:      TASHIMA, BYBEE, and WATFORD, Circuit Judges.

      Brenda M. Johnson appeals pro se from the district court’s judgment

dismissing her 42 U.S.C. § 1983 action against the Washington State Department

of Social and Health Services (“DSHS”) and Terry Rembert alleging various

claims. We have jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291. We review de novo the

      *
             This disposition is not appropriate for publication and is not precedent
except as provided by Ninth Circuit Rule 36-3.
      **
             The panel unanimously concludes this case is suitable for decision
without oral argument. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a)(2).
district court’s sua sponte dismissal for failure to state a claim under Fed. R. Civ.

P. 12(b)(6). Omar v. Sea-Land Serv., Inc., 813 F.2d 986, 991 (9th Cir. 1987). We

affirm.

      The district court properly dismissed Johnson’s action because Johnson

failed to allege facts sufficient to state a plausible claim and DSHS is a state

agency not subject to liability under § 1983. See Hebbe v. Pliler, 627 F.3d 338,

341-42 (9th Cir. 2010) (although pro se pleadings are construed liberally, a

plaintiff must present factual allegations sufficient to state a plausible claim for

relief); Maldonado v. Harris, 370 F.3d 945, 951 (9th Cir. 2004) (state agencies are

not “persons” within the meaning of § 1983 and therefore not amenable to suit

under § 1983).

      We do not consider matters not specifically and distinctly raised and argued

in the opening brief. See Padgett v. Wright, 587 F.3d 983, 985 n.2 (9th Cir. 2009).

      AFFIRMED.

                                           2                                       19-35609