CAROLYN K. DELANEY, Magistrate Judge.
Plaintiff, a state prisoner proceeding pro se, has filed this civil rights action pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. This action proceeds on the Second Amended Complaint filed October 15, 2012, in which plaintiff alleges that officials at California State Prison-Sacramento ("CSP-Sacramento") violated the Eighth Amendment in 2010 by transferring him to a cold-climate prison against doctor's orders. (ECF No. 32 ("SAC").) Before the court is defendants' October 17, 2013 motion to dismiss the SAC for failure to exhaust administrative remedies under Rule 12(b) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. (ECF No. 45.) Plaintiff has opposed the motion (ECF No. 49), and defendants have filed a reply (ECF No. 51). For the reasons set forth below, the undersigned will recommend that defendants' motion to dismiss be granted.
Section 1997(e)(a) of Title 42 of the United States Code provides that "[n]o action shall be brought with respect to prison conditions under section 1983 of this title, . . . until such administrative remedies as are available are exhausted." 42 U.S.C. § 1997(e)(a) (also known as the Prison Litigation Reform Act ("PLRA")). A motion to dismiss for failure to exhaust administrative remedies prior to filing suit arises under Rule 12(b) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
The State of California provides its prisoners and parolees the right to appeal administratively "any policy, decision, action, condition, or omission by the department or its staff that the inmate or parolee can demonstrate as having a material adverse effect upon his or her health, safety, or welfare." Cal. Code Regs. tit. 15, § 3084.1(a). At the time of the events giving rise to the present action, California prisoners were required to proceed through four separate levels of appeal to exhaust the administrative appeal process: (1) an informal resolution; (2) first 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 CDCR.
Defendants carry the burden of establishing non-exhaustion. "A defendant's burden of establishing an inmate's failure to exhaust is very low."
Once the defense meets its burden, the burden shifts to the plaintiff to show that the grievance procedure was unavailable.
Plaintiff alleges that, at a June 16, 2010 meeting of the Institutional Classification Committee ("ICC") at CSP-Sacramento, defendant committee members Virga and Macomber recommended that plaintiff be transferred to High Desert State Prison ("HDSP"), even though plaintiff informed them that he had a medical chrono stating that a cold climate would exacerbate his knee problems. Plaintiff alleges that he again protested the transfer decision to defendants on September 8, 2010 and September 29, 2010. (SAC at 10-13
In a letter dated October 1, 2010, a non-defendant prison official in the Controlled Correspondence Unit replied to a letter by plaintiff, writing in part:
(
On October 20, 2010, plaintiff drafted a 602 inmate grievance challenging defendants' decision to transfer him to HDSP despite his knee problems. (ECF No. 45-1 at 10-11.) In 2010, the regulations governing inmate appeals provided that "[a]n appellant must submit the appeal within 15 working days of the event or decision being appealed, or of receiving an unacceptable lower level appeal decision." Cal. Code Regs. tit. 15, § 3084.6(c) (attached at ECF No. 51 at 10). "Time limits for submitting or reviewing appeals shall commence upon the date of receipt of the appeal document by the appeal coordinator or the appellant."
In his opposition to defendants' motion, plaintiff contends that his appeal was timely, but the appeals office improperly screened it out as untimely. He asserts that "[i]t is commonplace / common practice for correctional officers to pick up CDC-602/grievances and either throw them away, . . . hold them past the due date," or screen them out unjustly. (ECF No. 49 at 1-2.) Plaintiff asserts that, after his grievance was returned, he "still attempted to have his appeal processed by sending it to appeals office a second time explaining that it wasn't untimely, only to have it sent back again with the same rejection." (
It is undisputed that plaintiff did not exhaust administrative remedies by obtaining a Director's Level decision on the decision to transfer him to HDSP. Thus, the question is whether plaintiff has carried his burden of showing that administrative remedies were effectively unavailable, excusing his failure to exhaust.
In his 602 grievance signed on October 20, 2010, plaintiff listed three relevant dates: June 16, 2010, when the ICC decided to transfer him; September 8, 2010, when plaintiff "again informed" the ICC about his opposition to the transfer; and September 29, 2010, when plaintiff challenged the transfer "for the third time" before the ICC. (ECF No. 45-1 at 10-11.)
It appears that the decision to transfer plaintiff was made on June 16, 2010, four months before plaintiff submitted his grievance. Even assuming that the "decision being appealed" was issued on September 29, 2010, the latest date referenced in plaintiff's grievance, his grievance was not received by the appeals office until October 29, 2010, more than fifteen working days later. (
Plaintiff asserts that, after his appeal was screened out, he re-submitted it, explaining that it was not untimely, only to have it rejected again. (ECF No. 49 at 2-3.) Because "third level review will not entertain a CDC-602 that hasn't been reviewed at the first and second level," plaintiff argues, further administrative remedies were unavailable, excusing his failure to pursue the matter further. (ECF No. 49 at 3.) Plaintiff does not provide documentation of his second attempt to submit the appeal after it was returned to him on November 4, 2010.
Under § 3084.6(c), then in effect, plaintiff could have submitted an appeal within fifteen days "of receiving an unacceptable lower level appeal decision." (
For the foregoing reasons, the undersigned concludes that defendants' motion to dismiss for failure to exhaust administrative remedies should be granted.
Accordingly, IT IS HEREBY RECOMMENDED that:
1. Defendants' motion to dismiss the Second Amended Complaint pursuant to Rule 12(b) (ECF No. 45) be granted; and
2. This case be closed.
These findings and recommendations are submitted to the United States District Judge assigned to the case, pursuant to the provisions of 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1). Within fourteen days after being served with these findings and recommendations, any party may file written objections with the court and serve a copy on all parties. Such a document should be captioned "Objections to Magistrate Judge's Findings and Recommendations." The parties are advised that failure to file objections within the specified time may waive the right to appeal the District Court's order.