Opinion
Case No. 1:14-CV-00655-SMS
05-21-2014
DELPHIA RAY, Plaintiff, v. CAROLYN COLVIN, Acting Commissioner of Social Security, Defendant.
ORDER DISMISSING COMPLAINT FOR
FAILURE TO STATE A CLAIM WITH
LEAVE TO AMEND WITHIN THIRTY
DAYS
(Doc. 5)
SCREENING ORDER
On May 2, 2014, Plaintiff Delphia Ray, proceeding in forma pauperis, filed her complaint in this matter apparently regarding denial of social security disability benefits. Because Ms. Ray's complaint fails to state a claim for which this Court may grant relief, the Court will dismiss the complaint pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2)(B)(ii), with leave to file an amended complaint within thirty days.
I. Screening Requirement
The Court must screen any case in which a plaintiff proceeds in forma pauperis. 28 U.S.C. § 1915. Screening is required even if a plaintiff pursues an appeal of right, such as an appeal of the Commissioner's denial of social security disability benefits. See, e.g., 42 U.S.C. § 405(g) (establishing conditions under which a claimant of social security benefits may seek judicial review of the Commissioner's determination). A court must dismiss any case, regardless of the fee paid, if the action or appeal is (1) frivolous or malicious; (2) fails to state a claim on which relief may be granted; or (3) seeks monetary relief from a defendant who is immune from such relief. 28 U.S.C. § 1915 (e)(2)(B).
II. Cognizable Claim
In determining whether a complaint fails to state a cognizable claim, a court applies substantially the same standard applied in motions to dismiss pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Gutierrez v. Astrue, 2011 WL 1087261 at *1 (E.D.Cal. March 23, 2011) (No. 1:11-cv-00454-GSA). "The focus of any Rule 12(b)(6) dismissal . . . . is the complaint." Schneider v. Cal. Dep't of Corrections, 151 F.3d 1194, 1197 n. 1 (9th Cir. 1998). A court must dismiss a complaint, or portion of a complaint, for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted if it appears beyond doubt that the plaintiff can prove no set of facts in support of his or her claim(s) that would entitled the plaintiff to relief. Hishon v. King & Spalding, 467 U.S. 69, 73 (1984). When a court reviews a complaint under this standard, it must accept as true the complaint's allegations (Hosp. Bldg. Co. v. Trs. of Rex Hosp., 425 U.S. 738, 740 (1976)), construe the pleadings in the light most favorable to the plaintiff (Resnick v. Hayes, 213 F.3d 443, 447 (9th Cir. 2000)), and resolve all doubts in the plaintiff's favor (Jenkins v. McKeithen, 395 U.S. 411, 421 (1969)).
A. Short and Plain Statement
The sufficiency of a complaint is first determined by referring to Rule 8(a) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, which requires that a civil complaint contain:
(1) a short and plain statement of the grounds for the court's jurisdiction, unless the court already has jurisdiction and the claim needs no new jurisdictional support;
(2) a short and plain statement of the claim showing the pleader is entitled to relief; and
(3) a demand for the relief sought which may include relief in the alternative or different types of relief.
"Rule 8(a)'s simplified pleading standard applies to all civil actions, with limited exceptions." Swierkiewicz v. Sorema N. A., 534 U.S. 506, 512 (2002). A complaint appealing the Commissioner's decision denying social security disability benefits is not exempt from the general rules of civil pleading. "While [42 U.S.C] § 405(g) does not require that a complaint spell out the basis upon which relief might be granted, Rule 8(a) requires a civil plaintiff to assert the basis upon which he grounds his claim." Brown v. Astrue, 2011 WL 3664429 at *2 (D.N.H. August 19, 2011) (No. 11-cv-056-JL). The complaint "must simply give the defendant fair notice of what the plaintiff's claim is and the grounds upon which it rests." Swierkiewicz, 534 U.S. at 512.
B. Principles of Pleading
1. Factual Allegations and Legal Conclusions
Determining a complaint's sufficiency invokes two underlying principles of pleading. Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678-79 (2009); Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555 (2007). First, the Court must accept as true the well-pleaded factual allegations of the complaint. Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555. Detailed factual allegations are not required, but "[t]hreadbare recitals of the elements of the cause of action, supported by mere conclusory statements, do not suffice." Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678. "Plaintiff must set forth sufficient factual matter accepted as true, to 'state a claim that is plausible on its face.'" Iqbal, 129 S.Ct. at 1949 (quoting Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555).
Although accepted as true, "[f]actual allegations must be [sufficient] to raise a right to relief above the speculative level." Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555 (citations omitted). A plaintiff must set forth "the grounds of his entitlement to relief," which "requires more than labels and conclusions, and a formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause of action." Id. at 555-56 (internal quotation marks and citations omitted). A complaint appealing the Commissioner's denial of disability benefits must set forth a brief statement of facts setting forth the reasons why the Commissioner's decision was wrong. Brown, 2011 WL 3664429 at *3. See also Demetriades v. Astrue, 2011 WL 4079054 (W.D.Va. September 13, 2011) (No. 7:11-cv-00407) (dismissing case without prejudice for failure to state a plausible claim for relief as a result of insufficient factual allegations); Ormsby v. Astrue, 2011 WL 3625101 at * 2, adopted by 2011 WL 3625095 (M.D. Fla. August 4, 2011) (No. 6:11-cv-1262-ORL-22) (dismissing cursory complaint which alleged insufficient facts to state a cognizable claim).
In her complaint, Plaintiff alleges that she is disabled but provides no factual support other than stating, in summary, "I know and feel im [sic] disabled because of the suffering and pain I endure." Plaintiff confuses stating a legal conclusion ("I'm disabled") with facts regarding the nature of her claim for relief. In general legal usage, a fact is defined as:
1. Something that actually exists; an aspect of reality < it is a fact that all people are mortal >. • Facts include not just tangible things, actual occurrences, and relationships, but also states of mind such as intentions and opinions. 2. An actual or alleged event or circumstance, as distinguished from its legal effect, consequence, or interpretation < the jury made a finding of fact >.
Black's Law Dictionary at 628 (8th ed. 1999).
In common use, a fact may be defined as "the quality of being actual," "something that has actual existence," "an actual occurrence," and "a piece of information presented as having objective reality." Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary at 416 (10th ed. 1996).
While factual allegations are accepted as true, legal conclusions are not. Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678. A court is "not bound to accept as true a legal conclusion couched as a factual allegation." Id. "Nor is the court required to accept as true allegations that are merely conclusory, unwarranted deductions of fact, or unreasonable inferences." Sprewell v. Golden State Warriors, 266 F.3d 979, 988 (9th Cir. 2001).
A legal conclusion is a statement such as, "There is not substantial evidence in the record to support the legal conclusion that Plaintiff was not disabled within the meaning of the Act." Facts include such allegations as "Plaintiff worked as an auto mechanic until June 1, 1990," and "Plaintiff was fired from her job when she became unable to grasp her tools."
While factual allegations are accepted as true, legal conclusions are not. Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678. A court is "not bound to accept as true a legal conclusion couched as a factual allegation." Id. "Nor is the court required to accept as true allegations that are merely conclusory, unwarranted deductions of fact, or unreasonable inferences." Sprewell v. Golden State Warriors, 266 F.3d 979, 988 (9th Cir. 2001).
2. Plausible Claim for Relief
The second underlying principle is that "only a complaint that states a plausible claim for relief survives a motion to dismiss." Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 679. To permit the Court to determine that a complaint states a plausible claim for relief, based on the reviewing court's judicial experience and common sense, the well-pleaded facts must permit the court "to infer more than a mere possibility . . . . 'that the pleader is entitled to relief.'" Id. (quoting Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2)). The Supreme Court explained:
In keeping with these principles a court considering a motion to dismiss can choose to begin by identifying pleadings that, because they are no more than conclusions, are not entitled to the assumption of truth. While legal conclusions can provide the framework of a complaint, they must be supported by factual allegations. When there are well-pleaded factual allegations, a court should assume their veracity and then determine whether they plausibly give rise to an entitlement to relief.
Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 679; see also Cook v. Astrue, 2012 WL 812380 at *2 (E.D.Cal. March 9, 2012) (No. 1:12-cv-00347-GSA) (construing that the facts alleged in the complaint related to two legal conclusions); Sanchez v. Astrue, 2011 WL 1549307 (E.D. Cal. April 21, 2011) (No. 1:11-cv-00607-GSA).
In drafting her amended complaint, Plaintiff should allege facts from which the Court can reasonably infer that Plaintiff is entitled to relief. Specifically, Plaintiff must allege facts to support her legal conclusions that sufficient evidence did not support the Commissioner's decision. Simply because Plaintiff is appealing the decision, her conclusion that the decision was not supported by substantial evidence is apparent. To state a cognizable claim, Plaintiff must briefly allege facts from which the Commissioner and the Court can understand the basis of that conclusion.
III. Parties
A. Defendant
In appeals of administrative decisions of the Social Security Administration, the proper defendant is the Social Security Commissioner: in this case, Carolyn W. Colvin, the acting Commissioner. The Court has corrected the caption to reflect the proper defendant; the amended complaint should also do so.
IV. Venue, Jurisdiction, and Timing
A. Venue
Although materials appended to the complaint indicate that Plaintiff lives in Fresno, California, the body of the complaint should also state this fact, which is necessary to establish venue in the Fresno Division of the District Court for the Eastern District of California.
B. Jurisdiction and Time for Appeal
Materials appended to the complaint indicate that Plaintiff is appealing the ALJ's decision to the Administrative Appeals Council. Such an appeal is a necessary step in Plaintiff's exhausting administrative remedies. Plaintiff's amended complaint should allege the outcome of the decision of the Administrative Appeals Council and the date on which the decision was issued. An appeal to the District Court must be made within sixty days of the Administrative Appeals Council's decision. See 42 U.S.C. § 405(g).
V. Conclusion and Order
Because the complaint fails to allege facts sufficient to state a claim upon which relief can be granted, this Court now dismisses it. The Court will provide Plaintiff with an opportunity to file an amended complaint curing the deficiencies identified by the Court in this order. Plaintiff must revise her amended complaint in accordance with the errors and omission noted in this order. Plaintiff may not change the nature of this suit by adding new, unrelated claims in the amended complaint. George v. Smith, 507 F.3d 605, 607 (7th Cir. 2007). Plaintiff is advised that each amended complaint supersedes all prior complaints, Forsyth v. Humana, Inc., 114 F.3d 1467, 1474 (9th Cir. 1997), aff'd, 525 U.S. 299 (1999); King v. Atiyeh, 814 F.2d 565, 567 (9th Cir. 1987), and must be "complete in itself without reference to the prior or superseded pleading." Local Rule 15-220. "All causes of action alleged in an original complaint which are not alleged in an amended complaint are waived." King, 814 F.2d at 567; accord Forsyth, 114 F.3d at 1474.
Based on the foregoing, it is HEREBY ORDERED that:
1. Plaintiff's complaint is dismissed with leave to amend for failure to state facts sufficient to state a claim on which relief may be granted;IT IS SO ORDERED.
2. Within thirty (30) days from the date of service of this order, Plaintiff shall file an amended complaint curing the deficiencies identified by the Court in this order;
3. If Plaintiff's amended complaint fails to state a claim on which relief may be granted, this action will be dismissed with prejudice pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2)(B)(ii), for failure to state a claim; and,
4. If Plaintiff fails to file an amended complaint within thirty (30) days from the date of service of this order, this action will be dismissed with prejudice, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2)(B)(ii), for failure to state a claim.
Sandra M. Snyder
UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE