Bonilla v. Chhabria

Background

The order covers multiple cases listed in the caption. Steven Wayne Bonilla, a state prisoner sentenced to death, filed the complaints without a lawyer under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. The complaints presented nearly identical claims against various federal and state judges and other officials. Bonilla sought relief concerning his underlying conviction or the way his state and federal cases had been handled.

The court noted that Bonilla had a pending federal petition challenging his custody in the same court with appointed counsel. It also noted that he was represented by counsel in state-court proceedings concerning his custody.

Filing-fee status and claim bars

To the extent Bonilla sought permission to proceed without paying filing fees, the court held that 28 U.S.C. § 1915(g) disqualified him from doing so unless he showed that he faced imminent danger of serious physical injury when he filed the complaints. The court relied on Bonilla's prior proceedings and found that the allegations in these complaints did not show such danger.

The court further held that, even if Bonilla had been allowed to proceed without paying filing fees, the lawsuits would be barred under the authorities it cited: Heck v. Humphrey, Younger v. Harris, Demos v. U.S. District Court, and Mullis v. U.S. Bankruptcy Court. The opinion did not provide a separate merits analysis of the underlying claims.

Disposition

The court dismissed the cases with prejudice. The clerk was directed to terminate all pending motions and close the cases. The clerk was also directed to return, without filing, any further documents Bonilla submitted in the closed cases.

Bonilla named the presiding judge as a defendant in two of the cases. The court stated that the repetitive and frivolous nature of the filings did not provide a basis to reasonably question the judge's impartiality. Judge Phyllis J. Hamilton signed the order on January 6, 2025.