Bonilla v. County of Monterey Superior Court

Background

Steven Wayne Bonilla, identified as a state prisoner, filed multiple pro se civil-rights complaints under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, a federal statute that allows certain civil-rights claims against government actors. The complaints were nearly identical. They named various federal and state officials and sought relief concerning Bonilla’s underlying conviction or the handling of his other cases by state and federal courts.

The order also notes that Bonilla has a pending federal habeas petition in this court with appointed counsel and is represented by counsel in state habeas proceedings. The court further noted his history of filing similar cases.

Proceeding Without Filing Fees

The court addressed Bonilla’s possible requests to proceed in forma pauperis, meaning without paying the filing fees. Under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(g), the court said Bonilla had been disqualified from proceeding that way unless he showed that he was under imminent danger of serious physical injury when he filed the complaints. The court found that the allegations did not show such imminent danger.

Ruling

The court stated that even if Bonilla’s applications to proceed without filing fees were granted, the lawsuits would be barred under the legal doctrines identified in Heck v. Humphrey, Younger v. Harris, Demos v. U.S. District Court, and Mullis v. U.S. Bankruptcy Court. The court therefore dismissed the cases with prejudice. It ordered the clerk to terminate all pending motions and close the cases, and to return without filing any further documents Bonilla submitted in those closed cases.

This was a procedural disposition rather than a decision resolving the underlying civil-rights allegations on their merits.