Lastorina-Snyder v. Correctional Facility Elmwood
- Jacquelyn Corley
- 3:25-cv-04305
- U.S. District Court · Northern District of California
- 2
In Mario Lastorina-Snyder v. Correctional Officer Okpaia, Judge Corley denied counsel and a case-name change but extended the amended-complaint deadline.
Mario Lastorina-Snyder’s motions for appointed counsel and to change the case name were denied, while his deadline to file an amended complaint was extended to October 15, 2025. The order did not decide the underlying claims against the defendants.
What happened
In Mario Lastorina-Snyder v. Correctional Officer Okpaia, Mario Lastorina-Snyder asked the court to appoint a lawyer for his civil-rights case. He did not identify exceptional circumstances, and the court found the issues were not sufficiently complex at this stage.
The court denied the request for appointed counsel. It also denied the request to change the case name to “Snyder v. Jonson” because the complaint did not name a defendant called Jonson. The court extended the deadline to file an amended complaint to October 15, 2025.
Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley warned that the case may be dismissed if the amended complaint is not filed on time or is insufficient. The order resolved docket numbers 11 and 14 without deciding the underlying civil-rights claims.
The detailed version
- Lastorina-Snyder v. Correctional Facility Elmwood · No. 3:25-cv-04305
- Jacquelyn Corley
- Sept. 16, 2025
Background
Mario Lastorina-Snyder filed a motion asking the court to appoint a lawyer to represent him in this civil-rights case. He also asked to change the case name to “Snyder v. Jonson.” The order does not decide the merits of his civil-rights claims.
Appointment of Counsel
The court explained that civil litigants generally do not have an automatic right to appointed counsel. A court may request a volunteer lawyer in exceptional circumstances. The court found that Lastorina-Snyder’s one-sentence motion did not identify exceptional circumstances, and none appeared from the record. At this stage, the court found that the issues were not sufficiently complex and that Lastorina-Snyder had not shown he could not present his claims himself. The motion for appointment of counsel was denied.
The court stated that it could issue a referral for a volunteer lawyer later if necessary and directed Lastorina-Snyder not to request appointment of counsel in that court again.
Requested Case-Name Change
The court denied the motion to amend the case name to “Snyder v. Jonson” because the complaint did not include a defendant named Jonson.
Amended Complaint Deadline
The court extended the deadline for Lastorina-Snyder to file an amended complaint to and including October 15, 2025. It warned that the case may be dismissed if he did not file an amended complaint by that deadline or if the amended complaint was insufficient.
The order disposed of docket numbers 11 and 14. It did not resolve the underlying civil-rights claims.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.