Shaw v. Cortina
- Riordan
- 5:25-cv-08880
- U.S. District Court · Northern District of California
- 2
In William Shaw v. A. Cortina, Judge Riordan transferred the prisoner’s civil-rights case to the Northern District of California because the alleged events occurred there.
William Shaw’s civil-rights case was moved from the Eastern District of California to the Northern District of California; the order did not decide the alleged rights violations.
What happened
William Shaw, who is incarcerated and proceeding without a lawyer, filed a civil-rights case against A. Cortina and other defendants. The case concerns alleged rights violations at Salinas Valley State Prison in Monterey County.
After an earlier screening order, the court directed Shaw to file an amended complaint identifying where the events occurred. Shaw’s amended complaint stated that the events occurred in Monterey County, which is in the Northern District of California.
In William Shaw v. A. Cortina, Magistrate Judge Sean C. Riordan transferred the case to the United States District Court for the Northern District of California because that was the proper federal district for the claim.
The detailed version
- Shaw v. Cortina · No. 5:25-cv-08880
- Riordan
- Oct. 14, 2025
Background
William Shaw is incarcerated in state prison and is proceeding without a lawyer and without paying the filing fee. He brought this civil-rights action under Section 1983 against A. Cortina and other defendants. The amended complaint alleges that the rights violations occurred at Salinas Valley State Prison in Monterey County.
The court had previously screened Shaw’s original complaint. Because the proper venue was not clear, the court did not transfer the case at that time. Instead, it directed Shaw to file an amended complaint stating where the underlying events occurred. Shaw filed that amended complaint on October 3, 2025.
Venue and Transfer
Federal law generally permits a civil case to be filed in a district where a substantial part of the events or omissions giving rise to the claim occurred. The court determined that Shaw’s claim arose in Monterey County, which is in the Northern District of California. The court therefore concluded that the case should have been filed there.
Ruling
Magistrate Judge Sean C. Riordan ordered that the matter be transferred to the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. The order addressed the proper federal venue and did not decide the underlying civil-rights allegations.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.