Cabrera v. Campagna
- Laurel Beeler
- 3:25-cv-10941
- U.S. District Court · Northern District of California
- 2
In Cabrera v. Campagna, Judge Oberto transferred the civil-rights case to the Northern District of California because venue was improper.
The transfer affects Demetrio Cabrera, D. Campagna, the other defendants, and the handling of the case by moving it from the Eastern District of California to the Northern District of California. The order did not decide the underlying claims.
What happened
In Demetrio Cabrera v. D. Campagna, et al., Demetrio Cabrera, a state prisoner representing himself, filed a civil-rights case under federal law against D. Campagna and other defendants.
The opinion says none of the defendants lived in the Eastern District of California and that the claim arose in Monterey County, which is in the Northern District of California. The court therefore found that the case had been filed in the wrong federal district.
Judge Sheila K. Oberto ordered the case transferred to the Northern District of California in the interest of justice. The order addressed venue only and did not decide the underlying civil-rights claims.
The detailed version
- Cabrera v. Campagna · No. 3:25-cv-10941
- Laurel Beeler
- Dec. 17, 2025
Background
Demetrio Cabrera, a state prisoner proceeding without a lawyer, filed a civil-rights action under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 against D. Campagna and other defendants. The case was filed in the Eastern District of California.
Venue analysis
The court applied the federal venue statute, 28 U.S.C. § 1391(b). That statute generally permits a civil case to be filed where a defendant resides, where a substantial part of the events occurred, or, in limited circumstances, where a defendant is subject to the court's authority.
The court found that none of the defendants resided in the Eastern District of California. It also found that the claim arose in Monterey County, which is in the Northern District of California. The court therefore concluded that the case should have been filed in the Northern District of California.
Ruling
Under 28 U.S.C. § 1406(a), a federal court may transfer a case filed in the wrong district when doing so serves the interest of justice. Judge Sheila K. Oberto ordered that the matter be transferred to the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. The order did not resolve the merits of Cabrera's civil-rights claims.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.