v. Bonilla

Background

Steven Wayne Bonilla, a state prisoner, filed multiple complaints under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, a federal law that allows certain civil-rights claims against government actors. The complaints named several state courts, state judges, and state and federal officials. Bonilla sought relief concerning his underlying conviction and the way state and federal courts handled his other cases. The order lists these case numbers: 22-cv-5122-PJH, 22-cv-5124-PJH, 22-cv-5132-PJH, 22-cv-5133-PJH, 22-cv-5134-PJH, 22-cv-5185-PJH, 22-cv-5186-PJH, 22-cv-5187-PJH, 22-cv-5210-PJH, and 22-cv-5211-PJH.

The order states that Bonilla presented nearly identical claims in the cases. It also states that he had a pending federal petition concerning his imprisonment in this court with appointed counsel and was represented by counsel in state-court proceedings concerning his imprisonment.

Filing-fee status and legal 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 that status unless he showed that he was in imminent danger of serious physical injury when he filed his complaints. The court found that the allegations did not show such danger.

The court further stated that, even if Bonilla had been allowed to proceed without paying filing fees, the lawsuits would be barred under several legal doctrines and decisions cited in the order: Heck v. Humphrey, Younger v. Harris, Demos v. U.S. District Court, and Mullis v. U.S. Bankruptcy Court. The order did not decide the underlying validity of Bonilla's civil-rights claims.

Disposition

The court dismissed the cases with prejudice. It directed the clerk to terminate all pending motions and close the cases, and to return without filing any further documents Bonilla submitted in the closed cases. Judge Phyllis J. Hamilton signed the order on September 19, 2022.