Bonilla v. Warden - Vacaville Medical Facility

Background

Steven Wayne Bonilla, a state prisoner, filed multiple lawsuits without a lawyer under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, the federal statute used for certain civil-rights claims against state actors. The complaints were nearly identical. They named various state courts and judges and sought relief concerning Bonilla’s underlying conviction or the handling of his other state and federal cases.

The order also notes that Bonilla is a condemned prisoner with a pending federal petition concerning his custody in the same court, where he has appointed counsel. It further states that he is represented by counsel in state-court proceedings concerning that petition.

Court’s analysis

The court addressed Bonilla’s effort to proceed without paying the filing fee. Under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(g), a prisoner who has been disqualified from proceeding without paying may do so only if the complaint shows that the prisoner faced imminent danger of serious physical injury when the complaint was filed. The court found that Bonilla’s allegations did not show such danger, so he could not proceed without paying the filing fee.

The court then stated that, even if an application to proceed without paying had been granted, the lawsuits would still be barred under Heck v. Humphrey, Younger v. Harris, Demos v. U.S. District Court, or Mullis v. U.S. Bankruptcy Court. The order does not separately explain how each cited decision applies to each complaint.

Disposition

The court dismissed the cases with prejudice. The clerk was directed 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 December 21, 2023.