Bonilla v. Ayoob

Background

Steven Wayne Bonilla, identified as a state prisoner and a condemned prisoner, filed multiple civil-rights complaints under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 while representing himself. The complaints presented nearly identical claims and named various state courts and judges as defendants. Bonilla sought relief concerning his underlying conviction or the way state and federal courts handled his other cases.

The opinion also states that Bonilla had a pending federal petition challenging his conviction in the same court with appointed counsel, and that he was represented by counsel in state-court proceedings concerning that petition.

Reasoning

The court determined that Bonilla had been disqualified from proceeding without prepaying filing fees under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(g), unless he showed that he was in immediate danger of serious physical injury when he filed the complaints. The court found that the allegations did not show such danger.

The court further stated that, even if an application to proceed without prepaying filing fees were granted, the lawsuits would be barred under the legal rules discussed in Heck v. Humphrey, Younger v. Harris, Demos v. U.S. District Court, or Mullis v. U.S. Bankruptcy Court. The opinion does not separately explain which rule applies to which case or claim.

Ruling

Judge Phyllis J. Hamilton dismissed the cases with prejudice. The clerk was ordered to terminate all pending motions and close the cases, and to return, without filing, any further documents Bonilla submits in the closed cases.