Pinzon v. U.S. Health and Human Services
Opinion
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
ABRAHAM G. PINZON,
Plaintiff,
v. Civil Action No. 1:23-cv-02012 (UNA)
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, et al.,
Defendants.
MEMORANDUM OPINION
This action, brought pro se, is before the Court on review of Plaintiff’s Complaint, ECF
No. 1, and application to proceed in forma pauperis, ECF No. 2. The Court will grant the
application and dismiss this action.
Plaintiff’s complaint against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS),
federal district courts in California, and state and local governmental entities consists of allegations
seemingly related to claimed embezzlement of funds from his social security disability insurance.
Compl. at 1. He also claims that a regional manager of HHS is involved in a conspiracy to “deprive
& intimidate” him. Id. at 2. Plaintiff refers to an attached letter from the manager informing him
that HHS declined to investigate a civil rights complaint because it “does not have jurisdiction
over Mendocino County Sheriff Office.” Compl. Ex. B. Plaintiff appears to assert that this
decision can support a claim under
42 U.S.C. §§ 1983, 1985, and 1986. Compl. at 4. He also
claims that he has been discriminated against in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act,
without specific factual allegations relevant to that claim.
1 To plausibly state a claim upon which relief can be granted, a plaintiff must plead sufficient
facts to “allow[] the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the
misconduct alleged.” Aschroft v. Iqbal,
556 U.S. 662, 678(2009). Plaintiff’s reliance on the
decision of a federal agency not to investigate a civil rights complaint over which it has no
jurisdiction does not meet this standard. Plaintiff’s allegations against the California Department
of Health Care Services and the Mendocino County Health and Human Services Agency—
including vague allegations of fraud and submission of false claims—similarly do not satisfy
applicable pleading standards. See Compl. at 3. Plaintiff has also failed to comply with Rule 8 of
the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, which requires a complaint to contain “a short and plain
statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a).
To the extent that Plaintiff seeks relief from orders issued in the Northern and Eastern
Districts of California, this district court lacks jurisdiction to review another district court’s
decisions. Smalls v. United States,
471 F.3d 186, 192(D.C. Cir. 2006). Consequently, this case
will be dismissed by separate order.
DATE: August 15, 2023 CARL J. NICHOLS United States District Judge
2
Reference
- Status
- Published