John Clint DRAPER, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. D. ROSARIO, Officer; E. Rogers, Lieutenant, Defendants-Appellees.
No. 14-16340
United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit.
September 7, 2016
1072
Argued and Submitted May 11, 2016 San Francisco, California
Suzanne Antley (argued), Deputy Attorney General; Thomas S. Patterson, Supervising Deputy Attorney General; Jonathan L. Wolff, Senior Assistant Attorney General; Kamala D. Harris, Attorney General; Office of the Attorney General, San Diego, California, for Defendant-Appellee D. Rosario.
Before: KIM McLANE WARDLAW, RICHARD A. PAEZ, and CARLOS T. BEA, Circuit Judges.
Partial Concurrence and Partial Dissent by Judge BEA
PAEZ, Circuit Judge:
In this prisoner civil rights action, plaintiff John Clint Draper (“Draper“) alleged a violation of his Eighth Amendment right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment stemming from a physical altercation with defendant Officer David Rosario (“Rosario“). Draper also alleged that in the administrative disciplinary proceeding that followed the altercation, the presiding officer, defendant Lieutenant E. Rogers (“Rogers“), deprived him of a fair hearing in violation of his Fourteenth Amendment procedural due process rights. The district court dismissed the due process claim for failure to exhaust administrative remedies as required by the Prison Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (“PLRA“).
We affirm the district court‘s dismissal of Draper‘s procedural due process claim and the court‘s evidentiary rulings. We conclude that defense counsel improperly vouched for the credibility of correctional officer witnesses during closing argument, but on plain error review, the district court‘s failure to correct the error sua sponte does not warrant reversal. Finally, we hold that the district court abused its discretion in awarding $3,018.35 in costs. We therefore affirm in part, vacate the award of costs, and remand.
I.
At the time of the altercation, Draper was a 61-year-old prisoner housed at the California State Prison in Solano (“C.S.P.-Solano“). He was considered mobility impaired and used a cane to walk. He was assigned to work as a porter in the prison, where his job was to clean tables in Building Four. On September 9, 2009, Rosario accused Draper of not cleaning the tables and ordered him to report to the correctional officers’ office. Draper complied, and while he stood outside the office, the two had a conversation about whether Draper had performed his porter duties. Draper became upset, swore at Rosario, and accused him of lying. Rosario claimed that Draper then stepped into the office across a red line delineating an area that prisoners could not enter without permission, and that he told Draper to step back, which Draper did. Draper disputes that he ever stepped over the red line. Rosario then ordered Draper to drop his cane and to put his hands behind his back. Draper complied, and Rosario placed him in handcuffs.
What happened next is disputed.1 Draper testified that Rosario suddenly slammed him against the sally port gate that leads out of Building Four. Draper explained that he put a foot out to try to stop himself
Rosario‘s version of events is quite different. He testified that as he reached for his radio to notify the yard staff that he would be leading an inmate out of the building, Draper unexpectedly “placed his foot on the grill gate, and lunged his body back towards” Rosario. Rosario explained that, while keeping his hands on Draper, he moved out of the way as Draper fell to the ground. He then held Draper down until other officers arrived a few minutes later. Aside from holding Draper down, Rosario denied using any force.
Later that day, Rosario wrote a rules violation report charging Draper with assault on a peace officer. Another staff member, Rogers, ultimately conducted a hearing on the rules violation charge and found Draper guilty. Draper filed several grievances related to these events, including one that accused Rogers of having determined his guilt before the hearing. Draper did not, however, complete the three levels of the administrative appeal process for the grievance against Rogers.2
Draper filed a pro se complaint in district court pursuant to
Draper proceeded to trial on his claim that Rosario had violated his Eighth Amendment right to be free from excessive force. See, e.g., Hudson v. McMillian, 503 U.S. 1, 6–7, 112 S.Ct. 995, 117 L.Ed.2d 156 (1992). Prior to trial, Draper requested that three prisoner eyewitnesses be allowed to testify. The district court issued writs of habeas corpus ad testificandum for
At trial, Draper testified to his version of events, which was supported by the testimony of the two prisoner eyewitnesses (Thompson and Shepard). A third prisoner testified about his own similar prior altercation with Rosario. In addition, a medical expert witness and Draper‘s investigator both testified. For the defense, Rosario testified, as did Officers Eddie Colter and Pyong Lee, who generally corroborated Rosario‘s account. The Chief Medical Officer of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (“CDCR“) also testified for the defense regarding Draper‘s injuries as documented in his prison medical records.
The parties’ closing arguments focused on convincing the jury of which version of events was most credible. Rosario‘s attorney argued that the correctional officer witnesses had “everything to lose” by committing perjury, “in contrast to the inmate witnesses you heard.” He explained that “Draper and his inmate witnesses have little, if anything, to lose by committing perjury because they are already in prison,” whereas “Colter and Lee, both honorably discharged from military service before their long service with the CDCR, have much to lose. A conviction for perjury would end Lee‘s career [and] . . . could possibly result in a prison term for both of them.” Draper‘s attorney did not object to these statements, nor did he request a curative instruction.
The jury returned a verdict in favor of Rosario, and the district court entered judgment. Rosario filed an application to tax costs, which Draper opposed. The district court ultimately awarded $3,018.35 in costs against Draper. Draper timely appealed.
II.
A.
The PLRA requires prisoners to exhaust available administrative remedies prior to filing a
Prisoners need only exhaust “available” administrative remedies; remedies are not considered “available” if, for example, prison officials do not provide the required forms to the prisoner or if officials threaten retaliation for filing a grievance. See McBride v. Lopez, 807 F.3d 982, 987 (9th Cir. 2015); Albino v. Baca, 747 F.3d 1162, 1177 (9th Cir. 2014) (en banc). Draper does not dispute that he failed to exhaust administrative remedies with respect to his procedural due process claim against Rogers. He alleged, however, that prison officials obstructed his efforts to file grievances and administrative appeals. He also argues that the district court applied the wrong standard of review in light of our recent en banc opinion in Albino v. Baca.
In Albino, we held that because non-exhaustion is an affirmative defense, the defendant bears the burden of proving that an administrative remedy was available to the prisoner and that he failed to exhaust such remedy. 747 F.3d at 1172. “Once the defendant has carried that burden, the prisoner has the burden of production. That is, the burden shifts to the prisoner to come forward with evidence showing that there is something in his particular case that made the existing and generally available administrative remedies effectively unavailable to him.” Id. We also clarified in Albino that the proper procedure for raising non-exhaustion is by moving for summary judgment rather than by filing an unenumerated
Remand is not necessary, however, if the district court‘s dismissal of the plaintiff‘s claim can be construed as a grant of summary judgment. In Williams, we concluded that “[b]ecause it is clear that the district court considered evidence submitted by the parties in reaching its decision, we construe the district court‘s [dismissal of the complaint] as a grant of summary judgment on the issue of exhaustion.” 775 F.3d at 1191.
In the alternative, Draper argues that even if the district court applied the correct standard, dismissal was improper because Draper provided evidence that put material issues of fact in dispute. In Defendants’ motion to dismiss, they identified five grievances that Draper filed regarding the incidents at issue in this lawsuit. Three of these grievances did not pertain to Draper‘s claim against Rogers, and the other two, which arguably did, were unexhausted: one grievance was cancelled because Draper failed to participate in the grievance interview, and another was rejected as incomplete at the third level of review and was never resubmitted. Defendants attached supporting declarations from prison officials with documentation of these grievances and the rejected appeal. In his pro se opposition to the motion to dismiss, Draper did not contest that his due process claim was unexhausted, but he claimed that there were “Department of Corrections staff, and employees that en-
The district court properly concluded that Draper‘s unsupported allegations were insufficient to create a triable issue of material fact. To meet his burden of production, Draper‘s verified complaint or pro se opposition needed to include evidence that there was “something in his particular case that made the existing and generally available administrative remedies effectively unavailable to him.” Albino, 747 F.3d at 1172. Although pro se pleadings must be construed liberally, Thompson v. Davis, 295 F.3d 890, 895 (9th Cir. 2002), the district court did not err in concluding that Draper needed to provide some explanation of the kinds of “impeding and unethical conduct” that prison officials had allegedly undertaken, once Defendants had provided documentation of non-exhaustion and facially legitimate reasons for rejecting Draper‘s administrative appeals.5 Draper did not identify any actions that prison staff took that impeded his ability to exhaust his administrative remedies, nor did he otherwise explain why he failed to comply with the administrative process. Because Draper failed to rebut Defendants’ evidence of non-exhaustion, the district court properly dismissed his procedural due process claim against Rogers.
B.
Draper challenges a series of the district court‘s evidentiary rulings that resulted in the exclusion of witness Doe‘s testimony. We review the district court‘s evidentiary rulings for abuse of discretion. Valdivia v. Schwarzenegger, 599 F.3d 984, 988 (9th Cir. 2010).
A few days before trial was scheduled to begin, Doe called Draper‘s counsel to tell him “that he had received an explicit threat to his life from other inmates if he were to testify at trial.” Three inmates had approached him in the yard and threatened to stab him if he testified because it was “against the rules” to “snitch.” Counsel‘s understanding was that the threat was racially motivated: Draper was black, while Rosario and Doe were white, and the prisoners who threatened Doe were members of a white prison gang. Doe indicated that he was afraid to testify in court but would be willing to participate in a deposition.
Draper‘s counsel requested permission to take a video deposition of Doe for presentation at trial. The district court denied Draper‘s request to present deposition testimony but granted his alternative request that Shepard—the third eyewitness, who was housed farther away—be permitted to testify in Doe‘s stead. On the first day of trial, Draper‘s counsel requested that Doe be allowed to testify via video transmission from prison, which Doe had recently informed counsel he would be willing to do. The court denied that request.
At the close of Draper‘s case-in-chief, counsel requested that Doe‘s prior sworn statement, taken several months before any threat was made, be admitted into
1.
Draper argues that the district court erred in denying his motion to take Doe‘s deposition and present the deposition testimony at trial.
Although it would have been within the district court‘s discretion to authorize Draper to take Doe‘s deposition, the court was not required to do so. Significantly, Draper‘s request to take an additional deposition was on the eve of trial, for the purpose of offering the deposition testimony at trial.
The district court reasonably concluded that it would not be “desirable . . . to permit the deposition to be used.”
2.
We also conclude that the district court did not abuse its discretion in denying Draper‘s motion to allow Doe to testify by video transmission.
Here, the district court expressed reasonable concern over Doe‘s ability to testify safely, even by contemporaneous video transmission. Draper‘s initial motion to take Doe‘s deposition stated that “the witness is willing to testify under oath and be cross examined at a time not directly linked to trial” (emphasis added). Presumably, Doe was concerned about testifying during the trial because the prisoners who had threatened him might be suspicious of his absence. Although counsel later clarified that Doe “would be willing to testify live, but by video conference, if basic safety precautions were taken,” the district court could reasonably have been concerned that testifying by video might still endanger the witness. Moreover, Doe‘s testimony was largely cumulative of Shepard‘s and Thompson‘s testimony. The district court therefore did not abuse its discretion in denying Draper‘s motion to allow Doe to testify by video transmission.6
3.
The district court also properly excluded Doe‘s sworn written statement. Draper argues that the statement was admissible under the “catchall” hearsay exception,
C.
1.
We turn to whether defense counsel‘s statements during closing argument rendered Draper‘s trial fundamentally unfair. Draper argues that defense counsel improperly vouched for the credibility of correctional officers Colter and Lee when he argued that they could lose their jobs or face imprisonment if they lied on the stand, whereas the prisoner witnesses had
In the criminal context, we have recognized two types of improper vouching. The first type “consists of placing the prestige of the government behind a witness through personal assurances of the witness‘s veracity.” United States v. Necoechea, 986 F.2d 1273, 1276 (9th Cir. 1993), as amended on denial of reh‘g (Apr. 15, 1993). The second type consists of “suggesting that information not presented to the jury supports the witness‘s testimony.” Id.
Statements about the consequences of lying on the stand for a law enforcement officer‘s career generally fall into the second category because those statements rely on evidence outside the record. In United States v. Weatherspoon, 410 F.3d 1142, 1146 (9th Cir. 2005), we characterized the following statement, made by a prosecutor during closing argument, as “clearly improper“:
[The police officer witnesses] had no reason to come in here and not tell you the truth. And they took the stand and they told you the truth. I guess, if you believe [defense counsel], they must have lied at the scene there; they came into this court and they lied to you; they lied to this judge; they lied to me; they lied to my agent, Agent Baltazar. I guess they lied to the dispatcher when they called it in. These are officers that risk losin’ their jobs, risk losin’ their pension, risk losin’ their livelihood. And, on top of that if they come in here and lie, I guess they‘re riskin’ bein’ prosecuted for perjury. Doesn‘t make sense because they came in here and told you the truth, ladies and gentlemen.
The prosecutor‘s argument that “the existence of legal and professional repercussions served to ensure the credibility of the officers’ testimony” was sufficient “for the statement to be considered improper as vouching based upon matters outside the record.” Id. Similarly, in United States v. Combs, 379 F.3d 564, 574-75 (9th Cir. 2004), we held that a prosecutor engaged in “improper rebuttal based upon matters outside the record” when she argued that “in order to acquit [the defendant], the jury had to believe that agent Bailey [would] risk[] losing his job by lying on the stand.”
While the first type of vouching—placing the “prestige of the government behind a witness”7—is particularly problematic in criminal trials, see Weatherspoon, 410 F.3d at 1147-48, the second type of vouching—relying on evidence outside the record—is problematic in both civil and criminal trials. During closing argument in a civil case, counsel is permitted to make
Other courts have recognized this principle more directly. In Spicer v. Rossetti, 150 F.3d 642, 644 (7th Cir. 1998), an excessive force case brought by a prisoner, the Seventh Circuit ordered a new trial because “the case turned entirely on [the plaintiff]‘s credibility, versus that of the guards,” and the guards’ attorney had made multiple statements that the plaintiff‘s attorney doubted his client‘s honesty. Although plaintiff‘s attorney objected, the court overruled his objections. Id. The Seventh Circuit noted that “counsel may not express his beliefs regarding the honesty of the opposing party‘s witnesses” and that an attorney‘s opinions regarding witness credibility “have no place in a court of law.” Id.; see also Lenard v. Argento, 699 F.2d 874, 897 (7th Cir. 1983).
The Supreme Court has also recognized that the prohibition on counsel communicating personal beliefs to the jury, including beliefs about witness credibility, extends beyond government prosecutors. In United States v. Young, 470 U.S. 1, 8-9, 105 S.Ct. 1038, 84 L.Ed.2d 1 (1985), the Supreme Court stated that “[d]efense counsel, like the prosecutor, must refrain from interjecting personal beliefs into the presentation of his case.” The Court quoted the then-current ABA Model Code of Professional Responsibility, which stated:
In appearing in his professional capacity before a tribunal, a lawyer shall not . . . [a]ssert his personal opinion as to . . . the credibility of a witness, as to the culpability of a civil litigant, or as to the guilt or innocence of an accused; but he may argue, on his analysis of the evidence, for any position or conclusion with respect to matters stated herein.
Id. at 7 n. 3, 105 S.Ct. 1038 (quoting Model Code of Prof‘l Responsibility DR 7-106(C) (Am. Bar Ass‘n 1980)). The current version of the Model Rules similarly states that, in both civil and criminal trials, a lawyer shall not “state a personal opinion as to . . . the credibility of a witness, the culpability of a civil litigant or the guilt or innocence of an accused.”
In sum, our prior case law indicates that attorneys may not rely on evidence outside the record during closing argument and that prosecutors may not vouch for witnesses’ credibility. We now make clear that the prohibition on improper vouching based on evidence outside the record extends to civil trials.
2.
Because Draper‘s attorney failed to object to opposing counsel‘s improper
During his closing argument, defense counsel argued that the correctional officer witnesses were more credible because they had “no reason to commit perjury” and that they had more to lose by lying on the stand than the inmate witnesses. He explained that “Draper and his inmate witnesses have little, if anything, to lose by committing perjury because they are already in prison,” whereas
Colter and Lee, both honorably discharged from military service before their long service with the CDCR, have much to lose. A conviction for perjury would end Lee‘s career. And a conviction for perjury would—could possibly result in a prison term for both of them if they committed perjury. The same is true for Sergeant Fowler and Sergeant Peel. They have no reason to commit perjury in this case, and they have everything to lose by doing so . . . .
These statements are materially indistinguishable from those found improper in Weatherspoon, where the prosecutor stated, “[t]hese are officers that risk losin’ their jobs, risk losin’ their pension, risk losin’ their livelihood. And, on top of that if they come in here and lie, I guess they‘re riskin’ bein’ prosecuted for perjury.” 410 F.3d at 1146. In fact, defense counsel in Draper‘s case expressed more certainty about the consequences of lying on the stand than the prosecutor did in Weatherspoon. In that case, the prosecutor‘s vouching was improper even though the statements were “not quite as egregious” as a case in which the prosecutor told the jury that they could be “darn sure [the agent] would get fired for perjuring himself.” Id. (quoting Combs, 379 F.3d at 568) (alteration in original). In Draper‘s case, defense counsel stated, without reservation: “A conviction for perjury would end Lee‘s career.”
Although this case is distinguishable from Weatherspoon because it is civil rather than criminal, the statements made by defense counsel in Draper‘s case were more egregious than the improper statements in Weatherspoon. Cf. Ruiz, 710 F.3d at 1086 & n.6 (finding no improper vouching where a prosecutor characterized law enforcement officers as “just doing their jobs, just police officers responding to an emergency call“). Accordingly, defense counsel‘s statements about the correctional officer witnesses’ credibility were improper, and it was error for the district court to allow those statements during closing.
The second prong of the plain error analysis requires the error to be “plain or obvious.” See Hemmings, 285 F.3d at 1193; cf. United States v. Olano, 507 U.S. 725, 734, 113 S.Ct. 1770, 123 L.Ed.2d 508 (1993) (explaining that in the criminal context, “[a]t a minimum, [a] court of appeals cannot correct an error pursuant to [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure] 52(b) unless the error is clear under current law“). The error here does not satisfy that test. At the time of Draper‘s trial, our circuit precedent had not squarely applied the prohibition on improper vouching in the civil context.8 As outlined above, neither criminal
Thus, because it was not plain error to permit the improper statements, reversal is not required.
D.
1.
Finally, Draper challenges the district court‘s cost award. We conclude that the court‘s award of $3,018.35 in costs was an abuse of discretion.
We first address our jurisdiction to review the cost award. A notice of appeal must “designate the judgment, order, or part thereof being appealed.”
In California Union, 948 F.2d at 567, we addressed a situation precisely analogous to Draper‘s: the losing party filed a notice of appeal from the final judgment prior to the district court‘s order taxing costs, and it did not file a separate appeal from the cost award or amend its original notice of appeal. We held that “[a]lthough it would have been impossible for [the losing party] to have filed a notice of appeal from an order that did not exist as of the date of the notice, we determine that the notice of appeal from the judgment incorporates the appeal of the denial of the motion to retax costs.” Id.; see also Dawson, 435 F.3d at 1070. Because Draper filed a timely notice of appeal from the final judgment, and the judgment incorpo-
2.
[a]ppropriate reasons for denying costs include: (1) the substantial public importance of the case, (2) the closeness and difficulty of the issues in the case, (3) the chilling effect on future similar actions, (4) the plaintiff‘s limited financial resources, and (5) the economic disparity between the parties. This is not “an exhaustive list of ‘good reasons’ for declining to award costs,” but rather a starting point for analysis.
Escriba v. Foster Poultry Farms, Inc., 743 F.3d 1236, 1247-48 (9th Cir. 2014) (citing Ass‘n of Mex.-Am. Educators, 231 F.3d at 592-93). Although the final two factors focus on the financial resources of the parties, proceeding in forma pauperis does not, by itself, exempt a prisoner from paying costs. Indeed,
We have affirmed the denial of costs when, for example, a prevailing plaintiff in a contract action recovered substantially less in damages than were initially claimed, and the defendant prevailed on two affirmative defenses. Champion Produce, Inc. v. Ruby Robinson Co., Inc., 342 F.3d 1016, 1022-24 (9th Cir. 2003). We also have affirmed the denial of costs where a plaintiff unsuccessfully challenged her termination under the Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA“). In Escriba, we applied the Association of Mexican-American Educators factors and concluded that individual FMLA cases protect vital rights for workers; that the case was close, turning on conflicting witness testimony and complex FMLA analysis; that taxing costs could chill future FMLA actions; and that the plaintiff had limited financial resources. Escriba, 743 F.3d at 1248-49.
Each of the factors outlined in Association of Mexican-American Educators counsels against imposing a large cost award in Draper‘s case.11 231 F.3d at 592-93. First, the case has “substantial public importance.” Id. at 592. Individual Eighth Amendment cases are important for safeguarding the rights and safety of prisoners. See Escriba, 743 F.3d at 1248 (citing as evidence of the public importance of the case a “California public official‘s statement that a case brought on behalf of a single plaintiff as opposed to a class can still be important because these issues ‘protect[] vital civil rights for women in the work place‘” (alteration in original)).
In addition, the case was close. Draper‘s evidence of an Eighth Amendment violation was sufficient to survive summary judgment. Ultimately, the case turned on which competing account of events the jurors believed. After closing arguments, the jury deliberated for the remaining half-day and then for several more hours the next morning before returning a verdict for Rosario. After the jury returned its verdict, the district court noted that the case was “well-tried” and “hard-fought.”
Moreover, such a large cost award could chill similar lawsuits challenging Eighth Amendment violations in jails and prisons. Many would-be litigants in Eighth Amendment excessive force cases, like Draper, have virtually no resources. Even those with meritorious cases may choose not to risk an unsuccessful lawsuit that could add to the fees and costs associated with conviction and imprisonment. This is particularly true for those whose cases, like Draper‘s, ultimately turn on the jury‘s determination of whose account of the event is more credible. We further note that district courts have routinely declined to award costs against prisoners proceeding in forma pauperis under similar circumstances, citing potential chilling effects. See, e.g., Baltimore v. Haggins, No. 1:10-CV-00931-LJO, 2014 WL 804463, at *2 (E.D. Cal. Feb. 27, 2014) (denying $1,462.61 in costs and noting that “while this Court is what some may call ‘inundat-
The final two factors outlined in Association of Mexican-American Educators focus on “the plaintiff‘s limited financial resources” and “the economic disparity between the parties.” Escriba, 743 F.3d at 1248 (citing Ass‘n of Mex.-Am. Educators, 231 F.3d at 592-93). Draper has virtually no resources. At the time he filed his complaint, he had a balance of $0.00 in his prison account, no checking or savings account, no income during the past twelve months, and no assets. He owed $4,779.94 in restitution and $464.02 for other expenses, primarily litigation costs and legal mail, and he was proceeding in forma pauperis. He represented himself in this litigation for several years, until the district court appointed pro bono counsel. There is no comparison between Draper‘s limited resources and those of the state of California, which bore the defense costs.
Each of the factors listed above is an “[a]ppropriate reason[] for denying costs,” Escriba, 743 F.3d at 1247-48, or for a reduction in the amount awarded to the prevailing party. In addition, the amount of costs is relevant in determining whether a district court‘s cost award is an abuse of discretion. In Save Our Valley, we explained that in the rare occasion where severe injustice will result from an award of costs (such as the injustice that would result from an indigent plaintiff‘s being forced to pay tens of thousands of dollars of her alleged oppressor‘s legal costs), a district court abuses its discretion by failing to conclude that the presumption [in favor of awarding costs] has been rebutted. 335 F.3d at 945; see Ass‘n of Mex.-Am. Educators, 231 F.3d at 593 (pointing to the “extraordinarily high” cost amount as an appropriate reason to deny costs). Because several factors weigh heavily against a large cost award in this case, and severe injustice would result from such an award, the district court abused its discretion in taxing costs of $3,018.35 against Draper. See Stanley, 178 F.3d at 1079-80. Accordingly, we vacate the cost award and remand for the district court to reconsider whether a cost award is warranted, and, if so, an appropriate amount, accounting for the factors discussed above. See Stanley, 178 F.3d at 1080.
* * *
For the reasons set forth above, we affirm the district court‘s dismissal of Draper‘s due process claim and the exclusion of testimony from witness Doe. We hold that counsel in a civil trial may not rely on evidence outside the record to vouch for the credibility of witnesses. On plain error review, however, we conclude that defense counsel‘s improper statements during closing argument do not warrant reversal. Finally, we hold that the court abused its discretion in taxing $3,018.35 in costs.
The judgment is AFFIRMED. The award of costs is VACATED and REMANDED for further consideration consistent with this opinion.
The parties shall bear their own costs on appeal.
I agree with the majority that the judgment in favor of the defendants should be affirmed and thus join Parts I, II.A, II.B, and II.C of the majority opinion. I decline to join Part II.D. The district court did not abuse its discretion in taxing costs against plaintiff John Clint Draper because the district court justifiably followed the presumption of taxing costs against the losing party, here, Draper.
The district court entered judgment in favor of the defendants on June 24, 2014, and entered the order taxing costs against Draper on July 23, 2014. I would affirm the district court‘s order taxing costs against Draper. Draper sued the defendants; his case went to trial, and he lost. The defendants sought to recoup from Draper $3,018.35 of costs under
The majority examines the factors from Association of Mexican-American Educators v. California, 231 F.3d 572, 592-93 (9th Cir. 2000) (en banc),¹ and concludes that the district court abused its discretion when it taxed costs against Draper. Maj. Op. 1087-89. The majority makes two mistakes. First, it wrongly applies these factors to review the district court‘s award of costs to the prevailing party, Maj. Op. 1088-89, when the factors are “reasons for refusing to award costs,” Ass‘n of Mex.-Am. Educators, 231 F.3d at 592 (emphasis added). As we have explained, “A district court deviates from normal practice when it refuses to tax costs to the losing party,” and “[t]he [Rule 54(d)] presumption itself provides all the reason a court needs for awarding costs.” Save Our Valley, 335 F.3d at 945; accord In re Online DVD-Rental Antitrust Litig., 779 F.3d 914, 932 (9th Cir. 2015). Second, the majority ignores the fact that the district court already considered these factors—though it was not required to do so, see Save Our Valley, 335 F.3d at 945—and analyzes and reweighs the factors de novo, Maj. Op. 1087-89, when our role is to review the district court‘s order taxing costs for abuse of discretion, see Ass‘n of Mex.-Am. Educators, 231 F.3d at 591. The district court‘s decision to follow the presumption of taxing costs against the losing party, Draper, was not an abuse of discretion—the district court did not commit legal error, and its decision was not “illogical, implausible, or without support in inferences that may be drawn from the record.” United States v. Hinkson, 585 F.3d 1247, 1263 (9th Cir. 2009) (en banc); see Save Our Valley, 335 F.3d at 945.
The majority can drum up only a single case in which we held that the district court had abused its discretion when it taxed costs against the losing party, Stanley v. University of Southern California, 178 F.3d 1069 (9th Cir. 1999). Maj. Op.
This case does not present “the rare occasion where severe injustice will result from an award of costs.” Id. The costs taxed against Draper total $3,018.35, a modest sum and less than the amount awarded in Save Our Valley, where we concluded that “[n]o such injustice will result from the award of $5,310.55 in this case.” Id. Draper may pay these costs in installments over time, depending on the income credited to his prison account. See
The majority essentially establishes a rule that the presumption of taxing costs against a losing party is rebutted if the losing party is an indigent prisoner whose claim is arguably meritorious and proceeds to trial. There is no legal basis for such a rule. I would affirm the district court‘s decision to follow the presumption and tax costs against Draper, the losing party.
* * *
Because the majority wrongly finds that the district court abused its discretion by taxing costs against the losing party, Draper, I respectfully dissent from Part II.D of the majority opinion.