Manse Sullivan v. Pam Ahlin

NOT FOR PUBLICATION FILED UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS JUL 1 2015 MOLLY C. DWYER, CLERK U.S. COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT MANSE SULLIVAN, No. 14-16245 Plaintiff - Appellant, D.C. No. 1:12-cv-00306-GSA v. MEMORANDUM* PAM AHLIN, Executive Director; et al., Defendants - Appellees. Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California Gary S. Austin, Magistrate Judge, Presiding** Submitted June 22, 2015*** Before: HAWKINS, GRABER, and W. FLETCHER, Circuit Judges. California civil detainee Manse Sullivan appeals pro se from the district court’s judgment in his 42 U.S.C. § 1983 action challenging his civil confinement as a sexually violent predator under California’s Sexually Violent Predators Act * This disposition is not appropriate for publication and is not precedent except as provided by 9th Cir. R. 36-3. ** Sullivan consented to proceed before a magistrate judge. See 28 U.S.C. § 636(c). *** The panel unanimously concludes this case is suitable for decision without oral argument. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a)(2). (“SVPA”). We have jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291. We review de novo a dismissal for failure to state a claim under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2)(B)(ii). Huftile v. Miccio-Fonseca, 410 F.3d 1136, 1138 (9th Cir. 2005). We affirm. The district court properly dismissed Sullivan’s action because Sullivan failed to allege facts sufficient to show that the SVPA’s post-commitment procedures deprived him of due process. See Portman v. County of Santa Clara, 995 F.2d 898, 904 (9th Cir. 1993) (elements of a § 1983 procedural due process claim); see also Cal. Welf. & Inst. Code § 6608(a) (“A person who has been committed as a sexually violent predator shall be permitted to petition the court for conditional release with or without the recommendation or concurrence of the Director of State Hospitals.”); Kansas v. Hendricks, 521 U.S. 346, 356-57 (1997) (rejecting due process challenge in sexually violent predator context). The district court did not abuse its discretion in denying leave to amend after concluding that amendment would be futile. See Cervantes v. Countrywide Home Loans, Inc., 656 F.3d 1034, 1041 (9th Cir. 2011) (setting forth standard of review and explaining that leave to amend should be given unless amendment would be futile). We do not consider Sullivan’s contention regarding the Ex Post Facto clause 2 14-16245 because it was not raised below. See Padgett v. Wright, 587 F.3d 983, 985 n.2 (9th Cir. 2009) (per curiam). Sullivan’s request for judicial notice, filed on May 1, 2015, is granted. AFFIRMED. 3 14-16245