Soto

I. INTRODUCTION

18 Plaintiff Francisco Vega, Jr. is a state prisoner proceeding pro se in this civil rights action 19 filed pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. This case proceeds on Plaintiff’s First Amendment retaliation 20 claims against Defendants Soto, Borba, and Noujaime, stemming from Plaintiff’s allegations that Defendants took a series of adverse actions against him in retaliation for filing prison grievances about Defendants’ conduct. On October 24, 2024, Defendants filed a motion for summary judgment, arguing that their “actions were not retaliatory” but “were in furtherance of legitimate penological goals,” that Plaintiff has no evidence to support his claims, and that they are otherwise entitled to qualified immunity. (ECF No. 134-1, p. 7). After extending the time for Plaintiff to respond, Plaintiff filed an opposition on January 8, 2025, arguing that Defendants’ own statements, the timing of events, and evidence from witnesses creates genuine issue of material fact precluding summary judgment. (ECF No. 139). Further, he argues that Defendants are not entitled to qualified immunity. Defendants filed their reply on…