1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 9 CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 10 11 LEGEND D. BROOKS, Case No. 2:21-cv-02010-AB-PD

12 Plaintiff, ORDER ACCEPTING REPORT

AND ADOPTING FINDINGS,

13 v.

CONCLUSIONS, AND

14 RECOMMENDATIONS OF SGT. RUIZ, et al., UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE 15 JUDGE Defendants. 16

17

18 Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636, the Court has reviewed the motion filed by 19 Defendants Deputy Julian Sanchez (“Sanchez”), Deputy Darren W. Lass, Jr. 20 (“Lass”), and Sergeant Robert Ruiz (“Ruiz”) to bifurcate the administrative 21 remedy exhaustion issues for a hearing under Albino v. Baca, 747 F.3d 1172 22 (9th Cir. 2014), the records on file herein, the Report and Recommendation of 23 United States Magistrate Judge (the “Report”), and Defendants’ Objections to 24 Report that are filed under seal. Dkt. Nos. 183, 187, 188, 192, 195, 196, 198. 25 The Court has conducted a de novo review of the portions of the Report 26 to which the Objections were directed and has reviewed the materials filed 27 under seal, which contain new evidence that Defendants did not submit with 28 ! || the motion to bifurcate. The Court accepts the findings and recommendations 2 || of the Magistrate Judge and adopts them as its own findings and conclusions. 3 || The Court finds that Plaintiff has exhausted available administrative 4 || remedies as to Defendants Sanchez, Lass and Ruiz 5 IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED that Defendants’ Motion to Bifurcate 6 | Bench Trial on Prison Litigation Reform Act exhaustion issues is Denied. 7 g || DATED: January 13, 2026 : (nh □□ 10

HONORABLE ANDRE BIROTTE JR.

UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

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