Wright

MEMORANDUM

Prison inmate Delano Lartel Wright (“Wright”) sued various correctional officers at Calipatria State Prison (“Calipat-ria”) pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 , alleging that they violated his rights under the Eighth Amendment by employing excessive force against him and failing to protect him from such force, as well as his rights under the First Amendment by retaliating against him for filing a prison grievance. Proceeding pro se, Wright alleged in his handwritten complaint that, after he raised concerns about the improper manner in which correctional officers were searching his cell, one of the defendants, Sergeant K. Grady (“Grady”), forced Wright, handcuffed and wearing nothing other than his underpants, into the yard and then strangled him, all the while slamming Wright’s head against a wall. Wright further alleged that other correctional officers — Defendants Officer Gasgo-nia (“Gasgonia”), Officer J.M. Guzman (“Guzman”), and Officer H. Hawkes (“Hawkes”) — were present while Wright was being abused but failed to intervene on his behalf.

Wright filed a grievance and soon thereafter was summoned to speak with Defendants Lieutenant Davis (“Davis”) and Sergeant R.…