Dorian Davis v. E. Flores

MEMORANDUM

Dorian Davis, a California state prisoner, appeals pro se from the district court’s summary judgment in his action 42 U.S.C. § 1983 action alleging violations of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (“RLUIPA”) and the First Amendment. We have jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291 . We review de novo, and may affirm on any basis supported by the record. Gordon v. Virtumundo, Inc., 575 F.3d 1040, 1047 (9th Cir.2009). We affirm.

Summary judgment on Davis’s claims for damages under RLUIPA was proper because RLUIPA does not allow for damages against individuals sued in their official or individual capacities. See Wood v. Yordy, 753 F.3d 899, 901 (9th Cir.2014) (a RLUIPA claim for damages against prison officials in their individual capacities “may not be maintained”); Holley v. Cal. Dep’t of Corr., 599 F.3d 1108, 1114 (9th Cir.2010) (“The Eleventh Amendment bars [the plaintiffs] suit for official-capacity damages under RLUIPA.”).

The district court properly granted summary judgment on Davis’s First Amendment claim premised on a prison prohibition of unsupervised inmate-led religious services because Davis failed to raise a genuine dispute of material…