Muniz

ORDER GRANTING IN PART AND DENYING IN PART DEFENDANTS’ SUMMARY JUDGMENT MOTION; SETTING BRIEFING SCHEDULE

Plaintiff, a Muslim prisoner at Salinas Valley State Prison (“SVSP”), has filed a pro se complaint under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 alleging that SVSP prison officials have violated his First Amendment right to free exercise of religion, his Fourteenth Amendment equal protection rights, and his rights under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (“RLUI-PA”), 42 U.S.C. § 2000CC-1, Plaintiff seeks declaratory and injunctive relief, as well as compensatory and punitive damages.

The Court granted Defendants’ request to file multiple dispositive motions, allowing Defendants to first file a summary judgment motion raising exhaustion and other procedurally-based defenses. Docket No. 41. Now pending before the Court is Defendants’ summary judgment motion alleging failure to exhaust administrative remedies, Eleventh Amendment immunity, and entitlement to judgment as a matter of law. Docket No. 42. Plaintiff has filed an opposition, Docket No. 63, and Defendants have filed a reply, Docket No. 69. For the reasons set forth below, the motion for summary judgment is GRANTED IN…