Anderson v. Ravalli County Sheriff

District Court, D. Montana·Decided March 15, 2024·No. 9:24-cv-00012·Unknown

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF MONTANA MISSOULA DIVISION

MARK E. ANDERSON, CV 24–12–M–DLC Plaintiff,

vs. ORDER

BITTERROOT HEALTH HOSPICE, WEST HILLS ASSISTED LIVING, TODD BOHLING, TERRI ANDERSON, POLLY ANDERSON, BILL ANDERSON, JUDGE HOWARD RECHT, SHERIFF, DR. COURCHESNE, DR. WOOD, and DAN BOWDER,

Defendants.

United States Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto issued her Order and Findings and Recommendation in this case on January 31, 2024, recommending that the Court: (1) grant Defendant Terri Anderson’s Motion to Reject “Notice of Removal” and Remand DG-2023-35 to State Court (Doc. 14) because Plaintiff’s Notice of Removal does not operate to effect removal of the two state court cases identified therein; (2) dismiss Plaintiff’s Amended Complaint (Doc. 9) with prejudice for failure to state a claim on which relief may be granted; and (3) certify that any appeal would not be taken in good faith, pursuant to Fed. R. App. P. 1 - - 24(a)(4)(B). (Doc. 15 at 16.) For the following reasons, the Court adopts the Findings and Recommendation in full.

BACKGROUND Plaintiff, proceeding pro se, brings this action pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and Bivens v. Six Unknown Named Agents of Fed. Bureau of Narcotics, 403 U.S.

388 (1971), against the above-named defendants.1 (Doc. 9.) Plaintiff broadly alleges that Defendants violated his “[r]ight to visit and care for [his] dying mother in hospice in violation of the Montana and Federal Constitutions.” (Doc. 9 at 4.) Based on Plaintiff’s allegations, it appears that Defendants Terri Anderson, Polly

Anderson, Bill Anderson, and Todd Bohling are Plaintiff’s family members; Dr. Courchesne and Dr. Wood are medical providers for Plaintiff’s mother at Bitterroot Health Hospice, West Hills Assisted Living, or elsewhere; Dan Browder

is the Ravalli County Attorney; and “Sheriff” refers to the Ravalli County Sherriff. (See id. at 4–5.) Plaintiff makes several disjointed allegations against the various defendants. For instance, Plaintiff claims: (1) his cousin, Polly Anderson, is a practicing

attorney who wrongfully changed the estate plan of Plaintiff’s father to exclude

1 Plaintiff initially filed this action in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. (Doc. 1.) On December 21, 2023, the California district court transferred venue of Plaintiff’s case to this Court pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1406(a) on the ground that the acts complained of occurred in Montana. (Doc. 5.) On January 22, 2024, Plaintiff filed an Amended Complaint for Violation of Civil Rights (Doc. 9) that the Court treats as the operative pleading. 2 - - Plaintiff and his sister; (2) Dan Browder and Terri Anderson are “blackmailing and extorting [him] by threatening to have [him] disbarred in violation of his right to

earn a living”; (3) Terri Anderson committed tax fraud with the aid of Todd Bohling by stealing money from Plaintiff’s mother; (4) Dan Browder filed a frivolous guardianship/conservatorship without giving Plaintiff proper notice or a

right to respond and obtained emergency orders without giving Plaintiff due process by meeting ex parte with Judge Recht; (5) Judge Recht refuses to consider Plaintiff’s request to visit his mother; (6) Bitterroot Health Hospice and West Hills Assisted Living have provided substandard medical care and other services, have

held Plaintiff’s mother against her will, and will not allow Plaintiff to visit his mother in violation of unspecified state and federal law; (6) Dr. Courchesne and Dr. Wood provided his mother with substandard medical care; and (7) Dan

Browder, Plaintiff’s family members, West Hills, and the Ravalli County Sheriff have prevented him from seeing and caring for his mother in violation of the Montana and Federal Constitutions. (Id. at 4–5.) Plaintiff seeks an order from the Court directing “hospice to move [his] mother out of West Hills Way to [a]

hospital so [he] can visit her before she dies” and “punitive and monetary damages against all parties.” (Id. at 6.) Because Judge DeSoto granted Plaintiff’s motion to proceed in forma

pauperis, Judge DeSoto reviewed Plaintiff’s Amended Complaint to determine if 3 - - the allegations are frivolous or malicious, fail to state a claim upon which relief may be granted, or seek monetary relief from a defendant who is immune from

such relief, as required under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2). (Doc. 15 at 3.) First, Judge DeSoto found that Plaintiff has not alleged any facts from which the Court could conclude that Bitterroot Health Hospice, West Hills Assisted Living, Dr.

Courchesne, Dr. Wood, Terri Anderson, Polly Anderson, Bill Anderson, or Todd Bohling were acting under color of state law. (Id. at 7–8.) Accordingly, Judge DeSoto concluded that Plaintiff has failed to state a cognizable § 1983 claim against these defendants. (Id.)

Next, Judge DeSoto found that Plaintiff has not specified whether he intends to sue Ravalli Count Attorney Dan Browder and the Ravalli County Sherriff in their individual or official capacities; but, to the extent he intends to bring an

official-capacity suit, Plaintiff has not alleged any custom or policy that was the moving force behind the alleged constitutional violations. (Id. at 8–9.) As such, Judge DeSoto concluded that any official capacity claims against these defendants are subject to dismissal. (Id. at 9.) To the extent Plaintiff intends to bring claims

against the Ravalli County Sherriff in his individual capacity, Judge DeSoto found that Plaintiff likewise fails to state a cognizable claim because Plaintiff has not alleged any facts demonstrating that the Ravalli County Sherriff personally

participated in any viable alleged deprivation of Plaintiff’s constitutional rights. 4 - - (Id. at 10.) Similarly, Judge DeSoto found that Plaintiff fails to state a cognizable

individual capacity claim against Dan Browder for actions undertaken by Browder in the scope of his role as county prosecutor because Browder is entitled to prosecutorial immunity for these actions. (Id. at 10–11.) To the extent Plaintiff

alleges that Browder was acting outside the scope of his role as a Ravalli County attorney—i.e., by “blackmailing and extorting” Plaintiff—Judge DeSoto found that these allegations are “vague, conclusory, and do not support a cause of action.” (Id. at 11.) In sum, Judge DeSoto found that Plaintiff fails to state a valid § 1983

claim against Dan Browder. Judge DeSoto then found that Plaintiff’s allegations against Judge Recht pertain to actions undertaken in the course of Judge Recht’s official duties in

connection with a case, Judge Recht was at all times acting in his judicial capacity, and Judge Recht was acting within his general jurisdiction as a state court district judge. (Id. at 12.) Accordingly, Judge Recht is entitled to judicial immunity. (Id.) Additionally, Judge DeSoto found that Plaintiff “fails to adequately allege a

cognizable constitutional violation” with respect to any defendant because Plaintiff offers only “bare and conclusory allegations of unspecified state and federal constitutional and statutory violations” that are “not sufficient to state a claim for

relief under § 1983.” (Id. at 12–13.) 5 - - Plaintiff also filed a Notice of Removal that attempts to remove two cases pending in Montana’s Twenty-First Judicial District Court, Ravalli County—case

nos.

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