Bryant v. Ciminelli

267 F. Supp. 3d 467
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. New York
DecidedJuly 26, 2017
Docket6:16-CV-06766 EAW
StatusPublished
Cited by26 cases

This text of 267 F. Supp. 3d 467 (Bryant v. Ciminelli) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bryant v. Ciminelli, 267 F. Supp. 3d 467 (W.D.N.Y. 2017).

Opinion

DECISION AND ORDER

ELIZABETH A, WOLFORD, United States District Judge

INTRODUCTION

Plaintiff Rickey L. .Bryant, Jr, (“Plaintiff’) filed this, action on November 29, 2016, alleging various claims pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983, as well as claims under New York state law, arising out of an alleged vicious and unprovoked attack of Plaintiff while he was riding his bicycle, by unidentified officers with the Rochester Police Department, (Dkt. 1). Presently be[471]*471fore the Court is a motion to, dismiss for failure to state a claim by the Chief of Police, defendant Michael L. Ciminelli (“Ciminelli”), John Does 1-20 (“the John Doe officers”), and the City of Rochester (“the City”) (collectively, “Defendants). (Dkt. 3). For the reasons stated below, Defendants’ motion is granted in part and denied in part.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

The facts alleged in the complaint are as follows: Plaintiff, 17 years old at the time of the events, alleges that between 10:00 p.m. on August 7, 2016, and 1:00 a.m. on August 8, 2016, he was unconstitutionally seized and beaten by John Doe offieeri of the Rochester Police Department (“RPD”). (Dkt. 1 at ¶¶ 21-46). Plaintiff was riding his bicycle on Remington Street in. Rochester, New York, when approximately twenty RPD officers traveling in three RPD vehicles “suddenly pulled over in front of Plaintiff[,] forcing1 him onto the sidewalk.” (Id. at ¶ 22). One John Doe officer “rapidly approached [Plaintiff] and punched him in his left eye and face[,] causing [Plaintiff] to fall of[f] his bicycle and onto the ground.” (Id. at ¶ 23). Plaintiff was shot with “pepper balls,” maced, and tased. (Id. at ¶¶ 24-25). Five or six John Doe officers then kicked and punched Plaintiff “while the other officers stood there watching and failing to intervene to protect Plaintiff.” (Id. at ¶ 25).

After beating Plaintiff, John Doe officers handcuffed and transported him by RPD vehicle to a police station parking lot, where ambulance personnel gave Plaintiff medical treatment. (Id. at ¶¶ 28-34). Despite Plaintiffs request, the John Doe officers refused to 'transport Plaintiff to the hospital for treatment, (Id. at ¶ 33). Following the medical care by ambulance personnel, Plaintiff was “told that he was free to leave.” (Id. at ¶ 34). Plaintiff was never charged with a violation or crime. (Id. at ¶ 35).

As a result of the incident, “Plaintiff suffered an orbital fracture to and injury to his left eye, blurred vision in the left eye, right chest wall contusion, head injury, headaches, concussion, right sided rib pain, right upper leg pain, multiple contusions and bruising, post-traumatic stress disorder, together with other physical and psychological injuries.” (Id. at ¶ 37).

DISCUSSION

I. Standard of Review

“A motion to dismiss under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) tests the legal sufficiency of the party’s claim for relief.” Zucco v. Auto Zone, Inc., 800 F.Supp.2d 473, 475 (W.D.N.Y. 2011). In considering a motion to dismiss' pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6), a court generally may consider only “facts stated in the complaint or documents attached to the complaint as exhibits or incorporated by reference.” Nechis v. Oxford Health Plans, Inc., 421 F.3d 96, 100 (2d Cir. 2005). A court should consider the motion “accepting all factual allegations in the complaint and drawing all reasonable inferences in the plaintiffs favor.” Ruotolo v. City of N.Y., 514 F.3d 184, 188 (2d Cir. 2008) (quoting ATSI Commc’ns, Inc. v. Shaar Fund, Ltd., 493 F.3d 87, 98 (2d Cir. 2007)). To withstand dismissal, a plaintiff must set forth “enough facts to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.” Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007). However, “threadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported by mere conclu-sory statements,” are not entitled to' an assumption of truth. Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009).

[472]*472“While a complaint attacked by a Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss does not need detailed factual allegations, a plaintiffs obligation to provide the ‘grounds’ of his ‘entitlement to relief requires more than labels and conclusions, and a formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause of action will not do.” Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555, 127 S.Ct. 1955 (citations omitted). Thus, “at a bare minimum, the operative standard requires the plaintiff to provide the grounds upon which his claim rests through factual allegations sufficient to raise a right to relief above the speculative level.” Goldstein v. Pataki, 516 F.3d 50, 56-57 (2d Cir. 2008) (citations omitted),

II. The Court Will Not Consider Facts Outside the Four Corners of the Complaint

Before addressing the merits of Defendants’ motion to dismiss, the Court must address facts submitted to the Court, both supporting and opposing the motion to dismiss, which do not appear in the complaint. In particular, Plaintiff submits: (1) a lengthy factual affidavit from Plaintiffs counsel (Dkt. 6); (2) an affidavit from an alleged eyewitness, Pedro Luis DeJesus (Dkt. 6-1); and (3) a letter to Plaintiffs counsel from the City dated December 29, 2016 (Dkt. 6-2). Additionally, Plaintiff, in opposition to the motion, suggests that the Court refer to papers submitted in opposition to a summary judgment motion in an entirely different, unrelated case. (See Dkt. 6-3 at 12-14). Defendants, for their part, include facts in them memorandum of law which are not present in the complaint. (See Dkt. 3-2).1

In deciding a Rule 12(b)(6) motion, the Court is generally limited to reviewing “the allegations contained within the four corners of [Plaintiffs] complaint.” Pani v. Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield, 152 F.3d 67, 71 (2d Cir. 1998); see, e.g., Friedl v. City of N.Y., 210 F.3d 79, 83-84 (2d Cir. 2000) (finding that a district court errs if, in deciding a Rule 12(b)(6) motion, it “relies on factual allegations contained in legal briefs or memoranda”). However, where the additional documents are integral to or relied upon by the complaint, the court may consider them without converting the motion to one for summary judgment under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56. See Roth v. Jennings, 489 F.3d 499, 509 (2d Cir. 2007) (holding that even if not attached to the complaint, a document which is “integral to the complaint may be considered by the court in ruling on [a Rule 12(b)(6)] motion.” (citations omitted)); Cortec Indus., Inc.

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267 F. Supp. 3d 467, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bryant-v-ciminelli-nywd-2017.