Cal Heidelberg, Jr. v. Erie Police Department

678 F. App'x 65
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Third Circuit
DecidedFebruary 6, 2017
Docket15-3299
StatusUnpublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 678 F. App'x 65 (Cal Heidelberg, Jr. v. Erie Police Department) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cal Heidelberg, Jr. v. Erie Police Department, 678 F. App'x 65 (3d Cir. 2017).

Opinion

OPINION *

PER CURIAM

Cal Heidelberg, Jr. appeals from orders of the Magistrate Judge dismissing his complaint and denying his “Motion to Set Aside Judgment to Reopen Case Due to. Non Culpable Negligence.” 1 For the reasons that follow, we will dismiss the appeal in part for lack of appellate jurisdiction and affirm in part to the extent of our jurisdiction.

On April 18, 2014, Heidelberg, then an inmate at the Erie County Prison in Erie, Pennsylvania, filed a pro se civil rights complaint, 42 U.S.C. § 1983, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. He named as defendants the City of Erie Police Department, Captain Frank Kwitowski, Officer Anthony Attala, Officer Popovie, the District Attorney’s Office, Assistant District Attorney Brandon Bingle, Officer R.E. Williams (originally misidentified as “R. Greene”), and a John Doe Erie Police Dispatcher later identified as “OIC Eberlein.” Heidelberg alleged in his complaint that Erie police officers subjected him to a false arrest, and that Assistant District Attorney Bingle subjected him to a malicious prosecution based on that false arrest, in violation of his rights under the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments. The police stopped Heidelberg’s vehicle on December 13, 2012, ordered him to exit it, searched his pockets, and found within one of his pockets a container of crack cocaine. Heidelberg was arrested and charged with possession of crack cocaine; an additional distribution charge was added later. Heidelberg subsequently moved to suppress the evidence obtained during the arrest; his motion was granted. The Commonwealth then chose not to proceed with the prosecution, and the state trial court issued a nolle prosequi order. This civil rights action complaining about an unconstitutional arrest followed.

*67 The defendants filed motions to dismiss the complaint under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6), contending that Heidelberg had failed to state a claim upon which relief may be granted. Heidelberg submitted a response in opposition to dismissal and a motion for leave to amend the complaint. On September 15, 2014, the Magistrate Judge denied the motion for leave to amend without prejudice, advising Heidelberg that he should simply file his proposed amended complaint if he only sought to clarify or supplement the allegations in his original complaint. Then, when there was no further activity in the case, the Magistrate Judge granted the defendants’ motions and dismissed the complaint in an order entered on March 27, 2015. The Magistrate Judge reasoned that the claims could not proceed against the City of Erie because municipal liability under § 1983 requires a plaintiff to allege the existence of a policy or custom that resulted in a constitutional violation, Monell v. Dep’t of Social Services, 436 U.S. 658, 694-95, 98 S.Ct. 2018, 56 L.Ed.2d 611 (1978); Heidelberg had made no such allegation. With respect to the individual police officers, the Magistrate Judge reasoned that civil rights claimants in this circuit are entitled to relief for false arrest and malicious prosecution only if they are innocent of the crime for which they were prosecuted, citing Hector v. Watt, 235 F.3d 154, 156-57 (3d Cir. 2000) (victims of unreasonable searches cannot be compensated for injuries that result from discovery of incriminating evidence and consequent criminal prosecution), Here the charges against Heidelberg were merely nolle prossed because the Commonwealth’s evidence—the crack cocaine—was ordered suppressed by the trial court. Heidelberg was not innocent of possession of crack cocaine. Last, the Magistrate Judge determined that Assistant District Attorney Bingle was absolutely immunized from a suit for money damages, citing Imbler v. Pachtman, 424 U.S. 409, 420, 96 S.Ct. 984, 47 L.Ed.2d 128 (1976).

On June 29, 2015, Heidelberg filed a motion in the District Court titled “Motion to Set Aside Judgment to Reopen Case Due to Non Culpable Negligence.” In a text-only order entered on the civil docket on August 25, 2015, the Magistrate Judge denied the motion. The Magistrate Judge stated, in pertinent part:

The Court notes that [Heidelberg’s] primary complaint is that he never received a copy of the final judgment in this case because [he] was no longer at the Erie County Prison, which was [his] last known address where the judgment was mailed. It was [his] responsibility to file a notice of change of address with this Court upon being transferred to another institution; therefore, [he] has stated no grounds upon which judgment will be set aside....

Order of Magistrate Judge, August 25, 2015, Docket Entry No. 32.

On September 21, 2015, Heidelberg filed a notice of appeal from the Magistrate Judge’s March 27, 2015 order dismissing his complaint, resulting in the instant appeal. Our Clerk advised the parties that the appeal was subject to dismissal for lack of jurisdiction because the notice of appeal was not timely filed. The parties were invited to submit a response to the question of jurisdiction. Following that, our Clerk notified the parties that the appeal would not be submitted to a motions panel for dismissal. The parties were directed to address the jurisdictional issue in the briefs. Briefing is now complete. In his pro se Informal Brief, Heidelberg argues that he did not receive the Magistrate Judge’s order dismissing his complaint through no fault of his own, and that the District Court neglected its clerical duties. Appellant’s Informal Brief, at ¶ 2.

*68 We will dismiss the appeal in part for lack of appellate jurisdiction. The taking of an appeal within the prescribed time is mandatory and jurisdictional, Bowles v. Russell, 551 U.S. 205, 209, 127 S.Ct. 2360, 168 L.Ed.2d 96 (2007). Heidelberg had thirty (30) days from the Magistrate Judge’s March 27, 2015 order in which to timely file a notice of appeal, Fed. R. App. P. 4(a)(1)(A); 28 U.S.C. § 2107(a), or until Monday, April 27, 2015, see Fed. R. App. P. 26(1)(C). His September 21, 2015 notice of appeal was not timely filed with respect to the order dismissing the complaint pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6). Accordingly, we lack jurisdiction to review that order.

We conclude that we may, however, exercise jurisdiction over the Magistrate Judge’s order denying Heidelberg’s “Motion to Set Aside Judgment to Reopen Case Due to Non Culpable Negligence.” His September 21, 2015 notice of appeal was timely filed within thirty days of the Magistrate Judge’s August 25, 2015 text-order, see Fed. R.

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678 F. App'x 65, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cal-heidelberg-jr-v-erie-police-department-ca3-2017.