Chunn v. Amtrak

916 F.3d 204
Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit·Decided February 21, 2019·No. No. 17-3617-cv; August Term 2018·Published·Cited by 73 cases

Opinion

Dennis Jacobs, Circuit Judge:

Appellant Christopher Chunn, pro se, appeals the judgment of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (Crotty, J.; Pitman, M.J. ) granting summary judgment in favor of Amtrak, dismissing his claims under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and the state law of conversion.1 Incident to Chunn's arrest in the waiting area at New York's Pennsylvania Station, Amtrak police seized $ 10,400, which the Amtrak police then transferred to the Drug Enforcement Agency ("DEA"). Chunn contends that Amtrak's transfer of his property without first affording him an opportunity to contest the transfer violated his due process rights and amounted to conversion under New York law. We recount only the facts that bear upon our disposition.

BACKGROUND

Chunn was sleeping in the Amtrak waiting area in Pennsylvania Station when he was roused by Amtrak Police Officer Jerry Coleman. An altercation ensued and Chunn was arrested for disorderly conduct, trespassing, and resisting arrest. During a search incident to this arrest, Amtrak officers discovered $ 10,400 cash in Chunn's pocket. The officers confiscated the cash, and upon investigation by Amtrak's *207Criminal Investigation Division and an Amtrak officer assigned to the Amtrak-DEA joint task force, the DEA decided to seize the money for possible forfeiture as proceeds of drug sales. Amtrak transferred the cash to the DEA and gave Chunn a receipt.

Chunn sued Amtrak, Amtrak officers, the DEA, and DEA agents alleging a violation of due process and conversion. Chunn agreed to dismiss his claims against the DEA and its agents. The district court granted summary judgment in favor of the Amtrak defendants and denied Chunn's motion to amend his complaint to add as a defendant the Amtrak officer responsible for turning over Chunn's property to the DEA.

This appeal followed.

DISCUSSION

We review orders granting summary judgment de novo and focus on whether the district court correctly concluded that there was no genuine dispute as to any material fact and that the moving party was entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Sotomayor v. City of New York, 713 F.3d 163, 164 (2d Cir. 2013). We review the denial of a motion to amend on the basis of futility de novo. Nielsen v. Rabin, 746 F.3d 58, 62 (2d Cir. 2014).

I.

Assuming without deciding that Amtrak is subject to suit under § 1983, we conclude that the district court properly granted Amtrak summary judgment on the due process claim. Due process requires that an individual be given "notice and an opportunity to be heard" prior to the state's permanent deprivation of his property interest. Dusenbery v. United States, 534 U.S. 161, 167, 122 S.Ct. 694, 151 L.Ed.2d 597 (2002) (internal quotation marks omitted). "Due process is flexible and calls for such procedural protections as the particular situation demands." Mathews v. Eldridge, 424 U.S. 319, 334, 96 S.Ct. 893, 47 L.Ed.2d 18 (1976) (brackets and quotation marks omitted). "[D]ue process ordinarily requires an opportunity for some kind of a hearing prior to the deprivation of a significant property interest." Hodel v. Va. Surface Mining & Reclamation Ass'n, Inc., 452 U.S. 264, 299, 101 S.Ct. 2352, 69 L.Ed.2d 1 (1981) (internal quotation marks omitted) (emphasis added). The deprivation of money here was significant, and no pre-deprivation hearing was afforded when the cash was transferred. However, it is generally "sufficient, where only property rights are concerned, that there is at some stage an opportunity for a hearing and a judicial determination." Id. at 303, 101 S.Ct. 2352 (internal quotation marks omitted).

Compliance with the post-seizure notice and hearing requirements of 21 U.S.C. § 881 and 18 U.S.C. §§ 981 - 87 satisfies the due process obligations of a federal agency that adopts the seizure of property by a state or local law enforcement agency. See, e.g., Dusenbery, 534 U.S. at 172-73, 122 S.Ct. 694 (notice by mail pursuant to § 881 is constitutionally sufficient). We hold that these procedures also satisfy the requirements of due process owed by the state agency that makes the transfer. See Madewell v. Downs, 68 F.3d 1030, 1040 (8th Cir. 1995).

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Chunn v. Amtrak, 916 F.3d 204 (2d Cir. 2019).

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