Concepcion v. MUNICIPALITY OF GUARABO

560 F. Supp. 2d 139, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 45022
CourtDistrict Court, D. Puerto Rico
DecidedJune 6, 2008
DocketCivil 05-2264 (FAB)
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 560 F. Supp. 2d 139 (Concepcion v. MUNICIPALITY OF GUARABO) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Puerto Rico primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Concepcion v. MUNICIPALITY OF GUARABO, 560 F. Supp. 2d 139, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 45022 (prd 2008).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

BESOSA, District Judge.

On December 7, 2005, plaintiffs Zuleika Concepcion-Alamo, Quintilio Colon, Ja-haira Sanchez, Lilliam Velazquez and Sandra Cortez, filed a complaint pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 against the Municipality of Gurabo; its Mayor, Victor Ortiz-Diaz; Rafael Rodriguez, Gurabo’s City Administrator; Magali Roman-Castro, Gurabo’s Former Director of Human Resources; and Merelyn Santiago, Gurabo’s Current Director of Human Resources. (Docket No. 1) In their complaint, plaintiffs seek redress for the alleged violation of their constitutional rights under the First Amendment to- the United States Constitution. Supplemental jurisdiction for causes of action pursuant to Puerto Rico laws are premised on the same alleged actions.

On August 10, 2007, the Municipality of Gurabo filed a Motion to Dismiss for failure to state a claim against it. (Docket No. 30) On August 13, 2007, plaintiffs opposed the motion to dismiss. (Docket No. 31) For the reasons stated below, defendant Municipality of Gurabo’s motion to dismiss is DENIED.

I. FACTUAL BACKGROUND

Plaintiffs are members affiliated to the Popular Democratic Party (“PDP”). They claim to be municipal career employees whose employment tenure with Gurabo predates the November 2004 general elections held in Puerto Rico. Following the Puerto Rico elections, the New Progressive Party (“NPP”) candidate, Victor Ortiz-Diaz, was elected as the Mayor of the Municipality of Gurabo. (Docket No. 1, ¶ 3.1)

*141 Plaintiffs allege that after the newly-eleeted mayor took office, he began a systematic pattern and policy of discrimination against them by taking adverse employment actions on account of their association and affiliation to the PDP. These actions included de facto demotions, reassignment to inferior positions, salary reductions and, in some cases, terminations of employment. Plaintiffs further claim that these actions were taken without cause or justification, and without providing appropriate pre-deprivation remedies. They finally assert that defendants’ actions were unjustified, illegal, unreasonable, arbitrary, “conscience shocking” and that they constituted an abusive use of defendants’ powers under color of law and authority. (Docket No. 1, ¶¶ 5.1-5.8)

III. DISCUSSION

A. Motion to Dismiss Under Fed.R.Civ.P 12(b)(6)

Pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6), a defendant may move to dismiss an action against it, based solely on the pleadings, because of the plaintiffs “failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted.” In assessing a motion to dismiss, the court accepts “all well-pleaded facts as true,” and draws “all reasonable inferences in favor of the [nonmovant].” Wash. Legal Found. v. Mass. Bar Found., 993 F.2d 962, 971 (1st Cir.1993); see also Coyne v. City of Somerville, 972 F.2d 440, 442-43 (1st Cir.1992).

The court then determines whether the plaintiff has stated a claim under which relief can be granted. “Once a claim has been stated adequately, it may be supported by showing any set of facts consistent with the allegations in the complaint.” Bell Atl. Corp. v. Tivombly, - U.S. -, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 1969, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007). To survive a motion to dismiss, a plaintiff must allege facts that demonstrate “a plausible entitlement to relief.” Rodriguez-Ortiz v. Margo Caribe, Inc., 490 F.3d 92, 95 (1st Cir.2007) (quoting Twombly, 127 S.Ct. at 1967). The First Circuit Court of Appeals has interpreted Twombly as sounding the death knell for the oft-quoted language of Conley v. Gibson, 355 U.S. 41, 45-46, 78 S.Ct. 99, 2 L.Ed.2d 80 (1957), that “a complaint should not be dismissed for failure to state a claim unless it appears beyond doubt that the plaintiff can prove no set of facts in support of his claim which would entitle him to relief.” Rodriguez-Ortiz, 490 F.3d at 94-95. A court must, however, still “treat all allegations in the Complaint as true and draw all reasonable inferences therefrom in favor of the plaintiff.” Rumford Pharmacy, Inc. v. City of East Providence, 970 F.2d 996, 997 (1st Cir.1992).

B. Municipality of Gurabo’s Motion to Dismiss

The Municipality of Gurabo contends that plaintiffs allegations against it should be dismissed because the complaint does not establish a direct link between the Municipality and the events on which the complaint is based. It further asserts that the complaint fails to allege an unconstitutional implementation or execution of a municipal custom, policy ordinance or regulation to support a section 1983 action.

Municipalities may be sued directly under section 1983 for monetary, declaratory, and injunctive relief. Monell v. City of New York, 436 U.S. 658, 690, 98 S.Ct. 2018, 56 L.Ed.2d 611 (1978) For a municipality to be liable under section 1983, however, a plaintiff must prove that a municipal policy or custom was the “moving force [behind] the constitutional violation.” Id., at 690-691, 98 S.Ct. 2018. In other words, to establish liability against a municipality, a plaintiff must prove a deprivation of a constitutional right by means of “the execution of the *142 government policy or custom.” Id., at 690-694, 98 S.Ct. 2018; see also Avlies Alicea v. Municipo De San Juan, 519 F.Supp.2d 226, 229 (D.P.R.2007)

In addition, municipal liability attaches where the decision-maker possesses final authority to establish municipal policy with respect to the action ordered. Under Puerto Rico law, the actions of a mayor “constitute [ ] the official policy of the municipality.” Cordero v. De Jesus-Mendez, 867 F.2d 1, 7 (1st Cir.1989). Therefore, a Puerto Rico municipality “is liable as a matter of law for an unconstitutional discharge of its municipal employees by the Mayor.” Id.; see also Avlies-Alicea, 519 F.Supp.2d at 240.

In this case, plaintiffs have alleged that all defendants were policymakers and high ranking officials of the Municipality, and that they committed acts that constituted discriminatory treatment.

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Bluebook (online)
560 F. Supp. 2d 139, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 45022, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/concepcion-v-municipality-of-guarabo-prd-2008.