Eborka v. Wayne State College

CourtDistrict Court, D. Nebraska
DecidedMay 9, 2024
Docket8:24-cv-00053
StatusUnknown

This text of Eborka v. Wayne State College (Eborka v. Wayne State College) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Nebraska primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Eborka v. Wayne State College, (D. Neb. 2024).

Opinion

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF NEBRASKA

DENNIS EBORKA,

Plaintiff, 8:24CV53

vs. MEMORANDUM AND ORDER WAYNE STATE COLLEGE,

Defendant.

Plaintiff Dennis Eborka (“Eborka”) faxed a pleading titled “Notice of Removal of Pending State Court Action,” which the Court accepted for filing and docketed as a Complaint, Filing No. 1, on February 12, 2024. Eborka subsequently filed an Amended Complaint, Filing No. 7, on February 26, 2024. The Court granted Eborka leave to proceed in forma pauperis on March 8, 2024. Filing No. 15. The Court now conducts an initial review of Eborka’s claims to determine whether summary dismissal is appropriate under 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2). For purposes of this initial review, the Court will consider the Amended Complaint and Eborka’s supplemental filing, Filing No. 14, as part of the Complaint. See NECivR 15.1(b). I. SUMMARY OF COMPLAINT Eborka’s Complaint names Wayne State College (“WSC”) as Defendant and purports to remove a state court action filed by Eborka on August 22, 2023, in the County Court of Wayne County, Nebraska, “styled Dennis Eborka v. Wayne state college, Case No. CL23-106.” Filing No. 1 at 2. Eborka asserts removal is proper because he seeks to redress a deprivation of his rights under the Constitution and Federal laws pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Id. A review of Nebraska state court records, available to this Court on-line, shows that Eborka filed an action in small claims court that was removed by WSC to the County Court of Wayne County, Nebraska, in Dennis Eborka v. Wayne State College, Case No. CI23-106.1 Eborka’s state court complaint alleged WSC mistakenly recorded one of his grades and sought amendment of the grade as well as damages. On January 23, 2024, the Wayne County Court

granted WSC’s motion for judgment on the pleadings and dismissed Eborka’s complaint.2 In his Amended Complaint, Eborka alleges WSC violated his “right to freedom of education when defendant neglected to award plaintiff a grade of C+ as clearly stated on the syllabus for %77.5 [sic]. . . . [and] neglected to convert plaintiff grade to grade stated in the requirement plaintiff rightfully satisfied.” Filing No. 7 at 5. Eborka’s supplement indicates WSC implemented a grade adjustment on October 6, 2021, which changed Eborka’s “overall grade to a 77.5 which is a C according to the instructor,” Filing No. 14 at 6, though the course syllabus indicates a 77.5 would be a C+, Id. at 2.

As relief, Eborka seeks an order changing his grade to a C+ and damages for tuition and book expenses. Filing No. 7 at 5. II. APPLICABLE LEGAL STANDARDS ON INITIAL REVIEW The Court is required to review in forma pauperis complaints to determine whether summary dismissal is appropriate. See 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e). The Court must

1 This Court has been afforded access to the computerized record keeping system for the Nebraska state courts. The Court takes judicial notice of the state court records related to this case in Dennis Eborka v. Wayne State College, Case No. CI23-106, County Court of Wayne County, Nebraska. See Stutzka v. McCarville, 420 F.3d 757, 760 n.2 (8th Cir. 2005) (court may take judicial notice of judicial opinions and public records). Nebraska's judicial records may be retrieved on-line through the JUSTICE site, https://www.nebraska.gov/justice/case.cgi.

2 See attached Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings dated Jan. 2, 2024, and Order dated Jan. 23, 2024, Eborka v. Wayne State College, Case No. CI23-106, County Court of Wayne County, Nebraska. dismiss a complaint or any portion of it that states a frivolous or malicious claim, that fails to state a claim upon which relief may be granted, or that seeks monetary relief from a defendant who is immune from such relief. 28 U.S.C. § 1915(e)(2)(B). “The essential function of a complaint under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure is to give the opposing party ‘fair notice of the nature and basis or grounds for a claim,

and a general indication of the type of litigation involved.’” Topchian v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., 760 F.3d 843, 848 (8th Cir. 2014) (quoting Hopkins v. Saunders, 199 F.3d 968, 973 (8th Cir. 1999)). Plaintiffs must set forth enough factual allegations to “nudge[ ] their claims across the line from conceivable to plausible,” or “their complaint must be dismissed.” Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 569-70 (2007); see also Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009) (“A claim has facial plausibility when the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.”). “A pro se complaint must be liberally construed, and pro se litigants are held to a

lesser pleading standard than other parties.” Topchian, 760 F.3d at 849 (internal quotation marks and citations omitted). This means that “if the essence of an allegation is discernible, even though it is not pleaded with legal nicety, then the district court should construe the complaint in a way that permits the layperson’s claim to be considered within the proper legal framework.” Stone v. Harry, 364 F.3d 912, 915 (8th Cir. 2004). However, even pro se complaints are required to allege facts which, if true, state a claim for relief as a matter of law. Martin v. Aubuchon, 623 F.2d 1282, 1286 (8th Cir. 1980). III. DISCUSSION Liberally construed, Eborka alleges federal constitutional claims.3 To state a claim under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, a plaintiff must allege a violation of rights protected by the United States Constitution or created by federal statute and also must show that the alleged deprivation was caused by conduct of a person acting under color of state law.

West v. Atkins, 487 U.S. 42, 48 (1988); Buckley v. Barlow, 997 F.2d 494, 495 (8th Cir. 1993). For the reasons that follow, the Court finds that the Complaint must be dismissed for failure to state a claim for relief under § 1983 and because the Court lacks jurisdiction over Eborka’s claims. A. Removal Improper As an initial matter, to the extent Eborka seeks to remove his state court action to this Court, such purported removal is improper. Eborka is the plaintiff in the state action he seeks to remove, and removal is allowed only to defendants. Federal law authorizes the removal of some state court civil actions but only by a state court defendant or

defendants. 28 U.S.C. § 1441

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