Eslick v. State of Washington

District Court, E.D. Washington·Decided December 22, 2021·No. 2:21-cv-00282·Unknown

Opinion

EASTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON

NO. 2:21-CV-0282-TOR Plaintiff, ORDER GRANTING GRANT v. COUNTY DEFENDANTS’ MOTION TO DISMISS AND ORDER STATE OF WASHINGTON; JASON GRANTING IN PART AND P. AEBISCHER; GRANT COUNTY, DENYING IN PART GRANT WASHINGTON; ANNA COUNTY DEFENDANTS’ MOTION GIGLIOTTI; CITY OF MOSES TO STRIKE LAKE, WASHINGTON; TRAVIS RUFFIN; and JOSE PEREZ, Defendants.

BEFORE THE COURT are Grant County Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss (ECF No. 20) and Motion to Strike (ECF No. 30). These matters were submitted for consideration without oral argument. The Court has reviewed the record and files herein, the completed briefing and is fully informed. This matter arises from events following a traffic stop in July 2019. At approximately 1:15AM, Plaintiff was pulled over in Moses Lake, Washington for driving without his headlights turned on. ECF No. 1 at 5, ¶¶ 3.2–3.3. Plaintiff was

eventually arrested on a suspicion of Driving Under the Influence (DUI). ECF No. 1-1 at 23–31. The vehicle Plaintiff was driving at the time was not his own; it was registered to a third party who was not present at the time. ECF Nos. 1 at 6, ¶ 3.6;

1-1 at 33. The car was towed from the scene and subsequently impounded. ECF Nos. 1 at 11, ¶ 3.31; 1-1 at 33. Plaintiff was not ultimately charged with DUI but was cited for Negligent Driving 1st Degree. ECF No. 1-1 at 40. The citation was later dismissed following a hearing. Id. at 49.

While the negligent driving charge was still pending, Plaintiff sought a hearing to contest the impoundment of the vehicle. ECF No. 1 at 13–14, ¶ 3.37. An impound hearing was held on September 27, 2019 before Grant County District

Court Commissioner Anna Gigliotti, who found the impound proper. ECF Nos. 1 at 14, ¶ 3.38; 1-1 at 43. Plaintiff subsequently appealed the decision, but the outcome of the appeal is not apparent from the pleadings. ECF No. 1-1 at 44. Plaintiff also filed an administrative tort claim against the State of Washington on

July 1, 2021; only the denial letter is presently before the court. ECF Nos. 1 at 4, ¶ 2.5; 1-1 at 50. The letter was issued on September 18, 2021. Id. Plaintiff filed the operative Complaint on September 24, 2021, alleging

various state and federal law violations. ECF No. 1. Defendant Grant County and Commissioner Gigliotti (collectively “Grant County Defendants”) move for dismissal of all claims asserted against them on the grounds that Plaintiff has failed

to state claims upon which relief may be granted. I. Motion to Dismiss

A motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim under Rule 12(b)(6) “tests the legal sufficiency” of the plaintiff’s claims. Navarro v. Block, 250 F.3d 729, 732 (9th Cir. 2001); Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6). To withstand dismissal, a complaint must contain “enough facts to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.” Bell

Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570 (2007). “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.”

Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009) (citation omitted). This requires the plaintiff to provide “more than labels and conclusions, and a formulaic recitation of the elements.” Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555. While a plaintiff need not establish a probability of success on the merits, he or she must demonstrate “more than a sheer

possibility that a defendant has acted unlawfully.” Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 678. When analyzing whether a claim has been stated, the Court may consider the “complaint, materials incorporated into the complaint by reference, and matters of

which the court may take judicial notice.” Metzler Inv. GMBH v. Corinthian Colleges, Inc., 540 F.3d 1049, 1061 (9th Cir. 2008) (citing Tellabs, Inc. v. Makor Issues & Rights, Ltd., 551 U.S. 308, 322 (2007)). A complaint must contain “a

short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 8(a)(2). A plaintiff’s “allegations of material fact are taken as true and construed in the light most favorable to the plaintiff[,]” however “conclusory

allegations of law and unwarranted inferences are insufficient to defeat a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim.” In re Stac Elecs. Sec. Litig., 89 F.3d 1399, 1403 (9th Cir. 1996) (citation and brackets omitted). In assessing whether Rule 8(a)(2) has been satisfied, a court must first

identify the elements of the plaintiff’s claim(s) and then determine whether those elements could be proven on the facts pled. The court may disregard allegations that are contradicted by matters properly subject to judicial notice or by exhibit.

Sprewell v. Golden State Warriors, 266 F.3d 979, 988 (9th Cir. 2001). The court may also disregard conclusory allegations and arguments which are not supported by reasonable deductions and inferences. Id. The Court “does not require detailed factual allegations, but it demands

more than an unadorned, the-defendant-unlawfully-harmed-me accusation.” Iqbal, 556 U.S. at 662. “To survive a motion to dismiss, a complaint must contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to ‘state a claim to relief that is plausible

on its face.’” Id. at 678 (citation omitted). A claim may be dismissed only if “it appears beyond doubt that the plaintiff can prove no set of facts in support of his claim which would entitle him to relief.” Navarro, 250 F.3d at 732.

A. Judicial Immunity Grant County Defendants seek dismissal of all claims asserted against Commissioner Gigliotti on the grounds that she is entitled to judicial immunity.

ECF No. 20 at 8–12. Plaintiff asserts Commissioner Gigliotti conspired with other defendants to violate Plaintiff’s constitutional rights in violation of 42 U.S.C. § 1985, and that she aided and abetted those same defendants in furtherance of the conspiracy, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2. ECF No. 1 at 17–20, ¶¶ 4.6–4.17.

Under the doctrine of judicial immunity, judges and those performing judge- like functions are immune from suit for acts performed in the exercise of their official judicial functions, even where their judicial actions are erroneous,

malicious, or performed in excess of judicial authority. Ashelman v. Pope, 793 F.2d 1072, 1075 (9th Cir. 1986); Moore v. Brewster, 96 F.3d 1240, 1245 (9th Cir. 1996), superseded by statute on other grounds; Mullis v. U.S. Bankr. Court for Dist. Of Nev., 828 F.2d 1385, 1388 (9th Cir. 1987). Judicial immunity can only be

overcome if the individual was acting “in the complete absence of all jurisdiction,” or acting outside the individual’s official capacity. Mireles v. Waco, 502 U.S. 9, 11–12 (1991).

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