Gibson v. Sain

979 F. Supp. 557, 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15741, 1997 WL 622755
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Michigan
DecidedSeptember 15, 1997
DocketNo. 1:96-CV-219
StatusPublished

This text of 979 F. Supp. 557 (Gibson v. Sain) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Michigan primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gibson v. Sain, 979 F. Supp. 557, 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15741, 1997 WL 622755 (W.D. Mich. 1997).

Opinion

OPINION

QUIST, District Judge.

Plaintiff, Dr. James A. Gibson (Gibson), filed this action alleging violations of 42 U.S.C. § 1983 against Defendants. This matter was previously before the Court on Defendant Samuel McMurray’s (McMurray) motion to dismiss. The Court denied McMurray’s motion, but required Gibson to file an Amended Complaint setting forth his claims in a more specific manner. Now before the Court is McMurray’s motion to dismiss Gibson’s amended complaint.

Facts

This action arises out of Gibson’s attendance of a Muskegon Heights School Board meeting on March 15, 1995. Gibson alleges that he became concerned about the Muskegon Heights School District after unacceptably low scores on the Michigan Education Assessment Program test were released in 1995. Due to his concern, he attended the March 15,1995, meeting and began videotaping the proceedings. At some point during the meeting, Defendant Eddie West, Muskegon Heights School District Superintendent, and Defendant Dana Bryant, a Muskegon Heights School District administrator, demanded that Gibson discontinue videotaping the meeting. When Gibson refused to comply with West’s and Bryant’s request, West, or someone else from the school, called the Muskegon Heights Police Department (MHPD).1

Officer Latrice Sain (Sain) responded to the call and advised Gibson that he would be arrested if he did not leave the building. [561]*561Gibson did not leave the building and Officer Sain used force in an attempt to remove Gibson from the premises. Gibson alleges that he was choked unconscious and had to be treated at a hospital. Later that evening, another officer from the MHPD cited Gibson for trespass in violation of a Muskegon Heights ordinance. The next day, March 16, 1995, Gibson filed a complaint against Officer Sain with the police department.

The police department conducted an internal investigation into Gibson’s complaint and found that Officer Sain’s actions were proper. While the internal investigation was pending, Sain completed a warrant authorization form for Gibson’s arrest and submitted it to a district judge for approval. The warrant authorization form contained a space for the city attorney to sign after reviewing it, which read: “Warrant Authorized on — by-, prosecuting official.”2 Per the MHPD’s standard practice, the warrant request form was pre-signed by the city attorney but were not actually reviewed prior to submission to the district judge. Once the warrant was issued, Officer Sain entered it in the Law Enforcement Information Network.

On April 16,1995, Gibson attended another school board meeting. MHPD was again called and Officer Sain supervised Gibson’s arrest. Gibson was held in jail overnight. Later, all charges against Gibson were dismissed.

McMurray is Chief of the MHPD. Gibson alleges that McMurray authorized the MHPD’s practice of using the pre-signed warrant request forms in violation of M.C.L. § 764.1(2), which had the effect of misleading the district judge which enabled Officer Sain to make the illegal arrest.

Prior Motion To Dismiss

In his prior motion to dismiss, McMurray argued that the complaint did not state a claim against him for supervisory liability because it failed to allege that McMurray encouraged or directly participated in the acts giving rise to the alleged constitutional deprivation. In addition, McMurray argued that he is entitled to qualified immunity. At the conclusion of the hearing on February 5, 1997, the Court denied McMurray’s motion to dismiss and ordered Gibson to file an amended complaint stating his claim against McMurray in more detail. Gibson filed an amended complaint as directed by the Court. McMurray has again moved to dismiss on the same grounds as the previous motion.

Standard for Dismissal

An action may be dismissed if the complaint fails to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6). The moving party has the burden of proving that no claim exists. Although a complaint is to be liberally construed, it is still necessary that the complaint contain more than bare assertions of legal conclusions. Allard v. Weitzman [In re DeLorean Motor Co.], 991 F.2d 1236, 1240 (6th Cir.1993) (citing Scheid v. Fanny Farmer Candy Shops, Inc., 859 F.2d 434, 436 (6th Cir.1988)). All factual allegations in the complaint must be presumed to be true, and reasonable inferences must be made in favor of the non-moving party. 2 James W. Moore, Moore’s Federal Practice, ¶ 12.34[l][b] (3d ed. 1997). The Court need not, however, accept unwarranted factual inferences. Morgan v. Church’s Fried Chicken, 829 F.2d 10,12 (6th Cir.1987). Dismissal is proper “only if it is clear that no relief could be granted under any set of facts that could be proved consistent with the allegations.” Hishon v. King & Spalding, 467 U.S. 69, 73, 104 S.Ct. 2229, 2232, 81 L.Ed.2d 59 (1984) (citing Conley v. Gibson, 355 U.S. 41, 45-46, 78 S.Ct. 99, 101-02, 2 L.Ed.2d 80 (1957)).

Dismissal is also proper if the complaint fails to allege an element necessary for relief or if an “affirmative defense or other bar to relief appears on the face of the complaint, such as the absolute immunity of the defendant____” 2 James W. Moore, [562]*562Moore’s Federal Practice, ¶ 12.34[4][b] (3d ed. 1997).

In practice, “a ... complaint must contain either direct or inferential allegations respecting all the material elements to sustain a recovery under some viable legal theory.”

Allard, 991 F.2d at 1240 (quoting Sckeid v. Fanny Farmer Candy Shops, Inc., 859 F.2d 434, 436 (6th Cir.1988) (emphasis in original)).

Discussion

In his amended complaint, Gibson alleges that McMurray violated his procedural due process rights under the Fourteenth Amendment by authorizing his officers’ use of warrant request forms which were pre-signed by the city attorney, in violation of M.C.L. § 764.1(2). McMurray argues that Gibson’s claim against him fails on three grounds. First, McMurray contends that the amended complaint fails to allege facts which are sufficient to support a supervisory liability claim. Second, McMurray contends that Gibson’s due process claim is deficient because it does not allege a deprivation of a federal constitutional right. Finally, McMurray contends that he is entitled to qualified immunity.

A. Supervisory Liability

It is well settled that a defendant cannot be held liable under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 on a respondeat superior theory of liability. Rizzo v. Goode, 423 U.S. 362, 375-76, 96 S.Ct. 598, 606, 46 L.Ed.2d 561 (1976).

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Related

McDonald v. United States
335 U.S. 451 (Supreme Court, 1948)
Conley v. Gibson
355 U.S. 41 (Supreme Court, 1957)
Gerstein v. Pugh
420 U.S. 103 (Supreme Court, 1975)
Rizzo v. Goode
423 U.S. 362 (Supreme Court, 1976)
Franks v. Delaware
438 U.S. 154 (Supreme Court, 1978)
Baker v. McCollan
443 U.S. 137 (Supreme Court, 1979)
Steagald v. United States
451 U.S. 204 (Supreme Court, 1981)
Harlow v. Fitzgerald
457 U.S. 800 (Supreme Court, 1982)
Hewitt v. Helms
459 U.S. 460 (Supreme Court, 1983)
Illinois v. Gates
462 U.S. 213 (Supreme Court, 1983)
Hishon v. King & Spalding
467 U.S. 69 (Supreme Court, 1984)
Anderson v. Creighton
483 U.S. 635 (Supreme Court, 1987)
United States v. John Henry Morgan
743 F.2d 1158 (Sixth Circuit, 1984)
Carolyn Morgan v. Church's Fried Chicken
829 F.2d 10 (Sixth Circuit, 1987)
Vivian J. Scheid v. Fanny Farmer Candy Shops, Inc.
859 F.2d 434 (Sixth Circuit, 1988)
United States v. Lloyd Bradley
922 F.2d 1290 (Sixth Circuit, 1991)

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Bluebook (online)
979 F. Supp. 557, 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15741, 1997 WL 622755, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gibson-v-sain-miwd-1997.