Hibbing v. Sofarelli

733 F. Supp. 1470, 1990 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3324, 1990 WL 32340
CourtDistrict Court, M.D. Florida
DecidedMarch 22, 1990
DocketNos. 89-1310-CIV-T-17(B), 89-1311-CIV-T-17(B)
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 733 F. Supp. 1470 (Hibbing v. Sofarelli) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hibbing v. Sofarelli, 733 F. Supp. 1470, 1990 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3324, 1990 WL 32340 (M.D. Fla. 1990).

Opinion

ORDER GRANTING MOTIONS TO DISMISS AND TO REMAND

KOVACHEVICH, District Judge.

This cause is before the Court on the following motions and responses, filed in the above-captioned cases:

Case No. 89-1310-CIV-T-17(B)

1. Plaintiff Norman Hibbing’s second motion for remand, filed October 24, 1989.

2. Defendant Michael Sofarelli’s response to the second motion for remand, filed November 9, 1989.1

Case No. 89-1311-CIV-T-17(B)

1. Defendant Norman Hibbing’s motion to dismiss or remand to state court, filed October 11, 1989.

[1472]*14722. Defendant Pinellas County’s motion to strike and motion to dismiss, filed October 16, 1989.

3. Plaintiff Michael Sofarelli’s response to Defendant Hibbing’s motion to dismiss, filed October 16, 1989.

4. Defendant Edward Carlson’s motion to strike and motion to dismiss, filed October 17, 1989.

5. Defendant Everett Rice, as Sheriff/s motion to dismiss, filed October 17, 1989.

6. Plaintiff Sofarelli’s objection to magistrate’s report and recommendation, filed October 30, 1989.

7. Plaintiff Sofarelli’s opposition to all motions to dismiss and strike, filed November 3, 1989.

8. Defendant Rice’s reply to objections to report and recommendation, filed November 9, 1989.

9. Defendant Pinellas County’s response to objections to report and recommendation, filed November 9, 1989.

For purposes of this order, Case No. 89-1310-CIV-T-17(B) and Case No. 89-1311-CIV-T-17(B) are consolidated for consideration. Case No. 89-1310-CIV-T-17(B) is before the Court after removal, by Defendant Sofarelli, from the state court (Hibbing v. Sofarelli, Case No. 89-14766-14) on September 25, 1989. Case No. 89-1311-CIV-T-17(B) is before the Court as an original action filed by Mr. Sofarelli, as plaintiff, on September 25, 1989.

A complaint should not be dismissed for failure to state a claim unless it appears that the plaintiff can prove no set of facts that would entitle him to relief. Conley v. Gibson, 355 U.S. 41, 45-46, 78 S.Ct. 99, 101-02, 2 L.Ed.2d 80 (1957). A trial court, in ruling on a motion to dismiss, is required to view the complaint in the light most favorable to the plaintiff. Scheuer v. Rhodes, 416 U.S. 232, 94 S.Ct. 1683, 40 L.Ed.2d 90 (1947).

This Court has carefully reviewed the motions and supporting memoranda of all parties. Under the standards quoted above, the Court finds that Plaintiff Sofar-elli has failed to state a claim for which relief may be granted in Case No. 89 — 1311-CIV — T—17 (B) and furthermore finds that the issues attendant to Case No. 89-1310-CIV-T-17(B) are more properly resolved in the state forum.

Accordingly, this Court will dismiss Case No. 89-1311-CIY-T-17(B) and remand Case No. 89-1310-CIV-T-17(B) to state court for further proceedings.

FACTS

The facts as stated in the report and recommendation of U.S. Magistrate Thomas G. Wilson, dated October 19, 1989, in Case No. 89-1311-CIV-T-17(B), are hereby adopted and incorporated into this opinion. The only addendum that need be made is that the center of this dispute, the house belonging to Mr. Sofarelli, still sits in the middle of John’s Parkway as of the date of this order. The house is in the middle of the road due to the actions of the parties in this case, not due to any action of this Court.

There are many alternatives that reasonable people could employ to have the house removed from the road, without the intervention of any court. Rather than take one of those “reasonable” non-judicial routes, the parties have chosen to demand judicial intervention. Therefore, they are subject to the Court’s caseload and availability of time for consideration of each case, as are all other cases which choose to seek the Court’s jurisdiction, which include the criminal caseload of this Court; the volume is both unreasonable and unending.

While the Court is aware that this case is important to the parties involved, so is every other case, civil and criminal, equally important to the parties involved. The Court found, and still finds, no compelling reason to pluck this case from its chronological rotation for resolution. If the parties are so concerned with the safety or aesthetics of the neighborhood, they could have, and still could, resolve this matter outside of the judicial halls. If they do not do so, by choice or inability to agree, they will be subject to the time constraints which are imposed on this Court, and on other courts, by heavy caseloads.

[1473]*1473DISCUSSION

I.

The first matter for discussion is before the Court on several motions to dismiss Case No. 89-1311-CIV-T-17(B). The Court finds the arguments contained in the memoranda in support of the motions to dismiss to be persuasive and incorporates them by reference herein.

Plaintiff Sofarelli, alleges among other things that Pinellas County, through the actions of its Sheriffs Department, and Sheriff Rice have denied him several rights grounded in federal law. Furthermore, Plaintiff alleges that the acts of individual residents involved in the situation provide the basis for a valid claim of state action. Finally, Plaintiff asserts that the County and the Sheriff violated the Due Process Clause, the Equal Protection Clause, the Fourth Amendment, Plaintiffs right to travel, and his right to engage in a business or occupation.

In order for liability to exist in the case sub judiee, 42 U.S.C. § 1983 requires that state action, for which the government is actually responsible, be the cause of the denial of the protected rights. Pembaur v. City of Cincinnati, 475 U.S. 469, 106 S.Ct. 1292, 89 L.Ed.2d 452 (1986), Cobb v. Georgia Power Company, 757 F.2d 1248 (11th Cir.1985). This threshold burden has not been met by the plaintiff, Mr. Sofarelli.

Plaintiff Sofarelli contends that alleged discriminatory actions of Mr. Hibbing and other private residents have prevented and continue to prevent him from exercising the several constitutional rights referred to above. Again, under the standards quoted above, it is required that the actions of the individuals, involved in the deprivation of the constitutional rights, rise to the level of state action for a valid claim to exist. The actions in issue before the court do not rise to such a level.

The alleged actions of Mr. Hibbing and the other residents do not involve sufficient governmental action or contact to subject them to constitutional limitations. In determining whether state action is present, the court must examine each situation on a case by case basis by “sifting facts and weighing circumstances.” Burton v. Wilmington Parking Authority, 365 U.S. 715, 722, 81 S.Ct. 856, 6 L.Ed.2d 45 (1961).

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Bluebook (online)
733 F. Supp. 1470, 1990 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3324, 1990 WL 32340, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hibbing-v-sofarelli-flmd-1990.