Hornback v. Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government

905 F. Supp. 2d 747, 2012 WL 5866073, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 165115
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Kentucky
DecidedNovember 16, 2012
DocketCivil Case No. 5:12-cv-147-JMH
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 905 F. Supp. 2d 747 (Hornback v. Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hornback v. Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, 905 F. Supp. 2d 747, 2012 WL 5866073, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 165115 (E.D. Ky. 2012).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION & ORDER

JOSEPH M. HOOD, Senior District Judge.

This matter is before the Court on Defendants Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government (LFUCG) and LexingtonFayette Urban County Division of Police’s (LFUCDP) motion to dismiss (D.E. 4), Defendants Monte Corbett and Abigail Dillingham’s motion to dismiss (D.E. 3), Defendants Katie Rhea and Ray Samuel Wilson’s motion to dismiss (D.E. 5), and Defendant Alizabeth Graham’s motion to dismiss (D.E. 11). In his response, Plaintiff voluntarily agrees to dismiss Counts I, III, IV, V and VI of his Complaint, leaving only Count I seeking damages from Defendants under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 for an alleged violation of his Fourth Amendment rights. All Defendants have replied, and their motions to dismiss Count I of Plaintiffs Complaint are ripe for decision. (D.E. 9,10,11).

I. FACTUAL BACKGROUND AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

On August 31, 2010, Probation and Parole Officers Alizabeth Graham and Abigail Dillingham went to 317 American Avenue in Lexington, Kentucky to perform a routine home visit on probationer Brandon Bell. (D.E. 1, Complaint, at 6). Upon arrival, Graham and Dillingham smelled burning marijuana and requested assistance from Probation and Parole Officers Monte Corbet and Paul Fulcher, in addition to Lexington Police Officers Ray Samuel Wilson and Katie Rhea. (D.E. 1, Complaint, at 6). The above-named Defendants searched the residence located at 317 American Avenue, including the private bedroom of Plaintiff, who was not a parolee at the time. (D.E. 1, Complaint, at 6).

The officers had neither probable cause to search the premises nor a warrant allowing them to search Plaintiffs private bedroom. (D.E. 1, Complaint, at 6). There existed no exigent circumstances to justify the search nor was any consent given by Plaintiff who was absent from his home during the search. (D.E. 1, Complaint, at 10). Regardless, the officers seized marijuana from Plaintiffs bedroom and arrested Plaintiff that evening. (D.E. I, Complaint, at 7). Plaintiff was arraigned the following day on September 1, 2010. (D.E. 1, Complaint, at 7).

On February 17, 2011, Plaintiff filed a motion in Fayette District Court to suppress the evidence found in his bedroom. (D.E. 1, Complaint, at 9). Plaintiffs motion was sustained on May 9, 2011, at which time the Commonwealth moved to dismiss the charges against him. (D.E. 1, Complaint, at 9). The presiding judge dismissed all charges without prejudice. (D.E. 1, Complaint, at 9). One year later on May 8, 2012, Plaintiff filed this action under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 alleging violations of his civil rights under the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution as a result of the illegal search and seizure. (D.E. 1, Complaint, at 10-16).

II. STANDARD OF REVIEW

A motion to dismiss pursuant to Fed. R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6) tests the sufficiency of the plaintiffs complaint. The Court views the complaint in the light most favorable to the plaintiff and must accept as true all well-pleaded factual allegations contained within it. Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009) (citing Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007)). “To survive a motion to dis[749]*749miss, a complaint must contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to ‘state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.’ ” Id. (citing Bell Atlantic Corp., 550 U.S. at 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955).

III. ARGUMENT

As an initial matter, Defendant LFUCG has correctly noted that the LexingtonFayette Urban County Division of Police is not a legal entity capable of being sued. Plaintiff apparently concedes this issue, as he did not address this argument in his response. In the absence of any objection from Plaintiff, Lexington-Fayette Urban County Division of Police shall be dismissed as a party.

In the remaining Defendants’ motions to dismiss, they argue that Plaintiffs § 1983 claim must be dismissed because it was filed outside of the statute of limitations. “The statute of limitations applicable to a § 1983 action is the state statute of limitations applicable to personal injury actions under the law of the state in which the § 1983 claim arises.” Eidson v. State of Tenn. Dept. of Children’s Servs., 510 F.3d 631, 634 (2007) (citing Kuhnle Bros., Inc. v. Cnty. of Geauga, 103 F.3d 516, 519 (6th Cir.1997)). In Kentucky, the statute requires all personal injury actions to be brought within one year after the cause of action accrues. KRS § 413.140(l)(a); see also Bonner v. Perry, 564 F.3d 424, 430-31 (6th Cir.2009) (holding that Kentucky’s one year statute of limitations period applies to § 1983 actions).

Although the applicable statute of limitations is determined by state law, the “date on which the statute of limitations begins to run in a § 1983 action is a question of federal law.” Eidson, 510 F.3d at 635 (citing Kuhnle Bros., Inc., 103 F.3d at 519). Generally, federal law prescribes that accrual occurs “when the plaintiff has ‘a complete and present cause of action,’ that is, when ‘the plaintiff can file suit and obtain relief.’ ” Wallace v. Kato, 549 U.S. 384, 388, 127 S.Ct. 1091, 166 L.Ed.2d 973 (2007) (quoting Bay Area Laundry & Dry Cleaning Pension Trust Fund v. Ferbar Corp. of Cal., 522 U.S. 192, 201, 118 S.Ct. 542, 139 L.Ed.2d 553 (1997)). Applying these rules in this case, the Court concludes that Plaintiff had complete knowledge of the unlawful search and seizure of his bedroom on the day of the search, August 31, 2010. Therefore, his cause of action accrued on this date, and the applicable statute of limitations bars any action brought by Plaintiff after one year had passed. Wallace, 549 U.S. at 393-94, 127 S.Ct. 1091; Kenney v. Paris Police Dept., No. 5:07-cv-358-JMH, 2011 WL 1582125, at *6 (E.D.Ky.2011); Harper v. Jackson, 293 Fed.Appx. 389, 391 n. 1 (6th Cir.2008).

Despite Plaintiffs arguments to the contrary, this result is compelled by the Supreme Court’s teachings in Wallace v. Kato, 549 U.S. 384, 127 S.Ct. 1091, 166 L.Ed.2d 973 (2007). Prior to the Wallace decision, the Supreme Court held in Heck v. Humphrey, 512 U.S. 477, 114 S.Ct. 2364, 129 L.Ed.2d 383 (1994), that, if a § 1983 plaintiffs favorable action in federal court would “necessarily imply the invalidity of [a state court] conviction,” the accrual date for the § 1983 action must be delayed until the extant conviction is set aside.

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Bluebook (online)
905 F. Supp. 2d 747, 2012 WL 5866073, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 165115, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hornback-v-lexington-fayette-urban-county-government-kyed-2012.